Yes, I did makeup that word, oddities. :-)

I'm in TeAnau now. I'll have to catch you up on Wanaka and Queenstown
in another letter.

As I mentioned in an earlier letter, I have been picking up new
vocabulary as I travel. Words like "proper" and "mate" are a part of
my daily vocabulary. Some words like "cheers" and "bloke" are still
finding their way into daily use. With each new word i try to write it
down somewhere handy, a place i might come across frequently to
refresh my memory. Lately I have a lot of trouble with the word
"trouser". To me a trouser, might be something you would use if you
were out milking cows, and you wouldn't want to get the jeans/overalls
dirty, or they might be a lot like the Chaps that bikers where....
just a bit less disturbing...

As I travel from hostel to hostel, not only is the weather getting
colder, but I have yet to run into an American!!! some days i think
this is good, other days i feel a wee bit out numbered, especially
when Bush says things like "God told me to go into Iraq while i was
sleeping", I can't tell you how many cracks have been made about that
one!!! thanks Bush. To say the least Americans are a rare breed out
here, and I'm starting to understand why. There are however a lot of
Brits. To the Brits, New Zealand is what Great Britain was 20-30years
ago. So everyone from Britian comes here for the beauty, and the lack
of civilisation. Fair enough, I kind of came for the same reason.

As the cash flow begins to run low, I have an ever burning desire to
spend it at ten times the rate as before. I don't know why this is,
all i know is that God certainly didn't come to me in my sleep and
tell me to do this, i might however end up working as a hostel slave
if i don't slow down. so back to the point, i'm in probably one of the
most beautiful parts of new zealand, and what has probably become my
favorite past time, kayaking (i don't do it much, but it is an amazing
activity), is really popular out here. So i decided i would take a two
day kayaking trip into the Doubtful Sounds. if i'm lucky i'll get
right next to dolphins, penguins, and all sorts of really great
animals.

The really amazing part about New Zealand is its purity. A lot of the
water out here is still very pure, and in fact Doubtful Sounds is the
last part of the world not to have it's water infected by this nasty
little parasite, i won't even both trying to name it, because i won't
do it justice. However i'm sure the little sis will be able to tell
you all about the side effects if you really want to know.

So with this purity comes the world's biggest tree huggers. (just like
my kayaking tour guide)... you know, the ones that are sooo happy
about this toilet that was installed five years ago, and how it
automatically biodegrades all human wastes, but it doesn't like
certain types of waste, so you have to do number one over in the bush,
and number two in the fancy dancy waste biodegrader..... i kid you
not, this lady would have gone on for hours about this device if we
let her, and i have no doubt that we will here more about it on the
trip tomorrow.

So tonight was the orientation, an hour long lecture solely on what to
bring on this kayaking trip! my head was hurting, i doubt i have
everything i need, and i know that i will probably freeze my butt off
tomorrow, (i have been doing a lot of that lately.) So at the end of
the meeting we all pay for the trip, and being the putz that i am, i
find myself the only one paying in cash. so i put myself in the back
of the line to prevent showing the whole world that i have this wad of
cash in my pocket. the last thing i need is rich American jokes
floating around. so i'm the last one at the meeting, and i'm hanging
around waiting for change. I say goodbye to this treehugger, i mean my
guide, and as i walk away she shouts out, "nice trousers!"... of
course in my mind i am trying to figure out what she is saying...
::trousers, trousers, what the hell are trousers???? ohh yeah, those
overall things,.... ahh i got it now, she means my pants!!!:: jackpot
i got it, this one is going down in the book of new words.

so i proudly (this is new for me too) shout back, "Yeah these are my
yoga pants! the most comfortable pants in the world. Back in the
States i was a yoga teacher!"... the second i closed my mouth i new i
was in for it. she gets this big old grin on her face, that grin like
everything just got a whole lot better, and she just met a new best
friend. this is because her logic is 20-30years back dated, she thinks
yoga is sitting crossed legged with the wrists on your knees and
saying "humm" all day long while waiting for some sort of alliance
with the natural elements (dad :-) ). Which now makes me the prime
person to talk "biodegrading toilets" with tomorrow...... if she only
knew about the countless pieces of paper that i waste, just so i can
remember words like, trouser, to keep myself from getting into lengthy
talks about toilets!

the next two days should prove very interesting.

thanks for all of the great e-mails! i love hearing from everyone!

love ya, miss ya, namaste,

Marcus