So it was, when I found myself standing at the booking desk for an overnight cruise on Milford Sound. My friend Edith and I heard about a $160 special from our Dusky Track buddies Bob & Kathryn. A little sticker-shocked at first, Edith and I were convinced, over the course of a 5-day tramp, that it was worth it. All you can eat... free sea kayaking if you feel like it... views of Milford Sound during different times of day...
I'm not a huge fan of "packaged-trips," but I figured what the hell. So now... try to imagine my contorted face when Edith and I learned that the special has in fact ended... the cruise is actually $211. The two of us deliberate... tell ourselves that it's only money... who knows when either of us will be back to Milford Sound? And with that, we decide to book our tickets. But oh wait... "Do we need transportation to the Sound?" asks the booking lady. We have no cars, so yes. "Then that'll be $260 for each of you's?"
$260? Two-Hundred-And-Sixty-Dollars?!? Shit.
And thus, my cheap bastard self comes into full view for all to admire.
Edith decides she's still going for the cruise. She sympathizes... acknowledges that she only has another week of travelling before returning to the states. We all tend to get a little less thrifty as the travels come to an end... we eat better, take buses instead of hitching, sleep in hostels instead of camping at Holiday Parks... and spend large sums of money on what is sure to be a great cruise. But a $260 cruise? That's... that's like $170US... I could travel for 2 weeks in SE Asia with that kind of money. Which, by the way, is exactly what I'm thinking at that very moment. I still have 2 months of travelling left.
Edith and the booking lady are somewhat amused by my indecision, and very outward inner-monologue. Why wouldn't they be... from the outside I appear to be in actual physical discomfort... squirming, swaying, head-scratching, finger-drumming. "I'm being ridiculous," I tell myself aloud, and with that I hand over my credit card.
...
At 2:00, we leave Te Anau for the 120km ride to Milford Sound. Approximately 1 hour into the bus ride, I completely forget about the money I spent to only a few hours ago. Money? What money? My face is pressed against the glass of our moving bus; my neck contorts to try and catch every possible moment. It's raining out, heavily, and with that rain, the waterfalls of Fiordland have sprung to life. Like white ribbons painted down the steep valley walls, countless waterfalls tumble their way down, seemingly straight from the clouds. At every bus stop, we dash out of the bus and into the downpour... I can't help but risk some water damage to my camera.
We board our small boat, with bunks enough for 50 passengers. We leave the dock at 4:30 and return at 9:30 the following morning. Such a short period of time... less than a complete day... and looking back... I can't believe what experiences were packed in to that short window...
... countless waterfalls spilling water straight from the clouds into sea. Dashing between my cup of tea in the galley, and the photo-ops outside.
... paddling around in sea kayaks in the middle of a torrential rain storm. Surrounded by water, feeling the awesome, and cleansing, power of mother nature.
... all you can eat dinner! Great food too. Seconds on everything... including chocolate brownie with ice-cream.
... epic Scrabble match with Edith (which I lose on the last turn... doh!), while drunken backpackers in the next booth play "I Never...". Feeling older than my age as...
... waking early enough to catch the faintest colors of the sunrise. That's right... the rain storm blew over, leaving us with a clear skies... how quickly the weather can change here.
... sheepishly asking the skipper if we can take a swim in Harrison's Cove before we pull up anchor.
... taking a the cool plunge despite the amused skepticism of our crusty and charming skipper.
... all you can eat breakfast! No muesli this morning... eggs! bacon! toast! hashbrowns! yogurt! hot damn!
... cruising around Milford Sound and out to the Tasman Sea. How different it looked from the day before.
Day 1 pics...
Day 2 pics...
Leaping pics...Ha!
2 comments:
i really think you should publish a book of your travels. amazing!
Your photo, I'll call it 'Leap of Frugal Faith' is priceless. I second Allison's comment.
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