Chapter Eleven: 28 October, 2004
Not far from Lake Taupo is Huka Falls. The water is bright blue - absolutely stunning - and made me think of glaciers.
It was gorgeous and it smelled really good too. We went tramping about along the trails with Alfredo and Melizza.
We walked a lot longer than we thought we were going to, but it was worth it!
We tried to check out a few more things like the prawn farm and some power boat thing that the boys wanted to do but then we went home, had a nap and went for dinner at The Landing, which was really really nice! I had the beef which was really melt in your mouth good stuff. We didn't stay for deserts because we had ice cream back at the house. :P they had passionfruit brulee. I really really really wanted to try it. :P stupid ice cream :P
The next day we had a most excellent breakfast. Patrick made pancakes, I fried up some bacon and made a cheese omelet, we cut up some fruit - it was wonderful. We haven't had a big breakfast in forever. There aren't any hash browns here at the shops but you can get them in some restaurants.
speaking of shops and restaurants - no one here wears any damned shoes. The kids fling em off at work - people step out of their cars BARE FOOT! it's kinda grim, but so far I haven't smelled any rank stinky icky foot odor - so that's a plus, but I mean, even when it's only ten degrees outside - even in the rain - people go around with no shoes on. Two in every twenty people I see while out and about have no shoes on. I haven't seen any no shirt no shoes no service signs - so I dunno. about three in every twenty people I see while out and about wear those god awful thongy sandals slip slappin about bare footy ugly plastic wedged between the toes sandals. EVERYONE men - women - children. The only time I saw people with sensible shoes was at the information centre - so you know they were all tourists. You have to think twice about that whole FAS don't like to wear shoes thing. I keep bringing it up - someone's going to slap me if they hear it from me again I just know it.
We
Anyway, the umbrella picture is from sunday morning / noonish when Patrick was fixing the umbrella. I couldn't pull the camera out fast enough to get it when Alfredo had it completely inside out like in a cartoon! oh man it was so funny my sides hurt I was laughing so much.
The last picture is the Gypsi Market. They had this super cool done up truck that people actually live in and you can look at it for a buck. None of us spent the buck - there was a little ten / twelve year old girl cussing out another girl from the back door of that truck . . . so forget it.
The other neat thing I saw at that fair was dream catchers oh and medicine bags. The bags were going for seven bucks. I think the dreamcatchers were ten. Anyway, the sign said that the lady who makes them isn't Native - but she really enjoys making them and send them along with their historical background and stuff. I can't believe how much native art I see here. I mean, it's not as everywhere like at home, but it's out there, in second hand shops, markets, coffee shops etc. It's nice.
Alfredo bought a wooden flinstones car at the gypsi market. :)
Missing you millions - more pictures from this weekend to come~!
April Mom