Chronic Negress

am up battling the urge to collapse as I try to reset my body clock. Upon arriving in Christchurch, our hotel wasn’t ready for us so much needed ablutions were postponed. We walked around downtown, visited a stunning cathedral with gorgeous choir loft, and then perused the offerings of a downtown street market. Happily flying business class made sleep much easier as did regularly timed infusions of food, caffeine and some booze. Did I mention caffeine? Personal intake during the day (or so since Wednesday went missing) five cups of strong black tea, one cup of green tea, four lattes, plus local gold lager. I kept urging Kathryn to rage against the dying of the light, but she threw in the towel about 20 minutes ago.

I cannot go to sleep in our surroundings without describing them first. The Heritage Hotel is in the center of town and has a modern tower section and an older section in the OGB, which means Old Government Building. Transoms and pediments abound. I have been in apartments smaller than our two-bedroom suite. We have a living area downstairs with dining table, couches, entertainment center, and a full kitchen with fridge and the usual spendy minibar. Electric teakettle has been essential to the day’s proceedings. Full bath also on the living area level. Then you go upstairs to the pair of bedrooms and another bathroom. Heated towel racks. All mod cons indeed.

Naturally, we forgot photo memory cards so I procured two reasonable ones and two pricey ones. We can now take something like 1,200 pictures. At least 10 of them will be of this hotel room.

Anyway, I am about 20 minutes away from optimal jet lag reducing bedtime. Tomorrow it’s the VigOrlijah follies aka the Lord of the Rings locations tour complete with champagne picnic. VigOrlijah is not a painful disease or a new real estate district in Manhattan but a melding of the first names of the hunky stars of the trilogy. It can be stamped out in our lifetime. Also on the itinerary are pedicures for all.