Last day in Christchurch

It's my last day in Christchurch and of course I would wake up to pouring down rain. I figured I'd make the best out of my last day here and still attempt to see the city. I headed down to the Art Gallery and the Centre of Contemporary Art. The Art Gallery was your typical art museum, it featured many NZ artists and I enjoyed seeing their work. The Contemporary Museum is more my taste. I like anything that is unusual, weird, and would make the average person say, what the hell is that supposed to be? There was a photography exhibit on display that I really enjoyed. it featured photographs about the lives of disabled people...

You can check it out here http://www.ourstories.co.nz/

There was also another guy that I was completely fascinated by, try googling Ian Scott, The Model Series 1996-2004. His collection was rather big for the size of canvas that he painted on. He features one woman per canvas and many of the women are posed in front of famous art. Just as an FYI, these are R rated. The women are pretty much half naked yet painted beautifully, but you may want to have the kiddies leave the room.

After the museum I ran around the city trying to find a bookstore. I went into one and the prices were absurd so I checked my trusty Lonely Planet and found another store down the street that was way cheaper and had a much better selection. So I picked up Dry by Augustus Burroughs, the sequel to Running with Scissors, Nicole Roche, thanks for introducing me to this guy! Hopefully this will last me until I get to Sydney where mom can supply me with more books!

After the great book search I went for an early dinner at the Holy Grail Pub, a recommendation by my friend Matt Smith (you've got to check this place out, www.holygrail.co.nz) It's this old art deco theatre turned into a sports bar with an enormous widescreen television and about 50 other flatscreens covering every sporting event going on right now across the world. It has these big balcony bars and padded bleachers... very cool. I had the pumpkin soup, which I've been eating a ton of over here. They actually sell pumpkin halves in the grocery store here, like how you'd buy a watermelon. I hung out there for a bit but not too long because being at a bar by yourself at 5pm isn't always the most exciting thing in the world. So as I came out of the bar I jumped onto the trolley and rode around the city for yet another trolley tour... it's kinda cool because each trolley driver tells you different facts about the city and they each have their own sense of humor. The guy that I had today was really dry and I like that... I've found that many people here don't understand my sarcasm, mostly the English. They take me very seriously until I tell them that I'm kidding... so funny how that is with different cultures.

Oh, and last night I went to see Letters from Iwo Jima. It was a really good movie but I wonder when Clint Eastwood is going to make a happy film? Everything he directs is so dark and depressing. Oh, if you don't want to read subtitles, don't bother renting.

Did I write that I got my bathing suit back? Heck yeah! I called the guys at Rangitata Rafts and had them drop it off at the hostel reception for me yesterday... too bad they didn't return a digital camera with it!

Alright well I think that sums up my days here at Christchurch... tomorrow morning it's off to Kairkoura to possibly do some whale watching if it doesn't rain. I have a night there then it's back up across the Cook Strait by ferry to Wellington to stay with Mike, Debs, and Ethan for a few days... oh how I dream of a big bed!