FIRST KIWI WEEKEND

Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying my stay here very much; but the thing is, like I mentioned on my previous post, when evening comes there really isn't that much to do. We tried to go shopping earlier, but was too late as most shops closed at 4pm. 4 in the frickin' afternoon!!! That sucks!!!

Like I said, I'm still enjoying my stay here, considering the dull nightlife.

FRIDAY

After work last Friday, some of the peeps from our company invited us for a night out. 5pm, we were at one of the best bars in the area, the Loaded Hog. I finally got a taste of their much hyped beer. I chose the lager. It was okay. Sort of sweet with a lil bit of an aftertaste that I can't describe. It was good. But is it better than San Miguel Beer?

I don't think so. Now that I've tasted one of the beers, I'd still say that ours is still much better. I'll try to taste one again next weekend. Definitely, a different one.

So anyway, 5pm here in NZ is pretty much the same as a 10pm weekend at the bar in Manila. It's already full of people. They start early, because they end it early as well. But the crowd is nice. A lot of good looking people were there. A lot of eye candy. Young urban professionals like ourselves.

Not a lot of people smoke here, as cigarettes are some of the more expensive things you can purchase here in New Zealand. So if ever you're going here, I suggest that you bring your own ream of ciggies as it's going to cost you to purchase here.

Then we went to a karaoke restaurant. This was the first time I've tasted duck. We have a lot of that in the Philippines, but this was the first time that I've really tasted that fowl. It's good!!! Oh and their wine... aww... you should taste it, it's very good!!! Yum... I love it, and don't get me started with the chardonnay...

SATURDAY

We met with our Manila trainer's husband yesterday to watch a rugby game. I now have a new favorite sport that I'll never play... RUGBY!!! It was the Wellington Lions against the team from Bay of Plenty. The home team (Lions) won!!! Actually they annihilated their opponents 42 - 12.

I wish I could post some pictures right now, but I'm just using the hotel's pc... which by the way is very expensive!!! 5 dollars (approx P150) for 30 minutes.

I'll probably post something about this game later on, once I'm settled back in Manila because frankly I'm not really sure about the rules of this game. What I know, is that it's similar to American football only you'll have to use more brains than brawns.

After that, we went to the botanical garden, which by the way is a sight to behold. It's on top of a mountain, and the scenery, the city of Wellington at night is breathtaking. We'll be going back one of these days. We didn't finish exploring the place as it got dark already.

SUNDAY

Is shopping day. Well, not really. We went to the grocery for rations for the week ahead and for our lunch. I cooked spaghetti, and then what else? We didn't do that much because cooking took most of our time.

But we did go to the House Of Parliament, which was a nice place. Looking at the building, I wanted to burn Malacañan Palace because simply put, it's ugly (our palace). Like I said, nothing much to do here because at 4pm most of the shops are already closed.

When we asked before where's the best place to chill out, they said it's Courtnay Place because that's the most happening place. Unfortunately, when we got there, I can't help but ask, "what's happening?"

It's really different from Manila. But I don't miss the place. I'm so enjoying everything here. THeir museums are worth walking 2 hours to finish. I so wish the Philippines is like that. Oh well. One thing I noticed here, EVERYONE WALKS FAST!!! I swear, I get exhausted when we're following kiwis. And to think in Manila, people complain to me that I walk very quickly. It sucks.

AND OH YEAH, TOMORROW'S THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING!!!