'Sweet as' is kiwi slang for 'cool' or 'wicked'. It has nothing to do with your behind and it's not followed by anything. Most people here are having a sweet as time - but 'most people' doesn't include me, in this case. A man I met on the airport express bus in Hong Kong said to me after hearing my travel stories:'Sounds like you're hooked on the Orient!' My first reaction was:'Me???', but perhaps he was right...

When I arrived in Auckland last Wednesday, it was raining. It rained for 3 whole days. When I asked an IEP staff member what I could do on a rainy day in Auckland, he said:'Hang out and get drunk - but that's what you do when the weather is good as well!' He thought he was being funny, but I didn't like it at all! Hanging out and getting drunk is not my idea of having fun, but it gave me a good idea of what life in Auckland is all about. I spent three night at the Base Hostel in downtown Auckland. This was pre-booked. I didn't sleep at all. After four nights with hardly any sleep, I was exhausted and I felt like a drug addict on a constant high. This was not fun at all! I went online to look for a hostel with single rooms (there aren't many in Auckland) and luckily, Aspen House had a single room available for me. As soon as I could check in, I went there, left my suitcase in the middle of the room and fell asleep. I felt a whole lot better when I woke up after an hour!

Most foreigners go to Auckland to get drunk. Not me. On Thursday night, I went to yoga. To my surprise, the yoga teacher was a Japanese lady. The class price included a vegan dinner afterwards. Wow, that food was good! I was even able to eat the chocolate pudding for desert, because it was made of soy milk. I don't think I'll go there again, though, because the place is run by Hare Krishna and that made me feel a little bit uncomfortable...

On Friday, I went to Henderson by train. Henderson is one of Auckland's suburbs. The train went very slowly and it felt like stepping back into time! At the train station in Henderson, I was picked up by John, a man from England who's lived in New Zealand for 23 years. He'd invited me to have lunch with him and his girlfriend Marita. John and Marita were very kind, helpful and friendly and I ended up staying for dinner as well. They let me use their computer for a couple of hours (!) and after dinner, John drove me back to the Base Hostel.

On Saturday evening, I went to the Peter Pan Ballet performance. I love watching ballet and this show was wonderful (although, I must admit that I had trouble keeping my eyes open...I was so tired!). I spent most of Sunday sleeping and last night, I went to salsa class. There's a dance school above McDonald's. I discovered that on the first day, haha! The dance school, named City Dance, reminds me of the Amsterdam Dance Center. The salsa instructor was Taiwanese (there are so many Asian people, Asian shops and Asian restaurants here!) and it felt good to dance again. I miss our nights at ShiHai, Kathy! I had, however, underestimated myself: yesterday's class was for beginners and it was way too easy for me... I had fun, though, and that is why I went there in the first place. I may try a different class later this week (they have hip hop, funk, contemporary and heaps of other dance styles there as well).

I'm still in Auckland, even though I don't really like it here. I seem to have put myself in a similar situation as when I went to Yangshuo: it's bad timing. When I arrived in Yangshuo, the October festival was about to start and here in Auckland, the summer holidays are about to start (Christmas holidays and summer holidays are both in December here! ). It's a bad time for finding a job, because a lot of offices will be closed in December and summer jobs have already been given to New Zealand students. It's also a bad time to travel, because in peak season, the prices go up. Hostels and hotels are either full or have increased their prices. Sigh! I really need to keep this in mind next time I decide to travel! I'm not sure what I'll do. I spend a lot of time in internetcafes, exploring various options. I've applied for several jobs, but so far, I've only received rejections. But hey, the sun's shining and that's 'sweet as'! ('Sweet as' is kiwi slang for 'cool' or 'wicked'. Sounds a bit weird, but that's what they say here!)

Have a great day!