spring: hopes eternal

it wasn't quite a 'zip' and we were in chch. 32 hours is a lot of airconditioning, a lot of special meals, and quite a few security checks of varying annoyance. you've all met them before. they're a special breed, a special personality type- incapable of humour or compassion. they like to ask stupid questions. they try to make your life a misery. while being interrogated by the US border control freak i made the mistake of questioning their system (the only border control in the world that requires finger-prints and retina photos even if you're only in transit), to which he replied 'is there a problem?', his finger hovering over the 'special button' no doubt...
and then we arrived in auckland, aotearoa new zealand. we had to clear security again (it's a trend) but the security team say 'how's it going, love?' and 'oh, here's a lady who likes her jewellery' when i set of the metal detector. the customs people ask questions but then reply 'oh, how lovely' and finally, one man welcomed me home. after 32 hours of travel it was enough to nearly make me cry.
so, that's what we're up to. we're in the business of making ourselves at home, becoming kiwis (again): signing up. we've found most things to be incredibly easy- certainly efficient and every person we've spoken to (in the bureaucracy world) was really friendly.
and it's spring. it's not the semi tropical spring that my mind chose to remember (you know, balmy, windless days in shorts and t-shirts) oh no. it's more like end of winter rather than spring. but it's equally sweet. we flew in to chch as the sun was popping up over the horizon painting the landscape a golden hue. the mountians and hills from the kaikoura ranges to the southern alps were snow capped. the parks and gardens are filled with all the tender new shoots, the sweet perfumes of blossoms and bulbs bursting out as each day warms a little more. the light seems pure, adds a slightly innocent quality;
everything is filled with the promise of things to come.

and that, dear friends, is where the life of the two nomads comes to an end. we've unpacked our backpacks and put them in the garage. oh, no doubt there will be other travels, other adventures, but for us now- well, we're hardly nomads. we've unpacked. i'm quite happy to have drawers and a wardrobe. we're preparing ourselves for the next adventure, an adventure of a different kind.
in a way we've escaped. the wanderlust will always be there, i still long to look at madagascar, africa, maybe one day the silk route, a road trip in the US, return to india....
but we've escaped.
we're making something else now: we've established the rara republic, population: 2 1/2. you're more than welcome to join us there- we don't do security checks or border control.

so: escape to the rara republic (www.rararepublic.blogspot.com - new address) you know you want to

xx