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Prologue:
Denver to Los Angeles to
Auckland to Christchurch to McMurdo and
all in an easy four days of airline travel. We got
to ride down to McMurdo in a C-5 Galaxy cargo jet,
we're the envy of the crew as the C-5 is considered
the luxury transport of the fleet. We sat on actual
chairs in a temperature-controlled cabin and only 5
hours in the air. By contrast, we'll be coming home
on a C-130 Hercules, sitting knee-to-knee on canvas
webbing seats in the cargo hold for eight hours
back to Christchurch.
Life here is very different
from anything I'd imagined coming down here. I'll
write about it in great depth as I get time. My
schedule is hectic and busier than I had hoped. I
have only every other day to spend in personal
pursuits. The rest of my time is occupied in
firehouse activities.
Check back here when you get
a chance. I'll be adding all my pictures that I
took using Apple's QuickTake
digital camera
solution.
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9510.03
It was a long flight down to Christchurch. By
the time we all got on the ground in Christchurch
we had been sitting in airplane seats for a solid
24 hours, including a stopover in Fiji to refuel.
The last leg of the flight was on an Ansett NZ Air
BAe jet that was a real improvement over United's
standard of service. The flight attendants were
very friendly, interested, the food was passable,
the seats roomier and more comfortable than regular
coach flying.
We are all in town for 48 hours as we are
assigned and fitted for our ECW
(Extreme Cold Weather) gear. We get fitted this
afternoon, then leave sometime early tomorrow
morning. The company has issued us all US$250
(NZ$350) for our expenses in Christchurch. Should
last just about right.
The hotel where I'm staying is called the
Hereford (on Hereford Street) across from the
Christchurch fine arts center. The hotel itself
caters to backpackers and low-budget travelers. My
room is a cold 8 x 8 foot with no electricity or
heat. The bathrooms are right across the hall and
you can hear everything/everyone coming and going.
But for only NZ$25/night I can put up with it for
one more night. It's right across the street from a
popular coffee house/bar/micro-brewery called 'Dux
d'Lux'. Looks to be a popular hangout of the
student/arts crowd. I'll have dinner here
tonight.
More...
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Tim Meehan
