Lake Tekapo- New Zealand 2007

A person can be seen in the left center. Photograph taken by David Batiz

The year 2007 found me living among our brothers at the bottom of the world for the second time. I started in Auckland but quickly and quietly made my way down to Christchurch on the South Island. While enjoying the streets of this wonderful city cleverly disguised as a common bum, for I wasn't really a bum as the ten dollars in my clearly pocket showed, I came across a job offer in the paper for a chef position in Mt. Cook. I had no idea where Mt. Cook was and had never worked as a cook before so it was obviously perfect for me. I called the contact number from a kind citizens phone that I met while walking around. Of course I had my own brand new and expensive mobile phone, but I somehow couldn't get it to work. Maybe there was a broken connection between two of the pieces of candy inside. Somehow I got the job, but this is for a different story. 

Perhaps a chronological timeline of my travels will be more suitable to the reader. Let it be so for the future, but we shall finish this story for the present.

Lake Tekapo is on the drive from Christchurch to Mt. Cook. I stopped here briefly as the colors of the lake entranced me, and not because the bus stopped for an hour break. Never had I seen such a teal color before. But the euphoria was short lived since all lakes in the region are of the same color. It is truly a shame that we are only amazed by new and different experiences, and once the initial amazement is gone, we take it for granted. It does give a meaning to life though. To go out always searching for new and incredible experiences to stimulate to mind. But again I digress.

I stopped at the lake for less than an hour. While the lake itself captured my attention, there was nothing else there save a small town of around three hundred people. I sat for a while lost in the color and reflection of the lake, and then carried on. I have not been back since.