We've all hit the mid-season blues here in Wanaka and up at Treble Cone, so it's definitely time for a top ten list. Here are the top ten things I miss about home:
10. Trees. At Okemo we love to ski in the woods and at TC there isn't a single tree in the place. It makes skiing in flat light particularly difficult, seriously.
9. Critters. There simply aren't any, except for the rabbits which were brought in by the English (I can only guess why the English would bring in rabbits). There are literally no indigenous mammals here on the South Island, no rodents, nothing. The only things that scamper are the drunken teenagers.
8. Fresh Food. And you thought the Shaws in Ludlow was bad ...
7. Buffalo Sauce. Mmmmm. I get delirious thinking about it.
6. Cheep Beer. I never thought it'd be a good recruiting tool for Okemo that we can buy a 36-pack of High Life for under $20. It's the simple things in life.
5. Free Condiments. Imagine paying $.50 for a pack of "tomato sauce" and it's not even proper ketchup. Don't even consider looking for mustard or relish.
4. A Comfortable Bed. My back is a mess.
3. Diversity. I am the closest thing in Wanaka to a swarthy ethnic type. There are some Asian tourists but the only diversity in town comes from me, an Israeli snowboard instructor who grew up in New Jersey, the Indians who run Bombay Palace, and the Turks who run the kebab takeout joint. The Maori are only on the North Island and Wanaka is incredibly white as a consequence. The place is so white that the Scots in town add color. Some pigmentation and some ethnic food in the supermarket would spice the place up, literally and figuratively.
2. Old People. The average age of the staff at Treble Cone must be under 25. I'm a bona fide geezer.
And the Number One Thing I Miss About Home ...
Insulation. I brought a bunch of thermal long underwear to NZ to use while skiing and the only time I wear it is when I go to bed at night. The Kiwis are just now figuring out how to insulate their homes, use double-glazed windows and weather stripping, and heat their houses with something other than plug-in heaters and fireplaces. Heck, our fireplace doesn't even have a flue we can close. Plus, when the wind blows I could sail a boat around my bedroom. Mind boggling, and very, very uncomfortable.
1 comment:
I'm with you on the buffalo sauce! I go into withdrawl when we're in Australia. :) Bill's best man, Michael, just had it for the first time over the 4th of July...I think we have our next exporting business. Can't wait to catch up when you get back.
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