In which Christchurch is not at all like the Lord of the Flies

Hello people! I am back from my mini break in a disaster zone, a disaster zone in which a State of Emergency is still in operation. I think it is fair to say that it was no tropical resort style holiday, but I am feeling more rested and a little less stressed than I was the day that I left when I had one of my patented At Work freak outs. I haven't had one in ages, but whenever I have one it's as though an old friend or a terribly embarrassing and loud relation has come visiting again.

I've already talked about the trip a lot so I can now break it down into bullet points pretty well.

• Christchurch is not at all like Lord of the Flies, or The Tribe. With the exception of a bread shortage (the main commercial bakery was operating at a limited capacity) there wasn't any noticeable issues, and certainly no children in the streets creating their own hierarchies and communities. Disappointed much?
• The central city was pretty badly hit by the earthquake, but there was no widespread damage. Here are some pictures of some of the worst buildings near the motel where we were staying. You can see the toilet in the first one! There's something about toilets exposed in earthquakes that is very funny.*

• I ate really well (as in, heaps of food) and I may never have to eat again. I am still full of Copenhagen Bakery Almond and Honey tart and German Rye Sourdough and Bodhi Tree tea salad and Ryvita crackers.
• Lyttleton seems pretty cool, and I'm super keen to investigate at a time when things are a little more accessible. The main street was partially blocked off because two of the larger buildings in the street were pretty badly damaged and looked as though they were going to collapse. The Wunderbar wasn't open.
• I didn't go on the tram because it seemed kind of lame when I saw it.
• I didn't go to the Art Centre or the Gallery or the Museum. The Art Centre and Museum were closed because of the earthquake and damage to the buildings and the Gallery is Civil Defense headquarters at the moment. So in addition to the fact that it was closed and completely full of paper and army people, it didn't seem entirely appropriate to go in there.
• All the people I met were very nice and friendly. I think the earthquake has made people friendlier. Everyone wanted to talk about what they were doing during the major earthquake and the really big after shock last Wednesday morning. In all, I think I heard about 20 earthquake stories.
• I had my first ever manicure. Then I experienced ruining my first ever manicure while trying to buy cake and bread from the bakery before my nails were properly set. DUH.
• I appear to have lost the ability to shop. I spent ages looking for things to buy and it was the most unrewarding thing ever; in the end I only bought fabric so I could sew when I got home.
• Oh, and some books. I really, really love second hand book stores. More Anais Nin!
• Journalists really enjoy reporting on disasters. In saying this, I don't wish to imply that all journalists are cynical disaster mongers as It makes perfect sense to me that they would get such a kick out of it, however it is a little surprising when you're first confronted with it en masse.
• I may never drink again. My body decided to rebel against my alcohol consumption to the extent that I stopped enjoying it altogether. I wonder when this peculiarity will end? Will it ever end? How much could I save by not drinking at all?
• I'm experiencing a weird thing budget wise - I had plenty of savings, most of which I'd resigned myself to spending over the mini break. I'm nowhere near blowing my budget (which I am very proud of) but I feel sad about the money from my savings that I have spent. As in: "I miss you savings! I really liked you. I wish I hadn't frittered you away on food and fabric".
• Christchurch then, has revealed to me how pervasive the savings/not spendings/budgeting has been. A new era in spending and saving for Ginger???
• I came home to discover a jar of snails in the kitchen. My flatmate is currently purging them, and intends to eat them later this week.
• Being a disaster tourist sucks. I felt totally self-conscious and self-defensive entire time. In the end I fell back on the fact that I was helping to buoy the economy through expenditure. Some kind of good Samaritan?

Christchurch seems as though it has some pretty nice aspects to it and I'd like to go back for a good explore in about a year's time. At the risk of sounding terribly parochial, Wellington is way cooler, however I am happy to concede that Christchurch is very pretty and has some neat-o bits.

Nice work Chch! And good luck with the rebuilding. You're doing awesome so far.

*People's property being destroyed, however, is not funny at all.