Happy Christmas - Take One

It’s Auckland so it must be Xmas Day. I know that because the pilot told us both the time and the date as we landed… It was odd to arrive at 4.30am on a Xmas morning, having missed Xmas Eve in its entirety due to the International Dateline, into a very sleepy Auckland, still dark. I looked for Santa’s sleigh but guess he had already started on his way to all those other places where Xmas Day starts that bit later, as he was nowhere in sight. It’s quite taxing trying to work out what time it is in various places in the world – in the UK and in Argentina where Ant and Derek still are. My flight was going onto Sydney and very few people left it here, so the arrivals hall was eerily quiet. There are a few Xmas decorations about, but it seems that no other country goes quite so over the top as we do in the UK with Xmas. No one makes any reference to it, for example the pilot told us the date but didn’t mention the word Xmas, no mention was made by the very nice immigration officers or even hotel reception. Perhaps in this politically correct day and age people don’t mention it in case they offend, who knows. Made my way to the Kiwi International Motel (definitely more backpacker than flashpacker), as my flight to the Cook Islands doesn’t leave till this evening. So time for a freshen up and a sleep before I start on my travels again. But the hotel doesn’t serve food at lunchtime, and suggests you nip to the shop down the road – but as this is Xmas Day it’s not open. But no bad thing, no turkey lunch for me may go some way to getting rid of the 5lbs I’ve put on so far from all that Argentinian beef! And there’s always tomorrow……