Fake Jade and Glaciers

Hey everyone! So, you know all that "jade" we thought we found on the beach? None of it was real! We took it to this jade carving place and the guy laughed and said, "Nope, none of it is real." Here Bretton and I were talking about possibly selling it off and making a lot of money. Not so much. Also, to our dismay, we could not make it into the bone carving class, it was full. So we went off to Franz Josef Village, home of Franz Josef Glacier. We started off on a "good" note. We met some Canadians after hearing them mocking Alberta. I cut in and said, "Hey! We're from Alberta," but then laughed and said, "it's okay, we make fun of Alberta all of the time." One guy said, "Yeah, you don't always know who is around." That should have been a big hint. I went on, "Yeah, one time I went on a rant about Germans and there were a bunch all around me. I said.... (must I fill this in?)." He gave me a look and said, "Yeah, well a German is right next to you." Wow. I walked right into that. I need to learn to keep my big mouth shut. Anyways, the next two days we did some hiking around the glacier. It rained tons both days, so visibility was not perfect, but what can you do? We took this hike called "Robert's Point" the first day. At one point I remember saying, "Where's the track?" The whole trail was washed out, it was basically a stream. That made it very difficult to walk in with non-waterproof hikers. We were both soaked. At some parts, there were pools. Bretton and I really wanted to do it, so she gave me a piggy-back twice (she was hiking in sandals), just so I wouldn't get more soaked! The rocks were really slick, as it was pretty wet, and we finally decided to turn around. When we went back to the DOC office, they told us that the trail had been closed for three years and had just been re-opened in the last two weeks. Wow, just our luck. The next day, it was more clear, so we looked at the glacier again. Then we decided to give the track another try. It wasn't raining yet and I had my sandals. About half-an hour in, it started raining. How glorious. But the trail was much drier and I was hiking in sandals. We got much farther this day. But it was pretty obvious that water had been running through here on and off for many years. The rocks were smooth. Meaning that when you step on them, even with grippy boots, you cannot get any grip. With rain added to that, it becomes quite dangerous. We just kept on walking and walking. We weren't reaching "Robert's Point". Then we ran into some Germans who had turned around, unable to reach any good point. So we turned back as well. Both Bretton and I had a couple of falls, the rocks were so slippery and it was raining pretty hard. The next day, we headed for Fox Glacier, where we were going to take a tour. The weather wasn't too bad to start, but as soon as we started walking up to the glacier, it started pouring. When we were finally up there, it was a torrential downpour. I was really cold! We put on our crampons, got a walking stick, and walked on the glacier. It was beautiful, but in my amazement, I felt simultaneously miserable. I was totally soaked! When we finally got back, I had a hot shower and read for the rest of the day. Now we're in Wanaka. After a six hour bus ride, I feel ready to do something. Maybe just stock up on groceries. Franz Josef and Fox have nothing for groceries because they're so small, so we've been eating pasta for a couple of days. We've also watched a few movies lately. First, "Titanic". May I mention that this was the first time I've seen the whole movie? Bretton cried. We also watched "Whale Rider" and "Hot Fuzz". After having a cold, wet day of hiking, watching a movie is just what you need. I really want to buy some Nutella. They have normal Nutella here, but they also have the store brand, "Pam's". But the interesting thing is that "Pam's" has a better selection. You can get crunchy Nutella, or Nutella swirled with white chocolate. That's what I was thinking about on the bus today. Anyways, I've got to run. We're paying for internet here. Talk to all of you soon!