Here's what I jotted down on my flight to Wellington:
"20 seems to be my lucky number on this trip. On 3 out of my 4 flights, I was seated on row 20. Twice as an upgrade and now not an upgrade but at the window. On this clear Tuesday, I am going to fly over half of New Zealand's North Island with a view to the part I hadn't visited yet, the land West of Tongariro volcano."
These words make me think two things. First that I am a true optimist, and second that 20 was indeed a number a numerologist would ponder on, because guess what.
Guess what number is the apartment I ended up renting - and no, I wasn't aware of the coïncidence.
It is number 201!!!
Maybe I should investigate as to what went wrong on the flight where I was seated on a different row... Taking that seriously would take me down a whole other mindf**** trip :D
As I'm not into numerology and tend to not being too aware of the numbers around me - I'm dyscalculic (look it up. It's right under dyslexic) - I've probably missed a few other "20" occurrences.
By the way, I didn't have much choice other than apartment 201. During the 2 weeks of my search there were maybe 5 or 6 furnished places but the other were either off the market by the time I applied for a visit or in a poor state.
Housing is a bit of an issue in New Zealand. There is not enough of what the market needs and too much of what the market can't afford. Oh yeah, and then the huge mansions built by gazzillionaires who are never there but have it in case of a major fuck up in the US or a zombie apocalypse. Largely empty and gated mansions and estates.
Prices in Wellington are similar to what you'd pay in Brussels and I don't like the idea that my being here is influencing the price increase up.
This morning I was listening to a radio show taking calls from listeners on the subject of a new law more in favour of tenants rights. It is now looking more like what we have in Europe, or at least in Belgium, in terms of needing a valid reason to get rid of your tenant.
This is a country where despite a few centuries of feeling cold in the winters, houses still don't have built-in heating systems... There is a ventilation system in my apartment to suck out the moist air of the bathroom mostly, the walls are very well sound proofed, and there is excellent glazing in the few windows, but no heating is provided.
People here still buy little electric heaters.
Go figure...
Oh, I see another number 20! since my arrival in Wellington, temperature has been oscillating around 20°C. It's kind of nice, although you have to get used to feeling fresh/cold in the shade and warm/hot under the sun. This makes dressing up a bit complicated. Maybe that's why the dress code is more casual around here.
Oh, one more! one more!! My street number is 2. That's almost like 20, isn't it?
To end this post, shall I say a few words about chocolate?
I visited the Wellington Chocolate Factory yesterday , a bean-to-bar entreprise, and bought some Dominican Republic chocolate - Trinitario beans, just so you know. Over the 12 years of my visits, there has been a significant improvement in the chocolate situation of New Zealand. 12 years ago, I remember seeing some praline production and more of that 2 years ago. This year I'm actually finding different brands of locally produced chocolate bars in the supermarkets. Not all bean-to-bar, but still.
(The picture "Denzien gin, because no great story started with someone eating a salad" is a little free publicity for an award-winning gin maker also in Wellington.)
On this happy note, I bid you a fine day.
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