Hello People,
So far the longest time without writing anything, I’m Sorry. Time flies in the southern hemisphere and weeks go by in a glance. Without even feeling it, I have been here for over two months. I am still very much alive and kicking and life couldn’t be sweeter right now. But let’s talk about what went on until now. The present will come in near future…
For those who don’t remember, I am staying in Havelock North. I couldn’t describe my life here better than with a French expression, "la vie est un long fleuve traquille" which means "life is a long quiet river". I am as close to a local as I could ever get without changing passport but be assured that will not happen.
Typical day:
Early rising with the sun around 6 o clock every morning for a work start at 7 sharp. Down at the vineyard work never ends and there is always something to do. Some more fun to do than others but all of them are as important in the wine growing process. Work lasts until three in the afternoon leaving me more than enough time to enjoy each day. A daily trip to the supermarket that stands 5 minutes away from the backpackers to choose the flavor of the day concludes the day. I share dinner with 2 to 5 other people every night. Each one gives it’s own personal touch to the meals and some wine keeps us company over conversations. It’s time to go to bed, tomorrow is another early day…
Lately things turned more interesting as the harvest (apanha da uva) has started. Merlot, Chardonnay, Viognier, Tempranillo, Syrah, Montepulcciano, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and even Touriga Nacional (o que e nacional e bom!!!) are one by one being picked, pressed and set on their way to become some fine beverage.
The pick is made by hand and for that matter some "asian" help is called on the fields to speed things up. Chinese, Malaysian, Indian and from time to time some backpackers like me trying to make a buck or two make the team. They pick the grapes into a small bucket (that can still reach a weight of 22 Kgs) and pass it through to the middle row where I stand behind or on the tractor and empty them into a much larger bin that holds up to 800 Kgs of grapes. Everyone is very correct and polite and even though the same exchange repeats itself over and over a "thank you" or a little word is always exchanged to lighten up the mood. But to some point it wasn’t quite enough. As some of you know it, I am terrible remembering names and this considering names like Almeida, Sousa, Cabral, etc. I’m sure it won’t be a surprise if I tell you that you don’t get too many of those around Asia. So trying to remember who is Tching, Tchang, Than or Chao can turn into a twisted mind stretch that I don’t want to get into. A pretty simple solution came up as everyone uses "bro" on this side of the planet. An enormous number of brothers, Little sisters (we don’t want to upset the elderly) and uncles just joined my family, even if just for the harvest’s duration. "Thank you" and "You’re welcome" in Chinese are now as well part of my current vocabulary though it seems to me that they say it in a different way every time and I never get it right. As conversas estao um pouco limitadas ja que o ingles deles e muito reduzido. Passado uns dias vim a descobrir que em Chines a palavra uva traduz-se para "putow" (o mais parecido com a pronuncia). Quando o balde fica cheio comecam a gritar: Putow! Putow! putow! - Ao qual levam com a resposta: "Puto o car....!!!" Estamos neste impasse ha um mes...
On the busiest day we picked up to 44 tons of grapes. Since there are two of us "tipping" the buckets into the bins just do the math. I lift from 10 to 20 tons of grapes a day. No need to tell you that I finish the day almost on my knees but it’s worth the effort. I will always be part of the 2006 vintage at Trinity Hill. And to prove that I was honored to be the first "foreigner" to write my name on the wall of the shed where we have lunch and keep the machinery.
"Luis Estarreja – Portugal
30/01/06 – 17/04/06" - is now written for prosperity.
Everything is going for the best and I feel as much appreciated at work as I appreciate to be there. But all isn’t a bi fairy tale and I must confess that I did have a couple of accidents.
The first involved a lack of attention and heavy machinery. The one tractor I was so happily driving betrayed me. They put foreclifts at the front of the tractor to carry the bins and as I was taking it back to the shed they were out down and out of my sight. As I nicely parked the tractor in front of the shed door these foreclifts, for some reason out of my understanding at the time, decided with a mind of their own to collide with the shed garage door. It was at that moment that I left a personalised mark of my passage that will outlast the test of time. I would like to point out that I don’t see the point in having such weak doors with such a deforming ability. After getting a lot of shit about it and I am sure I will still get some more before I leave I paid the price of such distraction. I fixed the garage door with George and I was sentenced for two dozens of beers. The door is as good as new apart from some wrinkles and we got some extra beer to drink after work.
The second, and lets hope the last one, involved and extremely volatile bucket, and Indian woman and a hole lot of swearing from her side that I wouldn’t even try to translate. I was standing on top of one of the bins dragged behind the tractor (that I was for obvious reasons NOT driving…) and they were passing the buckets over the top the plants. What you don’t know is that the buckets get really bathed in grape juice and turn the handles really slippery. It all came down to the one that got away and slightly (if you ask me) collided with this Indian woman’s left lobe. What can I say, shit happens and it seemed that all the "I’m sorry" one can say in a row without catching one’s breath just don’t do it. I spent the rest of the day getting the evil eye from the hole Indian community. Thank god it was a short day otherwise the curse would have reached another ten generations.
Fiquei com um grande remember daquele episodio do Seinfeld em que ele tenta ajudar um indiano mas que acaba por trama-lo mais que outra coisa...
"Jerry Seinfeld, Very Bad Man!!" com um pucado sutaque Indiano..
"Lui, Very very bad man!!" teve o seu momento de graca...
These were the two main incidents at work. I stopped counting the number of times that I cut myself with the snipers, over 20 is too much anyway.
This is pretty much what happened at work. On the hobby side of things I did get up to Lake Taupo the week-end before the Harvest started with my mate Charlie that I work with. There I got acquainted with no only the beauty of the lake, the mountains and the falls but with two typical New Zealand traditions.
Unwritten in any books but know by all the Yard tradition has been going around for generations. When you reach your "Adult Age" at age 21 you must down in front of friends and family a whole yard of beer. I’m 24, I know, but still I wouldn’t let such an opportunity to make an ass of myself go by. The yard glass holds six 33cl beers and is quite a challenge just to drink from. The feeling of a late dinner coming through my nose and mouth did refresh my memory about how many stupid thing we make when we are 21. It is definitely something to do at 21 the latest. I don’t regret doing it since it’s one of those once in a lifetime but I’ll think more than once if ever asked to do it again…
The second involved much less effort or nausea and I am telling you right now that I will do it again for sure.
Bungee jump over the Wataraki River.
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Off I went, 50 meters from top to bottom. I did ask for the option of touching the water but they missed their calculations and I stopped 1,5 meters from it. Maybe next time, who knows?.
It is such a rush to jump off a cliff with nothing but a rubber band attached to your feet, I’ll tell you. Probably as stupid as the yard of beer but much more acceptable and "clean" (if you ask my mom she wouldn’t agree on either of them of course but what’s done is done. I could go on and on about it but I’ll let the video speak for itself and I still have the one in Queenstown to defy.
With so much time on my hands I had to find something to fulfill my days. So I bought a guitar. A nice new black Fender Guirar to Keep up on the old tunes and trying to pick up some new ones to rock our way down south.
Hours, days and weeks go by as the moment to finally go home gets closer. But before I go a big part of the adventure still lies ahead of me. After Easter I’m going to the South Island with Daniele my Italian cook friend to rent a caravan and go around for three weeks discovering the land of the lords of the ring. I can’t wait to go.
For those who are curious to know this is the plan for the rest of the trip.
Work until the 17th of april,
Leave to Wellington on the 18th,
Enjoy the city for a couple of nights and fly into Christchurch on the 22nd to pick up the campervan.
Three weeks of adventure around the south island,
Super 14 Game on the 12th of may (crusaders vs Brumies) in Christchuch,
Return the camper the next day.
Make my way up to Auckland until the 17th when I catch a plane back to Sydney,
Three days of farewell with my aussie family,
And finally fly back home on the 20th of may,
Arrival on the 21st just in time to attend to Rock in Rio and Watch the world cup at home..
See you all then
