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| View from Auckland hostel window at 1 in the morning. |
Know what happens when you cross the International Date Line. Note
whether the date springs forward or falls back. Note whether you’re going west
across the date line or east across the date line. Note that all of your
bookings, plans, and hostels depend upon knowing the proper date of arrival.
And if you get the wrong date, all your bookings will charge you the full price
and you will lose your spot in the hostel and your spot on the bus.
I learned that lesson real hard and real fast. Upon showing up at my
hostel in Auckland at 12:30pm, I discovered that I had, in fact, booked the
hostel for a day earlier than my actual arrival date. Mostly because I did not
pay proper attention to the International Date Line. When the hostel man told
me this, after reminding me that I was a no-show yesterday, I dropped my
backpack to the ground. I threw my body down on a green squishy couch and closed my eyes in distress. The hostel man recognized my despair and said, “one minute,
young woman, don’t cry yet.” And he tapped a few fingers on the keyboard and
proudly told me that he kept emergency rooms for situations like this. Saved by
the hostel man! Not only did I actually get A room, but I got my OWN room!
Moving on, I realized that I probably did not properly book my hostel
for the next night. I was right and so I checked my email to find an angry message
from the hostel that I thought I booked for the next day, but was actually
supposed to arrive at that day. So I booked the hostel that I was supposed to
be at that day, for the next day. And I was done. So I went to sleep and slept
like a child.
I woke up the next morning, fresh and springy, which was surprising,
considering the fact that I was awake for 24 hours and slept for 4 hours (it’s only hitting me now). Torrential downpour outside my open window, but I was still
fresh and springy. So I threw my backpack on, walked to the library, the pier,
the grocery store, and then the bus stop. I waited at the bus stop for 45 minutes,
proud of my timeliness (as they are known to leave you behind if you’re not 15
minutes early).
I waited in line, behind a myriad of different colored backpacks and
bags and wheeled things. I walked up and threw my pack down. Showed the guy my
pass. He told me no, I had the wrong date. I said what. He said no. He said the
bus leaves in ten minutes. I said how do I get on the bus. Insert panicked
moment here. He points through the glass to a line of people looking irritated and
tapping their feet. I join the line.
I look irritated and tap my feet. I aggressively wait. I get to the
front of the line and tell the irritated lady that I’ll do anything to get on
that bus in the next thirty seconds (I can see the bus driver counting down
from 10 seconds through the glass). She swipes my card and prints a piece of
paper. Folds it into my hand and says fly free little kiwi! And I make it from
Auckland to Rotorua.
Moral of the story: know you’re crossing the International Date Line.