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[zebra363]

I'm back home after my trips to Melbourne and NZ. My worst-case scenario of not being able to see Supernatural until I got home* didn't come to pass, since I was able to get my download quota increased by staying an extra night at a motel. They normally only offered 50MB/day with extra time being quite expensive. I was surprised at how quickly I

Comments

[jedinic]

This post was so insightful - I never thought about what happens in the years AFTER a disaster, when you can't rebuild.

[zebra363]

I hadn't given enough thought to how hard it would be to leave if all your money is tied up in things you can't sell.

The scale of the damage is so big that there can't possibly be enough tradespeople and equipment to repair things in a remotely timely manner, either.

I might be going back in two years' time and will be very interested to see how much things have changed!

[ash48]

Thanks for the recount. That damage is shocking - I can't imagine what that would be like to see close up.

I love that your most memorable thing about the motel was the 500 MB. :DDD

*guh* edible chocolate spoon. I'm salivating.

Maybe catch up this weekend... :)
xx

[zebra363]

It was very confronting to see a modern city in that state. They have years if not decades of reconstruction to go. People were talking about a 15 year plan.

It's awkward to have internet access at the forefront of your mind at all times when overseas! I was thrilled to be handed a coupon for 500MB!

Hope to see you on Sunday. I'll be driving to Jasmin's if you need a lift. I'll probably hang around until evening unless she throws people out earlier!

[ash48]

Thanks. I'll let you know re the lift. I'll have to look up her address (I don't think I saw it in the recent posts) and figure out what I'm up to on Sunday. But def like to come. (I wanna pick your brain about your meet up with MJ *g*)

[redbraids]

So intereting to read your report. Chritchurch would make me cry too.

[zebra363]

On the morning radio, they announced what buildings were being demolished that day. They had to take down their tallest 5-star hotel. I tried to imagine hearing that the BankWest Tower and the Pan Pacific where we had Swancon were so badly damaged that they were being demolished.

It's not all bad, though - apparently half the city didn't suffer much damage. I walked around the Botanical Gardens and was glad the trees hadn't fallen over! It sounds like life is very tough in the eastern suburbs, though, especially if you're caught between the government telling you you have to leave and your insurance company not paying.

[missyjack]

A woman from Christchurch has just started working with me, so I've been hearing about life after the earthquakes. Quite incredible, and I had no idea the devastation was still so bad.

Hope you enjoyed Akaroa - i have very fond memories of it.

I hope I can make it over your way for a visit sometime soon - and you are more than welcome back here anytime!

And that yoghurt sounds both hilarious and yummy!

[zebra363]

It looked like things will be a mess in and around Christchurch for a long time to come. The logistics of that much cleanup are staggering. I can't imagine what it must be like in Japan.

Akaroa was great and I'd definitely go back. I spent part of two afternoons at an inexpensive little cafe/bar right on the water, feeling like it should cost much more to get such amazing views!

We'll arrange some SPN get-togethers if you make it over here!

Try "TV Ad 2" on the yoghurt company's site. Apparently it's OK to put sunscreen on another man as long as there's plenty of sand mixed in!

[craig9520]

As you go through, click on the photos to see the corresponding photo from the same place. They are quite remarkable.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2012/03/japan_tsunami_pictures_before.html

It's probably the difference between being a small town region in a very rich country as opposed to one of the big cities in a country with a much smaller GDP.

[zebra363]

Those are amazing. Thanks for the link.

[shayheyred]

So much of what you say about the earthquake area and not wanting to see it reminds me of how I felt here in NYC after 9/11. Unlike virtually everyone else I know, I didn't want to go to Ground Zero to see the big hole, filled with debris. People were going in droves, and I stayed uptown, where I live, about 4 miles north. It was only after the hole was emptied and construction started that I went to see it. I think the images of the collapse and the smell in the air for days afterwards were enough for me.

[zebra363]

It wasn't so much that I didn't want to see it, only that I thought it might not be polite to the locals to go look. However, everyone seemed keen to talk about it and many said they were in favour of "earthquake tours". "Anything that gets people back into the city." One Christchurch couple I talked to waiting for the plane seemed almost offended when I said I wasn't planning at that stage to go look at the central city.

I can imagine I might feel very differently if it was an Australian city I knew well, or if it was the result of terrorism rather than a natural disaster.