When I was younger and more foolish, I took a Contiki tour of the South Island of New Zealand. It was a great way to party it up, see the sights and meet some people! The only problem was the majority of them were American. And while I don't necessarily have anything against the Americans - seeing as technically I am one - I did not want to see a scenic, beautiful island, with a pack of loud mouthed Yanks that could only continually tell us how 'everything was bigger and better in Texas'.
Thankfully, the night before was a hard drinking one, as there was nothing to do but drink on this small ship that we were stuck on. Where we were stuck was what made it the most amazing place to spend a morning.
We were on the incredible Milford Sound. It was November, the water was icy, which I can personally attest to after jumping in it repeatedly, and it was stunning! Snow capped mountains plunged into icy water. There were waterfalls cascading down cliff faces. There was peace and quiet. Except for on the boat that is!
When I awoke in the morning, at the crack of dawn (I don't know why, but I have this knack for doing it, even after spending the previous night getting to know a great bottle of Chardonnay with some great Australians) I stumbled (you can't gracefully climb those stairs) as quietly as I could to the main deck.
And it was peaceful, and quiet. The sun was just coming up over the mountains, and it's reflections was crystal clear in the sound. Cottony clouds hugged the cliffs like long lost lovers, and a pod of dolphins slowly slid through the water past the boat, close enough that I swear I could touch them.
It was like this for a moment - but what seemed like an eternity - before the boats motors were running, and people were awake. The moment was lost, but the memory will last an eternity.
The most amazing place to spend a morning by far.
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