Christchurch

well the first thing we did when we got here was go straight to Wicked to ask if we could ditch the van early. We were both really fed up with it and would rather spend our money on a proper bed in a hostel. Wicked agreed we could so next step was to find a bed for the night. The YMCA came up trumps for us and although we had twin beds we slept like logs as soon as our heads hit the pillow! Next day we cleaned the van out and dropped it off. Phew! we felt free! so we went for a wander around Christchurch city. it was very pretty. Quite small with lots of little shops and nice bars and bistros. every so often we came across a building with scaffolding around it where it had suffered damage in the earthquake in September 2010. Then we spotted a church that looked as if the whole spire had been lifted up and placed on the floor for safety. We wonder now if their efforts were in vain Christchurch had lots of pretty buildings and parks and we also wonder how much of that has survived the quake in February. We had booked the Jailhouse for the remainder of our stay in Christchurch and it was interesting to compare it to the Ottawa Jailhouse. Both of them do things very well - playing on the jailhouse theme. In Christchurch they even had stripy crockery and costumes you could try on for photographs. on the whole though, we both preferred Ottawa we decided, as it was much older and felt more authentic. One thing both of us have been missing whilst travelling is a decent curry! we have tried a curry in every country we have been to but none of them match up to the flavours found in England. The day before we left however, we found ‘The Bollywood’ and thought we would give it a try. We were not disappointed. We both opted for the Vegetable Thalia and it was definitely the best we have had so far and as good as anything we have had in England. Let’s hope they survived and are still cooking today. so that last night we slept very well in our cell, little knowing what would befall the following day. I don’t think we would have slept so well had we Known! YMCA Hostel Hereford Street Room rating: 6/10 - private bathroom Location: 9/10 Staff: 8/10 Value for Money:8/10 - breakfast not included Other comments: warm, clean and comfortable Stay again? maybe Addington Jailhouse Accommodation Room rating: 6/10 - shared bathroom Location: 5/10 - about 30 min walk to centre Staff: 8/10 Value for Money:8/10 - breakfast not included Other comments: warm, clean and comfortable Stay again? maybe overall city experience: 7