Being Cargille in Invercargill

Ahhhhhh, Invercargill.  I hoped to be welcomed like a prodigal son, or at least free wireless access – anything to take advantage of the surname connection.  Where’s my 30% family discount?  After we’d been here a few hours one of the locals told me that the Gaelic meaning of “Inver” loosely translates to “We cheat tourists who are named.”  Nuts.  Where’s the haggis?  Where can I get fitted for a kilt?  

The staff at the YMCA are letting me slip in for workouts, but only because I purchased a month-long New Zealand YMCA membership for about $35USD in Christchurch; what a bargain.  My cost per workout is already down to about $3.50 – ha!  Please admire the photo of the card provided, and note the low-tech approach to controlling membership privileges here - super cute.  The gym is not as high end as the fitness we had in Singapore, but you still get to listen to the funny accents of your fellow exercise partners which is great.