milford wonders

picture this: i'm standing by the road to milford, all sweaty and still somewhat mesmerised by what i'd just seen up the saddle, diving in my backpack hoping to catch a ride back to te anau. it's getting late and there's more wildlife around than cars. after a ten minute complete road silence, there they are - two cars! but my hands are busy digging out a fleece, so i let them go. but they stop anyway, making me think how nice of them and so on. but apparently, instead of offering me a ride they jump out of their cars and start a discussion in...POLISH!!! at first i wasn't at all sure what language i was listening to, but suddenly it dawned on me - after five months in here with hardly any signs of any Poles...i got six of them at a time! in the middle of nowhere, not even hunting ones! i started laughing histerically and when they started to give me anxious looks, i finally spoke : ALE JAJA! that was one of the most amazing days...one that came without any warning. they just happen. and i thought i'd had all of its volume when i scrambled up the rocks to Gertrude Saddle and got this amazing view of MILFORD SOUND that left me literally sink in it. i stood there for nearly thirty minutes, all that miracle to myself, and thought how lucky i am to be there.
and then, just when i was stumbling on my polish chatting by the road, a couple of friends from the hostel came up...and gave me ride straight back to my room. perfect.
and that wasn't all. the pancakes last night were better than usual. and I had company in bed...a cuddly hostel kitten purred me into sleep. what else do i need to feel on top of the world...?