Queenstown update...

where to begin, where to begin! i've been in christchurch for about a day and a half, but i'm already missing the glorious funtimes that is queenstown.

So.

I arrived in Qtown on the 27th of december, a thursday, so naturally first stop after signing up for the bungy was altitude, the bar at base backpackers. base is a chain of backpacker hostels throughout new zealand, and they tend to be very large, rowdy, and lots of fun for about 3 days before you start to absolutely hate the place. i was there for 7 nights, so as you can imagine, it got old after a certain point. but i can't complain sharing a room with silvia and emma, and all the silly fun that came with that.

but anyways, at altitude on thursday nights they do this thing called the horizontal bungy, which involves strapping yourself into a harness attached to a bungy cord, running from one end of the bar to the other, drinking a shot while the bungy cord snaps you back, and then doing it one more time, but this time substituting a pint of beer for the shot. it's a bit of a challenge. but emma, my trusty swedish companion for the majority of my south island adventures, ended up winning!! by winning i mean completing the two runs in the shortest amount of time possible without spilling the beer or falling and breaking your arm (which has happened...). she actually ended up winning a free nevis bungy, which we had booked earlier, so she got a refund and spent it on a 5 hour photography safari thingy which she seemed to enjoy.

Also on the first day in queenstown, we were introduced to fergburger, the greatest place of all time, ever. its a small burger shop across from the hostel which sells burgers with names such as "cock-a-doodle-oink," "bun laden," and my favorite "southern swine." its brilliant. the burgers are absolutely giant and so so so tasty. i ate a total of 2 and a half, and each time i thought i was going to die. but i didn't, and i'm still drooling over the very thought of them. Also across from the hostel was a gelato shop that had different flavors every day, so naturally we had to do a sampling as often as we could.

other than fergburger and gelato, my diet consisted largely of chicken flavored noodles. a boy in our room, frank, was sick and gave us all a bad cold by the end of our stay. i powered through mine the best i could, but there were many afternoons spent sleeping or reading in bed, which was a huge bummer.

on saturday december 29th, silvia, frank, emma and i went up the gondola to get a view of the entire city, and it was absolutely gorgeous. of course, given that this is a country of adrenalin junkies, and qtown is the capital of that sort of thing, at the top of the gondola they have a luge course. for 40 bucks you get a trip up and down the gondola and six luge rides. you strap on a helmet, climb into this thing that looks like a cross between a skateboard and a bumper car, and zip down two windy race tracks. it is super super super fun, and you can't beat the scenery.

on sunday, we relaxed a bit and did some shopping for new years outfits, etc. that night we went over to a hostel called "southern laughter" to watch a movie with helen (england), denise, and jessica (both sweden). being the mature adult folk that we are we watched spongebob squarepants the movie. and it was brilliant.

but during that visit, i absolutely fell in love with southern laughter. its a small, sort of hippie-bungalow looking hostel, with farside cartoons up all over the walls and humorous quotes painted on the yellow exterior. each dorm room for eight has a kitchen, bathroom, and small living space with a tv. outside, there are hammocks in the front yard and chairswings outside each room. upstairs there is an open balcony next to a pool room, and two large lounges with tvs. and the best bit is, free soup every night at 6pm! i've vowed never again to stay in a hostel that doesn't offer free soup. soooo amazing. oh and a free spa pool. helen is working there for the next three months and i couldnt be more jealous.

Monday was new years eve. we booked a table for ten at an indian restaurant called bombay palace, and absolutely gorged ourselves on amazing curries. at the table were:
camillia and patricia (canada)
denise, jessica, and emma (sweden)
silvia (germany)
frank, helen and her two friends i don't remember... (england)
and me.

then we all went back to our dorm room and drank some ginger wine, champagne, and rum and cokes (i know, we really know how to choose them) before heading out to revolver, a bar across the street. after that we went down to the water and watched an amazing live band with about 200 other people. it was a funk bank composed of a lead singer/ guitarist, stand-up base, sax, trumpet, keyboard, and drums. they were super and played such timeless hits as psychokiller and the theme from ghostbusters. at the end of the countdown a string a fireworks went off, and literally every other person wipped out their camera or phone so we were just a sea of digital devices... but anyways, nothing makes me happier than a fireworks display... i don't know what it is, i think its from watching them every year in bar harbor on the 4th of july, surrounded by people at pier. it just makes me feel so connected to everyone else, its just such a communal affair, all gathering around to celebrate and watch these silly things explode in the sky. then the band played that new years song... uh... auld long something? my parents will die reading this but i have no idea what the name is. somebody leave a comment or something, help me out here. anyways, they played that before launching into another string of bootyshakers, and we all just had a blast dancing around in the grass. it was awesome, probably the best new years ever.

after that we went out to our favorite little place called worldbar, where they serve drinks in teapots. however, emma wasn't feeling so hot from the indian food, and i felt so completely fulfilled by the band/fireworks that we decided to head home. i was in bed by 1:30 in the morning reading, and therefore started my new years feeling refreshed and happy. it was perfect.

the next day, the first day of 2008, was relaxed. i finished my book (the secret life of bees) and went on a walk around the lake track. then i met up with denise and jessica for some gelato, and had a dinner of chicken noodles before going to bed early. not the most exciting of days, but gave me a chance to think deeply about this coming year and what i want for myself. but i'll put all that in a separate post...

january 2nd was the big day in Queenstown- we did the NEVIS!!!!!!!
this is the 134 meter, 8.5 second freefall bungy that i was talking about earlier. we went out about noon and hopped in a van that brought us out to a canyon in the middle of nowhere, over which a metal station was suspended by cables. you take a little cablecar out to the room and wait wait wait as each person jumps off, one by one.

the whole time i was out there i was just excited to do it, i wasn't nervous in the slightest. when they called me up and strapped me in, all i could do was smile smile smile smile because i was so freakin excited. the only point that i got nervous was when they walk you out to the platform you have to jump off of, and i realized oh god i'm really about to do this. its all so quick though, because they bring you out and are like "ok, 1 2 3 go!" i tried to take it as slowly as possible, since that anxiety right before you jump is what makes it so spectacular. but when he called out three, i jumped straight out with my arms spread (i had spent all morning worrying about my swan dive technique...). It is the most amazing feeling, there is nothing like it. i had no sense that there was anything attached to me at all, i just felt that i was falling completely on my own. on both sides are 90 degree rock faces, and below is just a shallow stream in a rockbed. its a very strange view, because everything just looks so calm its completely surreal. falling down, you can't hear anything apart from your own screaming. so so so much fun. after a long long long fall (picture screaming for about 4 seconds, then realizing you're still falling... and falling...) you feel a bit of a pull as you slow down and the bungy smoothly stops your fall before bouncing you back up and letting you fall again. at that point i started to get a little nervous, thinking ok how long do i have to bounce around here for? but after the second bounce you reach up and undo a strap tied around your ankles, which releases you into a seating position, from which you can relax and take in the surroundings as they slowly pull you back up to the station. it was absolutely lovely. i really must say it is not as intense or death-defying as it sounds, it truly is so relaxing. one of the calmest things i've ever experienced. i think it is something that everybody should do at one point in their life. i'm excited to do another one sometime... although probably a shorter one with a water touch or something.

i was supposed to take off on the third of january, but i absolutely could not let queenstown go, and i heard that christchurch was boring as hell. so i signed up for two more days in qtown and switched over to southern laughter. everyone took off that day except helen and i, which was sad, but emma should be arriving in christchurch in a few days. anyways, i had a nice last few days in queenstown, where i read another book while spending the majority of my time on the beach with helen. when i was supposed to leave on the 5th, i decided to stay yet another night at southern laughter, and we went out to the movies.

on sunday, the 6th of january, i finally tore myself away and hopped on a stray bus with about 8 other people. naturally it was a quiet ride, except that two of the passengers were kids, a 5 year old and a 7 year old, who were totally hyper and kept grabbing the microphone to sing the english national anthem... it was pretty cute though. i also sat near a dutch woman, and must say that dutch women have been perhaps the most frightening aspect of my trip. all i can say is that i would never ever want to be trapped on a deserted island with one of them. yipes.

alright, that about summarizes qtown... a gorgeous place to be, and i can't wait to get back there again. so far, christchurch is living up to its expectations as the most boring place on earth. but i did get some laundry done... oh the excitement. i'm staying at a place called city oasis, which is slightly outside town and, of course, offers free soup at 6.

cheers!
a