Mobile mishap

QUEENSTOWN, SOUTHLAND - 27th January 2010

After a long but very enjoyable 4 hour drive back to Queenstown from Milford Sound yesterday afternoon, I was back at the Black Sheep Hostel and caught up with a bunch of Americans I'd originally met down at Fox Glacier. Yesterday was Australia Day, so we were obliged to go out and celebrate - a fact encouraged by a hot rumour going around town about a codeword-activated bar tab at "World Bar"...

Turns out the rumours were true - from 11pm a $700 bar tab was open for as long as it lasted, with anyone saying the codeword "Boom Boom Boom, Let Me Hear You Say Way-Oh" getting their drinks paid for from the tab. Obviously, happy days... and from there the night went on to Buffalo Bar and various other establishments with Australian beers on offer alongside the legendary/infamous Jagerbomber.

Details aren't particularly necessary, but the point of the story is that at some stage I pulled my mobile out my pocked and discovered the screen was smashed. Which means I now have a phone that's it perfect working order, other than the minor issue of not being able to see anything that's going on.

Those familiar with my history of mobile phones won't be surprised by this development in the slightest. After all, this is the same person whose Sony Ericsson W900 came to a sticky end during a nice dinner on the Malia seafront in July 2007 - an attempt to take a photo by balancing the camera-phone on top of a beer mug ended fairly inevitably with the phone falling into the mug. Which was full of fresh Mythos beer.

And this is the same person whose subsequent phone, a Nokia N95, had its 6 month life came to a cracking end when it fell 5 metres from the balcony of Pembroke College Boat House. And, after upgrading to the N95 8GB 2 months later, had the misfortune of having it stolen in the previously mentioned "Curious Incident of the Berghaus Bag".

All in all, my luck with gadgets and travelling continues...

Bungeeeeeeeeeee

QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND - 25th January 2010

I usually do my best to describe my feelings, emotions, or general sights and sounds in words for this blog. I cannot in any way describe two things:

1. The sheer fear I felt building up to this. Skydiving back in 2007 was easy as pie - for whatever reason I had absolutely no fear at any stage. This, on the other hand, was scary. And the fear only increases as you're carted along a skywire out to the middle of a massive canyon, with the mesh floor beneath you betraying just how far down you're going. The fear increases as you're tied up, get your photo taken (right), and tip-toe out to the edge of the ledge... staring 134 metres down to a river... and you hear "5...4...3...2...1..."













2. The size and scale of the smile that has been permanently etched on my face from the moment I came bouncing back up to 85 metres, only to plunge back down again (and to think other bungee jumps are from just 45 metres in total?!); a smile that has remained right back to Nevis Base Camp and the free internet access while you wait for a bus back to town...