Blog Post 10
So, if you've ever
been on a camping (ish) vacation, hygiene starts to go after a while. At the beginning of our vacation, it was
shower every day, dry hair, flat iron, make-up, and clean clothes. First to go was flat iron, then make-up, then
dry hair. And let's face it, it is SO
much easier to just pick up clothes off the floor than to figure something else
out. And the ponytail/baseball hat combo
just works. We are not completely gross
- we do make it a point to stay in a real campground at least every other night
where we can shower. But right now, I'm
writing from the Hilton Hotel in Queenstown - we have a suite, unlimited free
Wi-Fi, a hot shower, comfy bed, down comforter - we are happy, happy,
happy. And clean. Maybe I'll even dry my hair tomorrow.
But back to our day…
we woke up and SHOWERED, and headed to the bungee jumping place - about an hour
drive. Damon was VERY quiet during our
drive. He told me he hadn't slept most
of the night. Now this is a guy who has no problem with adrenaline activities -
we've gone hang gliding, sky diving, etc.
No problem. But bungee jumping
got him. Didn't help that it was pouring
rain and the clouds/mist made the morning super dreary. Oh, then we accidentally went over the pass
to Queenstown instead of coming in on the "major" road. Think rain, switchbacks, WOOD guardrails (I
said they were more for decoration than function), massive drop-offs (thousands
of feet) down cliffs. Blind turns
everywhere. Oh, and throw in a few road
bicyclists for good measure. In a stick
shift campervan. On a laughably narrow
road. At least it kept Damon's mind off
the jump.
We got to Kawarau
bridge where supposedly the first bungee jump happened (Damon says it was the
first river/wet jump - will have to research later). As we turned a corner and got our first look
at the bridge, we gave an "Oh Fudge" in unison. We did not really use the word fudge. We went in to register - Damon was not happy
and I was not entirely convinced he was going to go. Long story short, we watched a few people go
and then suited up. We decided to go
tandem for moral support. Let me tell
you - standing on this little bitty platform 43m (about 140 feet) in the air
above a river (a very pretty river) and being expected to voluntarily jump is a
bit nerve racking. With one final "I can't do this" we leaned forward
and took the plunge. Possibly the only
time Damon has yelled louder than me.
The free fall feels very free fall-y.
The bounce is gradual, so you are not yanked back up. There are 2-3 bounces and then a lot of swinging upside down
waiting for the boat to come get us. It
was pretty awesome. First thing Damon
says when we got back up - I want to do it again on my own! Ultimately we didn't go a second time, but
I'm so glad he wanted to. We have
video and some amazing photos. Damon - Let's not forget that we also have,
voluntarily overcoming what turned out to be a major fear.
Given the crappy
weather, not much else to do, plus, totally emotionally drained. We got to our hotel and took a water taxi
across the lake to Queenstown, had lunch, and wandered the streets and the park
for a few hours until we could check in.
Queenstown is a cute, somewhat touristy, little town on the banks of a
lake and surrounded by mountains - it is really beautiful here. Back to the hotel where we immediately
changed into our jammies and started to unwind.
Damon crashed immediately - it is only 5pm. Nothing else planned for tonight - maybe
dinner and an in room movie. Almost
forgot what a TV looks like!
Tomorrow we head to
Milford Sound to go on a boat cruise around the Fjords.
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