Time is slipping away from me and it never feels like I’ve spent enough time in each place that I’ve visited. Is it better to leave a country wanting more or to be left satiated and content? I’d hope for the latter and so would my bank account but I doubt that will ever happen!
With all this time to myself, I’ve been mulling over what I’m going to do when my RTW flight ends. I know I should take each day as it comes and not worry too much about the future, but that end date is looming and I can’t help it. Should I fly back to Australia and finish my visa and if so should I fly back to Sydney or look for work in a more remote location to save money? Should I stay at home and plot my next adventure? There doesn’t seem to be a simple answer as there are equal pros and cons to each path. I still have a couple of months to think about it but if I’m still torn I might just have to roll a dice.
New Zealand has now been added to the list of places where I’d like to work. Most working visas are valid for people up to the age of 30. It means it’s now or never really as I know that if I come back home with intentions to settle, I’ll want to heavily pursue my writing and there might not be an easy exit from that if things develop for me.
I don’t have to worry about that until next year though so Australia or home is my sole dilemma at the moment. Phew, I need a break.
Simon and Ema invited me to the cinema to watch Men In Black 3. Simon applied for a job at Treble Cone Ski Resort but it’s not been confirmed yet so he had spent the day handing out CVs. All I’d done was pack my suitcase.
Wanaka’s cinema – Paradiso – is unique for many reasons. There’s a quaint café that serves snacks and hot meals. They bake fresh cookies and serve drinks to people in the cinema. There’s only one room and one screen. Within in that are sofas, comfy seats and a car. Yes…a car!
The film was alright and the warm cookie was delicious. I bid farewell to Simon and Ema and headed back to the hostel. Another bus was due in that evening so I was prepping myself for Battle Of The Buses mark three!
Well my intentions of meeting everyone from the bus was hopeless. The rugby was on so the bar was deserted. I came down later to find that the battle had been cancelled and I had no idea who was from Stray and who were from the enemy buses. I’d already made a tit out of myself in search of Paul the other night, I didn’t fancy doing that again. I’d meet everyone the next day anyway. I was more disappointed that I didn’t get another chance to win.
*****
For some reason, things haven’t clicked for me socially in New Zealand. I don’t know what I did in SE Asia but I met loads of lovely people and I rarely felt lonely. I had a great balance between being with awesome people and having time to myself. I felt a bit left out in Kyoto and Koh Phangan but those feelings were always short-lived as I moved on and met more people.
My only explanation is that I still can’t get over my fear of large social groups. It happened at the hostel in Sydney and now I fear that history is repeating itself. I thrive on a one-to-one basis or small groups but as soon as it reaches double figures, I seize up without even noticing it. I retreat and I’ve had years of practice being a wallflower so I tend to move around unnoticed.
At first I just thought I was homesick or that I wasn’t really that bothered about making friends. Since meeting Simon and co in Wanaka, I know that’s definitely not true. I had a great time and loved their company.
So throwing myself out of a plane is a piece of cake but put me in a room full of people and I cower in the corner. What the hell is that all about?!
You don’t need to be psychic to figure out what happened when I joined a full bus destined for Queenstown. I was already at a disadvantage as I was the only new person and there was definitely a family unit unfolding in front of me. They had a morning song – Des’ree’s You Gotta Be and then another guy played his favourite music. Now I thought this was a joke but he played more than one song and nobody objected. This was a daily occurrence. Justin Bieber. Where’s the nearest exit?
Everyone seemed friendly enough though and I spoke to a couple of people throughout the day but each time we left the bus everyone ran off to their little groups. I wasn’t too fussed as I was staying on in Queenstown which meant I’d be getting on a different bus again.
One of the last stops was at AJ Hackett’s bungy base. Before I came to New Zealand I really wanted to do the swing but then I changed my mind. I didn’t think I’d enjoy it and thought I’d rather save my money for something else.
We all made our way into the reception area and took a seat on the cushioned stools positioned near a large screen. A bubbly worker switched on a video that I think was meant to inspire us but it just made my head spin. It chronicled the origins of the first bungy and AJ Hackett’s continued pursuits. He is mad. Absolutely crazy. I wanted to keep my feet firmly on the ground and not attach them to a rope of intertwined elastic string.
A lot of people had signed up to do the Nevis bungy and they all looked really excited about it. Motors, our bus driver, decided to do the bungy swing. Well if I was going to get it for free, I’d probably do something as well!
If one more person signed up everyone would get $20 each off their bungys. Nobody else was budging. It can’t be that bad if you do a tandem swing right? I was missing the adrenalin rush that all my other activities had given me. I needed another hit. I signed up for the Nevis Bungy Swing and planned on doing it with Motors. I got a further discount for doing a tandem swing so it only came to $120 instead of $180. I was happy with that.
One girl from the bus, Leonie, had booked a bungy jump at night which looked incredible. If I was going to do that, I’d do it at night. The photos look spectacular and hopefully having your vision impaired by the darkness would help.
As we pulled up to the hostel I’d be staying at the next few nights, I saw a familiar face. It was Sapphire who I’d seen in Wanaka a few days ago. We had a brief catch up and realised that we both wanted to go skiing. We went to the main office in Queenstown and booked a combo pass for rentals and lessons. We’d be heading out the next day. I was excited that my stay in Queenstown will be busy with activities. I’d had my break in Wanaka and now I was ready to do something crazy again.
With everyone on a high at arriving in the party town that is Queenstown, the plan was to go out at get very drunk. I fell asleep and felt rotten. I wanted to feel fresh for tomorrow’s skiing session so I decided to skip out. How boring, I know. As I’m coming towards the end of my trip, I really need to save the pennies. Throwing it at a bar man is not my idea of fun. I’d rather splash out on activities during the day. I’d much prefer a pub visit than ricocheting off the staggering drunks within the bars.
That little power nap bit me in the arse later as I couldn’t sleep. There was music playing outside, a loud person skyping outside my door and the room stank of rotting clothes. I’ve inhaled some of the worst smells ever since travelling.
I rolled over to try and get comfortable and saw two more familiar faces – the Germans from Wanaka. It was actually two friends of the ones that I stayed with in Wanaka and they actually turned out to be quite nice.
Sanctuary this was not, but I couldn’t sniff at the price that I paid. Literally, my nasal hairs had melted from the stench. I was hardly the innocent dorm roommate though. The lockers are metal so I always ended up making noise when I tried to sort my stuff out. The mattresses rest upon springs so when the person on the top bunk lies on their mattress, it sinks down. I inadvertently kicked the guy above in the arse several times when I shifted in the night. Whoops!
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