Birthday Boarding

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Check it out! Less than 2weeks and I'm managing to put in an update! First up, thank you to everyone who sent birthday messages/emails/e-cards/snail mail... they all contributed to make the distance between most of us (i.e. a couple of oceans/continents) a great deal smaller. Thank you.

Just to clarify wuickly for a few people who seem confused:
-All this started on June 12th when i flew out from London, pretty much straight to NZ, the rest of my movements are yet to be decided (though if you want the insode info, odds on favourite for next destination is Bondi Beach Australia in November.)
-My job at Dux de Lux is that of a bartender within the restaurant... so the lovely waitresses take people's orders, they pop up for me at the bar, I make the drinks, and let the girls take them to the correct tables. It's a pretty sweet gig, no complaints.. except that the bar stools are too short for the bar (deja vu Arch635 anyone?), so people aren't that inclined to sit at the bar and drink - so it can get a little lonely with just the coffee machine for company!

With two days off work for my birthday weekend, I had to get up the mountain - housemate Mike took this literally. He'd been up a run at the Remarkables mountain, from the top of which, he said the views were amazing.. So from the chairlift we head a short way down a black run, before taking off our boards and hiking up a 60º incline to a ridge, on the other side of which is an off piste run - off piste, but marked on the maps as "Homeward Bound"(?!). After lot's of huffing and pufffing, reaching the summit was well worth it. And surprisingly the run down not so tough after all - the best bit being that we were the only people on that side of the mountain. The photo's should tell you anything else you need to know!

That evening was my first time out for dinner in Queenstown (I'm on a budget here!!), where a hefty Rib-eye Steak at Lone Starset me up nicely for an evening of celebratory antics.

I realise I am leaving loads of gaps, please let me know if i have left out any vital pieces of information which prevent the blog from making sense. In the coming weeks i'm expecting to dip into some extreme sports, so hopefully soon you will all be able to amuse yourself at me cacking my pants whilst jumping out of planes, off bridges and into canyons. Hasta Luego.

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Photos

Inspecting Moss
The moss on that bit of rock was very intriguing. And the view behind me was ok.

King of the World
Mike made me strike this pose - if i look like a fool, rest assured I felt like one too.

One Way Down
Thankfully our boards didn't slide down the mountain... well they did eventually, just with us on them.

HAPPY birthday
Do you think the flash in the mirror at the back left is from my camera? (Left to Right: David, Clodagh, Me, Niamh, Mike)

Comments

[Tij]

Happy Birthday
Hey Simon, Forgot to wish you a Happy Birthday in the e-mail. So Happy Belated Birthday. Hope you had a good one. It's crazy that two summers ago at this time, we are in Tamarindo celebrating your 21st birthday. Times flies eh? Well, all the best and keep us posted. Peace. -Tij

[ped]

now then, simon. good to see your alive and wracking up those experiences. ticking those all god damn important boxes! Ooooohhh yeahhhhhh