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Published: September 23rd 2008
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Queenstown
The view of Queenstown from up the gondola Journies are easy when you don't know how to travell, But difficult when you do...
Ian Nicholson
It is with some initial shame but instant wonder that i find it has (rather fatefully) been 78 days since i have blogged. Those of you who know me weirdly enough will understand. Queenstown has had me nest build, create a surrounding for myself to live in comfort and joy. The people I have met here, the places of work, the things i have done, the good, and bad, have all led to whats been the best 4 months ever.
The first 4 weeks were split between two different backpackers and not finding any work. As Fate would allow, I met an Aussie called Neil and we ended up finding a perfect little place to live. What a time the two of us have shared, literally blood, sweat and tears, here's to you fella, its been a pleasure and honour fella. I ended up playing a lot of poker (5 nights a week) and met a good crew of people there. Nooks was a young lad who worked the head of a security company here and I managd to get on board with him through the poker and cleaning a day at the World Bar. Allied
Neil and Me
One of many mornings still up from the night before! run security for the biggest two bars in town, the World bar and Winnies bar. And so, i began the life of a doorman...
The job has been one of the most interesting ones I have done to date. No two days the same, not once. Each night as unpredictable as the next and each person who walks in. New Zealand has a different look on alcohol and its consumption. They are way ahead of the UK when it comes to responsible drinking. If you look under, or around the age of 25, you are asked for your ID, and some bars (the two i work) will only accept a card drivers liscence or a passport. without which, even if ur 25, you are denied access. Anyone deemed to be drunk, or rather, intoxicated, are not allowed into any premises and if found to be intoxicted through drinking inside the premises, they are asked to leave. This is primarily where i came in. Standing on the door, ID'ing people and refusing access to those who are either intoxicated or who have no ID, despite their age. Sounds easy, but when people decide they are not intoxicated after you have
asked them to leave, it can make for an interesting removal from the bar. Without going into detail, i have been on the receiving end a few times physically and many verbaly. My saving grace in this line of work has been my attitude towards the people. Engadging in conversation with them, addressing them by their name when they produce their ID allows me enough time to judge if they have had enough to drink already and treats them with enough respect that if they ar asked to leave later, i can talk them out without problem. Suffice to say it works and have managed to talk out a few large and angry lads. The problems i've really had, have been from the angry women!
Queenstown is the adrenaline capital of the world and the things you can do here are awesome. i had so many wants of all the things you could do but when pay is not great and you've paid rent, food and a night or two out, you're left with nothing. Despite that, and a crook back, i have managed to get up the hill skiing a fair bit (and once dressed as a hamster
The World bar
A busy dance floor on a regular nights work and once in national dress as a true scotsman!). The best thing i have done here, is the best ride i have ever experianced in my life. The RedBull stunt plane. Check out www.actionflite.co.nz for details. It is the craziest ride u'll ever experiance. Imagine the worlds most crazy rollercoaster, 7,000 feet in the air, with no rails and you experiance +6 G's and -3G's back to back, its insane! I thought i'd learnt to not to adrenaline based activities on a hang over, i haddn't, and left my breakfast on the inside of the plane as we came into land! The pilot, crazy Ivan Krippner, became a good friend of mine too.
Queenstown also hosted me for my 30th birthday party, oh what a night. Trying to find an original theme for the occasion was a chanllenge but after much thought we found the Circus to be a winner. Using the World bar as the base, we (the ring master and his Lion called Paul) decked out the back bar to look like a tent. And sure enough, the animals came in two by two, hang on, wrong story... Well i mangaed to show myself that despite
My Doorman twin!
JC and I often had people believing we were brothers turning 30, i can still drink and party like i'm 19! ha ha. I managed to get my photo in the local paper too, all in all 30 rules!
I have met some of the most increadible people in Queenstown, too many to list here, whom have made the last four months of my life, some of the best for months of my life. There is so much I could write about from the last 4 months but its not really fitting as I haven't been travelling in this time and this is a travell blog. For those of you on facebook you can see all my photo albums from being in Queenstown, mainly nights out!
But just before leaving, Queenstown had one last surprise for me, just as I was preparing to move on, right at the last, I met someone worthstaying for. A young Irish lass came into Winnies bar on my last shift there. I ID'd her and made a poor attempt at pronouncing her name, Saoirse. Over the next few days we got on so well we decided to take a trip to Milford sound. And so, the travelling began again.
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