Almost there...

Going on holiday used to be simple. You book it all up, forget about it for a while, then the day before you leave you think about the packing. Once we've had the argument about whether I need 12 pairs of jeans for a trip to Rhodes but haven't packed any shorts then everything is slung in a case or two and off we go. However now we're travelling with a four month old we've had more logistical planning meetings then they had for the entire Gulf War. Both of them. Yet yesterday we still found ourselves arguing over whether or not I had correctly worked out my trouser requirements.

Thankfully everything is seemingly in order and we're almost ready to embark on what should be a great holiday but is currently over-shadowed by the looming spectre of a 12 hour flight with a baby. I know we're not the first people to fly with a baby and that these days it's fairly routine, and by the time I was his age we had emigrated to the States, but still it's a daunting prospect. Mind you it could be worse, just think of the poor buggers in the seats behind us.

Hello... Is this thing on?

Well I'm back off to the other side of the world again so by popular request (ok, one person) I'm dusting down the old blog. This year it's a family event, which means half the blog readers from last time will now be alongside me, so the rest of you should feel part of an exclusive club. Entrance is free, no jeans or trainers after 10pm.

The adventure starts on Friday with the first stop being Hong Kong. Just the 12 hour flight with a four month old boy, I don't see how that can be anything other than great fun, right? Right? Hello?

After that it's on to the North Island of New Zealand for a round island trip in a roughly clockwise direction. I'll be updating fairly regularly depending on where we have wifi, so welcome along for the trip. And if any of you buggers burgle the house when we're away I'll hunt you down like the dogs you are!

As you were.

Ｏｎｃｅ ｍｏｒｅ ｉｔ ｒａｉｎｓ，

Ｉ　ｓｅｅｍ　ｔｏ　ｈａｖｅ　ｔｕｒｎｅｄ　ｉｎｔｏ　ａ　ｒａｉｎ－ｍａｇｎｅｔ　ｔｈｉｓ　ｈｏｌｉｄａｙ　ａｓ　ｗｈｅｎ　Ｉ　ａｗｏｋｅ　ｔｈｉｓ　ｍｏｒｎｉｎｇ　ｉｔ　ｗａｓ　ｔｈｒｏｗｉｎｇ　ｉｔ　ｄｏｗｎ，　ａｎｄ　ｃｏｎｔｎｕｅｄ　ｔｏ　ｄｏ　ｓｏ　ｕｎｔｉｌ　ｅａｒｌｙ　ｅｖｅｎｉｎｇ．Ｏｕｔ　ｏｆ　ｔｈｅ　ｗｉｎｄｏｗ　ｗｅｎｔ　ｍｙ　ｗａｌｋ　ｔｈｅ　ｃｉｔｙ　ｐｌａｎ，　ｓｏ　Ｉ　ｈｅａｄｅｄ　ｔｏ　ｔｈｅ　Ｓｏｎｙ　ｓｈｏｗｒｏｏｍ　ａｎｄ　ｔｈｏｕｇｈｔ　Ｉ’ｄ　ｍａｋｅ　ｔｈｅ　ｒｅｓｔ　ｕｐ　ａｓ　Ｉ　ｗｅｎｔ　ａｌｏｎｇ．

Ｔｈｅ　ｓｈｏｗｒｏｏｍ　ｉｔｓｅｌｆ ｗａｓ　ｇａｄｇｅｔ－ｔａｓｔｉｃ，　ｔｈｅｎ　ｌｕｎｃｈ　ａｔ　ｔｈｅ　ｌｏｃａｌ　Ｅｎｇｌｉｓｈ　ｐｕｂ　ａｎｄ　ｉｔ　ｗａｓ　ｏｆｆ　ｔｏ　ｔｈｅ　Ｂｒｉｄｇｅｓｔｏｎｅ　Ａｒｔ　Ｇａｌｌｅｒｙ．　Ｔｈａｔ　ｗａｓ　ｈｉｇｈｌｙ　ｒｅｌａｘｉｎｇ　ａｎｄ　ｆｉｌｌｅｄ　ｍｙ　Ｃｕｌｔｕｒｅ　ｑｕｏｔｉｅｎｔ　ｆｏｒ　ｔｈｅ　ｄａｙ　ｓｏ　Ｉ　ｗｅｎｔ　ｓｈｏｐｐｉｎｇ　ｔｏ　ｐｉｃｋ　ｕｐ　ａ　ｐｒｅｓｅｎｔ　ｆｏｒ　Ｔｈｅ　Ｗｉｆｅ．Ｆｉｎａｌｌｙ　ｉｔ　ｗａｓ　ｏｆｆ　ｔｏ　ｔｈｅ　Ｅｌｅｃｔｒｏｎｉｃｓ　ｓｔｒｅｅｔ　ｆｏｒ　ａ　ｂｉｔ　ｍｏｒｅ　ｓｅｎｓｏｒｙ　ｏｖｅｒｌｏａｄ．Ａ　ｔｈｏｒｏｕｇｈｌｙ　ｅｎｊｏｙａｂｌｅ　ｄａｙ　ａｎｄ　ｗｅｌｌ　ｗｏｒｔｈ　ｔｈｅ　ｓｔｏｐ　ｏｖｅｒ．

Ｒｉｇｈｔ，　Ｉ：ｍ　ｏｆｆ　ｔｏ　ｂｅｄ　ｎｏｗ　Ｉ　ｈａｖｅ　ａ　ｍｉｄｄａｙ　ｆｌｉｇｈｔ　ｔｏｍｏｒｒｏｗ　ｔｈａｔ　ｇｅｔｓ　ｉｎ　ａｔ　３：４５　ｐｍ．　Ｌｅｓｓ　ｔｈａｎ　ｆｏｕｒ　ｈｏｕｒｓ　ｔｏ　ｇｅｔ　ｂａｃｋ　ｆｒｏｍ　Ｔｏｋｙｏ，　ｔｈａｔ’ｓ　ｎｏｔ　ｈａｌｆ　ｂａｄ．

AAARRRGGGH!!!

Tokyo is sensory overload.　Too many lights, too many sounds!

Maybe it'll be quieter during the day.

On the move again...

This time starting the journey home. Big Bro dropped me off at the airport and I took a short hop to Christchurch where I'll have time for a bite to eat before getting my head down for a snooze. Up at 3:20am though for my flight to Aukland and then onto Tokyo, about which I know very little at the moment! I have directions to the hotel but that's it so it'll be a trip for making it up as I go along.

Queenstown was a pretty cool place. Big lake, mountains in the background, sun shining, and 101 ways to scare yourself to death. It seems to be a place entirely predicated around finding different ways to fool your body into thinking you're going to cop it. Lots of bars and places to eat and very much a party town at times I suspect. Most impressive of all it has a curry house that's open past 10 o'clock at night! Crazy.

Right, I'm off for my bite to eat and snooze. Next time I post will be in Japanese.

For today's entertainment...

I jumped off a bridge with a glorified elastic band attached to my feet. By God it was scary. Far, far scarier than the Skydive. For the dive you have a bloke strapped to his back who knows what he's doing and doesn't want it to go wrong any more than you do. You're so busy making sure you get the right body position to start the dive that the actual jumping from the plane is not such an issue. You're pushed out by him and by the time you realise what's going on he's deployed his small stabalising parachute and you're freefalling. He does the hard work and you can just take in the scenery and the sensation. Next thing you know he's popped the proper 'chute and you're gliding back to the ground.

With the bungy there's three or four seconds of sheer, naked terror. You're pointed to the edge, shuffle along, are told to look at the camera and smile and then it's up to you. From the moment you realise you've overbalanced and are going to fall until the moment the rope starts to take up the slack it's just terrifying. Once it starts to pull and slow you down it's actually fun, then you bounce up and down a few times and that bit's quite nice.

So they're both very different beasts and I'd say that for me it was easier to skydive than bungy, and it's certainly the one I'd rather do again.

When in Queenstown...

... do as the Queenstowners. So I jumped out of a 'plane at 12,000 feet earlier today. It was quite the most incredible thing I've experienced. I'll be back with more tomorrow but I need a beer, curry and early night.