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.