Journey to Queenstown

It gets harder and harder the more you try to express in words how absolutely amazing the scenery in this country is. The photos don't work as you just get the depth of colour and sense of distance. I had no idea that scenery like this existed. Lakes that are so clear you can see every stone in them. Rivers that are a bright bluey green and mountains that stretch and stretch for miles and it changes all the time. The bus trip to Queenstown was full of countless inexplicable examples of this. Other than all that I got a bag of just picked delicious cherries from the growers and a hokey pokey ice cream. Plans of snoozes where dashed by consistent interruptions of astounding beauty.

We arrived in Queenstown about 4 and after a bit of mix up at the hostel we got settled and headed up on the cable cars they call gondolas up a local mountain for a fantastic view over the magnificance of Queenstown. Up on top they also had luge which basically is a concrete downhill track that you go down on carts with simple brakes. We did it three times and I won every time, who'd have thought it was my hidden talent. Maybe if they get some in Ireland and it becomes an Olympic sport, well, who knows...

We went back down to a pub in the town to meet a couple Mairead knows, Enda and Marie Ann and their friends. The plan was to have a pint and then get something to eat. Six or seven pints later we still hadn't eaten we were having such a good time.

Enda explained that he was hoping to get citizenship so he could get a gun to go hunting deer which seems popular over here. Although there is a problem with lamping which is banned. This is where they shine a light in the deers eyes and it stuns them long enough to shoot them. It's banned, as recently when the hunter saw the shining glint of the deers eyes it was actually a teacher washing her teeth while out camping and she was shot dead!

It seems Queenstown is a Mecca for adrenaline junkies encouraged by the fact that you are insured for any injury you get here and the Physio's are the best in the world. Every possible activity that brings you as close to maiming yourself without actually doing so is available for top dollar here and a lot of people are just working there way through the list satisfying their addiction and breaking bones all the way. Not my cup of tea, jumping out of the top bunk in the hostel is scary enough for me.

I had the most delicious veggie burger in the world from Ferg's burgers. A meal in two buns. Falafel, avocado, peppers, pumpkin, various sauces and lettuce.