Hobart has turned out to be bloody cool. Seems that in oz January to march is boiling hot and festival time and you don't get a weekend off! You also forgo the usual new year blues of having to go back to work in freezing cold temperatures and miserable feelings of anticlimax. Don't you just love this country!
The taste of Tasmania being on from Thursday till...ah..don't know when..and Salamanca (an area of natural youth and vitality) is brimming with alcohol, wine tasting, people, party, food fests and boating stuff! Its near a harbour you see.
I think I can confidently say I definitely tasted a fair amount of Tasmania and I believe it to be very tasty indeed.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday were spent lazing in battery park then popping over to the beer tents then more lazing then more beer tents and so on and so forth....
The weather has been beautiful and i recently found out theres no ozone layer abover tas! That explains my current new look.... a rather ripe tomatoe. (But not ready for the picking just in case you wandering).
Lucy and rob finally got here on Saturday but Simon and I were in the grips of stressed out liver syndrome and severe brain malfunction, so we decided to have a night off. Sunday however we made up for it and with our five dollar plastic glass in hand we were poised for some serious grape action! So yet another hang over on Sunday to contend with what do you think we decided to do....maybe go to the park....or chill down the harbour ....or sleep it off...or even just keep still for a day....well no...not us.. we couldn't be doing with the usual hangover crisis...we went and decided to jump out of perfectly good plane at about 10,000 feet instead....aaahhhhhhh!
So having created a whole new crisis to deal with we suited up, threw up (that's Lucy by the way), went up and then jumped up... and down and up again... once I'd landed with the most amazing thrill of my life so far completed, and the total feeling of accomplishment and smugness you could ask for. I m not sure if I can actually find the words to describe the utter exhilaration and immune overload that I went through. I should add also that a couple of days before I had got to know a girl in my dormitory and managed to talk her into jumping too! Considering shes scared of heights, scared of flying and scared of dying she has my total respect for joining me and thanks, as you can only go up in pairs. Lucy and rob were together and I was on my tod (unfortunately my convincing talents didn't work on Simon) and so having now done the deed I can honestly say It would have been a far lonelier and doom infused journey through the clouds, without her. Thanks Elise.....you're shit hot!
In fact as I write this I'm beginning to remember little details about the experience...so if you don't mind I shall now indulge myself for a moment longer and replay the dive for prosperity.
First off...all go to the toilet (no need to explain that bit) then get into the jump-suit and harness (fear factor starting to kick in ever so slightly) then a bit of banter with the guy you're trusting you're life with...(sort of feeling ok as he's done 4000 jumps and its a piece of piss for him) then we get serious. Subdued signing of death wish/disclaimer/yes I am mad, forms.
Bloody hell I'm feeling a little nervous just remembering this!
Anyway where was I.....oh yes...next up (nervous laughing and stomach turning begins) we're in the car on the way to the airport. Then I spot the plane (well more like a bloody toy aircraft) and after a short handshake and introduction to the pilot we clamber in for the takeoff. This is where I've been told the usual jokey, laughing, pissing about Kelly stops and a sombre, focused, nervous looking and quiet Kelly begins. Some serious thoughts were going through my head cramped in that plane. But surprisingly I wasn't thinking, will I survive this or what if the shute doesn't open or will I hurt myself. In fact I was mesmerised by the view and concentrating on not bottling it at the door...and remembering the jump positions. Crazy really cause I was nervous and shaking like a leaf, but I wasn't terrified. Hobart is so beautiful and the landscape so varied that by the time the guy opened the door (lots of noisy wind and the very grim reality of nothing between you and earth setting in) I was ready to get out of the plane and end the cruel anticipation and loosening syphincta that was growing with every passing second. So with no time to think and having just watched my new crazy friend fly past the window, I was launched into the air at 200 km per hour and freefell 6,000 feet in 30 seconds. By the time the shute was deployed we were just parallel with the 4,000 feet high mountains surrounding Hobart. An incredible vista that was over all too quickly as once we started drifting to earth (although drifting wasn't enough for my instructor who was a bit nuts and started giving me the rains of the shute and doing manic swirly stuff just to frighten the life out of me even more) I realised I must take in as much as possible cause we came in to land so fast that the 5 minutes were over before I knew it.
My mind, body and soul were on another level at that stage and I almost didn't believe what had just happened. Then I had to look at the video playback and that was enough to remind me....and crack me up. "I'm definitely doing this again" and "that was awesome" are two frases I must have shouted over and over!
"So what's next"? we said. Unsurprisingly the word "beer" was unanimously hailed, and after some well deserved inebriation to the nervous system we all went out on the town for more adrenaline production.....on the doggems.
So Hobart has been a real treat for new year and one ill remember forever.
P.S...........Lucy would like to add an editorial correction here.....she did in fact have a hair caught on her tonsils and she was not chucking up due to nerves...just so you know.
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