Last post

Hi

I am afraid that I have been unable to get sufficient time on internet due to every other tosspot wanting to use the computers in the hostels I am staying in. So I won´t be able to do any more posting until I get home.

Rest assured that I will complete the blog when I get home - if only to remind me what I did before the rest of my brain becomes sozzled with alcohol.

As the job situation is so bad back home in Ireland I was thinking of doing the following blogs as follow-ups.

Rays Job Market Travels
Rays Road Sweeping Travels
and
Rays Bin Hoking Travels

Hasta Luega

Bad News for blog

Things I have Lost/Broken/had stolen

Another set back in me doing the blog I'm afraid. I no longer have my powerlead for my laptop which means that I can no longer use it to do posts. I either left it in my hostel in Iquazu falls or it was taken from my bag when I came out of the bus station in Buenos Aires. I had my first run-in with thieves when I was walking from the bus station to the subway.

I was just merrily walking along when I noticed my shadow consisted of an extra person attached to my backpack. I swung round to see a guy skulk off quickly in the opposite direction. On investigation I discovered he had zipped open my daypack attachment on my larger rucksack. I was actually quite chuffed with myself for stopping a potential robbery and anyway all he would have gotten from that bag was a bottle of clothes washing liquid, several pairs of smelly socks and a headtorch.

It was only later on that I remembered I had placed my laptop power lead in there and it was now no longer there. Not sure what the thief is going to be able to with UK power lead but I hope he tries to change the wires and electrocutes himself in the process - BASTARD.

Its a bit too late to buy another lead now - especially as it will have an Argentine end so I am just going to wait until I get back home to buy a replacement.

I can still write posts on the blog but unfortunately without photos which are all on my now dead laptop.

Things I have learnt
Watch your shadow very closely when walking around with a rucksack. Always look in mirrors or shop windows when you are walking around with a rucksack. Try to have a lock or tied ends for your zips when walking around with a rucksack. Lastly ALWAYS ensure that you have used underwear at the top of your rucksack.

Skydive - Taupo, New Zealand

13th-15th Feb



Unlike Turangi Taupo is set up for adrenaline and partying with the largest lake in New Zealand thrown in as a backdrop. I booked into the tiki lodge backpackers and while doing so asked if it was possible to do a skydive tomorrow. 'No problem' she said 'Just come down tomorrow morning and we will sort you out' GULP! I went up to my room and had a lie down.

At about 5pm one of the people in my dorm turned up and intorduced himself as Paul from Scotland. He had just done the skydive and said it was the best experience ever. I told him I was going to book one the next morning but he persuaded me to go online and book one straight away - before they got booked out. I duely did that and then met him at the local Irish bar for a couple of pints and food. Well when I say a couple I mean a couple of couple of couple of pints. We got talking to a couple (not pints but people this time - although I probably was talking to my pint by the end of the night) from Scotland who had also just done the skydive.

The next morning I said goodbye to Paul who was, coincidently, heading to South America - my next port of call. He also went and bought the exact same hiking boots as me in the same shop in Christchurch on around the same time
SPOOKY!

I settled down to wait for my skydive which was not until 2pm - nearly 4 hours away. At 12 o'clock I rang the company to confirm that I would be doing the skydive (nearly chickened out) and was promptly asked if I could come earlier. Hell yes lets get this over and done with.

At 1 o'clock I was picked up by the skydiving company's shuttle (another Scot only this one did not have the same footwear as me - so it wasn't spooky). I was soon at the skydive site getting weighted. 90 KILOS! All I can say is that I was wearing a lot of clothes that day - honest! I had also to decide which option to pick for the jump 12,000 or 15,000 and whether I wanted a cameraman to jump with us. I decided to go with the full works - 15,000 plus cameraman. What the hell you only live once (not the best thing to think of at that moment).

After all the paperwork (disclaimer, next of kin etc) I was lead through to wait for my jump and wait I did. I think I spent about an hour in the hanger as jump after jump went ahead - I even had time to go online and update my facebook status:

Raymond Finn is waiting at the skydive centre so he can be thrown out of a plane at 15,000 feet - OH BUGGER!!

Finally it was my turn and I got kitted up with all the gear. I was going up with a swiss couple and an English girl who was petrified which actually made me feel alot better. Off we went to the plane - all 12 of us and there was lierally no more room on the plane for anybody else. As we flew higher the skydivers were all joking and taking footage on their camcorders. At one point my tandem partner said we were 1/3 of the way there. I nearly fainted when I looked down at the trees and Lake Taupo below us - 1/3!!! When we still had about 5,000ft to go everybody got serious and we were stapped into our tandem harness - which meant basically sitting on my instructors lap - very cosy.

Finally we got to our height and the doors were opened. I was the last one to go - after the English girl. I had to turn my head and smile at the inside camera as my legs dangled out of the plane at 15,000 ft!

Before I could say I DON'T WANT TO DO IT! My instructor had flung us out of the plane and we were somersaulting through the air. I can't remember anything about the first 5 seconds but eventually I realised what was happening as I peered down at the lake and mountains below us. It was a spectular view and took my breathe away. My instructor had to grab my head so I could look at the cameraman as all 3 of us fell at 200kph. I was having a ball and started to relax - I even jokingly started to swim through the air.

All too soon the parachute opened and we started drifting down. My instructor had to adjust my harness which meant that I had to drop slightly in the seat - That was pretty scary! After that we started drifting down to ground. Every now and then he would make us twirl around in the air which meant we floated down even faster. I was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable in my harness (lets just say it was crushing a couple of things) so I was quite happy when we landed with abump - my instructor made a bit of a balls of the landing and we ended up on our arse.

I was still full of adrenalin for the next 10 minutes as we went and seen our dvds before purchasing. I had to hang around for my shuttle which was the same Scot. On the way back he told me of an English pub along the front which had the best pint of Guinness in Taupo. So once I got dropped off I made my way there and had a local pint instead with my staple bangers and mash.

That night I proudly put on my free Skydive teeshirt (Well you would expect something free after handing nover nearly $500NZ!) and went back to the Irish bar. I was soon surrounded by a bus load of KIWI Experience people and ended up with another night on the tear.

The skydive was probably one of the best things I have ever done and I would certainly do it again if I got the chance.

Here's the photos - even though I've put them up already!