Queenstown, New Zealand

The Queenstown YHA is stunning, set in a big old building with a kitchen and communal area overlooking the lake. I hadn't pre-booked a room and (again) was lucky enough to grab the last bed. Also staying there was someone I'd met in Kaikoura - the backpacker world is a small world! Qneenstown itself is ridiculously picturesque. Everywhere you look is crystal clear water or rugged mountain peaks (the Remarkables, as made famous by Lord of the Rings). The town itself is tourist central, with pretty much every shop catering for one extreme sport or another. From here you can go parachute jumping, bungee jumping, rafting, jetboating, river-surfing, skiing, heli-boarding, mountain biking, water-skiing, diving... the list is endless. 

We opted for one non-extreme and one extreme. The non-extreme was a trip to Milford Sounds - the gigantic glacier-carver inlet on the west coast. We booked a BBQ bus. The driver had an amazingly dry sense of humour - very entertaining. The journey to Milford is about 4 hours - with a half-way stop for the BBQ. Cooked from a trailer at the back of the bus it took about 45 minutes, while we walked amongst the forest and sat by the river. Back on the road we snaked up the mountain past some incredible scenery - New Zealand must be the most beautiful place on the planet. At the top of the pass you go through a tunnel and pop out into the top of the Sound.

On the boat you get a real sense of the size of the Sound as the boat keeps close to the vertical cliffs. Occasionally you see seals basking in the sunshine. The boat gets to the sea and U-turns back to dock, via (almost literally!) some impressive waterfalls. 

Fergburger!  An institution in Queenstown. One of my top 3 burgers ever... totes. I opted for a smelly blue-cheese coated meat-fest. We ate these on the beach, and washed it down with some pear cider while the sun sets. 

I've been wanting to skydive somewhere beautiful for years. I've been refused several times due to bad weather conditions - mainly in Cape Town but also recently in Franz and Fox. Today was going to be the day! I booked with a company recommended by the YHA, with a discount. All was set and we paid, and got in the van - when 20 minutes into the drive the car radio blarted out that the wind was too strong to jump - foiled again! Back at the town centre they said that another company did jumps from a different area, and that we should try them. They were indeed still jumping and we got a slot on the next plane. The guy doing the safety briefing was a Brummie - it was reassuring to hear the accent.

The jump site was stunning, surrounded by mountains and people falling from the sky. The cameramen are insane - they have to get to the ground before the customers and swoop down, skimming the ground at incredible speeds. There's music, giant chess and toilets to ease you before heading out. You're put into a jumpsuit and harness, then greeted by your cameraman and tandem. The planes are tiny - you're attached to your tandem then slotted in for the order of exit. I have no fear of heights but the brain says "no, this is wrong" when you're balanced on the edge of the plane door, with the cameraman hanging off the wing. The tandem then holds your head back for safety and slides you out. Once out you're in a spin, you have no idea which way anything is for a second or two, until the tandem corrects it. Our fall was 45 seconds but felt like 5! When the chute opens you start to feel the adrenaline - I would love to do this solo, the buzz must be ridiculous! The tandem asks if you're ok - I was in wooping American mode so he did a few spins and spirals down to the ground for a feather-light landing. 

Bodh Gaya, India

I must quickly show you this image from the railway station in Varanasi I took as we were about to catch the train. It kind of screams India!

Me and Bryan grabbed a second class train to Gaya. The train was heaving, meaning we didn't get a seat, and barely had room to stand in the corridor between carriages. The Indian personal space zone is almost non-existent, and you get used to having your head in armpits after a while. This was taken to the next level for Bryan on this train though, with a young Indian chap standing full frontal, with arms outstretched either side, faces not 5cm apart! The look on Bryans face was a picture, but unfortunately it was SO tight in the cabin that I couldn't get my camera out of my bag. After a compact and baking five hour journey we step off the train at Gaya.

Bodh Gaya is still an hour away on a local bus and it's midnight so we decide to stay here for the night. Walking around looking for somewhere to stay it seems an unwelcoming place, with expensive hotels - nothing in the backpackers budget. There's usually staring parties in India but I think we were the first westerners to ever decide to walk around here. We met a lost looking Spanish guy called Xavier, who decided to hook up with us. His English was so bad I have no idea how he survived in India. We eventually found a cheap room in an Indian hotel, possibly called Gautama (Bryan - can you confirm?) - which is Buddha's family name. We're led through corridors that looked like they were still under construction and into a room with two double beds and enough floor space to throw some blankets down. I had a nice and cool nights sleep.

Next day up and out early. Trying to get a bus was near impossible. As soon as one came hoards of people ran towards it and squeezed into every opening. People would throw their bags into the windows to claim a seat then barge through everyone to the front - while all this was happening the bus hadn't actually stopped! We decided against this carnage, and grabbed a tuk-tuk. Bodh Gaya is almost like a theme park. There are Buddhist temples from all countries here - Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, China, Tibet, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Japan, Burma etc. and also a giant sitting Buddha. It's really good to see the different styles in such a short space of time as they're all quite different.

Buddha as depicted in the Japanese temple

 The Bodhi tree where Buddha sat and reached enlightenment is big, to the point of branches having to be being propped up in certain places. It's surrounded by a gold cage so you can't get close to the trunk. Right behind the tree is a huge Hindu temple which ruined the experience for me a little. It's still impressive but It seems rushed, the carvings aren't so good and in some places non-existent. Inside the temple is a large gold Buddha. It would've been much better leaving the grounds open, with the tree being viewed from all angles and distances, and keeping the historic sculptures and artefacts. Still, it's a calming place and we spent a good 30 minutes sitting around the tree, thinking, collecting leaves and avoiding the scorching hot slabs!

I love the chai in India, and the coffee isn't bad. Both are served in tiny cups and the caffeine kick is minimal. After complaining about this, and that I'm bored of cola, and hate red bull, Bryan turned me onto the wonders of mountain dew. All that caffeine in one delicious drink? (20mg more than cola) Surely that's not possible! I'd heard of it but assumed it was like sprite or 7up, and as it's not available in the UK had never had an opportunity to try it. I'm pretty hooked on it. I know this because they don't have it here in Vietnam (as the time of writing this blog entry) - and I miss it! Anyway... yea... awesome stuff. And while in India there was a special edition going around: Mountain Dew NEON! I think the difference is just the bottle but in the sunlight it looks awesome;

*heavenly noise plays*