During the week I spend the afternoons in the Sno Shop at the top of the mountain but I spend the mornings all alone at the base of the mountain in a little hut at the start of the access road to the top. My job from 8-noon is to sell bus tickets to the occasional tourist or local who wants to catch the bus at the base of the mountain instead of driving all the way into Queenstown and catching it from the Snow Center.
When I met with the head of department of transport about the position the first thing he said was, "I hope you like to read because you're going to have a lot of time on your hands," and I knew it was the job for me. I sell bus tickets to people who drive to the base and park and I also sell bus tickets to people the driver has picked up along the way from Queenstown (the drivers don't have time to deal with the money and tickets). How many tickets on average do I sell from 8-12 every day? About 13, give or take. Other duties include advising drivers on road conditions and explaining the chain call for the day (the km marker where everyone has to stop and chain up).
Things that I like about the job is that I get to read a lot, I get to talk with friendly locals and tourists, I am getting to know the drivers and I get to talk on the radio and listen to all the chatter on the radio. I get to say things like "Go for Sarah," "10-4," "Copy that," "10-9" and "What's your 20?" It makes me feel like a spy or something, except that really I'm just a ticket-taker on the side of a dirt road in a portable hut. I also like that I get to be outside and when the weather is nice I am quite happy sitting in the sun and reading.
Things that I don't like about the job is that it's COLD. I have a little heater but sometimes it's so cold that the darn thing won't start. It's so cold that my e-book doesn't work - I have now resorted to paperbacks from the library. My camera and sometimes my cheap Chinese phone doesn't work either. Also, I have to use a porta-potty every day. Not so fun. In addition, not all of the locals or tourists are friendly and many complain to me about the price increase for the bus rides. Last year it cost $5 round trip and this year it costs $15. It has caused quite a big stir in town and I hear a lot about it from disgruntled customers who pull out a $5 dollar bill and then are shocked when I ask them for $10 more. Again, not so fun.
But am I enjoying this job more than housekeeping? Is that even a question?
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