Thursday, March 22, 2007

Scavenger hunt

You know how it is: you’re in a new city, head buried in a map, trying to find the entrance to the subway, the public bathroom, the shop where they sell those shoes you saw on ‘Sex & the City’, and the Museum of Dental Hygiene. And while you’re busy looking, you keep stumbling over other, far more interesting things that you never even knew existed: a tiny store selling teacups from around the world, a fountain in the shape of a giraffe, someone drawing copies of Tintoretto on the pavement, a coffee shop specialising in cupcakes.

Until you get out there, you never know what you might find. But you need a reason to get out there. So (if it’s good enough for pirates, it’s good enough for you) send yourself on a treasure hunt.

Making your own list – particularly if you can impose it on others – is part of the fun, but to get you started here are some suggestions for things to find: a person who looks like their pet, an equation, something that belongs underwater, a fictitious animal, foreign money, some food that could hurt you. You can document them with photographs, drawings, descriptions or whatever takes your fancy. For variations, set yourself a list of tasks as well (sing on stage with a band you’re not a part of, pretend you’re in an Olympic event while queuing at the supermarket…). Have your friends join in, compare results and give prizes.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This takes me back to my university days when for Foundation day packs of drunk guys would go scavenging for Ronald McDonald statues and bus ticketing machines. Good times.