Alone but not lonely

After the whale watch there wasn’t a lot of time to process what I just experienced because I had to hit the road. It was wintertime witch meant that the sun would go down around 5 and I had to make it to Westport that day. Luckily the hitchhiking went perfect. I was picked up by two girls who almost drove me all the way up. I ended up in Westport and found myself a laid back hostel. It was owned by a dude who loved to surf and wanted to share his passion with the world. I received the key, dropped my heavy backpack on the bed and that’s when I realized it. I was alone again. It was a weird feeling after such a long time, but I embraced it and felt the freedom again. I was going on my last adventure before flying home and I wanted to enjoy it in every kind of way. I went to bed early because I needed to catch the stray bus in the morning. It was going to take me to the part of New Zealand that I hadn’t discovered yet, the west coast.

For some crazy reason I felt the urge to be sportive so I set an alarm. It was 7.15 in the morning when I found myself fully ready in so called ‘running mood’. Westport was located next to the shore so I wanted to see the sun coming up while watching the waves come to shore. I was quite impressed, running for half an hour straight without dying… never thought I could pull that off! The sunrise was beautiful and filled my body with a good type of energy. But not much time to spent, I had to get back to catch my bus. After a little while of running I felt something was wrong…. Time began to shorten and I had no idea where I was. Of course I got lost in fucking Westport. Eventually I made it to the hostel but it gave me 10 minutes to make sure my horrible running smell would disappear and my backpack was packed. By surprise I made it to the bus, still breathing heavily ;) I felt welcome on the bus and said hello to everyone. Although I was not in the same mood as them. I was surrounded by people who just wanted to spent their money on way to expensive tourist attractions and alcohol to get drunk every night… But that was not me. I wanted look outside of the window while driving next to the shore, thinking about my travels and all the things I had learned. Wondering about how it will feel to be back home. Trying to find closure to end this trip.

When I asked myself what I wanted to do before I left, one of the things was to try ‘Couchsurfing’. I had done Helpx before, where I would work a couple of hours in a family for accommodation. But I had never tried this new system where people provide a free place for you to sleep while you travel so when they would ever travel they could have the same. It’s about giving and taking and it took my interest. I rather travel placing meeting up with locals and learning about their true way of living. So I made myself an account and found a place to sleep in Greymouth. The bus dropped me off and I tried to find the address of the family that was going to host me for a night. It was located 12 km out of Greymouth in a little suburb that included 30 houses. One of them was from my host. They called themselves ‘Family Ra’. An elder hippie couple that lived the complete basic life but were generous enough to share whatever they owned. It wasn’t the cleanest or warmest house, but it was filled with love. For 10 year they had been hosting people from around the world, just to share stories and learn about countries. Karlene was a shy but creative woman who loved to cook and Will had traveled the world but is now spending his days in the garden. They welcomed me and after we spent the night talking while Karlene had cooked us a delicious quiche. It’s so much better than just another ordinary hostel. Together with Karlene we went around the village delivering the papers and walked on the beach for a little while.

The next day I woke up early and did a walk that brought me to a viewing point of the shore. It was just me and the nature around me. I took some time to watch the waves, breathe in the fresh air, read a little but most of all get stuck in my own head. I just felt free and realized that I’m lucky… Lucky to just have the time to sit there with nothing to worry about. I got back and had a cup of tea with the family before heading back to Greymouth. The family couldn’t host me for another day so I had to find a place to sleep. After walking with my way to heavy backpack I found a little hidden café full of art. They had some special teas and sold their beautiful homemade jewelry. I just relaxed for a while and sorted out a hostel to sleep in. I can tell that it’s getting winter. The cold is getting into my bones and a lot of places are closing down. So not much choices in accommodation! But arriving in the hostel I couldn’t believe my eyes! The whole place was decorated in art from all over the world! Everything was made in detail, every room had its own theme… I think this is the best one I’ve stayed in so far! The room was warm, the bed was cozy and they even put effort in making the bathrooms look beautiful! I just needed a hot shower and a skype session with my beloved ones at home.

In the morning I motivated myself to do some yoga and enjoy my new package of vanilla red bush tea! One of my latest discoveries. Check out is at 10 but they allowed me to leave my bags and rent one of their bikes. I still had until 1 for my bus to leave, so time enough to explore the town! I took a little road trip next to the shore, windy but beautiful! And I remembered how much I like biking. It also reminded me of my grandma and how I can’t wait to go biking with her again! I felt adventurous and really enjoyed my tour. It’s so nice to go on these little adventures! But time to catch the bus again. Next stop was Franz Josef, where you can see one of the most famous glaciers.