Bloody Marvellous

1. Jonny Foreigner. I have met so many people from so many places, and learned so much about what it's like to live their lives. I have lost track of the Nationality count but approximately North Caledonia, Australian, Kiwi, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, Swiss, German, Korean, Chinese, Japanese. I just lose track. It's just really wonderful chilling and shooting the breeze (is it OK for an English woman of my age to use that phrase) with all manner of interesting people. Because when you're back packing the people do all seem to be interesting, because there's a tale to tell behind every one.
2. Discarded stuff. I'm enjoying the replacements for discarded stuff. The North Face T-shirt bit the dust after a sulphurous incident in Rotorua paired up with impractical white panelling in a world of travel wash. The camera got involved in a gust of wind incident and the new one is just the coolest thing ever. Yesterday the paddle boarding took the sunglasses out of my life and today I have a new pair, kind of surround wrap round ish, much better than the old ones for biking. Liking them a lot.
3. Tea & Cake in the afternoon on the balcony of the hostel overlooking the sea.
4. Day sack packing where the extra layer of clothing is now the swimming costume.
5. Dolphins.
6. 101 ways to cook 2 minute noodles.
7. Girls dorms – quieter and less smelly than mixed dorms. Earlier nights too it appears, although 5am departures for dolphin watching had me hiding under my bed covers.
8. Solo travelling. After watching some kind of thermonuclear build up going on in the kitchen today over the tupperware box which was his but she was furious about having been lost I'm kind of glad to be on my own. Well, actually I already was enjoying the solo thing which brings me on to …
9. Self contained. I'm self contained and it's really wonderful. I'm still connected with the world but am loving the way I'm feeling, kind of solid, with my customary competence and innate ability to be happy. I love the word solid. My nan used it about me years ago, properly observant of her because both physically and mentally I'm pretty solid. No, it doesn't sound exciting but I love being this feet on the ground head in the mountains person. You could tell when you were in favour with my nan because she'd start suggesting you were just like her. Which makes me smile, the arrogance of the woman to think that being her was what we should aspire to but she was a strong willed, opinionated, sturdy old battle axe, in fact, a true matriarch who had two generations answerable to her. Or thought she did.
10. People watching. This balcony is great. It overlooks bus stops and a car park. There were llamas in the car park earlier, now there are campervans, kayaks, bicycle, all sorts. It's actually quite a lot like Newquay being in Kaikoura.