Finding My Fix: Chronicles of a Travel Junkie

Camilla left Sydney for Fiji on Wednesday, and I went off to Bondi Beach. I lay out under the sun, the one I was telling you about that is so strong it just goes right through you leaving no shadow, for about 2 or 3 hours. It wasn’t the greatest idea of my life considering I hadn’t come home till 5 that morning after hanging out at a pub with two English guys and a Swedish guy and girl from the hostel, and had to wake up around 9 to see Camilla off. I went to the park to take a nap because my room was too unbearably hot, which isn’t surprising since it’s on the top floor of a 4 story house.

I went to bed early that night and woke up early in the morning already boiling. I headed out for a walk around the city and ended up trying to find a cool place to sit in the gardens. I was entirely unsuccessful. I returned to the hostel to see if I could get one of the English guys to go running, but he had just gotten back from playing football and didn’t seem too enthused. He invited me to come out with him and his friend that night. He said he had to get a shower first and about 45 minutes later he came downstairs not at all dressed to run. I asked him, “you going for a run?”

“I just ran up the stairs and back. I’m knackered.”

So I went off myself, and later he asked me what happened with the run, saying he’d waited. Anyway, that evening when I got back downstairs after showering, I found that these English guys and two others I’d met, Ed, Danny, James and Mark (at least I hope that’s what their names are) had disappeared, and to be entirely honest, it made me depressed; I had been looking forward to going out. But it was still relatively early so I still had the hope they were just gone for dinner, and sure enough I ran into one who informed me that the others were primping. We headed out, 3 English guys and myself. They had nicknamed me Texas since I’d mentioned I was born in Texas. As one could imagine hanging out with three guys between the ages of 20 and 22, many many things were said that were far too innapropriate to share here. But even though they teased me relentlessly and often risquely about a variety of things, they were decent guys, telling me that if they ever cross the line, to let them know. In fact, they somewhat restored my hope that there are good guys out there.

We ended up staying out until 6:30 in the morning, after the sun had fully risen, and we all had to get up in a few hours to check out of the hostel. They were headed for Melbourne, and I was headed for Bangkok (the sound of which was found relentlessly entertaining to them). When I reached the top stairs of the hostel, and opened my door, Tanya a roommate, the Swede I’d met in Wellington, was standing there looking as stunned as I was. We both had to laugh at the fact that I was returning after she’d woken up. I set my alarm for shortly before 10, and went to sleep. In the morning the English guys had disappeared and I figured maybe they’d left, and again, it made me sad. And again, I was wrong, they were just sleeping in. So I spent my last day walking around the city with them.

It’s so strange just how attached I get to people after only about 2 days, and how no matter what it always gets me down when I leave, which happens with increasing frequency. I didn’t get any of their emails or anything, though I did leave my phone number with one of them. Whether they’ll ever text me, I don’t know. But it would be great if when I go to the UK I’ll already know some people, so I hope they do text me.

And now I’m in Bangkok. I arrived at my hotel at 2am after an 8 hour flight. Loneliness immediately set in. My mum wanted to make sure I didn’t end up in a roach infested, dangerous hostel in a bad part of town, so as a birthday present, she booked a hotel. But in all honesty at the moment I think I’d rather be in a roach infested hostel, because then I wouldn’t be alone. I mean the hostel I stayed in in Sydney was pretty disgusting, with roaches, and hookers on the street corner. How bad could it be really? This morning at breakfast, I couldn’t hold back the tears. Four days seems like a very long time when you’ve been on the road 5 months, just had a great time in Sydney, and are now very much alone. I’m looking forward to staying in a hostel again in Honolulu. But then I really should quit feeling sorry for myself. I’m in Bangkok, a city that reaks from pollution, but I am sure is none-the-less an awesome place to visit. Maybe I should leave the hotel and have a look around.

Tags: 1. Australasia, 1B. Australia, 2. Asia, 2A. Thailand

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