A Solo Travellers Mind

My arrival to Australia involved vomiting all over the airport floor and praying to the gods that there would be no one sat next to me on the plane so I could be sick in peace. Bali belly once again took me down, this time not quite as seriously but.. Still.. luckily the plane had approx 40 people on so I got a whole row to myself and managed to get some sleep.

Entry into the country was incredibly easy and soon enough I was in Hannah’s car on my way to bed. 

My first few days in Adelaide involved trips to the German Villiage, beach walks, beach days, hiking Mt Loftey, and the highlight a festival, where I saw Honey Dijon and Bicep. Bicep, without fail, playing the best set I have EVER seen, and I left feeling incredibly blessed. 

The following day unfortunately resulted in turmoil, with a cyst on my chin becoming incredibly infected (I don’t know how). Which subsequently resulted in me being in hospital and on IV antibiotics.. Luckily the reciprocal agreement between Australia and the UK stopped me from going bankrupt before my trip here had even begun. Four days of rest, lots of sleep, alot of tablets and I was on the mend. I once got told you need the bad to appreciate the good, and although being ill on the other side of the world is incredibly shitty, I was also very thankful I had my pals on the other end of the phone through it all (Big up Charlotte! What a gem), and I was in a cool city with endless possibilities once I was better. 

Once recovered, my days were spent at the local art gallery with Luca, an Italian man from my hostel, where we had lots of fun creating cool photos and seeing some really cool art. I visited the Botanical Gardens, the central markets, did a spot of shopping and assessed how truly expensive the country is. 

I also met a Spanish boy, Manu, and his South American friends, Leo, Martias and Junior (plus Matilla the German shepherd pup). Little did I know this boy, who spoke almost no English would subsequently change the trajectory of my stay. 

A day was spent with Tom, (see Hoi An post for a rejog of the amazing Tom), we spent the day cruising the beaches of Adelaide and talking about the very potential midlife crisis looming over us and our true lack of life plans. With evenings spent talking to Manu, and laughing at our subsequent inability to speak the same language but yet still somehow knowing what was being said (at least most of the time). 

An incredibly wholesome time was spent with Manu and Co, on a road trip to a creek where we subsequently broke in and spent the day launching ourselves off the edge before a trip to Juniors secret veiw point, where wild kangaroos were spotted and Matilla tried to scare them off. The evening involved a trip to the moonlight cinema, which was cool and not something you see in the UK all that often.

Saturday was Hannah’s birthday, with her planning the surprise birthday party.  With the highlights including a beach bar, a humma ride through the city, and gin tasting which we subsequently got kicked out of. The day was extravagant just like the girl herself and she planned and pulled off her own party in style. We love it! 

Sunday was an incredibly chill one. Checked into a hotel room for my final 2 nights (an unexpected treat to myself), and spent the day with my friends, with me and Manu going for walks around the city. Monday was very much the same, with the evening involving lots of goodbyes. Sleepover club resulted in a moody Manu at 4am when I awoke for my flight and he couldn’t quite bring himself to get up (who can blame him). I have met some truly wonderful people during my stay here, friends I will most certainly be seeing again and definitely a sad moment saying farewell. I’m not sure anybody else will top these wonderful lot 🤍