A Solo Travellers Mind

I headed back to Batemans Bay for my second contract, this time for 7 weeks! They flew me down last time, but this time, I caught the 7 hour bus, which sounds awful, but it actually kinda works out better. It means that I could bring more stuff with me as the weight limit on the bags is slightly more flexible and it meant i could go food shopping in town before heading to my accomodation (which you’ll know is ideal as the shops are a 50 minute walk away haha). I arrived, shopped and caught a taxi to my new home. Last time, i was in a little cabin round the back. This time, i was in a stilted cabin at the front, which meant i had a sea view! An absolute treat. I unpacked, got settled, and just took in the fact that for the next two months ish i could watch the sunrise from my living room… I’m a lucky ducky! 

My roster this time round was kinda gross, a couple week days, and then weekend nights. However, the pay will be unreal, so I’ll suck it up! My first shifts went pretty smoothly, so i felt good about the next few weeks! I spent my evenings at the beach going for a swim after work (the water is VERY cold here, please note) or skateboarding as the sunset. There’s a sunset spot here that i found last time, and it’s maybe my favourite place here <3. Saturday was a day off, and there was no night shift that night, but unlucky for me, the weather was kinda bad! I got up and had a productive morning of workouts, and also started a new book (It’s called DISH, check it out!). My afternoon was spent watching a film at the cinema, It ends with us had come out a few weeks before and i was yet to see it, so while the rain fell I dove into the latest chick flick. This was after i dove into the floor, literally. I decided to skate into town (a 6k walk or a 6k skate, and the path is super straight and smooth (mostly)). However, 100m into my ride, i missed dodging a bit of tree or seed or whatever it was and it got caught under my board, meaning the board stopped, i did not, and i face planted. I was very lucky to not hurt myself more, but ill thank the fluid in my ears for telling my limbs where to fall in a split second so that my injuries only included a couple of knee scraps (saved by my jeans!) and a nice cut up chin. Sounds bad, but honestly, it could have been significantly worse. The fall was, unfortunately, witnessed by a group of men, which i think kinda helped, lol. Because i just got up, assessed the knees, called the floor a C U N T, and continued on my way. The saying “get back on the horse” is right! The evening was a slow one, filled with Netflix and nail painting. I had no idea how i was going to fill my time for the next 7 weeks living alone, but I’m sure I’d think of something. Sunday was my first night shift back and it went pretty well, night shifts in my opinion are either terrible or amazing, sadly i do not think there is a middle ground, but it was a nice one to ease me back into the spirit of things. 

My second week in the bay obviously started tired, finishing nights at the beginning of the week is kinda weird, but it lets me have a day at the start of the week to relax, reset and then get to be early ready for the rest of the week, so I don’t mind too much! Tuesday and Wednesday are working days, so they fly by with a blink. Thursday was my day off, i headed into town (this time walking the 6km route), to run some errands and do some food shopping, before heading home to cook a lovely dinner and have a much needed catch up with some family back home! Friday was a chilled one, in prep for my weekend of night shifts ahead. I watched some YouTube, painted my nails, booked a flight that i needed to organise, just the standard shiz. My weekend of nights went off without a hitch, to be honest. The actual nights themselves weren’t bad, but simply working nights ruined my body, so by Monday morning, i was a tired gal! This is where i nearly killed myself (i wish i was joking or over exaggerating, but I am not). I came home on Monday morning, made my standard breaks of eggs and beans, went to sleep for 5 hrs, woke up, started cleaning my apartment, and noticed an odd smell (and a headache). I spent ages attempting to locate the smell before I realised that i, in my tired state had forgotten to turn the gas off on the stove and had in fact been poisoning myself for the last 6hrs as i slept! Whoopsie!

Tuesday through to Thursday the following week were working days of afternoon shifts, meaning I had my mornings to enjoy, and the weather was nice! Meaning it was early rises, outdoor works outs, and beach sessions before work. What a life! Friday and Saturday were another night shift stint (luckily, not Sunday this weekend). One night was manic, the other was super chill, the ying and yang of life… Sunday was semi productive considering my tired state. I had spent a lot of time over the last few weeks planning my 7 month trip around South and Central America, so this continued on Sunday, before heading out for some fresh air and a stunning sunset. 

Another week of night shifts followed, luckily all running smoothly, and i was just starting to get used to them when i was switch to day shifts! The first week of days was killer, my sleep was honestly shocking, ranging from 2-5hrs a night, but lucky for my i had the long weekend off to relax and see my little friend Ethan!

Ethan came to visit for the weekend, and we had a very lovely time exploring together. On our first day, we went to explore all the beaches and coves around, finding a cool little swimming hole and an octopus (the first one for me to see in Aus). Saturday was some more exploring, with a chippy dinner and ending with a pamper session and Ethan’s toe nails looking a lovely turquoise sparkly colour! Sunday was a beach day with the weather being super nice, we spent our morning on a secret beach we found while walking along the rocks, found some perfect skimming rocks on said beach which subsequently provided some entertainment. We had prawns and oysters for lunch, my first time ever having oysters, and they were very nice, definitely a new fav in the seafood department for me! Before heading to our swimming hole for an evening dip as the sun went down! The weekend was very, very nice, a lovely little break in between working so much. With two weeks left before i would finish my contract and return to newy for my last few weeks in Aus, it was nice to make some new memories here and not just be smashing out the work! 

The next 2 weeks were pretty uneventful, with lots of hours worked (and hopefully lots of money made). And unluckily for me the weather was super unpredictable so not much tanning or beach time occurred! I did, however, have a leaving party, hoisted by my friends here in Batemans Bay. I’ve been lucky enough to make some very good pals while working here, including my friends AJ, Jasmine, and Dee. AJ and Jasmine made a lovely plan with the night, including some Indian food made by AJ, a bonfire, and some wine and dancing. It was a lovely evening and super wholesome! I finished my time in Batemans Bay on nights once again, which meant by 7 hours bus was this time done with no sleep! A shocker, but luckily, I got to Josh’s (my friends in Sydney) and could eat dinner and crash out immediately!