Blues and golds

I massively over corrected the sleep in and found myself lying awake at 3.45am so I figured the sooner I finish that book the better, and got up. This was through no fault of Dave in the adjacent bunk, I'd add, he was unnecessarily apologetic about it when he realised I was gone.

I'd have chuffed off pre-7 if I didn't want to say goodbye to Pam and Nat, two Australian women in their 60s (?) travelling separately who made space for me last night. Pam has a stress fracture in her foot, her second on her third go at this, and is heading home. She has a kind smooth face and a wicked sense of humour, and lost her husband, the love of her life, too early.

Natalie has short hair, dyed blue on top, and from what I can tell is a bit of a rebellious nomad, spending long stretches of the year camping by motorbike. She's more outwardly staunch than Pam, scattering strong opinions on the table like cards and inviting us to read them and weep.

I like them. I like this hostel. I leave it at 7.15am and walk into the blue, which turns gold as I crest the ridge.Read more