Time To Reset

Posted on by Michael Eaton

If I am going to be honest, my experience in Melbourne has been a bit of a mixed bag. No doubt, I’ve met some really awesome people and I learned a lot from each of them. I’ve made some great memories here. And I can easily see why people find this city such a good place to live.

However, my routine has gone to utter shit ever since I arrived. I went a little overboard that first week here. I was so excited to be moving to a new country and as I previously said, it’s difficult to say no to good people when they invite you out to have a drink.

After a week of mostly partying I feel a bit empty and unfulfilled. Which is natural I think. That type of lifestyle was never going to be sustainable. It’s an odd feeling really and a bit difficult to explain. I know that it’s impossible to meet someone new every single day. I know that I need to take certain days to take care of myself. To lay low and reset. But I also feel like I’m wasting my time if I’m not going out and creating new friendships. I have to have more compassion for myself and understand that every day doesn’t need to be an adventure.

I think it really comes down to my mindset. I have to think about this trip in a different way than I have been since I arrived in Australia. This needs to be more of a living remotely type of thing as opposed to just traveling around and being on vacation all the time.

I think the hostel environment has a big part to play in this. In Melbourne, the hostels are very large. There are a hundred-plus people staying in the same place and the hostels are very party-centric. I feel like I am staying in a hotel or a college dorm. With a set up like that, it’s a bit more difficult to behave yourself.

When I was in New Zealand the hostels were much much smaller. It was easier to meet people that I felt were looking for the same things as me. It felt like I was staying in a home. I felt like I was living at each place I was staying in. And obviously that type of feeling helps to maintain a healthy routine.

I have to be careful when I move on to Sydney on the 17th. Just because something is available to me doesn’t mean I have to indulge in it. I don’t think the hostel scene will change very much in Sydney and it’ll be up to me to make a decision for myself. This trip is a marathon, not a sprint, and I’d like to get back to treating it that way.

Catching Up (Part 2)

Posted on by Michael Eaton

Tuesday and Wednesday were pretty quiet nights compared to the nights prior. I was hurting pretty bad from going out four straight nights so Tuesday I slept in until pretty late. I wanted to get some things done for myself so I ventured out and did some laundry after breakfast.

On Wednesday I moved from the city center to St. Kilda which is a suburb of Melbourne located southeast of the city. It has a really good vibe to it. Very laid back, parts of it remind me of San Diego if I’m being honest.

Again, not much else to report. On Wednesday evening we went to the Victoria night market which was located in the city center. Only a twenty-minute ride from St. Kilda. The public transportation system here is pretty good actually.

We stayed at the night market for a bit, got a bite to eat there, and then we went to get a few beers afterward. I have been spending a lot of money on going out since I arrived. To be fair, it’s difficult to say no when you enjoy the company. At the end of the day, I was just happy to have another quiet night.

Yesterday (Thursday) was a bit more exciting. I spent the afternoon with a French woman that I met while I was in Te Anau. She lives here and she showed me around to a few spots around town. For the most part, we just chilled by the beach. The weather was perfect. Eighty-five degrees and few clouds in the sky.

We parted and I went back to take a nap because I had plans for later in the evening. I met up with Dana around dinner time and we headed over to a barbeque she had been invited to. She is part of the couch surfers network and she frequently goes to these types of meetups.

When we arrived no one that was a part of the group was there yet. There were a bunch of other people there and we mixed in with them. Eventually, the group grew larger until it was about fifty people drinking and eating right on the beach. It was a beautiful spot to watch the sunset. I should have taken a picture really.

Once the sun had set we moved further down the beach. Every Thursday there is a drum circle there. It was a really fun party. The drumming didn’t stop once and we were there for maybe three or four hours. Just a bunch of people dancing and hanging out on the beach enjoying a beautiful night. Hard to escape the good energy here.

We went into the water after one of the women that we were hanging out with made a cool discovery. We found that when we walked or splashed in the water the movement we created would light up. It would show as a neon blue stream of water. We looked it up and it seems there are bioluminescent algae in the water. It was a very cool sight to see.

Today I am just taking it easy again. I didn’t stay out very late last night. But it has been raining here all day and it just feels like a recovery day to me. I have not been cooking for myself so much this past week and I have to get back into doing that or else I will blow my budget for Australia out of the water.

Catch Up (Part 1)

Posted on by Michael Eaton

Melbourne has treated me quite well this past week. I’ve been so busy meeting different kinds of people and exploring the various neighborhoods in the city. It’s been difficult to find the time to sit and write here. But I’d like to stick with writing every two days moving forward. Five days is a bit of a gap.

Labor Day was on Monday and there was a festival in one of the main parks by the river. My friend Samantha and Sebastian, who I had met the night before, ventured over there to check it out. After walking about for a bit we decided to hang out by the stage and just listen to the bands that were playing.

One of the Dutch women that I had met a few days before was also there and we linked our groups together. It’s so fun to do that. Everyone was just super friendly because we share common experiences and are working towards a common goal. Very good energy.

The last band we saw was by far the best. They had an unusual mix of instruments but they played some awesome music. They had various hand drums, a saxophone, the usual guitar/bass/drum set combo, and some odd instrument that reminded me of an Indian sitar. But they were incredibly funky.

At one point the lead singer encouraged everyone to come up and dance. That ignited the fuse. Before that, you could tell most people wanted to dance but no one was willing to be the first one that did. Once we got started though, it turned into such a good dance party. People were just dancing freely and having a great time together. I might have seen the longest conga line I have ever seen. Really, really good vibes.

Afterward we just bar hopped in that area until it was time to go back outside and see the fireworks. Then we did some more bar hopping. The night did turn a bit weird at one point though. We were outside smoking a cigarette (sorry Mom) and this man came up to us and we started chatting.

It was fun at first. He was reading our palms and talking absolute nonsense. But as soon as we turned to go into the bar he followed us in. I made it quite obvious that he was not welcome to join us without going so far to tell him to fuck off. Sometimes you don’t know who you’re dealing with.

He just would not stop talking after he sat down. I didn’t think he was on drugs, just really drunk. And at one point he started asking rather personal questions of us. He asked me if I had ever been heartbroken and if so what the story was behind the heartbreak. He asked me how times a week I masturbated. And he kept asking the women to choose who they were most attracted to out of all the men that were present. It got really weird really quickly.

Thankfully he left us alone after about half-an-hour and we collectively breathed a sigh of relief. We weren’t done drinking but it seemed like the city was at that point. We checked out a few more places but nothing much else was happening. I think holidays here are celebrated a bit differently here. It’s less about going out and partying and more about getting away from the city and enjoying the day off.

Crazy Birds

Posted on by Michael Eaton

I’ve never heard birds make the types of noises that they make over here. I woke up this morning to this bird they call a magpie yelling its head off outside my window. And it most certainly didn’t sound like a bird.

If I could describe it I would compare it to a monkey yowling. If you told me there were two chimps fighting outside my window I would have believed you without question. Quite the way to roll out of bed in the morning.

Anyway, there’s a holiday here on Monday. Australian Labor Day, except it’ not a federal holiday here. Each state celebrates Labor Day on a different day and on Monday it’s Victoria’s turn. So I’ll have one extra night to do a little partying. Not that I necessarily need it.

Another lazy day for me today. I actually got up at a decent time, got some breakfast in my belly, and then walked down to Degraves Street which is the coffee hotspot around here.

While I was sitting down at the table I saw someone that I knew walking down the street. I popped up and practically chased this girl down the road. I had met here about three weeks before when I was in Queenstown. She stayed in the same room in the same hostel while I was there.

I had no idea she was going to be in Australia and she was just as surprised to see me. Melbourne is such a big city and for me to see her randomly on the street here is ridiculously improbable. Things like this continue to teach me that you have to expect the unexpected. We’ll grab a bite to eat for dinner later. and catch up a bit.

Big City Living

Posted on by Michael Eaton

It’s a nice feeling to be back in a big city again. I’ve only been in Melbourne for two days but I can already tell that I’m going to enjoy my time here. Melbourne is consistently voted one of the top cities to live in worldwide and I can see why.

I flew in on Thursday night and didn’t arrive until very late so I slept at the airport in an attempt to save some money. I woke up at 6 AM and then made my way into the city. It was super easy actually. The public transportation system here is actually really good. You get free tram service all throughout the downtown area which is very convenient.

Anyway, I dropped my bags off and had about six hours to kill. The first thing I did was grab a coffee. Melbourne has a reputation for being a very coffee-centric city so I plan on hitting up all the spots while I am here.

Afterward, I headed to the National Gallery of Victoria, the most famous art gallery here. I didn’t stay there for too long. Maybe about an hour. I didn’t have the energy to do the entire museum in one day. So I just went through the first floor, which was mostly Asian and European art. I’ll make it back there at some point to finish the thing off.

My evening actually turned out to be quite fun. At 4 o’clock they had drinks in the kitchen at the hostel. That helped me make some new friends rather quickly. One thing led to another and all of a sudden were meeting up with some friends of one of the people I just met.

We went to this hole in the wall place that looked super tiny from the outside but actually was pretty spacious once you got in there. They had all these weird little cocktails that all the women were going crazy for. Just beer for me, thanks.

But the live band was fantastic. The singer was outstanding and once the set was over she started DJing. So naturally, we got our boogie on. I didn’t stay out awfully late but I had a really fun night. Hopefully, I can connect with those girls again before I leave.

Melbourne CBD From The Yarra River

Today has been rather quiet. I slept in (I needed it) and then went to get coffee with a few people from the hostel. We moseyed over into the Botanical Gardens and we stumbled upon a festival that was going on. So there I was, dancing again. This time in the park as a Latino band serenaded us. It was fun because I could understand most of the lyrics. We didn’t stay too long but it was a nice little Easter Egg to find.

Now I’m just hanging out at the hostel. I’ll meet a friend that I made while I was in Hawaii for dinner. She is from this city so it’ll be fun to learn more about it from her. I am excited about what Melbourne has to offer me on my stay.

Bye New Zealand

Posted on by Michael Eaton

Anytime you leave a country it’s bittersweet. You feel like you’re ready for the next adventure but at the same time, it’s hard to say goodbye.

New Zealand definitely lived up to my expectations. The hiking I did here was by far the best I have ever done. I challenged myself in ways I had never challenged myself before. I went camping for the first time. I hiked up mountains and down mountains. I hitchhiked and met some incredible people along the way.

And that last bit is the key point.

I met a couple from Seattle just a few hours ago and the woman, Susie, asked me what my favorite place is of all the places that I’ve traveled to. It’s an impossible question to answer really. I like so many places for so many reasons. But the common thread is that I met amazing people in each of those places.

You don’t like a city for the architecture, the nightlife, or even the food (okay sometimes the food). What really hooks you is the people. The conversations you have, the ideas you share with each other, and the ability to be open with others, the ability to be human. It’s something, at least in my experience, I don’t get at home most of the time.

In short, we fall in love with the energy of a city or a country. And the energy is created by the people that both live there and are visiting.

Sure, I could say the highlights of my travels in New Zealand were hiking the Kepler Track and stargazing in Tekapo. Those were experiences that I will remember for a long time. But the reason they were special is because of the people that I shared them with.

I met so many authentic individuals and had so many open and judgment-free conversations these last few weeks. I wish I could list all the people that I met here but it would be impossible. And I know that for the most part, this will be the only time I will ever see them and I am at peace with that. I would like to reconnect with some of them in the future but that is out of my control to a certain extent.

The journey continues and I can only keep moving forward. More experiences and more beautiful people await me in Australia. I am sure of that. I just need to keep being myself because that’s the best gift I can give. Everything else will work itself out if that is my starting point.

Goodbye New Zealand! Until next time!

Stars

Posted on by Michael Eaton

Turns out that my new German friends, Nina and Mahoni, were moving along to Tekapo. So I waited a while around the lodge and jumped in the car with them once they were ready to leave. Tekapo isn’t all that far from Mount Cook. Maybe an hour and a half car ride.

We had to drive around Lake Pukaki and we ended up stopping along the way to take in the scenery. The lake was this crystal blue. It was irresistible. So we decided to jump in and have a swim. The water was fairly cold but the sun was out and that kept us in the water for a while.

Lake Pukaki Is A Good Place To Swim

Their plan was to visit the hot pools in Tekapo and I decided to join them. It wasn’t originally in my plans to visit but I was having a good time with them so I decided to join. We jumped in the sauna and they helped me understand the right way to use it. There’s a certain way you should increase and then decrease your body temperature so you don’t do harm to yourself.

The view from the pools was also quite beautiful. There doesn’t seem to be a bad view in all of the south island. We just hung out in the spa for most of the day until it was time for them to close at 9 o’clock.

Lake Tekapo is very famous for its stargazing. And we decided to take advantage. The town is so small and this area of the country doesn’t have any major cities so there is very little light pollution. After checking into the hostel I jumped back into the car and we headed out of town so we could get away from all the lights that remained in town.

We drove towards the observatory, which was closed oddly enough. We parked the car outside the gates and hiked up the hill and found a nice place to lie down. The forecast predicted rain but we got lucky and the clouds stayed away from the area. At one point it seemed like the clouds were everywhere around us except where we actually were.

The stars were absolutely amazing, even better than when I was on the Kepler Track a week or so earlier. At one point the clouds covered up the moon and we were in total darkness. We were mesmerized by the number of stars in the sky. The Milky Way was totally visible and it was just awesome. I’ve only seen the stars like that once before, two years earlier in Peru when I hiked Colca Canyon.

We stayed for a while and spoke about all types of things. Whether we believed aliens existed. If human beings had a soul. Politics and the future of our earth. It was just very pure and open. It felt good to communicate with other people in that way.

The Mueller Hut

Posted on by Michael Eaton

I started my day early, grabbed a coffee with Dirk before he left, and hit the trail. The start of the trail was at the White Horse Campsite, about a half-hour walk away from the lodge. I got to the campsite, stretched a bit, and started the ascent.

The track is quite steep, ascending to 1,000 meters over a 5-kilometer stretch. To put it in perspective, the Kepler Track, which I did a week earlier, ascends 1,200 meters but over roughly 12-kilometers.

The first half of the climb is mostly up a staircase built into the mountainside. The first step greets everyone with the note “2,200 Steps” written on the wood paneling. I didn’t do an exact count but that number seems fairly accurate to me. Obviously the first bit was a challenging climb but it is manageable as long as you pace yourself and take rest when you need it.

After two hours I reached a lookout point called Sealy Tarns. Most people stop here and for good reason. The views of Mount Cook and Hooker Valley are incredible, especially on a nice day like it was. I took some lunch here on one of the less frequented overlooks in the area. There was only one man sitting there and we got to talking. I forget his name but he was from Australia and he worked for the New Zealand Department of Conservation.

He gave me some tidbits of information about the park and the surrounding area. Then he started unpacking his paraglide which was a bit of a surprise. At this point, I was committed and decided to hang out to watch this guy jump off the side of this mountain. He got everything set up and twenty minutes later he was gliding his way back into the village.

Watching Someone Jump off The Mountain Was A Surprise

The second half of the hike is where things got really hard. The going was just as steep, if not steeper, but no stairs were provided. This was a true rock scramble. More often than not I had to get on all fours to climb up the rocks or else I would lose my balance. This part of the climb took another two hours. Breaks were plentiful but I enjoyed this part more. Climbing stairs gets boring. You really have to concentrate when scrambling and that makes it fun.

Finally, I arrived at the ridgeline. Again, I grabbed a little bite to eat, took some pictures, and then started off along the trail, the homestretch to the hut. It only took 30 more minutes until I was where I wanted to be. Man, was I exhausted!

Happy To Reach The Top

The views were totally worth the trip though. Not a cloud in the sky. It felt like I was at the top of the world. I could look down and see the village in the distance and it felt odd to think that I had started from there in the morning. I went a little further and hiked to the peak of Mount Oliver which provided a 360 degree view of the surrounding area.

Then I heard a loud crack, something similar to thunder. But I was forewarned that this would happen. I took a look to my left and the glacier was breaking apart. Snow and ice started falling down the mountain, gathering in a pile at the base. It was an amazing sight. We don’t realize how powerful the glaciers can be. They literally break stone and shape the landscape.

View From Mount Oliver

I decided to head down after hanging out by the hut after two hours. Along the way, I met a German girl named Nina. We got to talking because I pointed out that she was wearing sandals. I figured her feet must be killing her but she said she was feeling great. She even told me that she normally goes on hikes without any shoes on!

After about an hour we arrived back at Sealy Tarns and waited a while for her other friend to catch up with us. This usually happens. I hike up the mountain by myself and by the time I get back to the bottom I’ve made two or three new friends. We continued down to the camp together and made good time. It’s always quicker going down (obviously).

They were thinking of heading to Lake Tekapo the next day as well. So I told them that if they were that I’d appreciate it if I could hitch a ride. We said our goodbyes and I headed back to the lodge. Not much to report on after that. I was happy to get a good meal in me and head to bed.

Aoraki (Mount Cook)

Posted on by Michael Eaton

I took the early bus from Twizel to Mount Cook National Park which houses the largest mountain in the country. You guessed it, Mount Cook. It stands at roughly 3,700 meters high. About 12,200 feet for all my Americans out there. I’ve been trying to get better with the metric system since I’ve started traveling, seeing as I won’t be in the states for a while. I’m still having trouble making the conversion from Fahrenheit to Celsius though.

To my surprise, one of the men that I met at the hostel in Twizel was also at the bus stop. His name is Dirk and he is from the Netherlands. He was to be my travel companion for the day. The ride into the national park was quite scenic actually. The lakes that are fed via the glacier water are so blue. They are almost turquoise in color. The bus rider stopped along the way and provided some commentary which was welcomed.

Lake Pukaki On Our Way Towards Mt Cook

We arrived at the lodge in the park at about 11 o’clock but we weren’t able to check-in until 3 o’clock. So we decided to do the most popular day walk in the area, the Hooker Valley Track. It wasn’t a challenging hike at all. Maybe a 2 and a half hour round trip with no elevation gain whatsoever.

You meander along the river towards the base of the mountain, crossing some suspension bridges along the way. I am not too keen on heights to begin with, so the bridges were a bit scary to cross. They did not feel very stable to me. Especially when Dirk, who is 6′ 5″, decided it would be fun to jump up and down while we were crossing!

Mount Sefton From Hooker Valley

The views approaching the mountain were only beat by the view at the end of the trail. The glaciers feed into a small lake at the base of the mountain. We hung out there to eat lunch and chatted up a few people. Then we made a beeline back to the hostel to get settled in.

Hooker Lake At The Base Of Mt Cook

There were no grocery stores in the area and the accommodation had no kitchen. So we were forced to eat at the restaurant in the hotel. But the food was very good and fairly priced. Nothing exciting happened after dinner. I was already tired and wanted to get a good night of sleep. My plan was to hike up to the Mueller hut, which is considered the most strenuous hike in the area.

On The Road Again

Posted on by Michael Eaton

We’re approaching the home stretch here. One more week until I leave for Australia. People ask me if I am tired of traveling after about a month and change but I’m not at this point. Of course, I conquered the Kepler and that took a whole lot of energy. But being in Te Anau itself for 5 days in total helped balance things out. It’s necessary to stay in a quieter area with no plan so you can regroup and prepare yourself for the next adventure.

I am in Twizel now, a small town about a one-hour bus ride from my next stop, Mount Cook. I left Te Anau yesterday and spent the night in Queenstown just to split things up a bit. One of the receptionists at the hostel in Te Anau was heading to Queenstown and she gave me a lift up there.

We talked the whole way and I learned a lot from her. She has an amazing story. She is from Italy but has lived and worked in so many different countries. We connected because we share a similar perspective concerning work, travel, and just life in general. She was also similar in age to me so we had more in common with each other. A majority of the people that I have been meeting are in their early twenties, which is fine, but we are just in different stages of our lives.

Mount Cook looks like it’s going to be a really awesome time. There is a very famous hut there called the Mueller Hut that is supposed to have an amazing view of the mountain and the surrounding area. Similar to the Milford Track it books out months in advance so I won’t be able to stay there. But you can camp for free around the hut if you’d like.

I was considering camping but I don’t think that is the best option for me. I would have to rent a tent to do it. And since I am not coming back to Twizel, logistically I don’t think I can make it work. That won’t stop me from hiking up there during the day and making the return journey back to town. My understanding is that the trip is five hours total (there and back) which is very doable.

I just need the weather to cooperate. It looks like it will rain tomorrow but it will be clear on Sunday. Today was the first day it has rained since I’ve been in New Zealand which is extremely fortunate. Hopefully, I can take the good weather with me to the mountain. We will see. Either way, I will make the best of it. If I have to hike through the rain, so be it.