Picton - Adios Cerveza

I arrived in Picton feeling good and walked over to a waterfront bar/restaurant called Le Café. Chrissy was there with an assortment of friends. Many were ex-pats from England working and living in the area escaping the miserable English winter weather. I figured one pint of beer, Wild Buck, would be fine because I was feeling good.

I’ll be damned if I didn’t start to feel strange after just one. I tried to brush it off and didn’t want to appear unsocial so I continued to do my best to follow and engage in conversation hoping it would pass soon. Chrissy had run off on an errand and would soon be back  soon to collect me.

When Chrissy returned I carefully got up as to not appear drunk and followed her younger British housemate to the car. I announced to Chrissy and her housemate that I had an inner ear problem and was quite dizzy. On the way to Chrissy’s house I explained briefly what was going on.

When I got out of the car I carefully handled my pack. The British women took notice and in blunt fashion asked me if my ear was really F’d up. I replied, “Yes”. She showed me to the basement couch where I spent a spinny unsocial hour and a half riding it out While Chrissy was entertaining guests and fixing dinner upstairs. Adios Cerveza. I’m sad to see you go.

Well, that’s it for the beer. I’m not sure how it will play into my future but I’m sure my social life will suffer, if it hasn’t already. Alcohol is a definite no for me. To be honest, aside of the glorious pints I enjoyed on the Southwest Coast of England last summer and the big bottles in Greece thereafter, beer really hasn’t been sitting all that well with me regardless of the Meniere’s. If I want to roll the dice, fine, but I don’t want to roll the dice for awhile. Alcohol messes me up. Period. Will I have another drink someday? Likely? Yes. Soon? No! Good thing I don’t have an addictive personality or I’d really be messed up.

Today, Friday, has been a lovely day in Picton. Chrissy lives just outside of city center and her deck boasts a wonderful view of a bay and the peaks of Queen Charlotte sound in the Marlborough region. It’s especially nice in the morning. Her housemate works as an outdoor activities guide and was out a little after 7 am. Chrissy made some kind of green shake with kale, avocado, powders, and herbs for breakfast. I had a taste it reminded me of standing in a garden near a compost bin of fresh cut grass. She says it makes her feel good and headed off to help set up a wine festival for the weekend. I had some of her homemade granola, washed the dishes, and walked into town with no real plan.

As if I somehow knew what I was going to do I walked into a bakery shop and picked up a sandwich made with lots of veggies and really nice thick cut wholegrain bread. I also found a complimentary town map that showed a nice hike starting by the marina.

I found the trailhead with ease. The trail took me up a ridgeline to a couple of nice views of the surrounding peaks, bays and islands. After about an hour and a half I arrived at the snout where the ridge ends at a point with water at each side. I had lunch there and returned back up the ridge until reaching a side trail down to Bob's bay then back to town. The weather and temperature were absolutely perfect. I really like this area and it has a really nice peaceful feel. I'd post some pictures from my walk to the Snout but I forgot to bring my camera.

On Saturday I will head off on the Queen Charlotte track for 3 nights and 4 days. It's a popular hike near Picton that follows Queen Charlotte sound along the water and atop ridgelines. It's somewhat remote in spots but there are plenty of places to camp and lodges along the way. Access is predominately by foot and boat. It will be a few days before I post again on the blog.