Wellington Vertigo

One of the things I really like to do when I travel is sit at sidewalk café or bar while drinking a beer or coffee. It’s kind of a regular thing for me when I’m on the road. Wellington with all of its cafes and bars tempted me right away so I sat down and ordered a beer while I wrote the previous post. I made sure to order the beer with the lowest alcohol content of 4%. I figured I’d be ok with one or two. I got into writing and the music was quite good. The bartender asked if I’d like another. I ordered a 3rd beer which would surely be the last one. I was feeling fine and continued writing.

I finished the beer, saved my writing and walked off to get something to eat. A couple of blocks later I could tell my steps were feeling funny. Dammit! Balance was off and vertigo was coming on. I knew I needed to eat so I thought quick and familiar would be good. No one was in the Subways across the street so I went in and didn’t have to think much as I ordered the same sandwich I always order at Subways. I wasn’t really spinning yet but I was feeling really weird. I got the sandwich and walked out.

The next decision was to either try to make it back to the guest house or to find a park bench or something. I decided to go for the guest house. It took all my concentration to walk straight and not bump into people but I did bump into an information sign. I was careful crossing streets and made it back to my room ok. I wasn’t spinning badly, didn’t have nausea, and felt quite hungry so I ate. Then the spins officially came on.

When experiencing vertigo the best thing for me to do is lay down and close my eyes. At first the feeling is super intense with eyes closed but within a couple of minutes things calm down and I don’t feel like I’m spinning. If I open my eyes I’ll feel the spin if I am still and lying down I won’t feel it. After anywhere from thirty minutes to a couple of hours I’m fine. Another hour or so after that I’m normal again and can stand on one leg while touching my nose. It’s a crazy thing and all related to my right inner ear. Honestly, at this point it’s almost comical. One thing for sure is alcohol does not help my situation. Denial is slowly eroding. It’s obviously best I don’t drink at all but if I do I must stop at two to insure having a chance of getting away with it.`

The one night at the quirky guest house was really quite comfortable. I met up with the owner again in the morning as he was serving up continental breakfast. He seemed fine. He assured me the other rooms had been spoken for otherwise he would have let me move. I replied, “No problem, no worries”. I ate quickly and left without issue. I think the owner and myself just got off on the wrong foot. It was an odd deal and his appearance from being badly burned likely added to any misunderstands with it being more difficult to read expressions etc.

From the guest house I walked over the YHA Hostel and dropped my pack so I could hike for the day. There are some good walks right out of the city. I chose the Southern Walkway from Wellington Harbor over Mt Victoria for a grand city view then to a bay on the south coast. From there I returned via the City to Sea Walkway through parks and reserves. It was a very nice walk and made for a full day.

After the walk I returned to the hostel and was pleased to get a room on the top floor with a view. There’s plenty of city noise but the room is comfortable and for whatever reason I felt like I arrived where I was supposed to be. The hostel itself is very nice and the staff is great. It’s definitely good for 2 nights. I’ll take the ferry to the South Island on Thursday.