I slept well the second night in Franz Josef and the 10 ½ hour bus ride to Nelson was fine. There were a couple of moments I felt kind of weird but I was ok. For most of the way I had a front seat with a good view which helped eliminate the chance of developing vertigo on the winding sections of road. The driver made a few stops which included the Punakaiki pancake rocks with enough time to do a 20 minute walk to see them. The weather was crappy and raining all day. I got pretty wet checking out the rocks set along sea cliffs but it was worth it. It was a nice bonus.
I arrived at my accommodation around 8:30 pm. No more tent, backpacker hostels, or mountain huts. The place I’m checked into is a solid built and well maintained Victorian home. It’s quite large. The bottom level hosts a dentist office and the top is a nine room guest house. The rooms are very nice, simple but up scale. None of the rooms are ensuite but there are 2 ½ large shared bathrooms, a common space, shared kitchen and a grand view with balcony overlooking the town of Nelson. It’s costing me around $140 USD for three nights as I was able to use some hotel points to cover nearly all of the cost for the first night. It’s quiet, very comfortable and I slept good. I expect I’ll even sleep better the next two days which can really make a difference for the long trip home.
Getting a good night’s sleep is hit and miss on the road and for whatever reason this trip to New Zealand has been the worst for me and sleep. I usually got enough to feel ok the next day but rarely did I feel like I really got a good night’s rest. Part of it was to do with my Meniere’s and vertigo while other times it was noise from other guests in a hostel, campground, or hut. Why people think you can’t close a door without slamming it is something I will never understand. Or, why someone has to rustle through their crap and stomp around at odd hours with no regard for people who are sleeping is inexcusable and plain inconsiderate. Other times it was simply Mother Nature with wind or rain banging against my tent. Yes, earplugs help to a degree but I stopped using them because I actually think they messed with my inner ear pressure. I almost always had vertigo in the morning after using them.
This morning I could have had a free car. An American staying at the guest house bought a cheap old Mazda because being under the age of 25 it was cost prohibitive to rent one. He only paid $800 USD and it served him well for a three week tour. In New Zealand you can’t sue and insurance is not compulsory. For about 10 bucks and five minutes the car registration could have been changed to my name. Well, I’m leaving on Saturday so of course I passed but I suggested he run it by a dealer and get whatever he could for it. He seemed kind of well off and really didn’t care about the money. He just wanted to make someone happy. I then suggested he drop by a backpacker hostel. Surely some 20 year kid, probably a German, would be crazy happy to get it. He liked my suggestion.
Nelson is a large town or maybe even a small city. It sits next to a bay at the top of the South Island. Just above town, on a hill, is a monument built to mark the geographical center of New Zealand. I began my day with a short run to the bay and back. I then went on a little hike up to the geographical center and wandered along a ridge before heading down to make a loop. Around lunchtime I meandered into town and that’s when it hit me. I’m done. I’ve got my fill. My cup is full. It’s a wrap. I returned to the guest house to enjoy the view from the common room. In two days I’ll fly home. Nelson to Auckland then Auckland direct to Houston. I'm happy to do nothing and rest until I leave. Done.
Overall my time in New Zealand has been good. Due to Meniere’s it’s been up and down, in and out, but I’ve still enjoyed some notable high points. Two months has flown by as I expected it would. I am happy to have made the most of my time despite having to deal with unpredictable vertigo which created a mild background anxiety. In the end I think I’ve learned how to manage it while traveling and if anything I’ve gained some confidence on how to travel with Meniere’s. I’m not sure how travel will fit into my immediate future but we shall see.
Upon returning home I will definitely be focusing on trying to solve the mystery of the root cause of my Meniere’s. Doctors are either too specialized or too general when it comes to sorting out the real culprit of most malady’s therefore I’ll need to take the bull by the horns with this one. So far I’ve determined caffeine and alcohol are definitely not good for me. Low salt is recommended but I actually think too low salt is just as bad as too much. It seems like a reasonable amount of salt, not too high, not too low, works best for me. I feel that it’s all about maintaining a proper homeostasis. As we age our bodies change and a proper homeostasis may be a little harder to balance given a certain circumstance. For example the two drinks that felt like nothing in your 20’s might give you a mild hangover in your 60’s. Also, you never really know what the coding of your genetic DNA makeup may have in store for you in the future. For me I believe it’s about finding the right balance. I need to be especially careful of drifting too far into any extreme.
Tomorrow I’ll likely go on a walk but that will probably be about it. I’ll also write a post with some opinions about New Zealand and traveling the country. Mostly though, I’ll be taking it easy..
(The top photo is of the Monument marking the geographical center. The bottom photos are of Punakaiki Rocks and my accommodation in Nelson.)
No comments:
Post a Comment