For the first 5 days I had everything I could have wished for; a great hostel, I met the most awesome people, had all the alone time I wanted, made some lifetime memories, I had every part of freedom I so craved for so very long. I was alone a lot but I loved it, I could do as I very pleased. If I wanted to just go to the gardens just to sleep and reed all day I could and I did.
I had a Christmas to remember too, it was my first Christmas away from home and it was definitely worth the experience. I do think that for future Christmases I will make sure that I'm home with my family. I liked doing it all different this year because I needed the change so badly. But I had the experience and now I know how much family means on Christmas.
It was life as I wanted it, carefree and with total freedom.
On Christmas morning Dries arrived. After my Christmas Eve it wasn't easy getting out of bed early but I had to so I did. (I had to check out any way because Dries and I would go to a different hostel anyway, biggest mistake ever wow.)
Anyway it is good to have someone familiar around me now, the only thing is that well with a partner you lose part of your freedom, it's inevitable. And so solitude any more. You don't choose your company anymore as much as you do when your alone.
I really like having Dries here, don't get me wrong I was just getting used to the freedom of my brand new backpacking life.
So we went to a different hostel, which was shit. We payed dibble for more than half the service I got at my previous hostel. (I'm talking about having to pay for really bad wifi & cups. Cardboard walls and doors in combination with noisy neighbours who found it necessary to have very loud conversations over the entire hallway at 4 in the morning and the continuous noise from outside.
In short a shitty ass hostel.
Thank god for the son (his wife and two kids) of good friends of Dries'es grandparents. They live in Eltham, a town only about 40 minutes from Melbourne by train. We called them and ended up staying there for five days. It was like paradise! A good bed, great food and company we even did two day trips to the beach and Kinglake national park. It was totally awesome.
This brings us to the last day of this year. We had a flight at 6 in the morning to Hobart. We packed everything the evening before got up at 4 drove half an hour to the airport to arrive nicely on time for everything at 5.
Ready for the next adventure, starting in Hobart, Tasmania.
Lots of love
Happy new year to all
xoxo Lizzie
