A Hostile Life

Every day I meet Germans and Frenchies. I have no idea why there are so many of them here and so few Americans or British given our language (and colonial) connections. The typical WWOOFer, as my first host John described it, is a “19-year-old German girl.” This is also the typical demographic of a backpacker, of which there are many here and of course the Europeans have often been traveling for close to a year and have or will explore every location on both island. Many have also worked here, WWOOFed, traveled, or did some combination and they are useful people to talk to along my path.

In some ways I do feel a bit unique here but going in, I was a bit weary with my age and the whole backpacking and hostel thing. I’ve felt for a while now, much like Halloween when you are 19, that I’m getting too old for this sort of travel. In some towns hostels are the only affordable option and the difference can be crazy - $25/night or $150/night at a hotel with nothing in-between so I decided to continue living youthfully. As it turns out this trip has surprised me.

At one point, I found myself going out in Queenstown with a really fun group of people from all around the world in the 18-30 age range and in many different places in life. While I was still the grandpa (just by a little) in the group many of these youngsters were pretty mature and it didn’t feel weird. That is, until I found myself dancing next to Martine, the sweet 18-year-old Dutch girl who washes the sheets at the hostel. I realized she was almost the same age as some of my students who, just a few months back in France had cowered away and laughed awkwardly when I had joined nearby on a dance floor with some other teachers.  But I recognize it’s a different context now and it’s cool that you can travel solo and meet people like this.

On the other hand, hosteling today is different than it used to be and in my opinion worse. Wi-fi is the gold we all search for, perhaps even more important than clean bathrooms for some people. It’s also super pricey here and I am constantly reminded when I travel abroad about MB’s and how much data different things use and how video is not an option unless you have free Wi-Fi. Many hostels in fact do offer free wi-fi but it’s also a big down side. It’s a weird thing when everyone from around the world is just sitting eating a snack or their dinner in a common space not talking to each other while they stare at a screen as I saw in a few hostels. This has made being a solo traveler a bit harder but I usually find a way to get peoples’ attention and drag their head face away from their screen. That is, unless of course my head is stuck on mine.

The Remarkables, ski mountains around Queenstown

Queenstown bike trails are beautiful and endless  

Night falls on Queenstown

View from Hostel

New German friends, hiking Ben Lamonde

Not hitchhiking - http://www.airwakatipu.com/gps-tracks/4w9u3o5i scenic ride from Queenstown to Milford Sound. Trip highlight!

Small Propeller Train to Milford Sound

Mitre Peak in Milford Sound, the one on all the brochures. Due to an oncoming storm we only had 20 minutes there and the cruise portion of the trip was cancelled. Still was a blast

The View from high up in our plane coming back to Queenstown

Lounge at Butterfli Lodge Hostel

Maria from Germany and me hiking up the massive Ben Lamonde

Gondola above Queenstown and Luge Trail