Its been a while since I had a lazy Saturday and staying Friday evening with Natalie and her two kids under fourteen months I figured I would get an early wake up this time around and so I didnt set an alarm. I didnt hear a single thing until well after eleven and only after getting up to go to the bathroom did I hear Charlie rattling around in the main room. Both kids had been ridiculously quiet all morning and Natalie had made sure I got a lie in. The lazy Saturday feeling left me pretty lethargic and I really struggled to get my ass in gear and out the door. Eventually with one eye looking forward to my Couchsurfing host waiting for me in Orbost I got out on the road. It was pretty hot, a very welcome development after a few wet days on the bike and I stopped along the way for a drink. The first major town was Lakes Entrance, a perfect example of the Aussie habit of naming towns after the reason for its existence. Border Town, Sunshine Coast, Grass Patch and Sandy Beach are other such instances across the country. Even the name Nullarbor is a direct Latin translation for the phrase No Trees. In this instance Lakes Entrance is a beautiful place, with fantastic views of the lakes, rivers and obviously where they all meet the Southern Ocean at the aforementioned entrance. I couldnt find somewhere to grab a bite to eat and found myself drawn to McDonalds along the waterfront. As it was their large charitable day, known as McHappy Day I decided to support the great work of the Ronald McDonald House Charity and tucked into a Big Mac. Getting back on the road to Orbost I found the hills getting a little tougher, both longer and higher, and the head wind was slowing me more than usual and definitely to a frustratingly slow speed. I had text my host Rowena to let her know I would be late and she indicated that herself and her other two French house guests would hold off on dinner until I arrived. Rowena was a church minister with fifty glowing reviews on the travel website and although I normally get in touch with specific cycle friendly hosts on Warm Showers or with people closer to my own age on Couch Surfers her sense of humour seemed infectious. Specifically when describing the local amenities and what she could offer to a potential guest. After she detailed the sleeping capacity and permutations the line If you want a sleeping partner please bring your own! Caught my attention and I felt I had to say hello. I eventually reached Orbost and after playing leap frog on the highway with the local police car as they continued the routine of passing me, pulling someone in to issue a traffic ticket before passing me again a few moments later. At the bottom of Rowenas road the exact same police man watched as I rounded the front of his car and started up the hill. His face as he watched me in a little disbelief at having covered the distance in the dark was quiet funny. I reached the church which was the landmark I had been given by Rowena. I picked out what I thought was her house and as instructed approached the back gate. Two pretty young girls were chatting in the kitchen. I immediately began to second guess my own instincts for two reasons, these girls were obviously a lot younger than the number displayed on Rowenas online profile and secondly, despite the knowledge that she had two French guests I usually dont get that lucky to be sharing with two lovely ladies and had fully expected it to be two guys or a couple. I walked back to the front of the church and I rang my host who I heard saying to someone on the other end of the line Girls, can one of you go out and find the Irish guy with a bike out at the church. I realised I had been at the right place all along when both girls popped their heads over the gate. Sarah and Coline, as I would discover were their names, introduced themselves and they were staying for a week with Rowena working as HelpX, a barter system swapping food and board for some work around the house and gardens. After I washed and got myself sorted the girls had prepared dinner. We all tucked in and sat chatting for a few hours before hitting the hay.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 15:04:45 +0000