The Lost Post of Dunedin

another post that I wrote without internet access, so here it is now...

It’s a late night here in Dunedin. I’m high up on a hillside over looking the city, a nice spot. This bed and breakfast is near the university, so there a lot of students and professors around. There is one professor from Georgia who I have been talking music with, he and his daughter are working on some ukelelee tunes in their room, and from the sound of things, its going pretty well. I took my fiddle to the botanical gardens today for some playing and people were very appreciative of the music, something that is really great. Its been okay when I’ve been playing here and people say nothing, but I wonder sometimes if I am just an annoyance in which case I would stop and go somewhere else.

After the gardens I had a long lunch and then it was time to work. I did some gardening, laundry, and cooking. Although its simple work, I enjoy the hands on nature of it. There is no separation between my hands and the action. The fruits of my labor can be seen in a neatly hoed plot of earth or a delicious meal. The proprietor here, Joyce, is in constant, hurried motion, a contrast to my previous host. She may be more stressed than usual because her 17 year-old son is traveling in the USA on his own, but I think she is one of those people that enjoy the excitement of being stressed. I rarely share this passion, so it has been a bit of a challenge to work with her. Last night she drove us down to the city center to a bar where there was the best Irish music jam session in town. It reminded me of the old-time music jam in St. Paul, except without the banjos. Instead of those, there were a couple sets of Irish bagpipes, which were very cool. They reminded me of simplified Scottish bagpipes. They really picked up the energy of the jam when they arrived.

Tomorrow I am going to a new WWOOF host down the road from here. An older couple who attend the Quaker meeting in town, so I am excited to learn a little about that. Marvin also has a weekly talk radio show, so that will be fun to know more about as well. Oh, and they also are a part of the folk music club, so I’ll be able to attend that again this week! Should be exciting times. After their place I am having a tough time deciding what I would like to do. It may be possible for me to return to Joyce’s bed and breakfast for as long as I prefer, but I’m wondering if I should grab a hostel instead and do my sightseeing before moving on to other places. I have been really liking WWOOFing lately, it gives me something to do with myself, and it saves me from spending any money whatsoever. Plus, I get to meet people from all over the world. There just isn’t the time for sightseeing, but I have been thinking lately that the people and the work are probably more important than the sightseeing. I have trouble moving without purpose, and sightseeing is alright for a day or two, but after that I feel the need to get back with a team or have a task that I feel is worthwhile for more than the purpose of putting some pretty scenery in front of my eyes. Also, I have been finding that the cultural side of my experiences is more important than the geological, if that makes any sense. It has been the people I’ve met that have given rise to the best experiences thus far. The cool sightseeing has followed in their footsteps. So right now I am leaning more toward additional WWOOFing followed by a few days in a hostel at the tail end when I will do whatever sightseeing I am motivated to do before moving on. I would also like to get a few more tramps in between now and midMarch, but tramping is tough without a car and a place to store my extra gear, so I fear I may do less of that than originally planned. No regrets though if not, I am sure the things that replace it will be just as enjoyable.