Day 34: Rest Day in Charleston
This morning, or should I say night, I woke up at 4:45 AM. I tried not to wake up anyone in the dorm room. After checking Yelp, I saw most coffee shops around the hostel open at 8 AM. There was only one that’s open at 7, that’s the Holey City Bagels, so I walked there. I had an everything bagel with cream cheese and a cup of coffee.
The only hostel in South Carolina: The NotSo Hostel |
After this simple breakfast, I walked down King Street, the main drag of Charleston. The rain started to pour so I sought refuge under the store awning. Almost none of the shops were open since it was so early in the morning. I talked with Merritt on the phone to catch up on things back at home while walking down the street and to the Waterfront Park.
Downtown Charleston |
I ended up at the southern most tip of the city, then made a loop back to King Street. At Target, I bought a box of Clif bars, a package of ham, and a bag of orange gummies. I was craving for some ham so I ate the whole 9 ounce. Then I ate half a bag of orange gummies. I saved the Clif bars for the road.
Pineapple fountain |
Southern tip of Charleston |
I disliked walking on the same street twice in one day so I took a parallel street that went through the College of Charleston and back to the hostel. It started pouring again when I got close to the hostel, but I made it in time and didn’t get too wet.
College of Charleston |
At the hostel, I took a siesta since I woke up so early this morning. Around 2 PM, I went out again to get a late lunch at Fuel Charleston. I had a burger with a side of boiled spicy peanuts, one of my favorite southern foods.
A burger with boiled peanuts |
I’ll be early for my friend Ed’s wedding on May 13. In fact, too early, by almost two weeks. I thought about what I should do when I get to Florida. I might cycle to Orlando, then to Tampa, then come back to Gainesville. Not sure if I want to stay much longer in Florida after the wedding. I might just fly back to Philadelphia soon after.
I hung around the hostel for a bit after lunch and planned my day for tomorrow. I will cycle to Beaufort and ride mostly on route 17. It'll be a Sunday so I don't think the traffic will be too bad.
For dinner, I went to Gogibop Fusion Grill and made my own chicken and pork bowl. I chatted with the staff after hearing them speak Chinese. They thought I was like Forrest Gump but with a bicycle.
My dinner at Gogibop |
I had to run back to the hostel when the rain started to pour again. When I got back I was drenched. I chatted with a couple who were also staying at the same dorm room as me. They are Lucas and Estelle from France. They started in Atlanta and rented a car to visit some cities in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
I will stay in the hostel for the night. Tomorrow will be a long ride. Also, I checked my bike computer and the odometer read 1001 miles. On this trip, I've ridden about 991 miles since the 10 miles were from a pre-trip ride.
My bike made it over to 1001 miles! |
I'm glad they let you stay at the hostel when you first arrived. I don't understand why hostels do that. You'd think hostels would cater to budget travelers who don't know where they will be every night but the ones in the US seemed to require a lot of planning. I ran into the same problem in Missoula, MT where I couldn't get a room because I didn't book a day in advance even though they had empty beds.
ReplyDeleteThat's just weird. I don't know why they do that. This hostel even delisted themself from HostelWorld.com. How did you end up spending the night in Missoula?
DeleteI ended up paying a fortune to stay at the cheapest motel I could find. I was supposed to stay with a friend initially but just as I got to Missoula, she tested positive for covid so I had to scramble. I probably should of checked warmshowers.
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