In Adelaide earlier this year I got caught in the rain. I happened to pass a pub just as it started to pour down. What to do? Of course I ended up at the bar with a beer. This was early afternoon and I was really planning to stroll around town. Instead I decided to catch up a little on the diary which I had not written in a week or so. I had to use the camera and look back at the pictures to remember exactly what had happened what day.
As I was sitting there the bartender asked me if I was travelling. He said that he also loves to travel and always writes a diary when he is away. We ended up talking about our favourite travels and dream destinations between orders from other guests. I eventually ordered food and stayed much longer than I expected. I don’t remember his name or what he looked like really and I could not give directions to where the pub is. But the episode is still stuck in my memory as one of the good afternoons in Australia.
To see someone writing in a pub or café I thought would keep people away. I would probably think that this person is concentrated and does not want to be disturbed. Maybe the diary is just a way for a travelling person to shield herself from the surroundings for a little while without having to sit in a boring dorm room or messy hostel living room. Not that this was my meaning when I wrote my diary during my last trip. I normally just thought it was more inspiring and fun to sit somewhere people were moving than at the hostel or hotel. So I am glad everyone is not like me and starts talking anyway and that it sometimes starts to rain and change your plans.