In Wanaka with a cold. Boo.

I’m sick. I mean, not seriously sick, but I’ve had a cold for more than a week and I’m still a coughing, spluttering, phglemy mess of a person. And I’m somewhat miserable, because I’m in Wanaka and it’s beautiful and I thought I’d be out hiking and taking advantage of the multitude of activities available here and instead I’m spending my days resting and drinking hot tea, and not actually seeming to get any better.

 

View over Lake Wanaka.

 

And I can’t write. You’d think that at least while I’m incapacitated I could be catching up on a million blog posts but what you’re reading is my third attempt at a post in the past few days. The other two are halfway there, pictures chosen, edited and uploaded but when it comes to writing nothing comes out and I end up staring at the wall, thinking about whether or not I have enough throat lozenges and tissues to get me through the night or if I’ll have to drag my sorry ass to the store once again. It turns out that all I am able to write about when I’m sick is being sick!

 

On the Lake Wanaka Outlet track.

 

With all the traveling I do it’s a given that sooner or later I’m going to have to deal with illness while I’m on the road. It happens, and it sucks. It’s bad enough having a cold when I’m at home, but suddenly I’m stuck feeling rotten in a strange environment when all I want is to snuggle under some familiar warm covers drinking tea and watching movies. I’m surrounded by people who are healthy and, if I’m in a hostel, probably noisy, and who are giving me the evil eye every time I cough because they certainly don’t want to catch it!

 

Along the road to the Blue Pools.

 

And I want to be out doing things. The days are beautiful and sunny and I could be out enjoying myself but instead I’m stuck inside resting. Boo.

 

Along the Wanaka-Haast road.

 

I have managed to get out a bit this week. I started to feel a bit better, so I drove up the highway to the Blue Pools for an easy walk, and stopped every five minutes along the way to take pictures. It was a glorious afternoon and although I was tired at the end, it was worth it to see the clear blue river rushing beneath me.

 

The Blue Pools.

 

The Blue Pools.

 

The next day I went for a bike ride to Lake Hawea and back, 22km in total, stopping for a yummy lunch at a cafe there. And I didn’t even cough that much.

 

Lake Hawea from the Wanaka-Haast road.

 

And the day after that I climbed Mt. Iron, which is not all that high but just walking to the start of the trail I was coughing a lot and I wasn’t sure I was going to make it up. Slowly but surely, I did, but only because of the ample supply of lozenges and tissues I had in my pocket.

 

View from Mt. Iron.

 

Siggy encouraging me on my way up Mt. Iron!

 

I wouldn’t have done all these things if I wasn’t feeling better, but it seems that maybe they’ve caused me to have a relapse, as the last couple of days I’ve had coughing fits so hard I was sure I was about to vomit, and the only way to not have these episodes is to just stay put on the couch and not move.

 

Wanaka from Mt. Iron.

 

I’ve actually been incredibly lucky this time. I’d been house and dog sitting here and when the homeowners came back they said I was more than welcome to stay a few more days to explore the area, which was especially kind considering I was just at the start of this cold at the time and they were definitely in danger of getting it!

 

My lovely hosts, Linda and Mark, on our bike ride to Lake Hawea.

 

Now it’s been over a week and I couldn’t have asked for more wonderful, helpful, kind and understanding people to be staying with.

 

Being here has meant I’ve avoided the hostel lack-of-sleep situation, Linda has been taking excellent care of me, and I’ve had the dogs to snuggle with whenever necessary. I haven’t had too much chance to explore because of the whole ‘gotta rest up’ thing, but for recovery this is a fantastic place to be.

 

Megan hoping for some snuggle time.

 

So really, I guess I can’t complain but of course I would’ve been quite happy to not get this cold at all! Hopefully it’s the cold going around and I’m becoming immune to it and I won’t get any more the whole time I’m here!

 

Have you gotten a cold while traveling? What tips do you have for dealing with a cold when you’re on the road?