Leaving Wales

     This month has flown by and I can't believe I am already leaving Capel Curig. I already miss all the wonderful people I have met. My host family was so great to me and I have really grown accustomed to meeting interesting guests at breakfast every morning not to mention the other helpx girls who made my trip so much fun. Also I didn't realize it was possible to get so attached to someone else's pets! I thought leaving Salem was hard enough.
    I have found two new favorite hobbies while in Wales. The first one is "scrambling" which is in between hiking up a mountain and rock climbing. We climbed up Tryfan which is said to be the hardest mountain in Wales due to its steep incline and treacherous jagged and very SLIPPERY rocks. Scrambling is pretty much using rock climbing techniques but without the need for gear because if you fall you won't go as far, although I would have felt much safer with a harness. Thankfully the guys that took us to the mountain have been rock climbing for years and were way more prepared weather wise that we were. We showed up with thin rain coats and some fruit. Half way up the weather became slightly more threatening with high winds and fast moving fog, making it understandable how people get disoriented and lost on the mountain. The guys had extra coats, gloves, hats, and hot coffee for us thankfully otherwise we would have froze. I would compare the fear and difficulty of the climb to the day I did the tough mudder, possibly harder. After nearly two hours we made it to the top, but little did I know before Wales, sometimes going down is the hardest part.
     My second new favorite thing are the train and bus rides. Right now I'm on a train to Edinburgh, somewhere along the green hilly coast listening to music. It may beat any road trip for me. I am still the biggest Spotify fan which has made this trip even better. You would think I'm being paid to promote them by how much I try and sell people on getting Spotify. Although the views are breath taking, getting from train to train can be a nightmare, especially when you don't know the platform number and you have only several minutes for the switch. So far everyone I've asked for help (which is loads of people)  goes out of their way to help me and make sure I'm okay. There have been several times where I was just standing there, on the verge of tears, lost, and people have came over to me and helped. It's so heart warming how kind the people are here. At home everyone is always on such a time crunch and in a hurry. It has taken some adjusting to get used to the slower paced life of a "backpacker" despite the chaos of running a B&B and the in between traveling. I'm used to having my whole day planned out and now I get to nap and read or walk around and just admire my surroundings.
     Tonight I am staying in a hostel for the first time by myself in Scotland, don't worry dad, I'm in an all girls room:) Tomorrow I'll be meeting a family south east of Edinburgh where I'll be working for 10 days. Siwrne dda Wales!