Thursday (31/5): Taking the 6 AM bus from Port Angeles was an experience in it’s own right. God, was it hard to get out of bed at 4:45, with the clouds hanging heavy and grey outside. But Louie was kind enough to give me a ride to the bus station. A better couchsurfing host would be hard to find. Sandy and Louie have really devoted themselves to being a generous and welcoming family who offer a bed to hike loving travelers from anywhere in the world.
And I managed to get to Seattle. When I got off the bus at half past nineish, my first project was finding a place to collect my thoughts and my maps. Now, I’m sitting at the Pioneer Square Starbucks with a Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino, using the free wifi to find a place to store my green monster backpack for the day. At five, my Seattle host Miles gets off work.
Soon, I’ll have to get out into this hilly, brick coloured city, but for now I’m just enjoying my delicious frappuccino. I’m already starting to feel the coffee getting out in my blood, making my fingers tingle. The unlucky few who have met me after a cup of coffee, know that the first impression Seattle will get of me is that of a puppy on speed, hyper energic and unnaturally inspired, but without the ability to focus on one paricular thing for more than a minute. But I guess that for once, that is okay. I needed the pick-me-up after waking up at 4:45, and where would it be more appropriate to get a Starbucks coffee than in the city where this worldwide phenomenon actually started.
Now, I feel ready for the tough streets of of the American city. High on coffee and America.
Katja Malmborg 