Agnes Water Family

Group selfie at one last sunset on the 1770 beach

Once again, a hostel became a home and a group of travelers became a family.

Sophia, my partner in all games (except cards - here we became rivals). Our resident events manager, she worked to make every night fun and included everyone. Her laughter rang throughout the hostel and her energy was impossible to contain.

Phil, a German chess master. He refused to tell anyone his age but let me spray paint his car so I call that a fair trade! I wouldn’t want anyone else for a belote partner - from dealing the cards incorrectly, to very slowly learning how our played card communicated with the other, and most importantly, buttering the pan. I loved our midnight swim under the stars and I appreciate his willingness for any adventure.

Dilly, my fellow pick-up line artist. Are you tired? Because you’ve been running through my mind all day?.Have you ever seen a volcano explode? A vibrant Italian, studying to get into the best acting school back home. With a strong dislike for cooking, I’ve never seen someone convince so many people to cook her meals. Her powers of persuasion go unmeasured.

Lisa, we may have played the longest and worst game of pool in the history of the game, but we kept trying and what is pool without multiple dance breaks anyway? Truly a jack of all trades, Lisa did just about every job around the hostel, aiding in her hide and seek skills. Despite her own long hours of work, she offered a helping hand to everyone and would always be the last one cleaning the kitchen after a shared meal. I hope you find all the unicorns and rainbows this world has to offer!

Manu, a trivia master, astounded us all the first Quiz Night with his random facts. Never one to give up, he played game after game of pool with Phil and cooked many breakfasts and dinners after losing. An incredible photographer, he brought his camera everywhere and caught some great shots of us all.

Anno - a big mystery lover and an amazing chef with burrito night, chilli, curry, and more! His portion size was typically a serving bowl but his passion for weight lifting and working out balanced that out. Eric - another German - had something to say about everything. He reintroduced the guys to the game Civilization and was always the first to say yes to place a game or watch a movie. He had the most epic send-off, running to the shuttle through a tunnel of arms and people chanting “YHA YHA YHA.” Romy, an Austrian, put us all to shame by actually having a job besides the hostel. Leticia and Tom, we saw both at the beginning and end of our stay at Agnes. Tom connected us with our next stay in Noosa and we ran into Leticia at the champagne pools of Fraser Island. Dave and Alice, fellow true crime lovers and occasional members of our surfing crew. Greg, the manager of the YHA - Good on ya mate!

Safe travels, big barrels!

Sophia, me, Phil, and Jo - Surfing Jam, Living in a Van! Photo Cred to Manu

Katherine VanLentAugust 21, 2019Comment