New Zealand Van Life Lessons: How Not to Sell Your Van
Adam's having a tough time selling his van but is destiny playing a role? He shares some New Zealand van life lessons, demonstrating how quickly things can change. He was also involved in an embarrassing hostel moment along with two hostel guests. Tune in for an episode filled with awkwardness, regret and surprise.
Support the show and access the Lost & Found section, as this week we chat about wine... for once!
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Verandahs Hostel, Auckland: https://www.verandahs.co.nz/
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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Intro
01:07 - Adam's embarrassing toilet moment
07:54 - Van Life Lessons
12:40 - How not to sell your van
22:55 - Expensive discovery
23:48 - The turning point
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TRANSCRIPT:
Alun:
[0:01] Hello and welcome to this episode of Tripology. It's the only backpacking show
Welcome to Tripology
Alun:
[0:07] where the hosts literally travel as if it was their job. But it's not. I'm Alun. I'm here with the ever exhibitionist Adam.
Adam:
[0:20] Thank you ever so much for joining us for another amazing week, guys. We're really looking forward to diving into this one. We really appreciate you tuning in every single week, and we hope that it inspires you to travel. I'm still here in Auckland. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking,
Adam, you've been saying for weeks that you were going to end your time in Auckland, and you were going to sell your van. But I have to admit, when the sun is shining and the people in the hostel are great, I have become incredibly lazy.
Alun:
[0:46] Yeah, you don't seem to have progressed much in your life since the last episode it's almost as if we filmed this episode immediately after the last but both just took a jacket off by way of a outfit change.
Adam:
[0:58] So if there are any of those continuity eagle-eyed people watching these they're gonna say no it must be a different week because they're not wearing the same clothes but i am talking about not wearing the same clothes Alun in between these two recordings i was embarrassed not once but twice and as we would normally do after recording an episode i ran to the toilet i said Alun i'll be back in a minute just gonna have a drink of water and run to the loo yeah you did that.
Alun:
[1:23] I can confirm.
Adam:
[1:24] The hostel that i'm in is actually a couple of buildings with a few different floors they're converted houses it's an amazing hostel it really is i'll put a link in the description i ran out every single door to the toilets on this floor was locked or engaged, I then went upstairs, assuming that I would find a free toilet, and proceeded to open my belt and shorts on the landing.
Alun:
[1:51] Wow.
Adam:
[1:51] Now, when I then tried to enter the two toilets, they were both engaged as well, which is incredibly unusual for there to have been four, especially at this time. In the evening, everyone's out. It's a Friday night. Go and have a drink and leave me in peace. I then went all the way to the bottom floor and neglected to do up my shorts and belt so I was essentially just running around the hostel with my they weren't around my ankles but it did look suspicious why are you so.
Alun:
[2:19] Prepared to have a wee do you always prepare that much in advance.
Adam:
[2:23] I think I just do it on the way to the toilet if I don't think I'm going to see anyone on the way
and these are you know this hostel is a bit of a labyrinth there are some corridors that you don't really cross people in or down. So I was thinking about the show, and I was thinking, I want to get back to Alun.
Alun:
[2:38] It's become your home, basically, hasn't it? So you're walking around as if you own the place.
Adam:
[2:42] Look, I'm cosy. There's a few of us here, we're long-termers, we're getting cosy. And sometimes that involves not wearing a belt. So I went downstairs, and I thought, I really hope that this toilet is open. And then a German girl, who I hadn't met yet, walked through the other side of the building and saw me and said wow you look like you really need the toilet i think that one's unlocked and it was really embarrassing interaction i ran into that toilet thinking i wish that that didn't happen and the lock seemed a little bit stiff but i was pretty sure that i'd locked it uh locked the door was going to the toilet like mid action and a guy I just bowled in straight away, but looking down. So he didn't immediately see me. And then I went, oh, and then he looks up.
Alun:
[3:32] Why didn't he see you? Were you on the ceiling?
Adam:
[3:35] No, he was looking down. He was just walking in with his head tilted down. But the toilet is at the back of the room.
Alun:
[3:42] How badly did you need the toilet that you started levitating off your willpower alone? It's a thing Adam does if he ever gets embarrassed. That German guy was like, yeah, you look like you really need the toilet. And Adam just starts floating like fucking Willy Wonka.
Adam:
[3:56] Bladder inflates so much that it starts lifting me up in the air.
Alun:
[3:59] Oh, I'm so embarrassed.
Adam:
[4:03] Um and then he he stayed i've i mean i've never met this guy i've seen him around the hostel, but he looked at me for longer than you would do if you were immediately shocked that you'd seen someone because i was side on as well it was comical i was i mean there's you know you can imagine i'm standing there hold and do you know what i mean i'm not going to go into detail yeah
we.
Alun:
[4:25] All know it.
Adam:
[4:25] He was urinating and uh and then i thought well just pretend that didn't happen the next time you see both of them, because maybe they won't speak to each other. Maybe they don't know each other. And they won't say, well, I saw him- It seems likely.
Alun:
[4:41] Because it would be an odd thing for either of them to lead with in the conversation.
Adam:
[4:45] Yeah. Did you just see that guy with his pants around his ankles running to the toilet? Well, actually, I saw him with his pants around his ankles and- Yeah.
Alun:
[4:53] Did you see the guy who really needed the toilet? No, I was looking at the ground.
Adam:
[5:01] The one who was levitating stuck to the ceiling um so that happened and then you know i thought well why not just mention it on the show because it's the sort of thing that can happen in a hostel Alun and this is a travel show.
Alun:
[5:12] A lot of people have a lot of anxiety about that exact thing adam they think i want to go into a hostel but i'm concerned that i will really need a toilet and prepare too far in advance not get into a toilet meet a german girl then meet a guy looking at the floor who didn't really see me in the same cubicle it's an anxiety that's relatable and that's why we get so many listeners that's.
Adam:
[5:37] Funny well what are you doing that situation now because i'm gonna have to see that german girl again i don't mind about the guy i mean that's fine but what um i mean how do i interact with her now do i just leave it and pretend that we didn't.
Alun:
[5:48] Know i think never leave it i am always of the opinion that something said is better her because it will be on both of your mind like the reality of the situation is we can try and socially get around it and pretend but the that is a fact that when you guys meet each other again she's going to be thinking oh this is the guy who had his pants around his ankles in the hallway and you're
going to be thinking that's the girl that saw me desperately need the toilet so, whatever you're saying to each other you might be going like hi i'm adam and she's going yeah my name is for annika you know that you're going to be thinking about the mixed duration so it's best off if you just go listen something you know what happened i was doing a show i was doing a podcast and i needed the toilet quickly and i'm sorry and then it's just out in the open and.
Adam:
[6:34] If i known you were going to be there i would have made more of an effort.
Alun:
[6:39] Exactly, yeah. If I'd known that you were going to be in that common room, I wouldn't have taken my pants down.
Adam:
[6:46] The common room?
Alun:
[6:47] Common area, common area.
Adam:
[6:49] It was just a corridor to the toilet.
Alun:
[6:51] Well, that is a common area, isn't it? It's not your corridor, you monopolistic.
Adam:
[6:55] No, no, you are right. But anyway, on with the show, my goodness.
Alun:
[6:59] Yeah, the show's not started yet.
Adam:
[7:01] But the way things are going um i am getting distracted and i have become lazy and you will know that auckland is a very easy place to stay because you stayed here for the full year am i right in saying i think oh yeah slightly.
Alun:
[7:13] More than a year no about 13 months.
Adam:
[7:16] Oh you actually did a full so hang on which visa did you have then working.
Alun:
[7:21] Holiday visa you can work for a year and stay for two years so i got my job within a month and therefore stayed for the full 12 at the workplace which was 13 months total because i had a month of being unemployed.
Adam:
[7:35] Oh right i wonder if uh i should probably do some more digging onto the you know the the rules and regulations surrounding my visa and the stipulations i think you can work for two years okay good okay good well we'll do some more digging and i'll put some uh information in the old description but i've got this okay i've got this van and i love it to pieces and i'm coming to the end of my trip as we found out over the last few episodes i've done pretty much there not everything there is to do but i've been everywhere that people are likely to go if your main objective is to explore new zealand travel as a backpacker tourist whatever i've been very very lucky i've lapped the entire country twice and i've put 25 000 kilometers on my little van that's a lot.
Alun:
[8:20] That is a lot you've been driving a lot it's.
Adam:
[8:23] Funny that to.
Alun:
[8:23] Me because it's like you're leading a sort of double life because i've never seen you driving that van so just while i've been sleeping and going about my day that's been going on those 25 000 miles and i've just been completely unaware of it.
Adam:
[8:36] Yeah yeah 25 000 kilometers slightly shorter but um it's uh, It is something I wish you were here for, actually. I do think doing some of the trip would have been great with you. And there's definitely enough room in my van for two. It's probably perfect for two. It's luxury for one. But it's getting to the point, mate, where I've got to sell the van because I'm going to leave and come and see you in Asia.
Alun:
[9:00] What? That's news to me. Are you actually?
Adam:
[9:06] Hopefully that's not a spoiler thing and a big announcement i mean the the fans have asked for it they've said come on are you.
Alun:
[9:12] Really coming when are you coming.
Adam:
[9:14] Well originally i was going to come in april all right however i do think it's probably important that you get yourself settled over in japan and you experience it on your own before i then come and uh sort of encroach on on your experience yeah so the.
Alun:
[9:31] Apartment that i've got in tokyo it's you're allowed to have people stay for just 1 000 yen extra a night.
Adam:
[9:37] Okay uh 1 000 yen that's roughly the same price as a bowl of ramen so i think i'll maybe i'll just eat less ramen and pay for that i mean.
Alun:
[9:46] It's also it's like what like two dollars maybe.
Adam:
[9:49] No no i think it's more than that.
Alun:
[9:51] 1 000 yen.
Adam:
[9:52] I don't know what the current exchange rate is but i'd be surprised if it's less than five.
Alun:
[9:55] Oh you might be right yeah.
Adam:
[9:56] But anyway i'll do some digging and put something in the description i'm gonna say that for everything that's gonna be a very long description um yeah, but i i was what happens guys and you know hopefully this is representative or at least some somewhat informative so you've got a good idea of what to expect if you do come to new zealand you buy a van which is absolutely the most cost effective thing to do please don't spend thousands of dollars on a rental because you can buy a car a converted car or a van for, certainly in the winter five six seven eight thousand whatever depending on the vehicle and then sell it a couple of months later okay it's a risk i understand you need to put a lot of capital up front and then you've got to sell the bloody thing but for a rental you're talking about four five six thousand i don't know for a month or two and you don't get the
money back at all so i've.
Alun:
[10:44] Heard a rumor that you've been struggling to sell your van though so is it not saving a lot of stress.
Adam:
[10:50] Uh that would have done and the ironic thing is that as the months go on it's going to become more and more difficult to sell certainly in the winter and some people are losing that amount of money on the vehicle they bought anyway so if you time it well it could be a profit and you buy low and you sell high if you time it poorly some people are buying high in the high season and selling low and just swallowing the few thousand dollars that they've lost just to get out of the country i.
Alun:
[11:19] Sold my car in canada for slightly more than i'd bought it for and i'd crashed it and put a load of miles on it.
Adam:
[11:28] Yeah that's very particular i think i don't think that everyone would be as lucky as you are.
Alun:
[11:34] I applied some sales techniques.
Adam:
[11:36] Which include what a free ukulele course.
Alun:
[11:40] We can't mention the ukulele course.
Adam:
[11:42] Um which.
Alun:
[11:45] Include what well it's an interesting question I sort of said the guy that I liked him and that I couldn't see anyone else driving my beloved van and I think that put some pressure on him to be the one to purchase it.
Adam:
[11:56] Oh really you immediately made an association between him and the vehicle he arrived to look at it and.
Alun:
[12:02] I was like oh my god I've just met the owner of my my car because I honestly a lot of people have come and looked at this van and I would be sick if any of them bought it apart from you.
Adam:
[12:14] Laughing, and he was like uh okay how long was the conversation do you remember was it all done and dusted in one day yeah.
Alun:
[12:23] It was yeah he said he'd think about and they texted me that evening saying i'll get it.
Adam:
[12:27] And they texted me two days.
Alun:
[12:28] Later saying is that really the gas mileage because it sucks.
Adam:
[12:31] Oh really yeah i was already on the plane of why is the front of the car hanging off um so look my van little fergie uh it's not in the best condition there's a little bit of rust as there is with a lot of these vans um high mileage for sure and uh there's a crack in the windscreen that was me for sure i mean it wasn't my fault but i was driving it when it happened, and uh but i love it and it can tell great stories and the back of the van is incredibly well organized there's a lot of storage it comes with surfboards and tents and all that cool stuff so i think it's a pretty good deal a.
Alun:
[13:05] Lot of shit that people don't want though isn't it.
Adam:
[13:07] Well, it's stuff that people do want to buy. I mean, it's added value, isn't it? It's like free shipping.
Alun:
[13:12] Could you sell the surfboards and things separately? Because I think maybe your buyer might not be looking for the surfboards and the van. Whereas you could make more money spreading it out. And it's more work for you, though.
Adam:
[13:22] That is more work for me. And as we know.
Alun:
[13:25] I don't like work. Yeah, exactly. Never mind. I forget I said anything.
Adam:
[13:28] No, you could sell things separately. There's one guy in here, actually, at the moment, who's breaking his van down and selling little bits off. So the chairs are going to someone else. The camping equipment's going to someone else. left with a useless husk um but no you are right i mean not everyone wants all that but i'm hoping that because i'm offering so much outside of just the vehicle itself maybe it'll tip some people over now i put it i actually didn't put it on facebook which is where a lot of these deals get done facebook marketplace uh we're not sponsored and uh i was lazy again and it's difficult to sell something mate i'll be honest with you it's difficult to sell something that you want to keep.
Alun:
[14:04] How much work are you putting into it would you say every day.
Adam:
[14:07] The van yeah um none at all you mean selling of the van or the van selling it so from me getting back from my road trip and then knowing for sure that i wanted to sell the van and then leave the country so i was waiting until i'd ticked over a full year um and was enjoying my time in auckland for the first at least, six days I did absolutely nothing to sell the van, And I don't know if that was because I was lazy. I'm sure that plays a big role. But I also knew that there was a car fair in Auckland where people do take their vehicles to sell. So you pay $40 cash. My God, it's going to be some information for you. $40 cash. There's an area, sort of a big car park, a flat piece of ground where people come in every single Sunday about 7.30. They take all their cars down there and it's like a car market. You've got loads of backpackers or people trying to sell their vehicles. there's big vans there's small vans there's cars there's converted cars everything in between sometimes there's just you know tens of vehicles sometimes there might be a couple of hundred and then people know to come to that fair and buy a vehicle and that is quite an interesting thing to do and it gives you a great chance of selling your vehicle the problem is the problem is you look happy with that information why are you nodding your head in the way you are this.
Alun:
[15:30] Is good yeah i like the idea of a car fair.
Adam:
[15:32] Um so i thought that was a bit of a a bit of a hail mary It was really my last shot of selling it. And I genuinely, at this point, I wanted to sell the van because it was becoming a burden. You have to pay for parking in the area of Auckland that I'm in. Or you can just move the van every two hours and it takes up a hell of a lot of time. But it's free. So it's not ideal. I went down there and was
pinning all my hopes on selling it. And because there was such a good group of people at this car fair, you know what it's like when you meet other people doing the same thing. You have a bit of a chit-chat and you can share stories and inspect other people's vehicles. I had an amazing day. Now, no one really showed keen interest in the van, I don't think, apart from one guy. so much like you he was interested of course there's loads of vehicles to look at and we're at a time of year when there's not really many buyers but there are lots of sellers because it's the end of the season right so people are selling they're leaving the country uh they don't want their vehicle and a lot of them make the god-awful mistake of booking a flight before they've sold their vehicle.
Alun:
[16:42] Oh and then they're in a stress they're in a panic they've got to lower the price of the car, therefore, because the price is so low, yours seems extraordinarily high.
Adam:
[16:50] Yeah. Wow. God, you are, you are an astute salesman. I love it. I love your knowledge of the market and consumer psychology.
Alun:
[16:58] I'd have sold your car to you already, I think.
Adam:
[17:01] I would have bought it back off myself for the full asking price.
Alun:
[17:06] Yeah. You better be happy I wasn't at that car fair, mate, because you'd be the proud owner of two surfboards and half a van.
Adam:
[17:14] Yeah. walking out there thinking that i've got a great deal yeah.
Alun:
[17:19] You'd be like thank god hold on hold on these are the same surfboards that fergie has they'll be should be so happy to i've got two friends for her.
Adam:
[17:27] Where where the fuck's all my money gone um but anyway i was resting on my laurels a little bit i do have to hold my hands up and say i because i work in sales i've got experience selling things and expensive things as well um wine mainly right uh only actually well finance a little bit but having a conversation about you know selling and that sort of stuff i'm quite i feel like i'm quite confident quite chatty uh know a few little techniques and what have you so i thought look it doesn't
even matter if only one person is interested in your van um you just got to send it and could we do a.
Alun:
[18:05] Role play where you use some of your techniques on me and maybe I'll like, you know, sell me on the car. I'll turn up to the car fair.
Adam:
[18:13] Okay.
Alun:
[18:15] Oh, okay. This is, she's looking nice. She's got a bit of a crack on the windscreen there, but the surfboards, they come with the car?
Adam:
[18:23] They do. Yeah. Yeah. The surfboards come with the car. And if you want, I can also give you some addresses. I don't know if you're a, they are beginner surfboards. They're beginner surfboards, but you look like you might surf at quite a high level. What sort of board have you got?
Alun:
[18:34] I have surfed, have surfed, but don't currently because.
Adam:
[18:37] Yeah. Yeah. so I mean these boards might not be of interest to you because they are beginner boards they are great to learn on but if you want I can take them off and I can sell those separately or I can just throw them in for free well.
Alun:
[18:46] You said you're going to give me some addresses of who.
Adam:
[18:49] Of of beaches where you can surf I've got a load of great surf spots and I can connect you with the beaches have addresses yeah well if you don't know I mean how are you going to find out where to send a.
Alun:
[18:59] Letter to a beach.
Adam:
[19:03] I really don't like your energy i don't think you're the right person to buy this van.
Alun:
[19:08] So address to a beach what so the postman can deliver some news there it's an odd thing to.
Adam:
[19:14] Lead with if you want to.
Alun:
[19:15] Sell a car.
Adam:
[19:16] A location on a map you've.
Alun:
[19:18] Baffled me with this whole beach address garbage.
Adam:
[19:21] Um maybe the it would be an efficient uh non-sale then maybe we'd part ways yeah i guess i.
Alun:
[19:29] Didn't like the energy from the off really between.
Adam:
[19:31] I'd run around the rest of the car fair telling them you're a time waster you're just a tire kicker and don't talk to you he's not he's not here to buy something don't worry i wouldn't waste your breath.
Alun:
[19:39] Yeah i'd be busy writing postcards to a beach.
Adam:
[19:42] I wouldn't hear um but you can imagine the sort of interactions that you might have anyway there are a lot of people that seem a bit shy to try and you know look at the vans they probably don't want to engage in too much conversation because they know they're gonna have to talk about money and all that sort of stuff people might feel a little bit uncomfortable doing that sort of thing but there are some serious buyers and i did meet a really nice guy who hopefully is listening to this show he told me he was a listener uh which was really cool and he showed an interest we exchanged numbers i didn't put any pressure on he was looking at a few other vans and stuff there's a lot of cars there on on offer and then he texted me that night and said he'd love to arrange a test drive so i can't remember it's the following day or the day after but um he he joined me at the
hostel i drove out to a suburb and then gave him the keys we went out for maybe sort of 20 minutes something like that he seemed like he like he liked it it's a very easy to drive it's automatic so it's just a sort of go-kart thing uh and then when we came back we started speaking about uh things a little bit more seriously and he said look i really like the van i've got a couple on the short list um but this is one of my favorites i'll let you know probably by tonight whether i can make you an offer so i thought that's all right that's wicked that's fantastic yeah really really enjoyed meeting him super nice guy and then he left and I didn't really think too much of it and then later on that evening a text came through.
Adam:
[21:05] And it was an offer a serious offer for the vehicle which i was quite happy with but it was for a lot less money than i asked for.
Alun:
[21:14] So you weren't happy with it what do you mean.
Adam:
[21:16] I was happy with the fact that they wanted to buy the van but it was because of it was because of an issue it was because not necessarily an issue with my van but it was because of something that i couldn't prove so this is that you know i appreciate that not everyone might be interested in engines or vans i'd like to buy.
Alun:
[21:34] This wine for free please well i'm enjoying the fact that you're interested.
Adam:
[21:38] In the wine no but i sort of thought you know it wasn't it wasn't for nothing it was close enough to the asking price that maybe i could have worked with with him right right yeah so it was good that it came in it was it was a bite it was a big bite which i was happy with, and because of the cambell i couldn't prove that the cambell had been changed recently so he wasn't prepared to take the risk and then have to change the cam belt but which is sometimes 1000 1500 if it goes wrong you basically lose the vehicle and this is a.
Alun:
[22:07] Listener of the show, Come on, mate. What do you think? We're not in the business of selling used cam belts over here, okay? This is a trustworthy show with premium good cam belts all over the shop. And I think you seem like the kind of guy that should have bought Adam's car. All right?
Adam:
[22:26] I would have really liked it if he did because he's a super nice guy. But he was right to question it because I then discovered the next day. So anyway, the deal broke down. He said, look, it's too much risk. Hold on, guys.
Alun:
[22:37] Sorry about the whole cam belt situation it was one off incident with a used cam belt but it was still a reputable show.
Adam:
[22:44] You're back fiddling now well yeah i just realized.
Alun:
[22:48] I might be the problem with the cam belt and we'll lead our listeners astray.
Adam:
[22:51] On further investigation um but no i discovered so the deal broke down he said look i'm gonna go with another vehicle that's totally fine it happens and you learn a lesson of course so i the following day um discovered that the cam belt absolutely did need changing or it didn't it didn't need changing because it perished and it was dangerous it was just it had been so long that it's probably best practice to get it changed, so booked it in with a mechanic and i thought god that's a lot of money that's now coming out of my pocket and it's probably not going to be added onto the value of the vehicle so i'm going to have to swallow it maybe in hindsight i should have just sold him the vehicle all this different stuff you know the things going around in my head regret i was thinking why didn't i just say yes Why are you trying to squeeze out mom? All these different things. And I thought, now it's my fucking responsibility to get this thing done. It's so much ball ache. I bloody hate admin as it is. And I'm still stuck with the bloody van. It's like back to square one, but I've got $1,500 less. Right, that is the reality. And then that day... A vineyard manager from, I'm going to say, the best winery in New Zealand.
Alun:
[23:57] Wow.
Adam:
[23:59] Jacob's Creek. Not Jacob's Creek. No, wrong country and they're awful. A vineyard manager. You put me off now. Jacob's Creek on this show. Are you serious?
Alun:
[24:11] Well, I just know you've expressed an interest in their wine before.
Adam:
[24:15] No, no, don't ever. because that's going to discredit all of the an evening with Adam stuff where I talk about wine and booze like I actually know what I'm talking about and then no one's going to take me seriously and people are going to unsubscribe and we can't afford for that to happen you're.
Alun:
[24:29] Always talking about buying real estate in Jacobs Creek what's the address.
Adam:
[24:35] Is there a beach um so so anyway what is considered as the best winery by the wine world so there's lots of publications wine publications wine magazines organizations that are sort of within the wine world that have deemed this vineyard this producer as the best in new zealand uh year in year out i mean they are the one winery that if you said to me adam you can work for one winery in New Zealand, who's it going to be? It would be them. And their vineyard manager rang me from the vines. I mean, there was literally a net over his head.
Alun:
[25:12] Like Jack and the Beanstalk style.
Adam:
[25:16] It was very on brand. I imagine he thought, he's never going to believe me unless I'm actually, you know, got vines going over my face.
Alun:
[25:24] Oh, Adam, I'm live from the vineyard. As you can see, there's grapes up to my eyeballs. Would you like a job?
Adam:
[25:32] Uh and he said look we've got a couple of weeks work and we'd already made contact months and months ago um i mean like the back end of last year uh we got a few weeks work picking we'd love for you to join the team uh if you can get down here the job's yours i don't know how you're going to get down here but we've got space for your van on the vineyard we can even put you up in a cabin potentially and we'd love to have you down here at the end of the month because there's going to be a big party between us and a load of wineries we'd open up some old bottles it'd be a great opportunity for you to meet the team uh and yeah just let me know as soon as you can whether you're interested and thank god you had.
Alun:
[26:08] The van to get down there.
Adam:
[26:09] In an instant mate i thought, can't believe that my my plans had just on a sixpence in an instant had gone from me feeling, pretty lost you know i had some regret i'd made some bad decisions and i'd thought that my situation i i was yeah i was regretful i was sad i was i was thinking you're an idiot it's your own fault for not putting as much time in as you should have and you haven't come up with a plan You've lost purpose. You've got no direction. It's just easier to not make a decision than it is to make one.
Alun:
[26:44] So you cracked open a bottle of Yellowtail to celebrate?
Adam:
[26:48] Okay, that's two brands now, and that's two brands too many.
Alun:
[26:53] I've got some sponsorships that you don't know about.
Adam:
[26:55] I would rather not do a podcast if those are the sponsors. I'll stand by that. But yeah, and it just shows you, mate, within the context of travel, within the context of living abroad, even life in general, you can extend this to life in general. you think that things aren't going well you think they're going in a direction and you've lost all hope and then sometimes even on the same day even within the hour the best thing can happen to you and now i'm keeping the van i've had the work done i'm driving all the way down to wellington next week i've got my ferry booked on bloody blue bridge again would you believe shout out to, shout out to blue bridge um craig at head office.
Adam:
[27:43] What was his name tomo tomo so what was that mate uh so yeah whether that's going to bite me in the ass or not who knows the fucking boat might sink let's touch wood and hope that it doesn't but then i'm going to be over to picton again i never thought i'll go to the south island ever again in my life and then i'm going to have to absolutely beeline it to this vineyard for this party next Friday night. And then I'm going to be there for three weeks picking grapes, the best winery that the wine world sort of agrees on. I've sold their wines before, I've drunk a lot of their wine, but never did I thought, did I think that I would have the opportunity to work there. I'm going to learn so much, I'm going to meet some great people. I've been starved, I've met amazing people in the hostel, some of whom are going to be my friends for life. But I still... am missing the wine chat you know the wine community uh and and i'm really looking forward to it mate and and i've got to tell you i feel lighter i feel like i've got direction i feel like everything happens for a reason which is something i never fucking say uh so that's sort of my plan mate and i'm very happy about it.
Alun:
[28:49] Let me be the first to congratulate you on your job and your opportunity i want to wish you a future chock full of tannins with legs that stretch to high heaven and no corked bottles.
Adam:
[29:03] Thank you very much and i know it might seem silly to be celebrating just three weeks work picking grapes because it's not too different from just picking grapes in any vineyard right i mean the job still remains the same it is a very entry-level task um but i'm going to make a nuisance of myself i'm going to grab the opportunity with both hands i'm going to be in the winery chatting to the team try and help out help out wherever i can and drink everything in sight. So there you go.
Alun:
[29:29] Great. Well, the podcast is about to get more joyful. In subsequent weeks, Adam will be drunk and I will be tired and will continue making the show thusly.
Adam:
[29:40] It's all part of this travel life that we live, mate. And, yeah, I look forward to sharing it with you, of course. I'll post some snaps of some me. Of some me? We really are tired. Maybe we won't record that third episode.
Alun:
[29:56] I'll post some snaps of some me, some snaps of some you, and together we're going to set the whole travel world on fire, baby.
Adam:
[30:03] Dear, oh, dear. And this is before I've even had a Friday night beer. But I love that. I love sharing it with you guys. I hope that you have enjoyed that episode and, of course, the last one.
Alun:
[30:13] Sharing it with all of you like a bottle of Jacob's Creek on a Friday night. Meant to be shared, meant to be enjoyed. Beautiful, rich, red flavour coming out of the bottle and into a glass near you. But now, though, it's time to go off on a different sort of adventure. Equally as exciting as the kind you can get from Jacob's Creek. cheap available or very nice price at any supermarket this place is called patreon there's a link in the description we have ever such nice chats over there you should join us sometime what.
Adam:
[30:48] An amazing sales pitch thanks ever so much for joining us guys we'll see you on the next one um and that's all from us for now bye.
Alun:
[30:55] Much love everyone see you later bye.
