Another week off during Covid-19, and yet another adventure. After 21 consecutive days working 12 hours per day, I just wanted to relax in a hostel and spend time catching up on sleep. That was, until I checked in to my hostel and met two middle-aged women from Wisconsin, Diana and Sam, staying a few rooms down.

The hostel I stayed in, with a gaping hole out front

They were visiting Fairbanks to visit Sam's daughter, who attended the university. With their neuroticisms and loud voices and warm hearts, I didn't expect that I would be spending the majority of my time off with them, listening to their outrageous stories and enjoying their home-cooked meals.

The first night, they took me out to dinner at the Jazz Bistro, which surprisingly churned out amazing Cuban and Puerto Rican food, accompanied by a live performance from the owner Rico. It was a riotous and sometimes embarrassing evening, as Diana proceeded to chug glass after glass of wine, while stealing the microphone and growling half-memorised lyrics that may or may not have matched the song being played. But Rico, being the schmoozy restaurateur that he is, indulged her and masterfully brought to life some hot Latin beats that had the two ladies stomping it out on the dance floor not soon after.

There was also an afternoon where they took me out to play "Epic Frisbee", which was basically ultimate frisbee but played in a lake with kayaks. Certainly a workout that demanded full attention from the upper body, I was surprised that I didn't capsize. The game was also vicious at times, with sharp paddles flying up in your face and opposing kayaks ramming into the bow or stern of your vessel to throw you off course.

I also can't forget mentioning the bumpy drive up to the Chena Hot Springs, which offered the weary upper body with a sulphurous respite amidst the Alaskan hills. As we sat in the pools for half the day just chewing the fat and enjoying the view, I allowed my body to be devoured by the state bird of Alaska, the mosquito. Even as I write this three days later, parts of my body still itch from their murderous swarm, and even my face was puffing up as I got a few decent ones snacking on my forehead.

Getting geared up for "Epic Frisbee"

Cozying up to the cutest puppy

My utmost memory however will simply be the time we hung out in Sam's daughter's kitchen, concocting meals like potato soup, stir fries, pierogies, and Alaskan craft beer. In the company of newfound friends (and one excitable wolf-sized puppy), I was grateful for the happiness that was being shared and of being surrounded by grounded people who have been dealt some rubbish cards in life, yet are not afraid to share their love and hospitality to someone they'd met at a hostel. One night, they even allowed me to join their DnD-inspired role-playing game, where we made ourselves into a band of mischievous goblins out to set havoc on some humans. Their lack of a filter was very endearing, and allowed me to peer into life from a part of the world that was rarely heard from, with their addictions, brushes with the law, their proud veterans oft neglected by the country they served, and their struggles to simply get through the day. But for people from whom at lot had been taken, they only had more and more of their heart to give.

Pierogi time!