This morning, or should I say night, I woke up at 4:45 AM. I tried not to wake up anyone in the dorm room. After checking Yelp, I saw most coffee shops around the hostel open at 8 AM. There was only one that’s open at 7, that’s the Holey City Bagels, so I walked there. I had an everything bagel with cream cheese and a cup of coffee.

The only hostel in South Carolina: The NotSo Hostel

After this simple breakfast, I walked down King Street, the main drag of Charleston. The rain started to pour so I sought refuge under the store awning. Almost none of the shops were open since it was so early in the morning. I talked with Merritt on the phone to catch up on things back at home while walking down the street and to the Waterfront Park.

Downtown Charleston

I ended up at the southern most tip of the city, then made a loop back to King Street. At Target, I bought a box of Clif bars, a package of ham, and a bag of orange gummies. I was craving for some ham so I ate the whole 9 ounce. Then I ate half a bag of orange gummies. I saved the Clif bars for the road.

Pineapple fountain

Southern tip of Charleston

I disliked walking on the same street twice in one day so I took a parallel street that went through the College of Charleston and back to the hostel. It started pouring again when I got close to the hostel, but I made it in time and didn’t get too wet.

College of Charleston

At the hostel, I took a siesta since I woke up so early this morning. Around 2 PM, I went out again to get a late lunch at Fuel Charleston. I had a burger with a side of boiled spicy peanuts, one of my favorite southern foods.

A burger with boiled peanuts

I’ll be early for my friend Ed’s wedding on May 13. In fact, too early, by almost two weeks. I thought about what I should do when I get to Florida. I might cycle to Orlando, then to Tampa, then come back to Gainesville. Not sure if I want to stay much longer in Florida after the wedding. I might just fly back to Philadelphia soon after.

I hung around the hostel for a bit after lunch and planned my day for tomorrow. I will cycle to Beaufort and ride mostly on route 17. It’ll be a Sunday so I don’t think the traffic will be too bad.

For dinner, I went to Gogibop Fusion Grill and made my own chicken and pork bowl. I chatted with the staff after hearing them speak Chinese. They thought I was like Forrest Gump but with a bicycle.

My dinner at Gogibop

I had to run back to the hostel when the rain started to pour again. When I got back I was drenched. I chatted with a couple who were also staying at the same dorm room as me. They are Lucas and Estelle from France. They started in Atlanta and rented a car to visit some cities in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

I will stay in the hostel for the night. Tomorrow will be a long ride. Also, I checked my bike computer and the odometer read 1001 miles. On this trip, I’ve ridden about 991 miles since the 10 miles were from a pre-trip ride.

My bike made it over to 1001 miles!