On my way into Machynlleth I thought about how the name sounds like someone who Godzilla would fight in the 60s. I laughed when I thought about that, and swerved and nearly hit a bin!
Unfortunately, I was still laughing hard about this funny joke when I checked into the motel, and I think the receptionist was a bit annoyed about it. I tried explaining to her but could only get out the word “Godzilla!” with tears in my eyes. Within minutes the entire motel had been evacuated and I found myself alone.
Machynlleth became a ghost town, as its population of 2,147 quickly barricaded themselves in their homes. I walked through the streets and found a Starbucks – open – Starbucks will never let me down.
I ordered a Mechacino and sat down with my phone. I accessed the wifi and began to stream the latest episode of Mad Men. I’d never seen it before but I’m glad there are shows out there dealing with mental illness. Maybe we are all Mad Men?
The notes I’d made in my travel diary told me I had 16 days left to visit eight places in Wales. I reckon I could do it in five. However, I wasn’t quite ready to go back home. Sure, I missed the comforts of home such as 24-hour bingo and looking at funny cats, but I still felt like I had things to figure out about myself first before I went home. Mainly – when should I go home?
I finished my coffee and looked out into the streets. The people of Machynlleth were no longer afraid of a giant dinosaur smashing up their town, and were going back to their lives.
No fictional giant dinosaur will make me go back to my life.
Except Denver. Good friend among other things.