This is my final entry from my journal. I suppose if it was really boring then you wouldn't be reading this entry! Or maybe you stuck it out and actually read the whole thing. At any rate my next literary project is to transcribe my Thailand trip journal. But that will take a while!
MY 2000 ADVENTURE (continued)
June 23 – 10:20 pm
I’m sitting on the top bunk at the supposed posh hostel at Fort Augustus. Foremost on my mind is the uncomfortable pain in my right leg. Is it sciatica? The pain is mainly in my butt and it really hurts. I began noticing it a couple of days ago. I don’t know if it’s the cold weather and/or the culmination of miles that I’ve walked over the last two months. Anyway I arrived in Edinburgh around 5:00 pm on June 22nd and paid a $180.00 for a three day Hagus tour through Scotland. It may be a bit pricey considering meals are extra. But it will likely be my only chance to see the rugged Scottish Highlands. I didn’t expect to go on another tour but our drop off point had the tour company’s regional office. I walked around central Edinburgh last night. This involved traversing famous Princes Avenue, around the castle and down to the Grass Market. I also walked around an immense hill. There are many old buildings and statues of people that included the founders of algorithms and anesthesia. I walked by the house where Alexander Graham Bell was born (1847). Eventually I found a McDonald’s and a grocery store.
Then I went to Easy Everything and I did emailing and web surfing for two hours. The hostel here is rather dodgey as the rooms and dorms and bathrooms were co-ed! I said goodbye to people from the Border Raiders tour and went to bed late. Woke up at 7:40 am this morning for the start of the Haggis tour. There were a lot of backpackers lined down the street waiting for four buses. Our bus was full and a bit uncomfortable compared to the Border Raiders bus. Our new tour leader, Sue, is colorful and is overtly patriotic like Penny was. I saw many sights today starting with The Hermitage. It’s a large park with many different types of trees that include the twenty-two foot Douglas Fir. The park was created by a fellow named the Duke of Atholl. Next on the agenda was briefly visiting the Gar(r)y River that was the sight of the famous 1689 Jacobite uprising against the English. The Scots hid up in the hills and then raced down, yelling and screaming, to start the long uprising against the British.
Next to see were the Balmuaran Cairns of Clava. It contained three ancient rock burial sites that dated from the Stonehenge period. Then we had lunch at the ski resort town of Aviemore. It’s near the highest mountain in the U.K. and thus attracts many mountain climbers. Later we spent time at the historical battlefield called Culloden. It witnessed the Scottish massacre by the English in April 1746 and altered Scotland’s history. The Scots treat the area like a modern battlefield as it had flags from the opposing groups encampments. Apparently the Scots attacked across an open marshy field and were slaughtered. The battlefield was open for the public to walk across and ponder events from over 250 years ago. Now I understand the origins of the Scots dislike with the English government. The last stop of the day was at Lochness! It was damn windy and cold – the coldest day that I’ve experienced on my two month long trip. I’ve only been in the U.K. nine days and am already sick of the damn cloudy and cool days. Take me back to the sunny Middle East! Only four days left in Britain now.
June 24 – 11:00 am
I just finished visiting the interesting but eery looking Eilean Donan Castle. It was built in 1214 and was destroyed by canon bombardment in 1719. It was subsequently occupied and rebuilt by the MacCrae clan. It’s the same family from which Lt. Col. John MacCrae wrote Flanders Fields. It overlooks fog enshrouded hills and there are two lochs that are part of the sea. Many motion pictures were filmed here including Highlander. The Battle of Laros (sp?) was in 1263 and witnessed the Vikings lose to the Scots. The reason for the victory was because it was difficult and noisy to navigate through the prickly thistle plant that surrounded the castle. It surprised the invading Vikings and woke up the sleeping Scots!
June 24 – 11:45 am
I just took a picture of a haidy coo (hairy cow) on the island of Skye. That was how our tour guide pronounced the animal. Crossing the long bridge to the island cost 23 pounds! Due to the expense many locals don’t cross the bridge frequently. I just dunked my face in the Skigahen Bairn. It’s part of an old clan feud story of a disfigured young woman who wanted to reclaim her beauty. We’re now on to the Skye capital of Portree.
June 24 – 1:30 pm
I just had a cheap but good lunch consisting of heated sweet corn. Then I went to a Celtic store and bought a neat spiral ring for 7.50 pounds or $18.00 Canadian. (I inadvertently left the ring behind in a motel room in North Dakota on my trip down to Fort Lauderdale). It’s not quite as hazy now but the sky is still grey and the temperature is cool.
June 24 – 4:30 pm
We climbed up the Quiriang and had a spectacular view of the area. It was also my first glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean. The hike up the hill was exhilarating in the midst of drizzle and slippery grass and muck. This was the furthest north that I traversed on my two month long trip. It was a good place to ponder all the places that I’ve seen and reflect on the southernmost place that I saw (Aswan, Egypt). Afterwards I took some water from a waterfall called Fairy Glen and dunked my face in the fabled Sligachan . Overlooking it was a large rock formation called Old Man of Storr.
June 25 – 9:15 am
My lift hip muscle hurts like hell – sciatic nerve again? It’s been bad for five days now. The hostel that we stayed at the village of Kyleakin was great. It was a huge building and I walked half way over the long bridge that connects the Isle of Skye with mainland Scotland.
June 25 – 10:45 am
We’ve stopped at the Speam Bridge Mill for a pit stop. We passed by Ben Nevis. It’s the highest point in Britain and only has about 40 days a year where one can see the mountain peak!
June 25 – 4:00 pm
We had lunch at Glencoe that was at the base of Ben Nevis. There were many mountain climbers about. Later we visited Balquidher (sp?) to see the grave of Rob Roy. A sort of Scottish Robin Hood, he died in 1734 at age 70.
June 26 – 2:10 pm
I had lunch in the city of Durham’s market area. I returned to Edinburgh on June 25th at 5:30 pm. I met up with an American at the Brodie Hostel. We went to The Last Drop pub for Haggis and a pint of 80 Schillings beer. The pub had been there for a few hundred years as it was a place where the condemned could get a drink. The three day Hagis tour was great and am fortunate to have seen Scotland! We’re off to York so I’ll write later.
June 27 – 11:45 am
I’m sitting beside a young but cute American girl. Anyway we just took a stroll through Sherwood Forest. It looked like any other group of trees but it was one of England’s largest and well known. It was made a royal forest by the Crown. There seems to be more folklore than fact about Sherwood Forest. I passed by the Major Oak. It’s estimated to be 800 years old, weighs 23 tons and has a 33 foot trunk. Many of the branches are propped up with wooden stakes and wires due to the immense weight of the tree. It’s hazy now but the sun is trying to peak through. York was a great place to visit and was a pity that I didn’t have more time to spend. There was much Viking, Roman and English history. The city seemed to rank only behind London in political and religious importance. York Minster was impressive as was the Yarvik Viking Museum. The latter had great life like displays and mannequins and smells too. The hostel was very clean and roomy. I had Yorkshire pudding for dinner for 5 pounds 85 pence. Now it’s off to Stratford Upon Avon.
June 27 – 12:30 pm
I’ve finished tabulating some statistics from my vacation. Total distance traveled on land has been over 13,000 kilometers. I stayed in 24 hostels and 12 campgrounds and traveled through 20 countries. They are in order: Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, Luxemburg, Germany, Leichenstein, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium, France, England, Wales, Scotland. I also saw 11 capital cities: Cairo, Amman, Damascus, Beirut, Bucharest, Budapest, Vienna, Prague, Luxembourg (city)?, Vaduz?, London, and Edinburgh.
June 28 – 11:35 am
I’m sitting on the hostel front stoop and I’m packed and more or less ready to go. It’s D-Day! How is it possible that I’ve been traveling for 9 weeks? Except for a few screw ups (wrecked camera and money loss) the trip had no major problems. It’s wonderful to have so many memories and vivid pictures of far away places. I’ve just looked up in the grey, hazy sky and seen two jets descending to Heathrow Airport. An overcast sky with no rain clouds but it would be very warm if the sun was shining. Anyway after looking at the vehicles pass by on busy Holland Road I’ve noticed that people here are in the same work/life routine as other commuters are around the world. I just saw a weird looking Kia sub compact. Anyway it’s comforting to know that I’m now familiar with some far away places and would feel somewhat comfortable if I returned to visit. I’ve learned more about how to travel long distances (bring fewer items, be organized and able to follow maps and read directions).
I returned to London yesterday at 6:00 pm and settled back into the dodgey confines of the Holland Road Hostel. I stayed up until 3:00 am talking with Bob and Brian. They’re interesting fellows and that’s the part of traveling - meeting people, forming brief relationships and then parting ways. I purchased an Underground one way pass to Heathrow Airport for 2 pounds 20 pence – heck of a deal. I’ll leave in about an hour and am full of anxiety right now. I hope that my feet and back can hold with my heavy backpack. I’ve packed all my items carefully and have attached my two tubes of artwork to the outside of my backpack. My sleeping bag is tied to the top of my pack and not the bottom like when I started on my trip. I’m trying to balance the weight better. I have a lot of things to do when I return home before I head to Spokane so I’m getting pre-occupied with those items. The clouds are beginning to clear and the sun is appearing. I’ll write more later…
June 28 – 10:35 pm (London) or 2:35 pm (Vancouver)
I have been on the plane for 6 hours. The London Underground was ridiculously easy to take from the hostel to the airport. Trip took about 45 minutes and I got off at Platform 4 at the airport station. I then walked straight ahead to an elevator and got off on the second level to the British Airways check-in area. I had over an hour to relax before boarding the plane. We’re now likely flying over Eastern Canada. I’m anxious to return home and wish that I could return to Edmonton tonight. Although my pack is fairly comfortable to carry now I don’t feel like taking city buses to get to the Vancouver hostel. Dinner on the plane was very good and I watched the movie The Hurricane. My long trip is obviously dominant in my mind but I must start to focus now on finding a job.
June 28 – 11:20 pm
I’m comfortably settled in the downtown Vancouver youth hostel. I’m very tired and must get to bed. I’ll write more in the morning.
June 29 – 10:10 am
Well I’m still in Vancouver. I should have left a while ago but there are flight delays. I’ll back up a bit and discuss events from last night. I took a short walk around the neighborhood and had a filling Chinese dinner on Davies Street. I ate noodles with lemon chicken, vegetables and a large coke for $5.34. I enjoyed watching the More Much Music television show and couldn’t eat it all my dinner. There was a newspaper article on the restaurant window outside that spoke positively about the place. I couldn’t argue with it! Feeling full I then walked around a park that faced English bay. It was a beautiful warm evening and I soaked in the beautiful scenery. Many people were walking and exercising – a bustling place. Across the large bay was Jericho Bay and the hostel where I stayed in 1995. My last photo that I took was a granite statute called Inukchuk. It represented friendship and was placed there for Expo 1986. Further down the path was a group of young people who were singing, clapping, and apparently sparring with each other. Two people would be practicing in this circle of other people. Many stunts, including summersaults, one handed hand stands and a form of kickboxing, were done. I can’t remember the name of what they were doing but it was an amazing display of artistic and athletic prowess.
The hostel was arguably the most upscale that I’ve stayed anywhere! It had security door cards, a library, impressive television room, and kitchen. Beside the check-in desk there was a separate information desk. However, my dorm room was atrociously hot and thus I didn’t sleep well. I woke up at 5:00 am and walked across the street to Shoppers Drug Mart to get some supplies. I then caught the Airporter shuttle that was conveniently located close by at the Hill Park Hotel. I’m not very hungry due to anxiety and suffering from jet lag. I did my morning crunches and pushup exercises (abbreviated form naturally) and it felt good. But presently the flight to Edmonton is delayed and was just informed that a smaller plane is available and that we can get our snack vouchers. Airport staff have treated the passengers and situation well. It was a tense situation for a few moments. The engine malfunction and loud noise occurred at a precarious time just as the plane was taking off. A few people panicked. Due to this mess I’ll likely need to spend an extra day in Edmonton and leave for Spokane on July 3. I’ll need some rest before driving down with Mom. This extra waiting around brings a strange ending to my trip. (I returned home mid afternoon and was happily reunited with family and friends)
.
posted by Michael at 11:54 AM
