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Sonoma County
Tuesday, 05 June 2007
I think I finally managed to take a full deep breath. I am at my yoga teacher/friend’s place in Sebastopol, CA. I am here for a quick visit to see Ann & Lawrence and their oh so cute gals, Sage (5) and Liberty (1.5). They have an amazing rose garden in the back and an outdoor claw foot tub. I had a calming bubble bath last night. The air smelled of sweet flowers and moist earth. Cali is the same.... good weather, good friends, good food. My parents were in San Francisco on a work trip. My Dad had no idea I was back in the Sates. When I showed up at his hotel room he was completely shocked. The look on his face was priceless. Kiersten and I played some music at Michelle and Scott wedding on Donner Lake in Truckee and I got to see some friends. Then we went back to Oakland for Kelly and Saul’s baby shower. Even though I’m back I am not settled down by any means! Soon....soon… I just have some things to take care of, a few more faces to see and then I will be back in Truckee teaching yoga and doing massage. I am really excited to teach again and reconnect with my friends, clients and students.
Posted: 06.05.2007
Eastern Spain
Thursday, 24 May 2007
I am backtracking a bit… I have to catch up now that I am back in the world of easy-access cyberspace....
It is really good for me to be in country that speaks Spanish. The past 8 months I have been in a lot of different countries but they have all been English speaking. I am now back to using body language and being humbled by my inability to communicate. Margarita, burrito, taco...those are the kinda words I know, ha! It’s rather pathetic really, but I am working on it.
We are on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The wildflowers are blooming and the landscape is very green. We have mostly been camping and exploring the volcanic and granite rocks. The shapes and colors of the rocks are amazing. The sea is salty and cold, but not too chilly to jump into.
Juliette and I went to Salvador Dali’s museum in Figueres. Fascinating artwork. Some of the time I found it beautiful and mesmerizing. Other times I found it utterly grotesque and revolting. There was a market on in town, I ate about a kilo of fresh, juicy strawberries. Later on Korbi, Juliette, and I went to see Dali and Gala’s house in Portlligat. It is white stucco style with a red roof. Inside there are pictures, sculptures, random kick knacks and doo dads. It is not as over the top as I thought it would have been. The outside patio and swimming pool area is really cool. The pool is shaped like a clover and there are random Michelin Men, stuffed boa constrictors, and swan fountains. There is also a phone booth and stucco people embedded in the walls. It would be an amazing place to have a siesta and a few drinks with some friends. My favorite place inside was Gala’s room, Dali’s wife. It is a circular dome with incredible acoustics. There is a single couch that encircles the whole room. The curtains are red, giving the room a warm sexy glow. I could play music in there for hours.
It poured down rain today and my socks and shoes are soaked from splashing in the puddles. It feels like I have two sponges attached to my feet. It is sunny now, but the sea is still speckled with white caps. Korbi has spent a lot of time in Spain and knows of incredibly beautiful places. He is an inspirational person with a beautiful heart. I feel fortunate to be here.
Posted: 05.24.2007
Onward to Germany
Wednesday, 23 May 2007
Korbi and I said goodbye to Spain a few days ago. I had a good time climbing and swimming in the beautiful river. On our last night we went to the little town of Tortella and I played some music. This one restaurant had a great vibe and on other occasions I had met some musicians there. One was a Spanish guitar player, and the other was Ruben, a talented musician from Argentina. It is always nice to meet the locals and have a cultural experience.
Korbi and I drove up to Charmonix. The mountains were spectacular, and I would have to say, intimidating. I have been to Charmonix once before in 97. I hardly recognized the town. There are a lot of new buildings and shops. We did not get the chance to explore the mountains as we had to move on to Germany.
We spent all day yesterday traveling from Geneva to Munich. It is nice to be back in Southern Germany. The weather here is gorgeous and the views are sweet. There is something very comforting to me about this part of the world. The smell of the air is sweet and the mountains are calm and comfy.
Posted: 05.23.2007
Spain
Thursday, 17 May 2007
Just a quick note to stay that I am alive and well. We are in northeast Spain enjoying the beautiful mountains and calm flowing rivers. A group of us spent a full day canyoning on the St. Antiol river. It was a pure wilderness experience and incredibly gorgeous. I must say that I´m not as hardcore as I thought I was. There were some jumps I wasn´t able to commit to. I opted to rappel down some of the waterfalls instead of taking a cold plunge into the river. We had on wet suits, helmets and harnesses. I felt like an astronaut on the moon, or a martian just reaching Earth with all of that gear on! Korbi guides trips here regularly with his company Easy Day. You can check it out here if you like: http://www.easy-day.com.
Posted: 05.17.2007
Here we go again…
Friday, 04 May 2007
Well, to make a long story short. I was in California for a whole 8 days. It was so awesome to see my good friends again and be back in Truckee. To hug a true friend is an incredible feeling after having been gone for 7 months. But...I knew that I still had a little more traveling left in me. Sometimes you just have to trust your intuition and follow your heart.
I spent about 5 days on a gorgeous catamaran in Southern France. The limestone cliffs just shoot right out of the ocean, excellent for rock climbing. The Mediterranean Sea was calm most of the time and it sparkled in the sunlight.
Later we went inland to an incredible canyon for some more rock climbing and to check out the scenery. I´m now in Spain waiting for the weather to clear up.
I will write a more detailed blog soon!
Posted: 05.04.2007
Back in the States
Sunday, 15 April 2007
It has taken me a bit longer than I thought it would to decompress after all of this traveling. I had a brief visit with my sister, her husband and my good friend, Liz. I ended up on a bus from Pennsylvania to Boston. When I switched buses in Port Authority I wasn’t prepared for the calamity and chaos of New York City. There are so many people, cars, buses and taxis. The people looked pale and ill and… obese. We are the most obese country in the world. “Currently, 64.5 percent of U.S. adults, age 20 years and older, are overweight and 30.5 percent are obese.” Based on my travels, I can conclude that this statement is true. It took over an hour to get out of the city and we sat for 2 more hours in bumper to bumper traffic on 95. As I sat there and took in the view of the landscape I felt sick from the sight of it. I watched the smoke stacks endlessly spit out pollution and the litter blow around in the wind. The bus was quiet except for the sounds of coughing and eating. I sat and read Tom Brown’s book Vision and reflected on the culture shock I was experiencing. My perspectives have changed immensely after 8 months of traveling abroad. It makes me sad that most Americans are so far removed from nature. There are certain things I admire about technology, especially involving travel and medical treatment. Still, we are a nation of over consumers. Why do we have to continue on this path of destruction and disrespect just to become “technologically advanced”?
The bus finally came into Boston and my friend Mike was a welcoming sight. We went straight away to a interpretive dance class where I blew off some tension and felt my creativity again. I have been riding a rickety 3 speed bike around town, doing plenty of yoga, detoxing and dodging hail balls.
It has been amazing to regroup and meet all of Mike’s sweet household.
Bostonians hustle and bustle and talk fast. I can almost see the stress steaming off of their thick winter coats. On the flip side there is a nice, mellow, progressive population here as well. I have had a great visit, even with the rain.
I still haven’t fully comprehended everything that has happened in the past 8 months, but one of the most valuable lessons I have learned from this trip is that people have an amazing ability to connect with one another. Traveling shows you who your true friends are. Having so much time alone and being out of my comfort zone for so long I have had to come face to face with who I am. From this trip I have learned so much more about the world, I have become more aware of who I am, and I’m right on the verge of discovering just what my purpose of being here really is. Ha! Well I think I am a close anyway. Sometimes the more I discover, the more I realize I don’t know anything at all.
Posted: 04.15.2007
photos for you
Friday, 06 April 2007
There are more photos up on Yahoo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/annmariesheridan
Posted: 04.06.2007
ISLE of SKYE
Friday, 06 April 2007
I stayed in Edinburgh for a few days until my friend’s schedule cleared up. On Thursday morning Korbi and I walked to the bus station and headed to Glasgow. We had to take another bus from Glasgow to Fort William, and then another to Mallaig. The last bus ride was a wild one. It had every granny and grandpa in western Scotland on it and all of their groceries. Their food was tossed about as the bus driver whipped around the little windy roads extremely fast. At each bus stop the driver would help the folks off of the bus with their groceries and trolleys and walking apparatuses. It made for a long trip, but it was good opportunity to meet the locals, eh? Ill, green and tired we arrived in Mallaig and got some of our own food for the next few days. We took a ferry over to the Isle of Skye and arrived in the little town of Armadale. We had one final bus ride to Broadford. It was time for a cup of coffee and a Guinness. Yes, the Guinness here DOES taste different and YES it does taste better. It’s lighter and doesn’t have that thick coffee aftertaste. We got a ride to Kilmarie from a really sweet man named Paul. He has been on Sky for about 10 years, but he grew up on a neighboring island with 14 other people. His Dad was the school teacher and only had three students, Paul was one of them.
We got dropped off at the trail head and walked to Camas Fhion. The mountains were big and bare. The landscape was open and sparsely covered in trees. The sky was full of color as the sun sunk into the Atlantic Ocean. It was a perfect way to end the day after all of that traveling.
The next day we walked along the rocky coast of Loch na Cuilce. We crossed a little river that connected to Loch Corusick, our final destination for the day. With each step the scenery grew more and more spectacular. There was so much rock around Korbie and I were bummed that we had not brought our climbing gear and ropes. The weather was amazingly warm and sunny. This part of Scotland is known for being wet and windy. We set up our base camp near some flat rock slabs and went on an evening walk. There were falls nearby and the sea was gorgeous. I could have stared at that sparkling water for ages.
The next day we scrambled up the 3000 foot high Sgurr Dubh Mor. There were a few spots where we had climb up, but nothing that required a rope. The first peak we reached was surprisingly green. It was so quiet up there. No wind, plenty of sunshine… it was magnificent. We sat and had a nice long meditation on top of the mountain. The particular ridge we were on was called the Cullin Ridge. It can be done in a day but most people take two to three days to complete all of it. We opted to just do a bit of it. The gully we descended that day was rocky and steep but not too bad.
The next day we hiked inland and finished up at the pub in Sligachan. We met some fun guys from Canada who were only in Scotland for a few days but were determined to hit up as many of the pubs and whiskey distilleries as possible! It was a fun night. We eventually made it back to Edinburgh via buses Monday at midnight. I got up early to pack my bag, say goodbye, and yes… get on another bus. I flew into Dublin in the late afternoon. I tried to make it to the Guinness factory in but I was stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on the top of a double decker bus. I decided to hop out and check out the Temple Bar area. I stayed with a very sweet gal, Juliette. We sung some songs together, ate Japanese food and did some yoga. I left at 6:30am the next day. It was freezing outside. I had to hop around for 45 minutes waiting for my connecting airport bus. I just barely made my flight to Newark. I mean just.. they let me cut into the security line and I had to run down to the gate and everything. I landed in Newark at 11am. It was pouring rain. It was the first rain I had seen in about 2 months! Princeton is actually a lot like England. The campus is beautiful and the town is cute…the accents aren’t nearly as cool though.
I was so fortunate to have good weather in Great Britain. I did not want to leave.  When I originally planned this trip I did not have a return flight home. I wanted to work in the UK for about three months, go to the Glastonbury festival in England and be around for the release of the 7th Harry Potter book. (I know I am a geek, I know!) But, when I was feeling exhausted in South Africa I bought a ticket to Newark to see my sister and changed two of my flight dates so that I would be home in Truckee in April.
I have always been a traveler...I usually like to go somewhere for about 2 to 3 months. When I got to the four month point, I got tired. However, when I got to the 6 month point I felt rejuvenated and ready to travel again. I came so close to changing my dates.... again. But, I already had my return flight home to Cali, my sister picking me up at the airport, Katie flying up to visit in Boston, Liz taking time off of work, yoga with Mike in Boston, Kiersten picking me up in Oakland, Meredith meeting me in the city, house sitting in Truckee..... it was TOO much to change… so I came back. It’s fine, I’m ready for Truckee, I am SO ready for Truckee actually. I can’t wait to see Donner Lake and get on the summit to climb. I have missed you dear friends, climbing partners, massage clients, musicians and yoga students!
 When you travel you just never know what might happen… maybe you find a place you want to live in, or a job you want to do, or someone you want to stay with. You never really know what to expect, when to make plans, or what to do next. Sometimes there are so many opportunities is is difficult to choose which one to do. Other times life feels empty and bland and it seems like nothing is going right. So then you make plans… and then later you wish you that never made those plans in the first place because now you missed this incredible opportunity. So what’s the lesson there? Make no plans so you’ll be open to every opportunity that comes your way? Or make plans because there are hidden opportunities in everything? ..... I like what John Lennon said, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” I think it’s ok to plan if you can accept that life may not go according to plan.
Posted: 04.06.2007
Photos
Monday, 26 March 2007
Here are a few photos of Scotland for you.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/annmariesheridan
Posted: 03.26.2007
Two Full Days
Monday, 26 March 2007
Thursday April 22nd began with an 8 am start. I left the flat at Edinburgh at 9am. After wandering around a bit I found the bus depot at 9:40. I was on a bus bound for Ardrossan at 9:45. When I got to Glasgow I was expecting an 11:10 connection. However, the next bus was not until 12:10. So I walked around in search of a cup of coffee. The only place I could find was Starbucks. Low and behold I met a gal from the States. We got to talking and the next thing I knew it was 12:00. I quickly walked to the bus depot. I got there at 12:06. My bus had come and gone. I was frustrated, buses aren’t supposed to leave early! The next bus left at 1:10. I checked my email and walked around. Next thing I knew it was 1:02 and I was by the Starbucks again! I walked quickly to the bus depot this time taking a short cut through the music hall. I got to the depot at 1:06 and I was on the bus as it pulled out of the station at 1:10. Whew! I took a ferry from Ardrossan to the Isle of Arran. The water was absolutely mesmerizing. It was a deep blue filled with pools of a lighter shade of blue. The circular patterns dissolved and reformed along the water’s surface.
Once the boat reached the island I went to the supermarket to get some supplies for the next few days. Having done that, I missed the bus and there was not another one for 3 hours. I was 15 miles away from my hostel. It was getting dark and I knew I had to get a move on. The lady at the info desk told me that it’s safe to hitch here. I stuck out my thumb and had no problem getting a ride. My first ride was from a mother and daughter, the next from an older man with a thick Scottish accent, and the third from a tree doctor.
The hostel was right on the Kilbrannan Sound. After I settled in I went out for a sunset stroll. I investigated the Lochranza castle and the water shore. I sat on a tranquil bench to meditate. After a half hour I opened my eyes to see the last bit of pink glisten and fade with the setting sun. And that, my friends, is a full day of traveling.
I woke the next morning and set out for a long hike. I decided to go up Glen Catacol to Loch Tanna. The trail was very obvious for a while and then faded out. I followed the river up the valley. There were some gorgeous waterfalls along the way. The main river was shallow and floated along a smooth rock surface all the way down to the valley floor below. If I had a wetsuit with me I would have been tempted to ride the natural waterslide all the way down to the Kilbrannan Sound. It was stunning to see Loch Tanna shimmering in the sunlight. Instead of me retracing my steps I decided to find my own way to another trail. I walked up a mountain and circled around two peaks. It wouldn’t have been too terrible except for the fact that the mountainside was covered with boulders and heather. It was tricky to walk with out my feet slipping into holes. I could just hear my mother’s voice “You’re going to fall and break your neck!” I made it down OK and eventually made it over to the trail. I went up another valley and wound my way back to Loch na Davie. It was MUDDY!! I mean really muddy! This made the decent back rather tricky. I felt like a drunken sailor walking my weary sea legs back to town. I had to laugh at myself when I would take a step and fully slide on one foot for five feet before catching my balance. Remember how Gumby could whiz around on one foot? ¬¬¬ I felt like Gumby. Other times my whole foot would get suctioned down into the mud. (a big thanks to Tracey and Roman for sending me my gore-tex hiking boots and wool socks!! I needed them!)
After a few hours of this I was feeling a bit drained. At one point I was in front of a rather large, wet, grassy area. “Screw it”, I thought, “I am already muddy.” I took a long stride into the muddy mass in front of me. My right leg sunk all the way up to my knee! I managed to get the foot free. Then as I stepped forward my left foot sunk and as I pulled it up my toe caught on a rock below the mud. I was going down!! I put out my hands just in time to stop myself. Luckily I was wearing my gloves (thanks again Roman and Tracey!) and my knees only sunk into the dirt a little bit. Whew! I got back to Lochranza about 8 hours later. The village was such a cute sight to see with its whiskey distillery, green pastures, grazing sheep, smoky chimneys, and calm loch nestled within steep mountains covered in heather and grouse.
The next morning I left the hostel at 7 am. Being the nutty mountain gal that I am, I decided to tackle the steepest assent to Goatfell Peak, the Corrie Burn trail. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I crossed over a river and continued up the mountain. Soon I was in the clouds. For a few brief moments the air would clear and I could see around me. Just when I was about to give up and descend down a rock gully, I looked up and saw the ridge about 50 feet above me. I traversed up and over. It was still cloudy but the rock formations were incredible. I scrambled around and traversed along four small peaks. The clouds moved back in and I descended back down to the town of Brodick. The trail ended at a local brewery. Nice! I went in for a tasting and bought some beers for my friend’s, Korbie & Paul, in Edinburgh. On the train back I met Napoleon Dynamite’s painfully shy brunette twin. I love traveling. No matter how hard you try to plan, you never know who you are going to meet, or where you may end up. I enjoyed a tasty meal of mussels and hugs from my friends once I got back to Edinburgh, they enjoyed their beers. (I am typing on a German computer, so please pardon the odd symbols!)
Posted: 03.26.2007
Vaults and Tunes
Wednesday, 21 March 2007
I’m still here. I have been doing some yoga classes, cooking dinner with friends and playing music. The other day Zayd and I took a quick walk up to Author’s Seat. It was SO windy at the top. I thought I was going to get blown off. Seriously, I don’t think that I have experienced wind that intense in my entire life, wooh! Since then I have been meeting lots of sweet folks from all over.... Holland, Germany, France, Austria, England & Wales. This is definitely a university town. There are 4 schools here and plenty of cute coffee shops and folks bustling about. I met a fellow by the name of Jud who is an excellent singer/songwriter. We played at this pub called Portabella right on the North Sea. It was beautiful and extremely cold outside, but cozy inside. There were two older gentleman there too playing songs. They were cute as can be singing “I’m yourrr local neighborrhood man, I’ve got my own grrrocery van” in their thick Scottish accents.
I also took a tour with two of my friends, Paul and Korbie, into the vaults below the city of Edinburgh. (http://www.mercattours.com/scheduled-tours.asp) In 1642 about 450 people, infected or not, were locked inside their homes in the vaults below because there was a break out of the plague. They all eventually died. The vaults were re-opened about month later. Rigor mortise had kicked in so they had to hire butchers to come in and cut up the bodies so they could fit them through the doors. Space was limited within the city walls of Edinburgh so within two weeks the rooms were available to rent. Nice, eh? There are plenty of other creepy things that have happened in this city over the years… you can check out the website if you like. 
On a lighter note, the music scene here is great! I went out to play an open mic and I ended up seeing a girl I had met in a coffee shop earlier that day. We played the open mic and went to two more that night. “It’s like this all the time here” Carolyn told me. Incredible. In a pub you’ll find all kinds of folks playing music. It reminded me a bit of the bluegrass sessions I used to go to in southwestern Virginia. Many of the musicians I have met here have told me that if I like this, I’ll love Ireland. So much to do so little time!! My traveling days are coming to an end and I will be back in the States soon. This has been a fantastic way to end my trip. This is my third time to Europe, and every time I have enjoyed it immensely and then some.
Posted: 03.21.2007
Blissed Out In Britain
Thursday, 15 March 2007
I can hardly explain how welcome the crisp English air was when I first entered the UK. My friend, Bex, picked me up from the train station in the little town of Guildford just south of London. The hills and pastures are green and rolling and the skies are clear and blue. It was surprisingly warm and sunny the entire time I was in England. Throughout Britain there is a law that allows anyone to walk through private land on the designated public footpaths. I spent a day walking 13 miles through the country side. It felt so good to have some time to myself to reflect upon my journeys. The landscape here is picturesque and cozy. The little tows are quaint and full of pubs and restaurants with warm fires. It reminds me a lot of the east coast of the States, particularly Virginia and Vermont. Bex lives in a big house on plenty of land with gardens and a river running through it. We played some music by an old swimming pool and she taught me Hallelujah by Lenard Cohen, good song.
I traveled up to Warwick and stayed at a B&B just in town. The owner is an incredibly sweet Irish fellow by the name of Paul. The Warwick Castle was a fun place to visit with its gardens and towers, dungeons and wax statue displays. When I first saw the wax butler I about jumped out of skin, he looked so real.
I was changing trains in Banbury. I got onto a train and realized I was in the wrong place and had to run back up the stairs, then down the stairs to another platform with my backpack and my guitar. I made it by 10 seconds, but I was on the right train to Kingston-Upon-Hull. I met Rebbecca in Fiji back in October. She was a great hostess and showed me around to Robin Hood’s Bay, Whitby, Goathland, and York. Robin Hood’s Bay was cute with its windy little streets and beach along the North Sea. The coast line reminds me a lot of northern California. We ate some fish and chips, the best I’ve EVER had actually. We saw the Whitby Abby next, where count Dracula is meant to still roam. It was in this town where Bram Stroker was inspired to write Dracula. Then onto Goathland to visit another tiny town and the Hogsmeade train station, from the Harry Potter films. York was unbelievably cute. The shops are nestled in along cobblestone streets and the York Minster (http://www.yorkminster.org) was beautiful. In my opinion it was even more grand and impressive then the Notre Dame in Paris. The inside decor was stunning. Rebbecca and I walked along the city walls and admired the freshly sprung daffodils. There was a market in the Shambles area where the old buildings have warped wood and sagging roofs. I love how everything is so old and full of history. It’s quite magical.
Long story short...after missing two trains, one in Hull and the other in York, I managed to just catch a bus to Edinburgh, Scotland. My jaw literally dropped as we pulled into the city. Holy Harry Potter. I have entered the most immaculate city I have ever set foot in. I love it. There are cliff crags that surround parts of the city and the Edinburgh Castle sits upon an extinct volcano in the center of town. The buildings are gorgeous and medieval. My friend, Zayd, met me at the bus depot and we did a brief walk through town. There are so many people bustling about as this city. It is not too big and is therefor easy to walk everywhere. We passed by the train station, monuments, cathedrals, churches, and strolled through a graveyard with crumbling tombstones and green mossy rocks. I LOVE it! We finished the night with a healthy portion of curry and a walk by the old hospital - that looks to me like the Hogwarts I envision when I’m reading Harry Potter. (I know I’m a BIG fan, I can’t help it, they are incredible books!) I’m excited to see more of the wee city today. I’m blissed out!
Posted: 03.15.2007
Goodbye South Africa
Sunday, 04 March 2007
I hiked up to Table Mountain with six friends. We left just before sunset and reached the top by the light of full moon. We stayed in a hut that had two rooms, two fireplaces, a nice hard wood floor, comfy sleeping pads, tables and benches. We ate some dinner and met some people traveling from Sweden. I woke up to the sunrise and enjoyed some rusks and warm rice milk. We hiked back down the extremely steep trail. It’s amazing that the top of the mountain is so easily accessible. There are endless ways to explore the mountains here; be it hiking, biking, or climbing. Speaking of bikes, I managed to borrow one in order to get to the bookstore at the mall. On the way there I felt inspired to write my own book entitled “Berserk Biking at its Best”. In the book each chapter would be dedicated to an absurd experience I’ve had while biking in a foreign country. The chapter titles thus far would be:
- Busting Through Pedicured Shrubs - Bermuda
- Two Kids, One Guy, a Woman, and a Monkey - Thailand
- You Want Me to Cross Here?! - Italy
- Too Steep to Creep - Lorne, Australia
- The Pothole Ate My Bike - Mexico
- Four Blocks in 45 Minutes - Tokyo, Japan
- Red Dirt Makes You Sink - Kauai, Hawaii
- Orange Buses, Black Smoke, Stop Means Go - South Africa
I leave for England tomorrow. It’s been 32 days. The two things that have stood out the most have been the amazing natural beauty in this country and the large amounts of poverty. As I’ve mentioned before, the scenery here is unbelievable. The mountains surround the city and make room for quaint coves and smaller communities in the suburbs. The ocean is a brilliant blue and the sky is always changing. Table Mountain has its own weather system. The clouds are always rolling over and sometimes roll down the valleys and into the city. The sunsets are spectacular from all of this diversity.
The poverty is very present in the streets. However, it is a different poverty than I am accustomed to being exposed to. I am used to beggars who look haggard and unhealthy, who hold up signs and ask for money. They are homeless and appear helpless. There are some people who are like that here too, but most of the time you see people who have created their own means of making money. The most common one I’ve seen are people in parking lots and streets showing you a space to park your car in. They will watch over the car for safe keeping while you’re away. They also make crafts and sell them at stop lights and on sidewalks, gather trash from your vehicles, wash your car windows. Some ring your doorbell and ask if they can tend to your lawn or garden. Out in the country some would gather flowers and sell them. The people with more money are very accepting of these acts and support them. Many people from Zimbabwe have migrated down to South Africa because in their country people are literally starving to death. I went to a craft market yesterday and bought some fun jewelry, wooden carvings and cloth prints from some Zimbabwe people. Most of the poor people I have seen in South Africa don’t look haggard; they are smiling, kind and gentle. The most obvious difference between them and the poor people I have seen in the US is that they are motivated and willing to work and they don’t appear helpless.
There are of course some exceptions and one should be wary of drunken bums and theft. There were two occasions where we had some uncomfortable run ins at petrol stations. One was a drunken guy asking for money that the workers had to move away, and the other was a drunken white guy speaking Afrikaans offering us chicken with his greasy hands. Mind you there were plenty of other people around and there wasn’t a need to panic, it just wasn’t the most comfortable experience.
I must admit that I couldn’t handle living in Cape Town for several reasons. One being the issue with crime and I know now that that is due to the immense amount of poverty. Also, for me, there is a fear that weaves its way in and out of this city. I like to live in a place where I feel safe. Perhaps if I grew up in Cape Town or in another large US city I would be more accustomed to living life on the cautious side, but I’m not. I don’t think that I could adapt to all of these fences and locked gates. Nor do I really want to. I like that I have experienced a culture shock being here and do not wish to dull my senses to the rawness of city life. Even though I could never live in Cape Town I must admit that there is much to be explored within the city. The mountain views and the ocean overlooks are spectacular, while the culture is intriguing.
In these past 32 days I have experienced quite a lot. Here are the highlights:
- Meeting Kirsten and her sweet friends, especially Briony, Mo, Kat, Jules & Lucia
- Getting back into rock climbing
- Wine tasting with Saul and Kelly and eating dinner at the Spier Winery
- Going to my first Belly dancing class
- Surfing in Muzenberg
- Driving out to Cape Point, seeing the penguins and watching the baboons
- Meeting Kirsten’s Uncle John who looks, talks and laughs exactly like Austin Powers
- Hiking up Lion’s Head and seeing immaculate views of the city and the ocean
- Going to an outdoor concert at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
- Having a full on exposure to poverty
- Discovering an entirely new perspective of what South Africa is all about
I’d love to come back knowing that there is no need to be afraid of this immense and spectacular part of the world. Next time I’ll bring a climbing partner, my outdoor gear, and plan some extra time to discover Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia and Victoria Falls. I never did get to go on a safari, but oh well, I’m not sure if I was really ready to see wild lions up close and personal anyway!
Posted: 03.04.2007
Montegu
Monday, 26 February 2007
Kirsten, Monique and I left Friday afternoon from Cape Town. It was a hot day and there was plenty of traffic due to a nasty accident and a mountain pass closure. Our destination, Montegu, was only meant to be a two hour drive. We arrived in a little less than five hours but it was well worth it. The mountains within Cape Town and well beyond the city boundaries are spectacular. They are a rock climber’s dream. We stayed at a farm called De Bos (http://www.debos.co.za/debos.html) Monique and Kirsten are really talented climbers, so they were the rope guns for the weekend. We went up a six pitch route called “Another Day in Paradise” (it is rated a 21, which is like a 10D). The rock is sandstone and has great friction and formations. We were in the sun all day and were rather wiped out. Luckily, there is a refreshing pool at the farm stay. We did some yoga till sunset and then made dinner. There was a campfire and I played my guitar, it was like being in West Virginia… except we were in Africa. It was nice to be out in the country where you don’t have to always be looking over your shoulder.
The next day we hiked into a canyon and winded our way up to Skull Wall. The trails are loose and rocky and very eroded. Not the best trail for sandals! It was a bit challenging in that sense. The climbs were nice and long, facey, crimpy, balancey… nice positive holds and good ledges for your feet (to all the non-climbers sorry for the gibberish lingo.) I love climbing. This sport has taken me to some of the most incredible places in the world. Some of the climbing areas are close to towns and cities, but most are further away. Being in the wilderness is a nourishing break from the bustles and commotions of civilization. At the same time, it also makes one all the more appreciative of that refreshing swimming pool at the campground! A cold beverage tastes all the better too after having spent hours sweating in the sun drinking hot water. For me it’s all about finding the balance between the two, civilization and wilderness, and being grateful for my health. We got back to Cape Town Sunday night. Today Saul and Kelly and I are going to Stellenbosch (http://www.stellenbosch.org.za/) to do some wine tasting. Don’t worry, Kelly is 5 months pregnant so we have a designated driver!
Posted: 02.26.2007
The Right of Solitude
Wednesday, 21 February 2007
I have been looking over some of my photos recently. Fiji feels like decades ago. Africa is definitely the rawest place I have ever been. In Fiji I rode in a van along the countryside and there were homes that barely had three walls standing and certainly no roofs. I wasn’t expecting Fiji to be this way. I thought it would be similar to Hawaii or even Thailand. South Africa is similar to Fiji but drastically different. For one, South Africa is gigantic and there are thousands of more people. During the day the streets are safe and lively. There is, however, always a clue around to remind you that this country is just breaking out of a very dark period.
These people have been through so much and continue to struggle with poverty, crime, and starvation. I’ve been to D.C., New York, San Francisco; there is crime there too - but it’s different here. I now have an entirely different prospective on poverty. When I was planning this trip I was so eager to get out of my perfect little bubble in Truckee. I wanted to be out of my comfort zone. I wanted to be exposed to a more “real” world. These travels have been amazing and at the same time exhausting. I have never considered myself patriotic, but I miss my country and I appreciate its vast land and human rights. In Cape Town I can’t go out on my own. There are spectacular mountains around that are full of trails for hiking and biking and hundreds of routes to rock climb. However, there is mugging, theft, and crime in the mountains and one has to be cautious and certainly not alone. I am not used to this at all. In fact, I’ve always lived in a place where it was not even necessary to lock the front door. Here there are metal bars on all of the windows, barbed wired fences, spiked gates and plenty of locked doors.
Those of you who know the true me know that I love solitude. I typically go into the mountains alone to clear my head and bring me back in touch with the natural world. When I return to the states I look forward to taking a walk under the stars by Donner Lake, or in the rolling hills of Sonoma, or in the autumn filled forests of the Shenandoah, or to the waterfalls in Big South Fork Kentucky, or in the cliff-filled crags of West Virginia, or in the rugged mountains of Telluride Colorado, or in the big Wyoming sky in the Grand Tetons, or in the abandon deserts of Joshua tree, or along the foggy beaches Northern California, or up granite the domes in Tuolumne Meadows. I look forward to taking a walk in the mountains in my own country where I feel safe and at peace.
Posted: 02.21.2007
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