Lobitos, Puira – First Stop in South America

My first days in Peru November 2011
Lima

Landed in Lima on Sunday 20th November and had arranged to be picked up from the airport.  The area around the airport is apparently a dangerous area and the driver warned me about using my phone openly, apparently they have a problem with people breaking the window and snatching whatever they can. Sounds just like home. The traffic is loud and fast with everyone changing lanes at will and everyone else blowing their hooters.  Arrived at the Hostel Malka and decided to stay an extra day so I had to pay extra, luckily I had drawn some cash at the airport, the last of what I had.  It turned out that because I hadn’t booked the extra day through Hostelworld, the price had gone up an extra dollar.  At that point I hit a bit of a panic as I had no more money with me.  I had foreseen this problem as I had left England before I had been paid and thank God for Cydni who put some cash into my account the next day..

The following morning I met some of my fellow guests.  There was a French couple who didn’t speak English and as luck would have it there was a Peruvian woman, Sandra, in the dorm who had travelled to South Africa earlier this year and could speak English.  She was very interested to ask about my travels and tell me of her experiences.  She was sad that she had not got to KwaZulu to see the sardine run and is planning to go again next year. The receptionist Sylvana was very helpful in getting my bus ticket to Talara and directing me to the nearest bank and supermarket, also sent me loads of links to help me find work here in Peru.

At the supermarket I was able to find an English speaker who helped me buy a sim card and some airtime.  At the cashier I had a bit of a problem as she kept asking me questions that I didn’t know how to answer but eventually I got everything sorted out.. I bought some food and headed back to the hostel.  My impression of Lima is fast paced and very loud.  The people seem either stern or preoccupied as I didn’t get any smiles from those that I had smiled at.

The following day I caught a taxi to the bus station to get my bus to Talara.  When catching a taxi it is important to ascertain the fare before heading out, as they aren’t metered and it could end up costing loads more than necessary. The bus was plush with fully reclining seats and foot rests.  A dinner of chicken, rice and pudding was served together with a drink of choice, tea, coffee or coke.  Then the evitable travelling movies which were of course in Spanish but the kind host put English sub titles on so I could at least follow what was going on.  In the morning a simple breakfast was served and after that we played a game of bingo.  I was well impressed with the service and though the journey was really long (17 hours) at least it was comfortable.

The outskirts of Lima where the poorer people lived was quite depressing, the houses are built on hillsides one on top of another literally, I now understand why so many people die when there are mud slides though I don’t think that is a problem in Lima.  The coastline of Peru is desert and quite grim and I’m sad to say that litter is a huge problem.  The plastic bag is the scourged of the modern world especially among the poor who don’t have garbage removal services.

Eventually we arrived in Talara and I was met by my host Oscar’s employee Juan who escorted me to Lobitos for the last leg of my journey.  This involved taking a moto taxi ( a 3 wheel motorbike with a 3 person seat behind the driver) and then a mini bus taxi that seated 7. The journey to Lobitos took about an hour past the Talara harbour and phooey, the water sanitation ponds, the smells were horrendous and so was the litter.  Eventually we arrived at La Casona, my home for the next month.  I was welcomed by Percy the chef who speak poco poco (a very little) English

Lobitos

La Casona is a very old hotel that Oscar rented from the military 4 months ago and is in the process of fixing up to create a surfer ‘s hangout and restaurant.  That’s what Lobitos is all about, the surf and not much more.  There are quite a few hostels around and many surfers from all over the world come to surf the very clean long breaks.  This is the reason I was chosen to work here, they needed someone who could speak English to serve their guests.

So far, two days later I have not met anyone else who speaks English and though I am working at learning to speak Spanish, it is a slow process.  In the meantime I hope that we start getting guests just so that I can speak to someone without having to look up words in my dictionary.  Also there is no internet here at La Casona so I’m going to have to make a plan to find an internet café, hopefully here in Lobitos otherwise I will have to travel to Talara, which is quite a mission.

2 December 2011

I have now been here just over a week and mmmmm I have really got what I asked for.  I am totally immersed in what it’s like to live Peruvian style.  We have been plagued with water problems and for most of my time here I have had to have bucket baths and also do my laundry by hand in the bucket.  My appreciation of the amenities that we take for granted in the 1st world is growing daily.  I eventually found an internet source.  A guy Tallie, who comes from everywhere, born in Africa, raised in Scotland, the States and Germany and travelled to everywhere else.  He is some kind of NGO working for various organisation like the UN and has been here in Lobitos for 3 years.  His project teaches young people about surf photography and using cameras donated by Minolta, they take pictures of the surfers and then Tallie sells them off, giving half of the income to the photographers and banking the balance for them so that they can go to university when they finish school.  The average age being taught is 16.

My Spanish is improving daily and I can now make very simple sentences.  This gives the guys that stay here with me great laughs then they correct my pronunciation and on we go.  There are 4 of them that work here. Percy (23) and Lester (19) are the 2 resident chefs who are still studying and will qualify next year.  Daniel (25) is the chef assistant and Rafael (36) seems to do everything else.  I have now been given an extra job of  keeping of the stock and cash.  Apparently Peruvians don’t trust each other as far as they can spit and so, given the chance, the responsibility of cash is given to foreign workers. I get on well with the 3 younger guys and have found a common interest in music.  Percy sings, Lester plays guitar and Daniel is a bassist and I call them ‘La bande de la Casona.  The one problem I have with them is that they continually bum smokes off me and use my stuff quite freely.  I’m not sure if I’m being small minded about this but part of me feels that they should either support their own habit and that either Oscar should buy them the coffee and food stuffs or they should buy it for themselves.  But then I think that perhaps if I was in a similar situation to them, would I not do the same. Oh I don’t know and I will talk to Oscar if it becomes a bigger problem.

All in all it is really peaceful and I spend a lot of time sitting on the deck watching the waves, the surfers, the kite surfers and the birds.  Yesterday I watched a gull catch a fish and was quite chuffed when it flew past me carrying it. I wish I was quick enough to take a picture of it. Here are some pics from around Lobitos.

So I’m now into my third week here in Lobitos and mmmmm I’m feeling a bit frustrated and aggravated.    Oscar the owner of La Casona has another business in Talara and it keeps him really busy, so La Casona falls under his radar and the myriad of problems that it suffers are put aside.  It seems as if it gives him a reason to come here to surf.  There isn’t very much business for a restaurant here in Lobitos as the locals don’t have the wherewithal to go out for meals and all the hostels around here have their own kitchens serving pretty much the same food as we do here, so there is no reason for the tourists to come eat here.  I’ve managed to make a few changes to the menu by having vegetables and vegetarian meals added.  This makes my meals a whole lot better and hopefully word will get round that we offer this option and thereby bring in more customers.  The only vegetarian option at the other lodges are omelettes. Here’s hoping that things will start moving.

The water is still a problem and it seems that the plumbers in the area are daunted at how big a job it will be to restore all the plumbing, either that or Oscar is trying to find someone to do it cheap and it is most definitely not a cheap job, so it’s just not getting done.  So I will bear it for now but I am looking for other options.  I guess this is a bitching session, sorry folks.  The kitchen is a disaster.  The chefs aren’t dedicated and I suppose I wouldn’t be either if I was earning a pittance as they do.  The mess they leave every night and the lack of proper refrigeration brings swarms of flies, that drive me crazy.  I do manage to get away and speak to like minded people everyday though by walking up to the local internet café at eWaves ‘Tallies place.’  Over the last few days I have been considering and being considered for a teaching job in Sao Paulo in Brazil.  It would be very nice to supplement my income and be able to save.  But in the meantime I have found out that orthodontics is really cheap here so I have been seeing a dentist about fixing my teeth, something I’ve been wanting to do for ages.  I’ve got to go to Puira the nearest large city to have extensive x-rays done , so I will find my way there and get it done on my day off.   My Spanish is improving everyday though I haven’t been brave enough to try it out in conversation.

On the 20th there will be a German couple and a French couple coming to stay for a couple of weeks and I’m really looking forward to having new people to interact with.  The guys are cool but they’re young and the things we have in common are stretched so I spend a lot of my time just quietly by myself, either reading, watching  movies or the surf.. Lester and Daniel have left as their work experience has come to an end and they are back at chef school doing their year end exams, so it’s pretty much Percy and myself, oh and a friend of his who has started working the hostel next door, Ging.  He would like me to teach him to speak English and though I have said I would, I don’t have the materials required, so we read from an English/Spanish tourist guide.  I help him with pronunciation while he is reading in English and vice versa, it gives us some laughs and I’ll see how that helps.

AND THE NEW YEAR BEGINS – HAPPY NEW YEAR

Having fellow help-xers here has been a treat.  The German couple Christen and Marco are travelling around South America for 8 months and arrived here from Ecuador.  Mariane and Celine from France and have been travelling for a while.  They all met in Ecuador on a farm and were surprised to meet here again.  The conversations flowing around me have been truly international, Spanish, German, French and a variety of others.  It has been so good having new conversations and surprisingly it has helped my Spanish loads. Even though English is the common tongue we all are learning Spanish and so speak Spanglish to each at times and so I don’t feel as pressured to always have the correct pronunciation or grammar.

We convinced Oscar to throw a new years eve party.  He was game and asked us to put something together.  This we did with pleasure and the ideas were great.  At first we were told that he (Oscar) wouldn’t be joining us as he had family commitments.  But as the day grew closer we realised that our ideas where never going to be used because they weren’t part of the Peruvian culture aaarrrgggghhhhhh.  Then on the 30th we were told that he had convinced his family that Lobitos was the place to be for the Nuevo Anos feista.  And the whole theme changed.  All of us were not amused as basically it boiled down to us working our arses off.  But it was bearable and we got through the night.  And at 3am I declared that we were done and were taking the rest of the night off.  Marco, Christen, Percy, David and myself headed off to the other party to get some dancing done.  What a laugh.  I learnt how to Salsa and at one stage I had the two Peruvians serenading me and miming the meaning of the songs. And so we danced the rest of the night away and watched  the new day and the new year appear out of the darkness.

The first was another slog of a day and once again we were all on duty, serving the very demanding family.  Because I hadn’t got very much sleep by 3pm I refused to work anymore.  I was completely swamped by the continuous babble of Spanish and had to get away else the mood that had been on the back boiler was going to erupt.  I headed for my room and slept for a couple of hours.  It help loads and when I came back down I was better able to cope.  I finally sat down to something to eat and ended up watching an impromptu dinner theatre show.  I haven’t laughed as much in a long while.  The help-xers mimed a music show using the music that was playing.  They got some strange looks from the guests but that didn’t stop them.

That night I was woken with such hectic stomach cramps and man on man did I get the shits properly, I had liquid coming out of everywhere.  I haven’t felt so ill in a long long time.  It is now the 4th and still I havn’t managed to kick it.  All I’ve eaten in the past two days is a small bowl of rice which mmmm wasn’t a good idea.  Anyway I know I will kick this soon and so am looking at this as a super clean out, which could have good benefits.

Christen and Marco are leaving today, so sad, I will miss them and Marian and Celine will be heading out next week.  It ‘s been so good having them all here and I hope that Oscar will get some more help-xers in so that I have company for the month that I have left here and also to help with all the work. Especially as now he has created a dormitory so that he can earn a proper living from the Casona.

I’m saddened that my time in Peru has been plague by not nice stuff but it’s all part of the travelling experience and I must stay that the Peruvian culture is hard to swallow as they are an arrogant race and I do ask myself what they have to be so proud of as they have no regard for each other or their environment. Individually they are good people though and the ones I‘ve got to know have become friends.  Oscar has been so helpful and does try to make my stay here as pleasant as possible and I am very grateful to know him.

Having spoken to some Peruvians I’ve met. I finally got the reason for their seeming disregard for each other and their country.  Up until 10 years ago Peru was either colonised or terrorized and the people had no reason to believe in their country. Recently the government put out a huge marketing campaign in order to create pride and though this has helped on the surface the people are still taking that message into their hearts, a difficult process I know. So slowly and with time things will change for the better

But it is a paradise setting and sitting on the deck I am constantly reminded that I am blessed to be able to be here and to watch the Pacific in all her beauty.  The number of birds that flock over the inter tidal zone, feeding off the myriads of fish is phenomenal.  In the evening the flocks of pelican flying home to roost, skimming along the edge of the waves is so beautiful.  A couple Janna and Santi from Hawai and Mexico who have become friends told me of a walk they took a few days ago along the beach to a place about an hour away where they saw a flock of flamingos.  As soon as I am feeling up to it, I think I will go have a looksee and get some pics of them.

So to everyone out there I wish you a blessed 2012.  It is ours to do with as we please, so own it and make it they most amazing year of your life, I know I’m going to.

Took the weekend off and went to see what Mancora is all about.  Stayed at Oscar’s friends beach cottage on the first night but someone tried to break in so I booked into a hostel in town for the next two nights and ended up sleeping for most of the weekend, my body must have needed the rest. Mancora is a party town and is filled with young travellers looking for a good time. There are loads of Columbian street artists and musicians roaming around and displaying some incredibly beautiful knotwork jewellery.

So things have changed and I am now managing La Casona and will be staying on until the end of April.  Marianne and Celine have also decided to stay on for an extra month. The plan is to shake things up here and get the place working to it’s full potential.  We have now added a dorm room that can sleep six and new rules are being applied to create a smooth working rythmn.  I’ve taken over the Help-X site so will be bringing in loads of fresh minds and ideas.  It’s going to take loads of learning since I’ve never worked in a restuarant hahaha never mind even managed one. So let the games begin.

An 18 year old Dutch surfer has joined the ranks and mmmm it’s causing ripples has I have now set up shift lists. But it has to be so, so that everyone knows what’s expected of them and also so that Oscar doesn’t take advantage of them.  I know it’s not intentional but there is soooo much to do around here that we could easily work 10 hour shifts per day over the next 3 or 4 months to get everything done, so i’ve got make sure the necessary stuff is done first and then we can put our backs into repairs and other maintenance stuff that is so sorely needed.

I’m enjoying having Viktor around, young energy is always good and he plays a good game of backgammon.  Marianne and Celine are not being good team players and keep to themselves.  I’m finding them difficult to deal with as they continually find fault in the chefs and Viktor to the point of embarressing them in company.  It’s been a lesson in biting my tongue and not getting angry, i’ve done enough of that since i’ve arrived here. But now that i’m able to better communicate things on that side of living here have eased up dramatically, thank heavens for that. Liz at Nab Cottage warned me about the inner child coming out because of not being able to speak and she was so right, I was reacting like a very frustrated child.

Oscar took all the helpers out for a day away from Casona.  We went to his club for lunch (yum) and we spent the afternoon in the pool have a laugh and a good time.  On our way back he took us on a lil side trip to the most western edge of the continent.

Wow it’s February already, time really moves in a weird way here, quick quick slow slow quick.  Christin and Marco have come back and their stories of their adventures are great and have got my mouth watering for mine.  Viktor has left but will be back once he has connected with a friend from Holland.  Marianne and Celine have left after a very tense two weeks.  I’m sad that it ended badly but am glad that that has ended and things can calm down to easy living.

I apologise to everyone, I’ve just read through this post and it has been a bitch session.  But I suppose if i’m going to write about my travels I have to put in all my experiences not just the good ones.  And i haven’t left Lobitos because it is fulfilling it’s purpose and  i’m learning to deal with all the stuff i’ve brought here with me. That and learning to speak Spanish

Last Stop – The Lake District

Below the falls

Left Edinburgh on a rainy day and jumped on the train heading for the Lake District and Nab Cottage.  Arrived at Windermere thinking I could draw money for the bus journey to Ambleside from an ATM only to find that the ATM at the station didn´t recognize my South African card grrrrr now what to do.  The bus fare was 7 pounds and I only had 4.50 in my purse. Eventually the bus arrived and I asked the bus driver to please help, and he very kindly allowed me to pay what I had on me and also dropped in at the front door.  I am learning to accept that there are amazing kind people in the world and that all I have to do is see them.  The bus trip was ecstasy wow such scenery. The lakes that we passed were reflecting the sun set after the rain and everything was sparkling. I knew then that this was going to be a very special part of my journey.

I knocked at the door and was welcomed by Tim Melling the co-owner of Nab Cottage a language school with heart and a big soul.  The last of the summer student were still there and preparing to leave the following day.  I was taken to my room that I would be sharing with a fellow help-x’er Lindsay, who was out for the evening with some of the students having a farewell dinner. I was introduced to the other people of Nab, Liz Melling – Tim’s wife and co-owner, Wojek – the Polish manager and Nicky – Tim and Liz’s daughter.

Nab cottage was once home to Thomas de Quincy and was often visited by William Wordsworth whose home is just a short walk down the road. The cottage dates from the 16 century with many original features; beams, flagged floors, spice cupboard, mullioned windows and Thomas de Quincy’s original opium den – now a TV room.

My first day was a free day so I explored my surroundings by going for a slow walk around Rydal water, the lake across the road.  As I found in other parts of the UK the trees here are alive and I have made wondrous connections with them.  By the time I got back to Nab I was in tears from absolute pleasure.  I met Tim in the kitchen and when he asked me how I enjoyed my walk I just burst into tears again hahahaha poor guy didn´t know how to respond.

My duties were basically cleaning the rooms and serving guests and groups breakfast.  I also learned how to bake bread.  They have a magnificent aga stove that I completely fell in love with; it made the kitchen a cosy place to be in when the days got colder.

Went with Wojek and a small group of students to visit the ruins of a Roman fort near Hadrian’s Wall.  The road was tortuous and typically very narrow, winding up into the mountains.  It was Wojek’s first time using the 4×4 ability of his new car. After the ruins we went to Munster castle and watched them feeding the herons in a sanctuary that has been set up here.  We then took a walk around the owlery. Such beautiful birds, from tiny little cuties to huge predatorial eagle owls. I of course fell in love with all of them.  The day ended with a visit to the beach.  The ocean was being whipped into frenzy by the howling wind, so much so that the local sea rescue team couldn’t launch their boat for the day’s training exercise.  Then home to a hot delicious dinner. So sad I didn’t take my camera

The barn has been converted into learning, healing space and is hired out to people holding different healing groups. So I got to meet some amazing like minded people and was blessed to able to experience some of the healing that happened here.

I joined in on one of Tim’s yoga classes but couldn’t manage most of the positions, it being an advanced class. So when Sarah asked if I would like to join in her practise Yoga dance classes I jumped at the opportunity and it was amazing as the positions were really simple and easy to do and the dance was as always wonderful, it worked through the different elements starting with earth and grounding, into passionate fire, light floating air and then peaceful spirit.   I hope Sarah is able to make a success of her new venture.

One of the incredible people I met here was Don Hanson, who held a Cellular Transformation workshop, that doesn´t explain exactly what it`s all about. All I know that some really big stuff got shifted and released by everyone in the group and what was so amazing was how it was a group effort and that each person played a role in helping the others to get through their stuff. It was in Don´s own words a Yum Yum experience and that says it all

Then suddenly, after what ended up being two months instead of the original 1 month stay it was time to pack my bags and head off to begin the second leg of my journey. I booked my ticket for Lima, Peru and confirmed my new help-x position at Lobitos (a surfers paradise, I’ve been told) in Northern Peru.

Left Nab to catch the late train to Brighton and as we arrived at the station, I realised that I had left my handbag back at the cottage. Oh heavens above, I really have to learn to check everything before I leave a place.  Anyway I had to make a decision quickly; either go back to the cottage and lose my ticket and have to pay £130 the following day, opposed to the original £28 that I had already paid. Or get on the train and ask Tim to post it to me and spend 2 or 3 days in Brighton with no cash and at the last moment I jumped on the train.

Justyne picked me up from the station and we spent a quiet evening catching up.  The following day I spent a quiet day while she and Shelley were at work and in the evening I went to the house where Justyne works as an au pair and had supper with her and her 2 charges.  Briefly met their dad when he rushed in to pick up his girlfriend to go out to a show.  On Friday evening we went to the local pub, The Grosvenor, for a birthday party.

It was good to mingle with and flirt again.  On Saturday, Dom, the guy I met in Cornwall came down from Reading to visit and say goodbye. Then it was time to do a final pack and to get rid of clothes I wouldn’t need anymore and call the taxi to take me to the bus station where I would catch the bus to Heathrow.

We arrived at the airport just after midnight and after a while I found a soft couch at Costas coffee shop where I napped while waiting for my 5am check in.  Slept for the entire 2 hours to Madrid where I had a 3 hour stop over waiting for my flight to Lima. Then the long 19 hour journey crossing many timelines to begin the 2^nd leg of this wonder-filled adventure.

Edinburgh 2nd Time Round

Back with Simon and Zeta for the second time. Though most of my time here was spent quietly at their home there were moments of pure joy exploring the surrounding areas.

Friday 12 August

Zeta and I took a drive to visit Castlelaw Fort and Earth House which was developed round about 500BC by farmers and their houses, surrounded by a wooden stockade. Some time later this became a proper hillfort, with the stockade being replaced by an earth rampart and ditch. Later still, just before the arrival of the Romans in Scotland in AD80, the fort was strengthened further, with the construction of two further lines of ramparts and ditches outside the existing fort.

There is no evidence of Castlelaw Fort ever having served a defensive purpose, and within a few decades of the Roman’s initial arrival in Scotland its use had changed significantly. The main physical sign of this is the earth house or souterrain found dug into the ditch between the outer ramparts during excavations in 1933 and 1952. This has since been given a concrete roof, complete with windows, and it takes a little effort to realise that initially it was a fully underground passageway. Its function seems to have been to provide a cool and dry storage area to store grain being traded to the Roman army is supported by the finding of a Roman Brooch and pottery during the excavation of the earth house here. And today near this site there is an army barracks and tourists are reminded to watch out for red flags indicating that the firing range is being used.

Thursday 18 August 2011

Zeta had the morning off so we decided to go vist and explore Roslin Castle and it’s surrounding woodland. As always my heart and soul are gladdened by being amongst trees and the songs of the River Esk lightened my feet so that i didn’t slip in the mud.

Roslin Castle (sometimes spelt Rosslyn) is a partially ruined castle near the village of Roslin, on the north bank of the North Esk, only a few hundred metres from the famous Rosslyn Chapel which is undergoing renovations at the moment so I wasn’t able to visit there.

There has been a castle on the site since the early 14th century, when the Sinclair family, Earls of Caithness and Barons of Roslin, fortified the site, although the present ruins are of slightly later date. Following destruction during the War of the Rough Wooing in 1544, the castle was rebuilt. This structure, built into the cliffs of Roslin Glen, has remained at least partially habitable ever since. The castle is accessed via a high bridge, which replaced an earlier drawbridge. Roslin was renovated in the 1980s and now serves as holiday accommodation.

Weekend of the 20th August

Went on a camping trip to Tyninghame beach in East Lothian. Sean and Karen had found a beautiful spot in the woods just off the beach, nestled among the trees on a previous trip. So we decided that a weekend away would be a good idea.

Arrived midday on Saturday and after setting up the camp we headed out for a walk to explore the surrounding area.

The beach is on the estuary of the Firth of Tey flowing into the North Sea where Bass Rock can be seen in the distance. The rock is home to a large colony of gannets and is currently uninhabited, but historically it was settled by an early Christian hermit, and later was the site of an important castle, which was, after the Commonwealth, used as a prison.

Links Woods runs right up to the beach and during world war 2 large concrete blocks where strewn throughout these woods to be used as tank traps and these are still found lying around though some have been moved and used in construction

Monday 22 August 2011

Went to watch an listen to Ravi Shanker play at the Usher Hall.  He is a master and his ragas are so beautiful. I was completely blown away to find out that he is now 91 and still able to tour and play live concerts. WOW Unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take any photos

Tuesday 13 September 2011

Took Zeta for a thank you ferry trip on the Firth of Forth. The Fourth bridge is a wonder of civil engineering and the river (which is actually a fjord) has some wonderful history, hehehe actually i don’t remember all the stuff that we were told while cruising on the river. I was kind of sad that I didn’t get to see any puffins but we did get to see some seals

Tan Hill Inn – North Yorkshire

Tuesday 26 July 2011

After a false start because I left my bank card in Scotland and having to spend an extra 47 quid for a new train ticket I hopped on the train and headed for the highest inn in Britain. Tan Hill Inn stands at 1732ft or 528m above sea level and also the highest point of the Pennine Way, a hiking trail that starts near Manchester at Edale and ends in Scotland at Kirk Yatholm.

Tan Hill is housed in a building that is about 500 years hold. Dick Turpin may have rested his here on his ride from York.  The coal mines at Tan hill date back to the 12th century. At the time it was called a beer house, it then became a drover’s inn when carts and horses waited outside the inn for the half ton loads, costing 4 pence per hundred weight. Before that the coal was jagged on mules and horses.

Wednesday 27th July 2011

Started work today and was shown what cleaning was needed in the rooms then went into kirby stephen to get some supplies.  Arrived back to the lunch-time rush. Oh my hat, I have never washed sooo many dishes in my life, for 3 hours they didn’t stop coming hahaha greasy soap suds to my elbows but once I got the rythmn of it they flowed through my hands like greased lightning. Did the dinner dishes too but it was a very quiet night so everything moved at a slower pace. The reward at the end of the day was I got to sleep in one of the suites that had a TV, such a lucky girl.

Thursday 30th July 2011

Went in richmond to take Gee and Yolante to Richie’s (the poetic barman) place for a weekend off. Stopped in Reeth for a melon ice-cream. Such a picturesque town in an area called Swale Dale, named after the Swale river that runs through it.  It was good to see trees again. Hadn’t realised how much I had missed them.  The area around Tan Hill is very desolate with moors and rolling hills as far as the eye can see, with the A26 motorway on the far eastern horizon and the grouse that chuckle away at the silly sheep that dot the heather.

Arrived in Richmond during market day with bright colourful stalls filling up the town square. Richmond is an ancient market town named after Richmond (Rich – mont) meaning big hill. It was founded by Alan rufus who was a friend of William the Conqueror in the 10th century.  The Richmond castle is the oldest Norman castle in England and during the 2nd world war it housed the battlion that was led by Lord Baden-Powell who founded the scouts.  During the 13th century it suffered incursions by the Scots and in 1568 two catholic martyrs, Richard and John Snell were burnt at the stake for heresy and their deaths are recorded in The Book of Martyrs by JohnFoxe.  It also has the oldest Georgian theatre which was founded in 1783 and is now called The Royal Georgian Theatre.  The local MP is the current home secretary.

Had a surprise visit from a group of help-xers from another inn down in the dale. It was a great feeling of being somehow connected to a large family from all around the world.  Help-X is an organisation that facilitates the coming together of hosts and volunteers globally, a great way to meet new people, try new things and experience the local culture.

Wednesday 3rd August 2011

Anna and I joined Tracy and her family for a trip to the lake district.  We went to Lake Windermere, the largest of the lakes.  It is such a  beautiful area and it reminded me so much of home with the wooded hills surrounding the lake.  It was really busy with loads of tourists and holiday makers out for a day in the sunshine.  We hired a rowing boat for an hour and took to the water. Hahaha with me being the only one who had rowed a boat before we had loads of fun and games hoping that we didn’t get run over by the other larger boats but we managed to get all the way to one of the islands and though we tried valiently to go around it we ran out of time so had to get back to shore.  Did you know that all swans in the UK are protected by the queen and have always been because once a upon a time only royalty could eat them. Weird. Ended the day with pizza for lunch after a fruitless search for fish and chips.

Friday and Saturday 5th and 6th August 2011

One of the things Tan Hill is reknowned for is the musical gatherings that happen often.  This weekend I was privileged to hear some really amazing music.  On Friday night a band from the deep southern USA, Harpeth Rising gave us a foot stomping performance of blue grass.  The fiddler knew her stuff, while the banjo player kept the twanging melody ringing through the barn.

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And on Saturday night the band Tarras kepts us enthralled with their tunes.  They have moved to the top of my list for best live band heard here in the UK.  Here is a sample of their music

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The animals are also very much a part of the family and well loved by everyone.  My days here were amazing and I loved meeting and making loads of new friends. If you’re ever in North Yorkshire take a detour and visit www.tanhillinn.co.uk it’s well worth the visit, but be wary in winter as they are known to be snowed in for days at a time

And now back to Edinburgh.

A Good Weekend

22 – 23 June 2011

Arrived from Scotland at Shelley’s place in Brighton where I spent a quiet night watching tv while Shelley and Justyne went to a farewell dinner. Saturday morning woke up, packed the car and headed off to The Good Weekend festival stopping to pick up Naomi and Amelia.  Thanks to Justyne’s sat-nav we took the scenic round-about route through tiny hamnlets and villages.  Passed the ruins of a castle. It would be great if I had my own wheels and could explore the countryside which is really pretty and green, coloured in by fields of wild flowers.

Arrived at the festival which was held near Winchester in a beautiful field surrounded by woods at the top of the hill. Myself  and the rest of the Brighton girls have volunteered as stewards, that being mostly that we work at the gate and watch over the crowd at the stages and main entry points to the arena for 6 hours per day and get to play for the remainder, love it.  We had some fun and games trying to put up the huge canvas tent with no instructions but finally managed it proudly. Then off to work at the gate.  It was fun meeting and greeting the party people. After our shift Justyne and I wandered around listening to the music and chatting to the folk who remembered us from the gate who were have a great time. Shelley unfortunately wasn’t feeling well so went to bed.

Sitting on a hill under a tree looking down the the festival, a very gentle iniation into UK festivals. 350 people came to play, it being the first Good Weekend but if they carry on it has the potential to become way more popular. Finally got to walk in proper English woods. Our shift only started at 4pm so we went to do some exploring in the surrounding woods.  Not sure what kind of trees they were but it was wonderfilled.  Played a game where I was taken to a tree blind-folded and had to get to know the trees by touch. Once I thought I knew it, I had to say I love my tree. I was then led away and the blindfold removed and I had to find my tree again, which I did first shot. I love my tree. The woods were everything I imagined it would be like, magical, beautiful and calming. Spent the rest of the afternoon chilling and chatting in the bar

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Another beautiful sunshiney day, perfect for picking up the revellers campsite litter, ugh, i love my job, mmm Overall the people kept it tidy but there were some campsites that looked like a plastic bomb had exploded all over them. Oh my hat what a mess hahaha so i pulled mom on them and made them clean up their own mess.  The looks of dismay on their faces was hilarious.  Job done, festival over so packed up and headed back to Brighton for a quiet DVD evening.  Overall had a great time and tho most of the bands didn’t quite do it for me, the band I most enjoyed was Arp Attack and the DJs did a great job of keeping my feet moving. I’m glad i made the effort to go to the festival as I made some great connections and there is a possibility of getting some South African bands a slot at the festival next year.

Travel pics between here and there

Random shots taken in transit through London.

A Moment in Bonny Scotland

11 July 2011

Said goodbye to Gail and Devon and hopped on a train to London and Bromley by Bow to spend the night with at Sam’s place with friends Trace, Sam and their 3 bouncy hounds. Spent a chilled eve chatting to Trace, Sam was away for the night. I’m getting way more confident finding my way around the underground and train stations, though I’m sure I still looking like a tourist with big eyes and swivelling head trying to take in as much as I possibly can.

12 July 2011

Hopped on the Mega Bus at Victoria coach station and headed up to Scotland a long long trip, almost 10 hours because the bus got diverted and we drove round and round Barnsley in Yorkshire for almost an hour before getting back on the motorway and resuming our journey. Eventually arrived in Edinburgh, where Zeta met me at the bus station. 

 We took a walk along Princes Street and my first experience of Edinburgh was wowow. Such incredibly old looking buildings all around me. I can’t wait to get back there for a proper look around.  Headed out of town toward Penicuik and Roslin to where Zeta and Simon live on Bogwall Farm, right next door to the Roslin Institute where Dolly the sheep was cloned.

15 July 2011

Went to into town with Zeta today and wandered around Edinburgh for the day.  The walk down Nicholson Road took way longer than it was supposed to cause the shops and sights kept luring me in to come have a look-see.

Amazing stuff to be had. Had a late lunch in the Edinburgh Gardens under Scot’s Memorial and watched the hundreds of tourists and inhabitants enjoying the sunshine and the sights.  Chatted to a local who told me what a terrible winter they had had last year and it all sounded unreal to me, I couldn’t begin to imagine 7 feet of snow, -14 degrees of cold. Brrr it all sounded way to cold for my African blood.

 Found the National Scottish Gallery 15 minutes before closing time and oh my hat what an experience.  Looking at art created 6 or 7 hundred years ago gave me such a sense of continuity and old old culture, my heart was filled with awesomeness. I didn’t have nearly enough time to explore the whole gallery and I will be back for a day of visual splendour.

19 July

Zeta had the morning off so she took me of a lil tour of Edinburgh.  We walked down the Royal Mile where there is so much history to be taken in, walking a road that has been walked on for 100s and 100s of years.  There are tiny alleyways called a close and taking a look down them there are whole other pictures, either courtyards to apartments or stairs leading down toward the city centre, each with its own bit of history.

The Royal mile ends at Edinburgh Castle where as the story goes it is ‘ Perched on an extinct volcano, this instantly recognisable fortress is a powerful national symbol and part of Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site. Its story is Scotland’s story.

The St Gile’s cathedral was mind blowing, the art in all its forms so intricate and details. The place had a feeling of timelessness both in new an old and what could be achieved when we take time. Walking up to the castle my senses were met by such things as I only had dreamt about, hearing the many tongues being spoken by the hoards of tourists, seeing creations of people long dead, smelling fish and chips. Ancient still feeding the new through its wonders

Last few days in Devon

Sunday 3 July 2011

Drove to Ilfracombe on the other side of the bay. An old harbour town that was mentioned in the Doomsday book of 1086. With its tiny harbour it has a chequered history. I spoke to some fisherman and who explained to me how crab pots are used. On the inside of a large circular hole bait is hung to lure lobsters and crabs into the pot, not being able to reach it they crawl through to the other side of the pot where they are trapped and held. On a small boat they can string up to 700 pots together to maximise their catch. There is no quota, so the sea’s the limit… On the way back to Gail’s house we bought a fish and chips dinner to eat up on the burrows while watching the sun go down. I tried the plaice but the batter was so thick and oily I could peel it off in one large chunk, yuck, the chips were tasty. So far I must say that the traditional English food I’ve tried here is not that good at all. Thank heavens Gail is a great cook so I’ve at least had great meals at her home.

Friday 8 July 2011

My last few days in Devon were spent quietly, taking walks with Billy and exploring the countryside around us and evening walks on the Sandymere beach at the Royal North Devon Golf course and burrows. During these beach walks I experienced the vast difference in the tides. At low tide the walk to the sea shore was almost a mile long and at high tide the waves broke right up on the pebble ridge. Though the waves weren’t very big the local surfers take every opportunity to surf, even launching straight from the pebble ridge at high tide. The burrows is not only a golf course but also home to herds of sheep and horses that have right of way from the golfers and cars heading to and from the beach.  Taught Gail how to do simple beading and sewed myself a great pocket belt that will be a work in progress with the decorating adding stuff that I find along the way. Went to Chloe’s house-warming and birthday party. The usual musical suspects were there and were playing their usual folksy tunes. It was the first time I heard Chloe sing and oh wow what an amazing voice, her rendition of Dire Strait’s Juliette had me in tears, it was so beautiful. Hahaha they convinced me to sing a song from home and I valiantly tried to sing The Click Song. Didn’t make too much of a fool of myself purely because no one except Gail knew the song. So they were all interested in what it meant and I’m sad to say that I couldn’t give them very much information other than on what the clicks were. I was quite surprised at myself as I haven’t sung for anyone for nearly 20 years and mmmm it did feel good. Perhaps somewhere along the line I could sing for my supper lolol

Sunday 10 July 2011

Helped Gail get rid of some junk at car boot sales in Bideford and Hatherley.  The Bideford sale was really poorly attended because there was a farmer’s market happening on the same day but we managed to make some sales and even a bit of a profit. At Hatherley there were way more people and it was interesting watching them go by and also to chat to the other stall holders, some of whom do the markets as form of income.  Didn’t sell very much but the stuff we did sell was bulky so at least Gail’s shed was cleared out substantially.  Learnt how to make pasta using a machine that Gail had bought a while back. It has loads of potential and could be fun and the spinach spaghetti and bolognaise was very tasty.  Packed my bags for the continuation of this adventure. I’m off to an overnight in London then catching a bus up to Zeta and Simon in Scotland.  Gail thank you sooo much for opening your home to me and for all the wonderful sights you helped me experience and the interesting stuff I learnt and can take home to share with all there. Much love to you always.

A Cornish Interlude

30 June 2011

Been in the UK for almost a month and treated myself to a trip to Cornwall. The train trip to St Austell was beautiful, some parts of the track ran right next to the sea.  I’m sure the tides must splash up onto the rails when they’re really high.  Chatted with some 16 year old boys and was really impressed at the topics that they were happy to discuss, from religion to politics and economics of the world. From St Austell I caught a bus to Gorran Church then walked a mile to the Boswinger Hostel. The reception only operates in the morning and the evening so I hung about exploring the immediate area till 5. 

 Then back to Gorran Church for the bus back to St Austell, which was an half an hour late, it seems that time hasn’t got the same meaning as elsewhere in the UK especially when the bus driver stopped to buy himself a coke.  Unfortunately this caused me to miss my connection bus to Eden and so I had to get a cab to the Eden Project to watch The Flaming Lips. Wow it’s such an amazing place, the energy is vibrant and alive. 2 huge biome dominate the valley with incredible gardens surrounding them. I’ll have to come back tomorrow to explore them properly. 

Wandered around until the music started with the supporting bands, Ok Go and The Go Team which didn’t do much for me so I went to listen to  Louis Eliot and the Embers on the Stage right Stage, what an incredible fiddling and folky kinda music. The perfect music to get my feet warm for the main act. And wowow what an act they were, it was absolutely magical. The members of the band popping out of a huge circle of light and then the lead singer rolled into the crowd inside a huge inflated ball and was carried around by them for a while. Then back on stage he shot loads of confetti and streamers together with many balloons to complete the magical celebration of all that was around us. The music was sublime and left me feeling sooo happy and content with life.

1 July 2011

Got a lift back to The Eden project with a crowd of horticulture students from London and was dropped off on the outskirts. It was lovely walking besides fields and streams, being amazed at the variety of wild flowers growing on the side of the path and then arriving to see the project, everything was shaping up to be a marvelous day.  Walked around the gardens, so beautiful, so informative, with a message that I hope everyone takes away and uses.  The rain forest biome was amazing showing the different  tropical countries and the plants used by their inhabitants and how unsustainable usage was depleting the land. Questions are raised about whether or not certain practices are in fact helpful and sustainable, for example bio-fuels.

 

The Mediterranean biome showed the more temperate climates and their plants. The South African section was a bit mmmm as what they show to be fynbos was different to what I know it to be. In the food gardens the importance of companion plants is taught together with what the different plants do to help protect the food plants. I spent the day wandering about in awe of what the dedicated team had created. Well done Eden Project.

Bussed back to the hostel via a lil fishing village Mevagissey where the narrowness of the streets makes the mind boggle, it obviously was inhabited way before the advent of cars and tourism. Back at the hostel met a great couple Dom and Nicola, who are charity crunchers, i think they called it. They sell altruism by convincing people to sign monthly debit orders to support charities like cancer research and child protection. Spent the evening with them on the beach putting the world to rights and have a piss up. Good times.

2 July 2011

Back to St Austell and Devon. It was a shorter trip this time and I had an opposite experience with English youth, a young teen girl who was sitting opposite me spent the journey wounding herself by scratching out a huge cut she had on her upper arm and the rest of her arm was covered in large keliod scars. I felt so sad that someone so young had arrived at such a point and I assumed no one had helped ease her plight especially with all the care systems in place here. I didn’t get to the Lost Gardens of Heligan because I missed the bus so I’ll definately have to go back to explore the rest of Kernow, the cornish name for their land. Overall my Cornish experience was filled with pleasures of the senses and i’m so happy that I was able to go.

Devon

Friday 17 June 2011

A cold and miserable Devon day, so we decided to start on the cleaning of Aunty Mable’s house.  Aunty Mable is a woman who Gail took care of during her last days. The house is to be put on the market for sale and needs a thorough cleaning, so I have been employed to do just that. My first gainful employment in England hahaha who would have thought that I would be a charwoman. On our way home we stopped at a friend of Gail’s Steve who is a brilliant musician, a music teacher and a repairer of violins. I’ve never seen sooo many instruments in one home, some of them strange and wonderful.  For dinner Gail made a very tasty Moroccan chicken dish. We planned to go out to listen to some live music but had a surprise visit by some friends, so spent the evening at home.

Saturday 18 June 2011

Weather still cold and wet but we decided to take a drive to see some of the coastline.  Our first stop was at Clovelly, a tiny hotel down at the bottom of a ridge. We drove down to the beach but unfortunately were told that we weren’t allowed to park the car there and had to drive back up to the top where we could then use the hotel’s lift service. We couldn’t be asked so we left and headed off to Hartland Quay. On the drive I was once again really impressed at the hedgerow flower, so pretty. Hartland Quay is one of the coastal wrecker villages with a spectacular coastline of weird rock formations and cliffs. It’s a treacherous coastline where many ships have run aground and were plundered by the locals. Stopped in at the local museum and read up about some of the history of the area. It was once a busy port for ships carrying limestone from there to the limestone kilns further up the coast. There is a story about when the fishing was bad the locals would light fires at thetop of the cliffs telling the ships out at sea that there was safe passage and when then ships came in to land they would be smashed against the rocks and the locals would head down to the beach and plunder the ships of their cargo.

Sunday 19 June 2011

Had a pork roast with veggies lunch at First In Last Out Inn with friends of Gail’s Mandy and Charlie. My first pub experience. As we walked in there were loads of people dressed in their Sunday best and I thought omg people go to the pub straight after church lol but it turned out that there was a christening gathering been held. The lunch was nothing really special but the sponge dessert was decadent chocolate.  We then went up to Tapeley Manor and had a walk around the gardens. The Victorian kitchen garden was quite interesting, saw artichokes growing for the first time. They also have a permaculture garden but we didn’t get to see it but will return for another look. Tapeley Manor was built in the 1600s and has been owned by the Christie family for generations since 1850. On our way home we drove Instow, the upper crust village of Devon which is right on the beach front/estuary. Two rivers join up here, the Taw and the Torridge and the tide fall is 21 metres, leaving all the moored boats high and dry

Tuesday 21 June 2011

Drove to Torrington and had a Hockings Ice cream with clotted cream topping while taking Billy for a walk on the commons. Then visited Big Al who restores Romany gypsy caravans. Absolutely exquisite, I would love to travel round the countryside in one of them. Visited the 1649 Torrington museum the site of the English civil war where they have enactment days and everyone dresses up in character and one can see how they used to live four centuries ago.  On our way home we stopped to pick some samphire on the skern. Samphire is like asparagus and grows wild on the salt flats on the banks of the Torridge river.  There are two rivers that meet in this area forming the estuary as they flow out to sea.  The 27 foot tide change leaves long stretches of the rivers completely empty and the boats standing high and dry. We then dropped Billy off with a friend Mervin and went to the health club in Barnstaple for a swim and a relax on the hot beds. On our way we stopped at Pizza Hut for dinner.

 

 Thursday 23 June 2011

Spent the morning exploring Bideford while Gail attended her weekly Rotary Meeting. Then home for some time for Gail to work in the garden for the afternoon. Gardening here is made a whole lot easier with all sorts of strange machines that do most of the back breaking work like turning the soil. After a delicious dinner we went to the Royal George for an evening of folk music and shanty songs and tasted alcoholic ginger beer and Peary, a pear cider. The music was good and I loved the way the whole pub joined in for the rousing choruses.

Sunday 26 June 2011

At last a perfect sunny day. Spent the morning at Westward Ho! Beach. A wide long beach with the mouth of the Torridge and Taw rivers and the Kipling Tor bluff on the other.  The tide with its 27 foot fall comes right up to a pebble ridge, which in the past was where the locals had a pebble tossing competition where they would throw the pebbles back up onto the ridge but health and safety put a stop to it. It’s also a surfer’s haven and there were loads of surfers out taking advantage of clean long breaks.

Wednesday 29 June 2011

Took a stroll around the Burton Museum and Art Gallery in Bideford to have a look at an exhibition of local artist’s etchings and different kinds of prints. Then wandered around the Victoria Park gardens with Billy and Gail. Learnt that holly is a tree and not a bush as I had originally thought. Gail got a load of plants at the attached nursery which is also a kind of work centre where they teach undesirables how to garden and grow stuff.  They have sooo many support systems in place here in the UK one has no excuse to not be able to live at a decent level.  Later in the afternoon, using the plants that she had bought, Gail taught me how to make a hanging basket, using lobelia, creeping jenny, petunias, origanum and marjoram.  It seems like almost every house in the area has them hanging on their front porch, they’re really pretty and colourful.