Week 2 and 3 - London and Scotland

So I've been really slacking with my blog and several people have pointed it out, so I'm getting my ass in gear and updating now! I just dont know where to start and I have the worst possible keyboard at this moment in time, so with that bit of complaining out of the way, I will fill you in on my last two weeks in the UK.

After getting a bit sick of the London touristy stuff I decided to take off to a place on the southern coast of England, called Brighton. It only took about an hour by train from London, and the change in atmosphere and weather was amazing. It was great to get away from the hustle and bustle of London, and spend a couple of days somewhere you could completely relax. The day I arrived it was fantastically sunny and the water front and Brighton Pier were crowded, but everyone sauntered at a relaxed pace. I spent most of the afternoon walking along the boardwalk and pier, as i could not yet check into my hostel room. I do have to say that this was the first time I was questioning my sanity booking a mixed dorm room. I walked into the room to find 3 guys (no girls), one of which probably hadn't slept in days and still smelled of alcohol and I woke up one morning to find him asleep on the floor with his head on his skateboard. That was my first clue that Brighton is known for being a party place. There isn't really much do do there other than a bit of shopping, the pier, but they have quite an amazing night life. I met another Canadian from Winnipeg, named Chris and we spent both nights hanging out with a different group of locals and dancing all night. It had been a long time since I had let myself go...and I realized how much I missed dancing! Brighton honestly wasn't what I expected, and I was pretty exhausted after two nights of partying, but I had a blast and would recommend it to anyone who would want to have a good time!

On to Scotland. I left Brighton early morning after my second night, and had a looong train ride up to Edinburgh. After hearing suggestions from a few people that I absolutely HAD to do a tour of the Isle of Skye, I made my reservations online. I was not disappointed. I would recommend Scotland to anyone, and from the 3.5 days I spent there, it became one of my favourite places. The architecture of Edinburgh's old city is beautiful. It's old and mysterious and somehow elegant, seeing its castle poised on top of a rugged mountain and the slope of St. Arthur's Seat. I have to say that I became only more mesmerized when we headed out on the tour and began driving through the Scottish Highlands. It was easy just to stare out of the window of the tourbus in awe. Everything was green, mountainous and wild...and there were a lot of sheep, everywhere. I think I'm always amazed at going to such a small country and seeing how much of the natural landscape is still preserved. I suppose it may have to do with the fact that there's not much you can do with the rocky land, but I do believe that if it was North America, we'd find some way to destroy it. Anyway, moving on... I suppose its easier to describe the highlights of the trip, as there are so many things we saw and stories we heard, I could probably go on for days.

The people on our bus were fantastic! There were about 9 Canadians on the bus which was fantastic! 1 person was from Toronto, 3 were from Mississauga and 1 of them knew my friend Alliece. Small world! Our tour guide, Ruth was a little mischievous fairy and was excellent. Was somehow able to drive, tell us stories as we drove along and not get distracted by the rowdiness of the bus (as champagne was popped open at 11:00 am). The first day the most amazing thing was seeing 2 full rainbows end to end. It's really quite a spectacular to see, but unfortunately no one was able to find the pot of gold and we trekked on just as poor as we started. The Loch Ness was another one of our stops. The view was lovely, but generally unexciting other than two girls from the bus who decided it was an excellent idea to try and skinny dip in the fridged waters! Arriving at the Isle of Skye later that evening was like entering a tiny little fishing village on a little enchanted island...and I should mention that the people in this little fishing village knew how to party. We went to a local pub (one of two in the area) and a local Scottish band played and were excellent. The locals were super friendly and willing to dance and chat with us about the area. I ended up staying till close with a couple from France and I coaxed 3 German guys into dancing. They ended up having a blast once they got into it. I ended up spending the day with them again once I got back to Edinburgh.

Day 2 was our full day on the Ilse of Skye. We began our morning at a quiet stream under a bridge (the name escapes me) but legend has that if you submerge your face beneath the water, you will experience eternal youth. Up next was a waterfall of similar fame. By allowing the water to fall over your head, you will have a lifetime of great sex. Really it was just a good excuse to wade through the water and end up looking silly. The highlight of the day was our climb up to the Old Man Stor. There's a whole legend behind the rock (of course) which stands independently on the side of a mountain. Needless to say the relatively difficult climb was well worth the view...its one of those views that puts you in awe of our creator. It may sound slightly morbid, but it would be a fantastic place to die. It was so peaceful and yet powerful looking out from that point and unfortunately the photos do not do it justice. We discovered that the hike down the mountain was almost as difficult as going up, and a few times the only way to get down was to slide down the grassy slope..and let me tell you the grass in Scotland is so thick and lush it was like sliding down on a cloud. They should make toilet paper out of the stuff! Our last stop of the day, Fairy Glen was just as exciting. For some reason, everything in this area was in miniature...little hills and valleys that resembled nothing of the surrounding area. Many people came and left little tokens or presents for the fairys, so there were rocks left in stars, hearts and spirals and in the centre a collection of trinkets left by both travellers and locals. I think one of the things that amazed me so much about this area was that so much of the folk lore and mysticism was still alive. It still felt like an enchanted place.

The last day was not all that exciting, perhaps a bit depressing watching the Highlands gradually dissapear and meld with the Lowlands. Our group mostly dispersed after getting back to Edinburgh as everyone was heading off to a new destination. I left the next afternoon to head back to London. Thankfully I ended up sitting next to a young guy from Ireland who worked in London, so we chatted most of the 4 hour train ride. I've gotten used to making random conversation with strangers, as travelling alone would get quite boring otherwise.

It was nice to get back to Clare's and have a few days of relaxation again before heading off to India! I planned to go to see Stonehenge in Salisbury on the 25th for my birthday. I have to admit it was quite disappointing. It's very small and really dwarfed by the green fields surrounding it. Still, it was swarmed with tourists. It's almost as like all its energy was taken away by energy sucking tourists. It just felt sad to me...as if it once stood strong and proud, and now nothing is left because it's been made such a spectacle. I was happy to turn around and head back. I explored a bit of Salisbury instead, which was quite quaint. Clare had planned a birthday dinner for me when I returned. We headed to her mom Sally's place and we had a picnic in the garden. Grainne, also from the Spain Reiki retreat also came by and we had a small Reiki share after dinner. It was a very special way to spend my birthday and I am very grateful I had friends to spend it with!

That is all of excitement until the flight to India...Until then my friends...

Week 1 of 52 - London!

I have officially been in London for 1 week now and this is the first I've had a bit of time to sit and write an update. I apologize for lack of detail in some cases. There is just too much to say for 1 entry. I will update with some photos when I get the chance.

I arrived in London on Monday morning without any sort of plan at all. I just figured I'd show up at the hostel and take it from there, which in a country with the same language and generally the same customs is pretty easy to do. I met a few people in the hostel when I arrived...a group of Canadian girls, a Student from California who was on his way back home after doing a semester in Milan, and another solo traveller from Afghanistan. The week was spent roaming through London, checking out the most obvious touristy stuff, ie: Knights Bridge (not to be confused with London Bridge), Millenium Bridge, National Gallery, London Eye, Camden Town, Covent Gardens, Tate Modern Museum, Picadilly Circus, Liecester Square, strolled along the Thames and a few of London's gigantic parks etc. I'm glad I can say I've seen all those things, but by the end of the week I was ready to move on.

I stayed with Clare (whom I met in Spain) and her roomates Tom and Nick, on Sunday and Monday night. It was great to see a bit of the 'real London' in Battersea. It's an up and comming area for the yonger generations. It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle and see the tree lined streets, not so crowded parts and a lot of independent clothing stores and cafes. We had dinner on Monday evening with Clare's mom who was also in Spain for the Reiki retreat, and it was fantastic to see her again. I will be heading back to say for a few more days once I return from Scottland.

At the moment I'm in Brighton, on the Southern coast of England. It's absolutely beautiful here. I arrived yesterday to sun, a beach and water that stretches out as far as the eye can see. There isn't a whole lot to do here other than to relax. There's lots of people from other areas in England that come down here to get away for a day or so. I sat in a cafe this morning and watched four old ladies trying to flirt with a French waiter named Hubert. I do have to say it made my day.

I spent last night hanging out with another traveller from Winnipeg, Canada and two guys that work at the bar below the hostel. It's not usually my thing, but I was convinced to go to the club downstairs for £1 drinks and drum and bass. It was fantastic! No hip hop or R&B...pure drum and bass so we danced until about 2am and hung out with the staff after they kicked everyone else out. Oh...the manager of the hostel nicknamed 'Canada' is from the Broadveiw and Danforth area...small world.

Tomorrow I'm heading up to Scottland and doing a 3 day tour of Edinburgh and Isle of Skye...It was highly recommended to me by a few people, so I'm hoping for the best! I will keep you posted!! Love and miss you all!

The Beginning of Something...

Greetings to everyone who wishes to read my blog, and will follow along on my journey commencing in June 2008. I'm hoping to post as often as I can throughout my travels not only to keep you (my friends and family) up to date, but for me to remember everything that I've done once I return!

This trip came together very quickly, the initial idea was brought to my attention by my cousin Jillian in December when I was visiting in Montreal. I wanted to go to India to study yoga and experience the culture, as well as go to Australia to visit a few friends. The rest generally fell into my lap. It is now the beginning of April and I have less than two months to finish planning, leave my job, move my things back to my parents home and say my goodbyes.

You could say that this trip has come into fruition because of a 1/4 life crisis. I'm not sure if such thing exists, but it seems to fit in this case. After a Reiki Retreat in Orgiva, Spain in October and an unfortunate breakup soon after, I began questioning my life path/purpose and my desire to travel only became stronger. It's funny how one event can seem to become the catalyst for wanting to redirect ones life. October and the months to follow brought on a great feeling of unfulfillment within my design job, a questioning of family and societal expectations, and a quest to find happiness...something despite my comfortable life, I have not frequently experienced.

Being naturally too serious, too intense, too internal, it was easy for me to go straight into college, into working and taking on far too much responsibility for someone in their early 20's. I realized I was already bitter, and was afraid of getting stuck, forgetting that I had a life to live and desires (yoga teacher training for one) I still wanted to see come to fruition. Our society is so focused on working, money and materialism that we forget that we have lives that are meant to be enjoyed, experienced and shared. Perhaps I am an idealist (or have turned into one), but I don't think its wrong or one should feel guilty wanting to truly experience life and to make a living doing soemthing that is completely fulfilling.

I should mention that I do have days where I question if I am making the correct choice. If I really am sane, wanting to take off for a year, partially by myself, but I'm choosing to do it anyway, to leave the 'safe' path behind and face some lingering fears. I will learn things that no book could ever teach, about life, about cultures, about faith. I don't believe anyone can travel the world for a year, and not be changed...in what way is up to them.

This trip is dedicated to my grandfather, Melvin Overholt, who passed away when I was 6. He loved to travel, and I've felt his guidance as this trip has come to fruition. This is my way of getting to know him on some level...I know he'll be proud.