First week In India
Got to Bombay at 2am, was kinda late so I checked into the first hotel I saw, $38 a night but I was tired, slept for 14 hours.
Was far too late to get up and change hotels at 4pm so I had some food and wandered around Colbara, plenty of tourists. Saw the gateway to India and looked at some shops, drank some juice and went back to bed. 14 days of working and the hassle of getting my visa the day before had taken their toll.
Next day I got up too late to get a cheaper room again, they called from reception but i unplugged the phone. No do not disturb sign…
I looked at the map and went walking in Bombay, still not sure why they changed the name. Went north from Colbara, was interesting, walked for about 3 hours. Bought a few odds and ends, nothing exciting, was nice to get out and see a whole new city, a whole new country and for the people that lived there, their whole world.
Third lazy day, another walk, same punjabi thali in the same place, same people asking me to buy their stuff. I have to leave tomorrow, still not managed to wake up early enough to check out.
I get up in the morning!! I have a thali for breakfast somewhere new, I walk up to the train station so I know where it is and use my visa card to buy a ticket to Pune (no big queues but it costs me 40p for the privilege of swiping). I store my bags, bum around some more and go to get the train. Wasted time in Mumbai, too tired, too disorganized, but I’m in India…
Late train, sleep, go to big hotel, people call me sir but its cheap. I learn Brad and Angelina left Pune the same day back to Bombay, I was hoping to meet them for a drink. Next time. I explode my backpack and set up the washing line, the water temperature in the shower is too variable to enjoy.
Call Eric, para gliding instructor, he comes in the morning and sits chatting on his phone. Busy guy. We agree to start that afternoon, he gives me a lift to my new backpacker ghetto near the ashram, I find a cheap apartment and pull my jeans back on. Time to fly.
100 rupees for the majority of the way to the school, i get VJ to take me the rest of the way. Nice guy, works the phones all night for the Americans and flies in the day. Eric is on his phone, we drive out to some fields, hike a small hill, they test the wing and then we move 500m to a flat field. Pointless, I’m in my harness and hanging around. They hook me up, give me the spiel, run here, pull this, feel the wind. Up goes the glider and I pump my legs and keep it up, rinse repeat. They ask me if I’m tired but I keep saying ‘One more’. The sun sets and we stop.
The coannell give me a lift most of the way into town, its hot, dusty and dark. The streets are packed with people, no rickshaws but after an age we find one and I head back to coffee and cakes at the German bakery and sleep. I meet Doctor George in my apartment, he’s at the ashram, digs waking my up at 5am, Israeli Australian, nice guy. I sleep.
Up early for my proper lesson, boots, jeans, gloves, helmet, check… I try for a rickshaw, they want to know where, I don’t know, I know how to get there. We agree a price despite the lack of clear goals, he refuses the meter, its too early it seems. He throws me out 4/5 of the way, I pay and walk. Wave to the locals who never see tourists on this backwater farm track. Im late, Eric is on the phone, but we sort the paper work, sign the forms and head off to the bank. Guess they want me to pay.
1/2 drive to the hill, we try a new one, its too windy, its too late. Anandvitty, the assistant, tries a few tricks. I stand around confused. I read my book some more, not been told to read it but it seems like a good idea. They fall over, give up, Eric chats to some locals for ages while we pack the wing and wait. We’ll try again in the afternoon.
I rent a scooter, fuck the rickshaws, 100rp a day, 1.20. I meet Vanessa who rents the other room in my apartment, nice, interesting, married…
No problem getting to school on time, need to get there quick so we can drink tea and Eric can take calls. Im wondering when he will start to teach me. The 4 of us set off, the guys on the toll bridge wave in anger as we refuse to stop again, Eric knows the builder.
1km to the hill base and 200m up, out come to gliders and on go my gear. I’m told the 10 checks for safety, I get a radio, don’t forget to turn it off when told, those rechargeable batteries are valuable! I kind of understand where to try to land, I kind of understand how to land, I have to be ready to run and turn, flare and fold. Its all very interesting, I wonder if I will remember when I hit the ground.
I pull, up goes the wing and you can feel the wind lifting, pulling, trying to draw you up to the heavens, and what goes up must come down. I run on command, the hill drops away, my heart beats and … I’m flying. No engine, just gravity pulling me down and the wind trying to push me back up. My heart beats on, do I feel fear? Panic? Elation? (obviously!). None of these things, i hang in the air with only string and fabric between me and a fall to my death, my heart beats steadily as if its the most natural thing in the world.
I do a couple of turns when Eric tells me through the walkie talkie, but I can’t make out anything else he says other than ‘right’ and ‘left’ with the wind rushing past. I pick my spot, I think about landing, flare (pull both brakes), run, turn, collapse the glider… The landing field is where Eric wanted me, but its me that got there, I flare as I come in like they do on TV, I run but my brain gets confused and I dont turn. Its ok, the wing comes down anyway in a mess, Ive flown and landed safely and my heart rate didn’t change…
Local boys come running, expert packers and porters so I can get back up the hill quick. They want their 20 rupees, but they don’t know the meaning of the word ‘no’. Oh they understand well enough, but their constant attempts at ‘helping’ me only makes the job go slower. Will you be there when I’m flying in Europe I ask them, but they don’t understand, they want pocket money. Eventually I get it packed, Anandnitty comes down nearby and tells me he only pays 10rp for a porter. Its not that far up, ’10 minutes’ Eric says, I wonder when he last climbed it.
Back at the top i rehydrate and get set up again, its getting late, the sun will set soon. Last flight, and the first one took 2 minutes to get to the bottom. 4 days training, with one on the ground, so 3 x 2 flights, 6 flights for 100 pounds, at 2 minutes a time, 8 pound a minute or 500 pounds an hour? Not quite what I expect, is this cheap still? Carrying, packing, sitting in a jeep…
Next flight is also great, I get lifted up nearly right away, and hardly run. My heart beats slowly, I turn and glide down, no soaring for me, landing practice, always the fun parts…. not. I come in for the field a bit too long, my angle into the wind is ok, I flare ok and am on my feet but the wind is frisky, the glider pulls and I fall scraping my arm. T-shirt is not the best idea.
Thats it, ‘lesson’ over and I once again fight 4 boys off my glider to get it packed. The money is nothing, but am I learning or just being stubborn? I join VJ and Anandnitty who fy down after me and we walk around the hill and back to the house we left the jeep, 2 km or so. VJ is cool. Its dark now, Eric sits and talks on his mobile, we refuse the offer of chai and set off back to Eric’s house. An hour later I’m back in my apartment and wondering what I’ve let myself in for.
Up early next day to make it for the 7.30 am lesson, still jet lagged, still sleeping late, I sit waiting For Eric and reading my instruction book, Anandnitty is amazed that I’m half way through it already, he has never read it, although he says he doesn’t really read. We leave about 8.30, so much for getting up early and missing breakfast… The toll guards shout at us again, I laugh.
This time I have my camera and we have guest from up country. We park a bit closer to the hill and climb up together. There are 4 of us, Eric, myself and 2 guys from Northern India who are here to fly, or buy something, or test something, I never really understood exactly what. I think their gliders were delayed on the train or something so they were just checking out the terrain for later. Happily they have a new DVD video camera they are keen to test so they point it at me for 20 minutes as I prepare and perform my third flight. “Um, can I have a copy?” :p
I get kitted up and stick my camera on the front of my helmet, for a true eagle eye view of the trip down to the rice fields. Ready, set, go! This time I seem to lift, stall, drop, speed up, repeat. Doesn’t feel like a very smooth flight, perhaps its my complete lack of training on this aspect of flying. Eric shouts some instructions into the walkie talkie, but I can’t really hear him the wind is rushing past my ears too much. I guess he wants a few turns and I oblige, I turn left and follow the ridge, but I’m not climbing, just dropping steadily, I figure I’m a little too close to the hill and turn right, only I don’t turn, I just seem to stop and at this point I’m only 15 meters or so above the hillside, I start to drop, pick up some speed as I half figure I’m about to land on a steep hillside, with no training or idea of how to do it. Like an expendable action man on a home made tea towel parachute I swoop towards the ground… and keep going! I could have reached out and touched the flowers as I went past if I wasn’t so convinced I was about to crash.
My heart decides its time to rumble into life, if this lack of control is anything to go by the landing might require some adrenaline and natural pain-killers. Two turns and its nearly time to reacquaint myself with Terra Firma, I’ve only been up 40 seconds and I have to think about where I’m going to land. Not a very thrilling hobby, and I have the hike back up to look forward to. hmmmm. I spy out the target field and guesstimate how I’m gonna get there, ie can I turn a few more times, or do I need to head straight there. The problem is you have to land into the wind, and when trying to hit a tennis court sided field (because you don’t want to piss off the other farmers) with no really experience or idea of if this is possible, it means you’re busily doing complex physics calculations in your head with no calculator, while wondering if you’re going to survive the experience, trying to listen to the distorted instructions from the walkie talkie, scoping out trees you have to fly past (or through) to the target, thinking about the procedure for landing (out the seat, pull the brakes at 5m, run, turn, collapse…), aiming the camera on my helmet for youtube, checking the canopy…. basically its a bit of a head fuck. Not really the relaxing experience I was led to expect.
I glide in, time for a small turn which is a mistake because it lowers my speed, but I’m doing ok for the field… uh oh, whats that hut thing coming up?? Didn’t seem that from the top… going too slow… line of broken trees… never gonna clear them….have to go through… stalling… IM GOIN IN!! No time to think, have to land into the wind, I drift right, no time to turn, I do the best I can, I tag a small tree on my way past, nothing to be done, flare, run, back on the ground somehow. This time my heart is awake!
For my second run the wind isn’t blowing quite as hard or steadily as the previous day and when Eric says to go I run and run, right off the edge of the hill dropping as I go…. no lift, no wind!! I’m going down, the hills is sparsely dotted with spiny thorn bushes, really nasty things to get caught on as you struggle up the hills and I’m dropping right towards one, out of control at 15 mph! My chances of having children flash before my eyes, I put my feet together and kick my way through it! Despite this I gain some speed, i seem to go up a bit, at least I’m not dropping quite so fast. Its seems ok, but no gliding, no wind, its just a quick trip to the fields for this trip.
Tags: ghetto, Travel, money, brakes, wanderings, possiblity, privilege, hassle, ashram, mistake, bridge, beds, drinksMy brother got married.
Here are some photos 
I’d like to thank him for an acceptable speech :p
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Gringo Taxi poster
Its amazing what you can pick up just by playing around in Photoshop. I made up a poster to try to get some passengers in my van. I’ll have a pocket in the bottom left for cards too. Think it will work?
after a bit of refining…
My new ‘business’ cards
Day 317
Coban, Guatemala
nice eh?
I got 25 printed out so that’s another 100 cards. Stupid photolab don’t know how to callibrate their machines though and part of the text on the left was missing. Perfectly useable, if I knew more Spanish I could have complained and got a discount :p
Tags: Travel, coban guatemala, new business, Guatemala, disco, photo, tent, trousers, cards, business cards, blog, seaBack in Mexico
Mexico City
I’ve just had a few more days in the capital doing random tourist things. I went back to Hostel Amigo, despite my better judgment, but it seems this time the noise didn’t bother me as much. What bothered me was finding out I was paying 120 pesos for my room and other people were booking online and only paying 70! I certainly missed a trick there.
I made friends with 3 sisters from South Africa, Sarrane, Caryn and Lauren and will be giving them a lift down to Oaxaca and then onto Puerto Escondido. Free surfing lessons might also be on the cards, although I could probably do with a few myself. I still didn’t do all the tourist things I had planned on but it was more fun to do random things with Saranne for a few days than wander around museums on my own. We went to the main market (disgusting animal section, no water in the cages and most of the poor creatures were sharing their cages with dead relatives!), Cultural Museum and post office. I also went to see the new Indiana Jones movie which was rather crap.
Tags: new indiana jones movie, judgement, disgust, hostels, mexico, mexico city, animal section, india, museumsPlaying tourist
Mexico City
Museum/irish/murals/zoo?/art gallery/monkeys/josca birthday/beer and cards
Tags: Day, mexico, car, cards, mexico city, monkeyYou’ll never catch the Assman alive!
Day 201
San Juan Teotihuacan
Somehow I got up, got my car packed and left Valle de Bravo. The question of whether there was any paragliding to be done was unresolved. I didn’t see anyone in the air during the 4 days I was there. I wasn’t in the mood to find out it seemed.
I had no idea where I was going.
I looked at the my Lonely Planet in a vague attempt to at least work out my next destination. Roland had texted me to say he was on the beach with his friend but that was a bit to far to go and then head back to Mexico city after only 2 weeks. I figured I could make it to the pyramids near Mexico City, they had a cheap camp site and it seemed a good enough idea. My only small problem was getting there, but it didn’t seem to far… Driving in Mexico is easy, navigating is not too bad, but there was only me, and driving and looking at maps isn’t a good idea. I was about to have maybe my worst day in the country…
The first few hours were fine, I followed the road towards the capital intending to avoid it at all costs. 25 million people would be a lot of traffic… I also realised I had another problem, it was Friday. Mexico City has a law, not a bad law either, that restricts cars with the last number on the plate from using the roads for one day a week on a rotating basis. So on Fridays the numbers 0 and 9 were banned. I planned to follow the highways around the capital anyway so I figured I would be ok. As soon as I started getting close to city I became increasingly frustrated in a way I hadn‘t felt before in Mexico. The road signs would direct me to various suburbs but wouldn’t tell me how to get clockwise around the capital. I had to keep pulling over to consult my map which was proving to be reasonably useless, I couldn’t find any of the places on the signs and eventually found myself driving into the city. Not good. I turned around and came 10 miles back out which was a waste of time, then found the toll road and figured that had to take me North and towards my destination. Regretting the 33 pesos it cost me I had found the right road and joined the speedway drivers taking advantage of the comparatively empty road. I figured I would be able to get to the main town to the north of the capital and the carry on to the pyramids but ended up getting off at the next exit.
My map was off scale, I couldn’t find any where on the signs (half of which were obscured by graffiti), I kept trying to steal glances at my map but at one point nearly came off the road and decided I would rather live. I was getting slightly annoyed. I had no idea where I was so drove onto the next sign. I was soon waved over by a police car on patrol. Uh oh. I shook his hand and gave him my licence and then as usual asked if he spoke English. I knew I was in trouble, but I knew also it wasn’t really a big deal. I felt quite justified being in the wrong place at the right time… fix your bloody signs! The cop started going on about the plates and numbers and althought I didn’t know the specifics of what he said I could guess what the problem was right away. I got my dictionary out and replied as best I could to his questions, mostly I said ‘I don’t understand’. After 10 minutes or so of telling him I didn’t want to be there and I was lost he gave me my licence back and told me to keep going and I would get to the pyramids. I asked if I should go back to the toll road once he showed me on my map where I was but he said ‘just keep going’. Maybe this ‘no driving on friday’ law wasn’t that strict after all…
I did another 10 miles or so in thick and fast traffic. I saw a few cop cars but they didn’t see me. I started to relax… The traffic started to get more stop and go and I pulled up to some lights and a couple of cops were standing there just waiting to bust someone. A fat grey haired codger and his younger, equally rotund companion. That someone was me. They took my license and I pulled over. They didn’t speak English either but they had a nice tatty folder explaining the law in English, as if I didn’t already know. They told me I couldn’t drive until 10pm, they also mentioned fines and then wandered around trying to find someone who spoke English. I acted as though I was quite happy to wait around until 10pm, I asked if there were any hotels nearby. I figured I wasn’t in any immediate danger of being arrested. I looked at them a bit closer. Were they really police men? They didn’t have guns or handcuffs. They seemed quite reasonable really. They mentioned ‘Multa’ a few times, the Spanish for fine, but I mostly just ignored the word and asked if I could just hang out until 10. After 20 minutes of hanging around the fat older ‘cop’ handed me back my licence and told me to drive around the block and wait until night. It was about 5pm now and I was still miles from San Juan Teotihuacan where the pyramids are…
I got back in my car, turned left to go around the block… and kept going. It felt so wrong to driving away from the cops but after looking at the map I figured I wasn’t actually in Mexico City anymore. With a deep sense of unease I picked my way through the back streets until I was a few blocks away from my second encounter with the cops. I seriously considered implementing the ‘Assman’ card but then figured what was the chances of getting caught again. I got back on the main road and was stopped at the next lights. This time they really were cops and not just part time security guards dressed up as them.
Bollocks!
Of course they didn’t speak English but I guess they didn’t need to. I pulled over and was directed to a side street where a very seriously looking cop did all the talking. He blathered on for ages, I didn’t understand 10% of what he said but I just played it dumb as much as possible. When he used a word a few times I looked it up in my dictionary. He also kept going on about fines. I tried to bore him by asking where I was on the map, an insisting I wasn’t in the capital anymore. I asked about hotels and waiting around, he told me the fine was 4000 pesos. I ignored that and went back to trying to find out if everywhere nearby had the same law. He said he could let me off for 200 dollars. I said I didn’t have any dollars. I got my wallet out and opened it. Happily it had 20 pesos in it. I pointed to the ashtray full of change I had. He didn’t notice the 450 pesos that was sitting on the seat next to me partially obscured by my guidebook and I ignored it, and covered it up whenever I could. If he asked for my passport I would have been screwed because I always keep some cash with it.
He consulted with his colleague. I guessed I was going to be taking a trip to the station… Instead he gave me back my licence, then gave me directions to the pyramids and… gave me a receipt for the fine I just hadn‘t paid ! I drove off quick before they changed their minds!
This is all you have to do if you’re in DF illegally.
I was still deep in Mexico city suburbs though and I didn’t fancy wasting another 20 minutes on cops who may, or may not, get bored with my lack of Spanish. Lets face it if they took my keys and passport I would have no choice but to pay them. And they had guns. It was getting late, I was tired, I just wanted to get to the campsite and go to bed. I knew I was breaking the law but instead of the police enforcing it properly they were just trying to shake me down for some cash and my licence was giving them all the excuse they needed. I felt I had no choice but to go Assman on them.
I pulled over and removed my licence plates.
In New York I had been on the Kenny Kramer tour, the inspiration for Kramer in Seinfeld, one of my favourite shows. In one episode he accidentally gets sent the wrong licence plates which he put on his car. Kenny also sells these along with his T-shirts and mugs. I bought one myself.
I would never dare to do this in the States but I decided I was either going to the pyramids or to jail, I was bored with listening to crooked cops…
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I made it to the Pyramids eventually via the most convoltuted route you could imagine, cursing all the way, but I didn’t get stopped again!
Wandering around Guadalajara
Day 181
Guadalajara, Mexico
I was getting close to finishing off the current book I’m reading, an Umberto Eco novel called ‘The island of yesterday’ which was a tour de force of brilliance but was slightly distracting in my quest to be a tourist. I must try not to read when I wake up as there is a natural tendency to fall asleep once more, which is of course what happened. It was afternoon by the time I woke and I wandered up into town to find something to eat. My car was sitting baking in the sun and I opened it up to find the new wax on my surf board had melted and dripped all over one of my camping mats :/
The city center isn’t very far so I decided against putting my bike together and just walked up. The traffic was pretty bad, but this being the second largest city in Mexico would only be eclipsed by Mexico City, a place I’m not looking forward to driving in, but shouldn’t be any worse than anywhere else, it would just be more crowded. People in the states told me that Boston had the worst drivers but I didn’t particularly find that to be true just as people in Mexico warn me that Mexico City is a nightmare to drive in, but I’m not so sure. I’m sure its only as bad as Bangkok or Kamapala in Uganda. More traffic means you go slower but also means its safer. Then you only have the problem with the cars around you. I’ve found Mexican drivers to be rather selfish though, the usual stupidity of third world thinking where everyone is looking out for number one. Yesterday I saw a ambulance sitting at the traffic lights with his lights flashing and no one moved. So either it wasn’t a real emergency or the driver realised that even using his siren wouldn’t get them out of the way. This is the scariest thing I guess, you can crash your car, get some help and the traffic still kills you on the way to hospital.
Surveys show that the vast majority of people consider themselves to be an above average driver but this is clearly impossible. I find it better to regard myself as a below average driver since I am regularly doing what is the most dangerous activity in my life it is better to regard the whole act of driving as a easy route to my own death and I would be better thinking I barely knew how to drive. Hidden oil spills, dogs on the road, blown tires, mechanical failure, gravel, dust and sand, huge potholes…. the list is endless and all waiting for an unwary driver to not be concentrating. Dying in a car crash is surely the stupidest and most pointless way to die as its highly preventable. Dying in a drink driving crash is far, far worse, but we’re in Mexico… It happens.
Maybe I should go shopping, Guadalajara has loads of stores and I think my current wardrobe is rather lacking. At least I don’t have to carry any clothes In the city center I set off in search of something to eat but I didn’t seem to have much luck. Everything seemed so… meaty! I wasn’t going to starve though I’m sure, and I’m happy to back into size 32" jeans once more, maybe I can get it down to 30" before the end of the year, something unseen for 10 years. Kira reminded me about a water/maple syrup/cayenne pepper/lemon juice diet with daily sea water enemas which would probably do it. 10 days of that and I’d be really able to eat like crazy for a few months :p If only I could find some food. I found myself in the wedding dress district which was clearly the wrong place for a hungry tourist although it was packed with hopeful looking girls all window shopping for their perfect dress, whether they had the perfect man to go with it was unclear.
Guadalajara isn’t a bad place to get lost searching for something to eat though, the architecture is stunning, with sunny plazas around every corner and neoclassic buildings towering overhead. Its still typical Mexico though with plenty of street sellers hawking their wares; beggars and buskers. I finally gave up and headed for Sanborns, a slice of the 50′s and somewhere I had eaten in before. I was disappointed to see that they give you Nescafe if you order coffee with hot milk, although I’m not sure whether that was a better option than the weak Americano coffee with those awful non-dairy creamer pots you get. What’s so wrong with milk?? I spent far too long reading but tempered my guilt with going through some Spanish-English flash cards and hopefully sticking a few more words to my dull brain. By the time I was onto the last chapter it was dark outside but it was still early and I hadn‘t even eaten. I then realised that I had gone through a time zone and lost an hour, but this is hopefully the last one I will have to suffer. I really don’t like going east!
Tags: set, ko, bangkok, mexico city, tent, blog, mexicoStudying and surfing
Day 167
San Blas, Mexico
When I finally rolled out of my tent the surf had died down and I had missed my chance. Perhaps I should have camped where the sunrise would get me in the morning after all… With nothing better to do I set about going through the Spanish flash cards I had bought in the US. 1000 words shouldn’t take too long to learn right? I separated them out into words I knew, words I probably should learn soon and words I didn’t know. I have about 15% of them learnt already, but that’s nothing with Spanish. I think I impressed everyone by sitting and bashing away at them for several hours, but I probably would be better just getting 10 done a day. Now if only I had started this at the start of my trip…. 1670 words? Bleh….
I chatted to Kira for a while too, who I had met briefly the previous day. She was cooking up some soup in a big pot in the kitchen for a party she was attending later and I did my best to charm her into an invite, which mostly worked. She was originally from Russian but has been in the States for the last 15 years. She told me all the action in the evening was in the town square so I would have to check that out later. In the meantime I got my board out once more and hit the surf. The water was kind of dirty though, it seemed some storm was bringing in burnt wood from somewhere and the water was getting pretty black. Not nice to walk on while racing to get past the breakers!
I went into the town in the evening, which was a fairly long walk, it would be time to rebuild my bike I think since it had sat unused in my van since Texas. I found a nice place that did seafood tacos and stuffed my face and then sat in the square hoping Kira would show up and invite me to the party she was attending but it wasn’t to be, and I hadn‘t seen Thomas, the Finnish guy who was also camping at Stoners for most of the day so I contented myself with a quiet day in a beautiful town and tried to ignore the sandflies which were occasionally biting my ankles….
learning flash cards/chatting to Kira/loaned thomas my board/learning all day/surfing/soup for party-pot/tacos in square/no party
Tags: ears, tent, seafood tacos, tacos, Travel, beautiful town, hadn, mexico, burnt wood, sun, stoner, flash cards, kira, eveThe end of the Sur
Day 155
Los Cabos, BCS, Mexico
We finally got as far south as we could in Baja California today, the place known as Los Cabos, the 2 towns furthest down the coast. Tourist city? Traveller hell? The highrises, hotels, expensive bars and the nightmare that is the Hard Rock Cafe all gave it away as hell on earth that the gringos go to to get drunk and have sex. But who am I to pass judgement? As far as we could get and all the kilometres further south only helped the sun to get hotter and more brutal. After a few days without Internet that would be a goal for the day along with the usual problem of finding somewhere to stay. We parked up and went for a walk around town. Near to the harbour the white flabby faces were everywhere, Americano’s on vacation, 2 weeks of release from the burden of being the richest people on earth but still on the edge of ruin. Go Barack, go!
I didn’t get a Valentines Card on the porch of my tent but the sings were all over the town, little children ran around with red heart lollipops not knowing what it meant. I’m sure there were a lot of romantic proposals in town that day but it mostly passed me by. I’m sure my true love was waiting for me somewhere out there in the vast sea of humanity, maybe I had already met her… or maybe today was the day…
Roland had some notion of seeing some arch in the town and since I hadn‘t bothered to read my guidebook how could I gainsay him. Baja is big, I’m small, I’m not going to see it all and since I have someone with an idea of what to do I was happy to release my less immediate goals to other people. We asked one of the multiple tourist information booths where we could find it and they gave us a map and tried to get us on a tour but we fooled them into giving us the information we were after before sneaking off. Waltzing through the harbour we admired the expensive gringo powerboats, but they held no allure for me, I would rather be racing with the wind as I’m sure Sheena was doing right then. We skirted around the guys selling silver necklaces like he had leprosy and made our way around the harbour area. Tourists were flocking like rich seagulls all around us and the other touts ignored us after one look at our clothes. We’re rich too! I silently yelled but they ignored us and concentrated on more affluent white people. Past the port and over to the beach we finally saw some indications of proper life and hints of nature. The pelicans squatted on the small boats in droves, too lazy to even float in the heat and the sand shimmered before us reflecting the sun from the mountains across the bay. That was our destination but somehow we had to get there. The free map hinted at a road but the touts that instantly attached his self to us the moment we entered his ‘patch’ assured us we wouldn’t be able to get there by car. I promised Roland he was lying but due to language issues beyond my control he was soon negotiating a ride on a boat over to the arch. 10 pesos each, 8 with no discussion, ‘tell her 5 and I’ll walk away’ was my suggestion which worked perfectly. It was a small victory however, we soon learned we had haggled down to the standard price. :p
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The glass in our glass bottom boat wasn’t so clean but the sea was clear and quite a few people were diving as there was no fishing in the area and the fish were crazy for the rich tourists and their bread. Just like the Mexican touts. We splashed around by the point, looking at the tourists crammed into their expensive boats on their expensive tours, although I suspect they would be shooting over the waves as soon as they were done. I had reached as far south as I could go on the peninsular and it would soon to be time to head over to the mainland on my way to Cancun and temporarily home.
After our boat tour we went to find fish tacos in town. I had also been working on a plan for some business cards and today was the day to get them sorted out. We found a photography place and sat eating tacos across the road until it reopened at 3pm. I made up a card and then the plan was to put 4 on a 4×6 photograph, print them off and cut them up, 40 cards cost me $3 which was a better option than getting 500 cards and then throwing 90% of them away when my phone number changed in Guatemala.
I already have a new version ready to print, I forgot my email address :p
I hate the Hard Rock Cafe’s even more because of Rod Stewarts Trousers!!
Mexican Parking: Front and back…. 
Maybe I need a car wash…
We went to find a beach to camp on after we had spent a couple of hours in the Internet and eventually found a load of RV’rs off the highway between the 2 main towns. Our Canadian neighbours assured us it was a nice place to camp but we couldn’t find the original planned beach of La Playita, but where we were was good enough for one night. The moon was shining brighter each night as it waxed towards fullness and we drank a few beers and played ‘find the dropped nacho’. Not so easy on a moonlit beach!
drive to cabos/walk around/boat tour/photo cards/tacos/expensive internet/looking for beach/hide the nacho/
Tags: fishing, neighbour, Travel, neighbours, seals, judgement, few days, clothes, mexico, rocks, traveller, fish taco, tacosA Whale of a good time in a couple of boats
Day 144
Guerrero Negro Baja California
We had left a note on the door of the tour office saying that we wouldn’t be making the 8am tour. I had made the executive decision to go at 11am and then we would head over to the cheaper campsite nearby for another night while I went surfing. With barely any time to remember stuff I was herded into the bus with all the other tourists and we set off towards the Pacific. First we had to pass through the salt factory which employs most of the people in Guerrero Negro. Our guide, Pedro, went on and on about it, constantly watching Sheena since he had learned we weren’t a couple. I think he might have a had a bit of a crush going on He recited lots of interesting information about the whole business of salt and went on about it so much I believe he is only working the whale tour until he can get a job hauling salt about in one of the big trucks.
  The tour would last about 3 hours so we got kited out with life preservers and yellow sou’westers and jumped into the boat. I was so rushed I had only brought one memory card but it would have to do. I set it to raw and high speed shooting and after a quick race across the lagoon we were soon in the midst of hundreds of whales. Not that they were easy to shoot, they would pop up every once in a while but were usually a couple of hundred meters away. The driver would then slowly cruise over to get us a bit closer but they remained elusive. You never knew when they would pop up, and it was not often that they appeared close to the boat. |
  I shot about 200 pictures and most were pretty useless. With only the equivalent of an 80mm lens on my Canon 30D I wasn’t able to get the further shots, but at least I had a chance of something. I would stand with my camera near my face waiting for the sound of the whales surfacing and then spin to that direction hoping for a shot. I got lucky a few times but most people didn’t have a chance with their point and shoots and mostly gave up. |
  The weather was woefully overcast but at least there was no rain, that would have put an end to my picture session as I had also forgotten to bring plastic bags for protection. After a couple of hours we stopped and were passed a packed lunch and soda. The sun made a brief reappearance before slunking back behind the clouds. It cost us $50 each and was it worth it? I guess so, it was certainly a better trip than my walk through the jungle in Uganda to see Chimps which was a waste of $50. The lagoon is packed with Grey Whales and with some luck and a skilled boat driver you can get pretty close to the big fish! |
     On the way back we passed colonies of seabirds and a lone coyote sunbathing on the beach. The area is an important wildlife preserve. The local sealions use the salt shipping buoys as a place to warm themselves in the sun. They’re quite athletic in jumping back up! |
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The weather was too cold for surfing and after chatting to some people on the boat decided it would be better to head for the oasis town of San Ignacio, half way to the beaches of Mulege and a nice small town to spend the night. We went for some delicious fish tacos when we had picked up the van again and Sheena declared she wanted to marry a fish taco. I’ve been eating enough that I’m sure I’m turning into one, so you never know! :p
We made good time and were soon out of the desert and into the palm tree filled town in the desert. Following the directions of our friends on the boat we found the campsite which was basic and rather empty. A Spanish lady turned up and started chatting about the site and the cost. I only vaguely understood what she said but we were soon joined by a couple of American‘s on motorbikes, one of whom spoke Spanish and he explained that she didn’t work there but the site was open and someone else would be along sometime to take our money. The cost? She didn’t know, but no more than $10.
Camping by the muddy lake
The bikers were going for dinner in town and we invited ourselves along. They met up with another couple of bikers that they had met only that day and we drove the couple of miles into the small town square and spent a pleasant evening drinking beer, eating tacos and chatting about our adventures. I learned Sheena was a professional traveller! We all drove back to their guesthouse where we broke out the tequila and vodka but the party wasn’t going to last long because they needed to close the gates at 10pm. Since that was one hour after Baja Midnight it was pretty late, but I didn’t want to spend the night trapped there, although it probably would be cheaper than the $10 at the campground.
We went back to the campsite and since it was on a small lake we decided to go for a spin in the supplied transportation. The lone working pedalo was not a good move, since it barely moved and only had one set of pedals. I was surprised that we managed to get it back to the shore, but we had better luck with the metal canoe that was pulled up. We got some beer and jumped in, admiring the milky way over head and trying to sneak up on the bikers tent. They were only talking about motorbikes…. still! But when you’re on a trip like that I guess you become a little obsessed :p One of the guys had crashed his bike earlier in the day and was probably lucky to be alive.
Beer and boats = not a good combination!
When it came time to get out we nearly met with disaster, I foolishly pulled the canoe up directly to the shore, but not alongside it. It was a sloppy, muddy bank and as soon as she stepped on it she started pushing the canoe away. I was certain she was about to take a bath but somehow she managed to jump back in the canoe and it didn’t tip up. She got a wet backside and I got an earful :p Personally I consider her lucky not to have put us both in the muddy lake, which would have made some even better photos :p
whales/pedro crush/change plan/fish tacos/scallops/empty camp ground/bikers/dinner/drinks with boys/locked in/canoe trip
Tags: rash, lunch, san ignacio, desert, birds, job, tent, beaches, eve, crash, money, elusive, weatherSomeone stole my boogie board! :p
Day 143
Baja California Sur
When we woke up we drove over to the restaurant place and then I noticed my boogie board I had attached to the roof was missing. It was blowing a gale for half the night and was just as bad that morning, so it might have blown off or been stolen. I had a look around but it was no where to be seen. Sheena and I shared a simple breakfast of eggs and beans since they charged $5 for it, plainly a rip off but I guess times were hard and there weren’t many people around. The room we sat it was typically poor and Mexican, with plastic wrappings on the paintings that were so dirty you couldn’t see what was underneath. But everyone is an art critic these days. Cruising around the huge campsite when we left, we spotted the board stuck in a bush Sheena jumped out to retrieve it. Maybe I would get a chance to finally use it, if my surf board didn’t take all my attention. It was still a bit cold, but the sun beat down from the cloudless sky and the temperatures slowly moved into the low 20s as we followed the dust swept road south.
Cacti still surrounded the road and the traffic was sparse, but still enough to slow you down on inconvenient curves. We were heading to Guerro Negro by the pacific and it was whale breeding season on the coast so our timing couldn’t be better. We passed through a curiously name town, Villa Jesus Maria and another military checkpoint before arriving in an oasis on the edge of the dessert. Couchsurfing hadn’t discovered the place yet so we cruised the streets looking for free wifi before accidentally stumbling upon the RV camp ground we were sort of looking for. $14 got us a concrete bay next to the American RV Behemoths, a shower and free wifi that was appalling slow. After washing away the grime of the road and at the recommendation of the receptionist we set off in search of cheap Mexican food. The place she recommended turned out to be a Chinese place but then she did say she didn’t speak English :p We found a nice place by a rival hotel and had a well earned beer in the 50′s decor. We only had a problem when it came time to pay and we couldn’t work out the word for ‘bill’ but some nearby Gringos helped us out and we managed to pay the guys. I did spot a disco karaoke place on the way through but we spent the evening playing cards and drinking beer until it was too cold to sit outside. Sheena is quite the card shark, I’m just glad I wasn’t playing for money… or my clothes!
Tags: grime, traffic, guerro, beers, chinese place, sun, whale, mexican food, cards, galeDesert driving
Day 137
Catavina, Baja, Mexico
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We went for breakfast at the hotel where Rob worked and filled up. The place was pretty quiet, which probably makes it a good place to work, or rather to sit and read and get paid. They even had a ‘mall’ ie a room with stuff to buy. Rob was a great host and really showed us a nice time in La Mision, I can see why he came for 2 weeks and stayed for 3 years. I’m not sure I would find it completely authentic or comfortable to stay in such a ex-pat community but it would be tempting. I want to get a taste of the real Mexico though, dirty toilets and all. We gave Rob and Nathan a hug and once again it was just me and Sheena. We had to get her a tourist card in Ensanada which was an hour down the toll road but they decided that since she didn’t get one at the border she would be fined $5 for the day. We tried lying and saying we just drove down but they wouldn’t budge. We didn’t tell them we’d been in the country for 4 days and it should be a $20 fine… The stupid thing was that we couldn’t pay at the bank which was 3 meters from the office but had to drive into town to pay it before returning to get the card. Stupid bureaucracy isn’t limited to Mexico and you can’t argue with such stupidity…
We followed the road south for a few hours along the coast, stopping for some nice fish tacos in a converted bus when we got hungry but we had gotten up too late to make our goal of Guerro Negro that night. We would have to stop and there wasn’t a Couchsurfing host for a hundred miles to throw ourselves on. It was hot and dusty and we had left the deserts near La Mision blooming emerald green in the late winter rains far behind. Now we were back to classic Texas landscapes with huge deformed boulders punctuating the fields of cactus and hardy desert plants. We stopped for photos and in a bout of foolish bravado plucked 2 cactus in a stupid attempt to look like mickey mouse, getting a few bloody fingers for my interference.
Just before the sun went down we made it to a small town called Catavina and it seemed like a good idea to stop for the night. The first hotel was very basic and was $350 for a night, the next place was $1000 for the night so we went back to the first one, but when we checked the rooms they had all been recently painted and I wasn’t going to spend money to get an overnight headache and cancer in 20 years. Why they chose to paint them all at once is beyond me… I think I was saying something about painting a smell instead of talking about the smelly paint but they understood me enough to direct us to another place 1km away where you could camp. Sheena didn’t understand the whole bed in the van idea but I soon showed her the way it fitted together.
It was far too early to go to sleep though so we went back into the town to sit in the expensive hotel to drink a few beers and wait impatiently for our free nachos! Back at the campground we admired the lack of light pollution out in the desert and lay in the back watching movies on the laptop. For some reason I put my boogie board back on the roof…
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la mision breakfast/sheena FMT/bannk/coast/tolls/hot/cacti/boulders/catavina/smelly room/expensive/camping /beers in hotel/setting up the van/watching redition
Tags: bravado, mexico, stupidity, beds, fish tacos, cactus, guerro, texas landscapes, toll road, deserts, money, photos, beersMad as a Coconut!
Day 141 La Mision Mexico
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We woke up with Rob gone but he left us a note telling us where he was so after a shower and some coffee we went to meet him at his local committee meeting at Arthur and Molly’s house down by the beach. Keith got a shocked laugh when he immediately asked Sheena to show him her tits, but everyone soon understood when she ‘got them out’ :p We chatted to the Mexican guy who worked for Arthur and Molly on the way out and I was somewhat pleased to say that I could understand most of the conversation. He talked slowly and clearly though which is always nice. We walked another 500 meters to the beachfront for breakfast. First we got to drink the young coconut juice, then they scooped out the flesh and blended it with shrimp, squid, lime juice and chili‘s. Spicy and delicious! Only $6 too and well worth trying. We went for a walk after the food and went north along the beach until we reached the place where Rob teaches Spanish every Friday but sadly the owner wasn’t home. Rob told us he was the artist who drew Betty Boop! |
I am NEVER going back to America again!
I sat in the queue for the US border and I wanted some chewing gum which was in my backpack. I looked behind me and then was gripped with sudden panic. It wasn’t in my car, half a second later I realised I had left it in the Internet Cafe! A camera worth $2k and a $500 video camera plus other stuff in my backpack. I was a clucking idiot! But I was trapped, surrounded by cars I could only inch further to the border and hope it was still there, when…. IF I got to it. The sun was setting, and the border was busy. Thronging with beggars and street sellers. I ignored them as usual and cursed my stupidity. But the cafe was small, my bag was in sight of the owner, it didn’t look expensive, I might have a chance. After half an hour of torment I finally got to the check point. The guard started typing on his PC and I explained I had to go back to Mexico to get my bag urgently.
‘You left it in a cafe? Its gone buddy.’
Lots of sympathy there then, he put a sticker on my window and again I just asked if I could turn around, it might not be too late.
‘You have to get inspected and then you can turn around.’
I knew better than to argue or try to avoid it, I pulled around to the inspection bay and then the nightmare really began…
Tags: decider, mexicans, faces, stress, el paso, u turn, chewing gum, disgust, beggarsIllegal Alien & Illegal Vehicle!
Day 118 Northwest Mexico
I was awoken by the hotel owner wanted to know if I was staying another night. At least that’s what I thought she asked since my Spanish was atrocious. Still I had managed to get a room the night before, get gas and buy a soda. How hard would it be to get fluent? At the immigration office I had spotted I also did very well. I understood enough to know they didn’t issue visas there and the guy on the gate was wondering who the hell I was to be turning up asking for one. I just smiled and drove off. I hoped this wasn’t going to cause me a big problem… There was a big town called Agua Prieta quite nearby and that was near the border. I resolved to go and sort out my paperwork ASAP. I put on my Spanish lessons and listened all day. I would need to get myself up to speed right away. Actually being there would help, I was looking at signs and then checking my dictionary, seeing something in context always helps. The sand that had piled up under my hotel room door was slowly stripping the paint from my car and I had a few encounters with the every present tumbleweeds. When I got to Agua Prieta I was so distracted I blew right through it. Right into another military check point, and this time they were checking people heading west!
Tags: cards, spanish lessons, natively, waves, hassle, heading west, highways, passport, tumbleweeds, soda, issue visas, arseThe road back to Mexico
Day 109 Saturday
El Paso, Tx
I don’t quite know how they all managed to accumulate so much stuff but it was everywhere and we were supposed to be leaving at 11am. It said so on the door, check out at 11am or have a $25 fine charged to your credit card. I think they justified it by saying the house wasn’t ready at 2pm when we arrived and hence we could check out late. I’m not sure how they justified ignoring the big ‘no smoking’ sign on the door but they did. Typically the woman from the office came to see if we had checked out and collared me by the front door. I said I would hurry them along and we finally left at 12.30pm. It was a long drive back to El Paso but I missed the fact that we wouldn’t be heading back there but instead were going tubing. Short snow covered slope meet fat American on a rubber ring. Sounded like a $20 waste of money, one I didn’t even have to pay for myself but still I refused. The queue was horrendous and it was cold, I would rather sit in my warm car fixing little things. I took my steering column apart and found that the connection to the wheel buttons had popped out. 2 minutes work meant I could now use my cruise control again and most importantly, my horn! That saved me $30 at a Mexican car place I’m sure.
When I had gotten through dismantling my cup holder in a futile search for a missing memory car I went searching for the tubers. Seems they had gotten about 3 goes each after 2 hours of standing around, plus 30 minutes waiting to pay and sign the disclaimer forms. What a rip-off. Just go find some rubber rings and a small hill, why pay $20 to be frustrated. Hopefully now we could get going, but instead of hitting the road we went for something to eat. I thought the ‘Still Smokin’ BBQ’ place was sweetly ironic since that’s all the women in the group had done all week but it still didn’t help me find something to eat. The place was packed to the rafters with blackened meat and I simply smiled when they all asked me if I wasn’t getting something to eat. I just couldn’t be bothered to remind them for the umpteenth time I didn’t eat meat. At least we got the kids in the car for the trip back and could listen to some nice music again. I felt bad back in El Paso for all my negative thoughts when they presented me with a Ruidoso T-shirt for my patience on the ski fields. I had a great time overall, they were all warm and friendly, I just wish I understood more of what was going on and they wouldn’t all smoke so much :p
Now we were supposed to go back to Mexico for New Years but I was paranoid about the border and accidents. If I had a crash I would be in serious trouble and no matter how much they all tried to reassure me I didn’t know if my insurance was valid. I rang my emergency number but the guy was less than useless in answering my questions. If I didn’t go back to Mexico, what then? I didn’t have much choice so I reluctantly went back over the border and hoped nothing would happen. I was a fool for risking it the first time but I was hardly helping by doing it again. It was late, I was tired and hungry, besides, everyone wouldn’t fit inside just one car. At least I could set my cruise control on ‘really slow’ and keep my foot hovered over my brake now! :p
Tags: ski fields, new year, ruidoso, bbq, tea, ski field, fool, tubers, futile search, cars, moneysThe Heart of Darkness
Day 102: Las Vegas
That morning Leon had disappeared off to some hiking place in the nearby mountains and we had a city to explore. He had furnished us with maps and some suggestions but the first thing we wanted was some food. We headed to Chinatown and after a wander around found a nice Thai place to get lunch. This was the nicest meal of the trip so far, we both agreed and since it was Vegas it was pretty cheap. Further into town we started looking for a place to park and drove back into the strips gridlock. We were surrounded by posh shiny new cars and we were sitting in a 10 year old minivan which was still covered with the mud from Monument Valley. I wasn’t embarrassed, I just wished I had my website name on the side :p We took a few wrong turns and ended up by the Sahara and decided to park there. All the casinos have free parking but we had chosen the one furthest from all the others which wasn’t so smart, but I needed the walk since I was getting lazy and we hiked down into town. I wondered how long the $50 I had allocated to my gambling would last….
Tags: sun, mexicans, cars, decider, minivan, shopping, cards, desperation, crap, paint, map, ella, visa, business cards, grand canyon88:Austin, Tx:Everyone is Santa!!
Despite the cheap, as in free, beer I didn’t get too drunk and got up determined to do something fun. Josh is a big biker, as in he likes bicycles, he’s not a fat hells angel, so I asked him if he could suggest somewhere to buy a bike and he certainly could. Seems Austin has a place where the locals rescue, restore and redistribute used and broken bikes called the Austin Yellow Bike Project http://www.austinyellowbike.org/ hence the crazy guy I had seen the day before. We gave them a call to see when they closed and I ate some breakfast and made my way up there.
Tags: faces, Travel, paypal, bikes, biker, yellow bike project, mistake, angel, something fun, community service time, el paso, sea, daniella, community seice time84:Texas:Warm and wet campin’
I stopped off in Quitman on the way back down south to send a Christmas card to my Grandmother and my old UK sim card to Miriam who needed a European number for the business cards she wanted to make for her trip. I then settled back into the boring rerun of the 165 highway back down to Alexandria and then on to Fort Charles and *Texas*! I was going to go further south and follow the coast for a while but that would add another 150 miles or so and I was going to finish off this damn U today or die in the attempt. The latter very nearly came true. I took the chance at the Texas border to use the free wifi and pick up some maps, it didn’t take long for the receptionists annoying greeting to *everyone* to grate and I got out of there. I learned there was a CS meeting in Dallas that night and with that in mind got off the I-10 and turned back north.
Tags: pumps, cards, fool, apartment, miriam, public radio station, checks, alexandria, moneys, greetings, locals, receptionists82:Louisiana:Doin’ the U
Jeff was undoubtley gone when I woke up so I wish him well in South America, but he could be dead in a New Orleans ditch for all I know. I had stupidly left my laundry to the last minute and now checked out but couldn’t leave until it was done. I saw Meagan and she wasn’t talking to me still, looks like that’s another bridge burnt then. I was also told by reception that a ‘blonde guy’ came looking for me in the morning but I have no idea who that was. Maybe something to do with the advert on the board but I guess I will never find out, it was time to leave. I generously offered to drop a fellow guest off where he had left his credit card the night before and was rewardly by being taken by one of New Orleans famous graveyards. See how it all works out? I wasn’t going to be doing a huge amount of miles today it seemed but wanted to get to the upper left side of the U if possible and set off out of the city and back onto the open road once more.
Tags: rain, new orleans, traveller, board, fellow guest, curves, faces, deserts, mid afternoon, quarters, shopping, camping, cars, bugs, cards, ditch75:Ocean Park:Getting eaten…
No big surprise that I slept through my alarm at 8am and woke up bleary eyed and confused around 10.30am. So much for my resolution to do another long day on Sunday… At least I was alive, on the way in the night before I passed a huge correctional facility, but it seems there were no break out and murders happening this week. I resolved to have a day sorting out my car and looking for one of my lost memory sticks. I made breakfast and then found I wouldn’t have been going anywhere fast in any case, once again my battery was nearly dead. I discovered I had left my side lights on, which shouldn’t have made any difference since I couldn’t see them in the night but it seemed that was the cause of the problem. After a shower I set about removing pretty much everything from the minivan and taking a few photos for the blog. I wanted to show how you could make a bed in the back with a $20 piece of wood. No sign of the missing memory card though I took out the rear seat (which weighed a ton) and then put the right hand seat behind the left one. It fit ok, but I wouldn’t have much room to sleep in the back…
If I could turn it around it would have no gap on the side and more room for me, but the stupid designers didn’t forsee this option. A handle on the side was in the way, so out came the screwdriver and now the metal bar was digging in the plastic wall of the van. Better but still no fit. I switched to the knife and chopped a square of plastic out. Even better, but still not quite. I removed the plastic runners from the floor of the Minivan, sat on the seat pulling the handle and with the use of a piece of firewood as leverage got it to lock into place. Success! I can always move it back around if I need to give someone a lift. I moved the front seat forward so it would lock back and gained a nice spot between to hold my now unused backpack and other superfluous stuff. I could now fit my twin mattress in the back and sleep on the floor which meant I could also hang out there if it was raining and even change. I had gained 50% more room in the back.
I spend the rest of the day putting some black tint in the rear window and clearing out other junk and stuff I wasn’t using. I resolved to sleep in the back that night and since it looked like rain that wasn’t a bad idea. I worked on my blog, watched some episodes of South Park I had downloaded, played my guitar and swatted mosquitos, and when the moon poked through the trees I got my camera out and took a few pictures, the best one of which is this one:
64:Kennedy Space Center:2 Months away from the UK! Yay!! :p
The entire campsite stank of sulfur, I don’t know why but it was most off putting. The Eggy stink camp I think it was called. Not very pleasant at all. I also had to contend with the extremely cheeky squirrels attacking my breakfast! They became bolder and bolder and one even became momentarily trapped in my car before scarpering through a gap in the side doors! I had to run from the table to my car and back so they wouldn’t be all over my eggy-baskets! Im not a morning person so everyone else might have thought this to be great fun, I was just miserable and pissed off :p
Not for long….!
Tags: cars, amazement, cards, camping, Travel, photo, photos, disaster, photographs59: Tampa Fl:Meeting the locals
The weather died down the next day and I was off and away by about 10am. It certainly is nice to be able to sleep until whenever I want again, however this means it easy to be a bit too lazy. Maybe I would meet someone who was on the road like me later on at the party and they would be waking me up…?