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I got home on Saturday, after a long flight with Air France. My advice: don't fly air France if you can help it. It was a complete surprise for my family and friends, and I'm glad I did it - meaning, not tell anyone I'm coming.
So, I'm home, but hopefully not for long. My current plans are to go on traveling in mid October. Starting in Europe, and visiting my friends their, and then back to South Africa and Madagascar. But, as you know, plans are just plans.
CU soon. Love, Moddy.
After almost ten days in Israel, I begin to crack up. I'm trying to maintain the calmness I had when I was in Africa, but it doesn't work so well. I'm not used to acting like an Israeli anymore. Here's an example:
I go to the clinic, to find what I have in my leg. They send me to the lab. I go to the lab at 12:30, and I see two closed door with a sign "Bio hazard. Authorized personnel only", and another door with the sign "Office. Work hours: 8-12, 16-19". So I go and come back at 16:00. Now, the only nurse who knows how to take this particular sample left at 3, and I tell them my story. And they say "We were all here. Why didn't you come in ?" I said "Bio hazard", and they were shocked. Israelis are used to go in every door.
I think that my intention to get all my businesses in Israel done in only three weeks was an illusion. Especially because it's holidays time, and this year all the holidays are in the middle of the week, and therefore working days are rare. Everything takes much more time than I wished. I'm still amazed that I stay calm and happy, and actually wonder why all the rest are so hurrying and angry.
And now for the BIG news - I fly to London on October 7th, meaning to spend a few weeks in Europe and visit my old and new friends. I won't travel much, since it is quite expensive compared to Africa, and I still don't know how to spend less. If you have any experience, please tell me.
After Africa I'll fly to ... South Africa ! Yes, again. I have some unfinished business there - Capetown, Knysna, Namibia, Madagascar. ... and, of course, friends.
And THEN I'll go to Brasil. (Fingers crossed)
Nice plan, right ? I'll keep in touch with you and tell you the details when I know them.
Have a wonderful time. Keep the peace, love and light shining for you and all around you.
Love, Moddy.
Today is a good day to be happy.
Anyway, I'm in Edinburgh, Scotland, and just spent half an hour writing this letter, and it disappeared, and I write it again.
I arrived in London without being able to contact any of the people I meant to visit there, and therefore got lost. Luckily, I met Yasmin at Gatwick (talent: Cooking). After the usual "you look familiar" conversation, it turned out she's Aya's best friend (Aya's talent: driving people nuts), while Aya is an old friends of mine, which we are not in speaking terms anymore. However, Yasmin is sweet AND plans on going to travel somewhere, so we went to Edbg in a rough night bus.
Edbg is the most beautiful city I've seen. Old houses and streets and castle and cathedral ... had a good time, including seeing the childhood museum with a big display of Noddy, and decided to go on an a bus tour round Scotland. Two companies do it, and we chose Haggis after Ela-style coin flipping (talent: secret. she won't tell), i.e. deciding by coin and then doing the opposite. After that Yasmin went to buy a flight back to London for the ridiculous price of 50 pence (half a pound), only clicking in a wrong place in easyjet.com made her lose 40 pounds. Watch out!
The next morning we started - us, a couple from Belgium, and 6 girls. One good thing about Scotland. - much more women traveling than men. Our driver Graham turned out to be a comedian, shooting at Aussies, Americans, and especially English. The road is full of sites of battles and/or massacres, mostly clans fights. We saw the memorial of William "braveheart" Wallace, and a few waterfalls, and castles that were in "Monty Python and the holy grail". Everything's fantabulous.
We landed in Korpach for the night, and Yasmin cooked dinner for everyone (I did the soup. was yummy). Met there many Kiwis (three of them from Sandspit, of all places), and together we danced all night on the pool table. Best party. And that's only the first day...
The next day we went to the Isle of Skye. We hopped off the tour, and meant to stay two nights there. We took a day bus tour. And in the morning Yasmin lost her ring :-( The driver this time was Haimosh, also funny, though I couldn't understand much of his accent. We went first to a stream that if you wash your head in it, you get eternal youth. We did that, Then we went to a nice waterfall, that if you wash your head in, you get eternal luck. We did that. We saw wonderful things in the island, and the highlight was Glen Faerie. There's a faerie castle there. Amazing hill with strange formations and surrounding smaller hills that form a wall. Everything smells of enchantment. Haimosh told stories of what happened to people there, including of his own ( he went for a short walk, and when he came back he found out that he was missing for more than an hour, and everyone called and searched for him).
After that day , I felt I was the luckiest person on earth. When we came back out luck started to work: Yasmin found her ring, and I found Julia ( talent: head massage. Tested.), who is South African (Queenstown EC), and as sweet as marshmallow. We spent the next three days together. One day we went again the Faerie Glen, trying to hitchhike, since no bus was going. Simon (talent: rebirthing) stopped. He is a cool sweet guy who does special cinematography that he invented by himself, and it appears as special effects in movies like Matrix. He somehow didn't realize that we think he's amazing, and thought he wastes our time, but we liked him and spent the whole day with him. We went to the faeries again, and to other places, and he even washed his face in the waterfall. He says he photographed faeries in Australia a few years ago.
And the other day he went to photograph again, and me and Julia hitchhiked to Ullapool, which was beautiful, but not as amazing as I expected. The hitching was good, though - met nice people, each strange in his own way - the first one even did a special 20 miles detour for us!
And in Ullapool me and Julia said goodbye :-(,and I went on the Haggis tour again to Carbisdale castle. (driver: Bruce. Couldn't understand one word he said. Probably a good one, since the others seemed to laugh). The castle was donated by it's owner to Scotland's YHA, and therefore a great place to spend a night. Haven't seen any ghosts, however.
And today was an uneventful drive to Edbg. Beautiful views, but nothing special. Loch Ness is just a lake if you don't see Nessy, and yet-another-castle is just yet-another-castle. So I'm here again, knowing not what I do tomorrow, or today. Perhaps to my sister. Maybe York - I always wanted to go to York, but I don't remember why. Can anyone help?
Keep on smiling. Love, Moddy (talent: certainly not spelling. Good eyesight, I guess).
I'm in London, waiting for the bus to take me to Brussels, to the continental adventure. Since Edinburgh I didn't have much of good luck. It started with Julia's e-mail address to be wrong; Getting a message that Eileen's friend (a Swedish girl) lives in Edinburgh and can show me EVERYTHING, only two hours before my bus leaves; Having a particularly bad bus to Milton-Keyens ...
So I met my sister and family, who still stay in a hotel room, since they haven't found a house yet. They managed to find me some space there, free of charge, including free breakfast (!). Milton-Keyens is a strange place. All small houses which you can't see from the road - actually, if you pass through the middle of the town by car you see only trees. You can't go anywhere without a car. It has big supermarkets in the centre, and an indoor ski, and distances are very discouraging. However, it is all full of parks and lakes and ducks and squirrels. Quite lovely. It also has Bletchli, which is the place where they decoded the Enigma in WWII. (Now on cinema screens anywhere). Was very interesting to see.
Then - London. Very busy place. Spent a few days with Zuzanna, and did the 'London' things - the British Museum (excellent show on history of clocks); Tate Gallery; Two movies - "Amelie" (good) and "Crazy/Beautiful" (bad); one Musical - Grease (Fun. Rizzo, as usual, was the best).
BUT I couldn't find Linda, who just moved to a B&B until she finds a flat, AND I couldn't find Zell, who is in London right now, but she wouldn't say exactly WHERE.
So I go to Pascal now, and then maybe Antwerpen, and then Amsterdam, and then Hamburg, and then Munich. Will I actually do it ? Time knows.
Keep on smiling. Love, Moddy.
Not much happened, I must say. I landed in Brussels into the loving hands of Pascal, his girlfriend, family and friends who took good care of me for a few days. I didn't see much of Brussels, but I've been to Reggae concert, parties, pubs, and had a great time. On Sunday we visited Nara (a Canadian rainbow brother) who happens to live and work in Waterloo, Belgium for a while. Him, his host Patrick, Pascal and myself had a mini rainbow gathering with songs and drumming and food circle. Wonderful time.
And yesterday I took the bus to Amsterdam. I stay with my friend Rob here, and I have lots of plans concerning museums and touristy staff. Rob's plans are mainly making me drink beer. Today we went to see the Aalsmeer flower auction. They sell more than a billion roses a year! But the tour is only above, and you can't see the flowers from close distance. It looks like a big factory, and the fact that these are FLOWERS doesn't make any difference.
After Amsterdam - Germany. I got now also invitations to Vienna, Paris, Montpellier and Portugal. Que voi hacer? Je ne sais pas.
And ... the conversation I had with a woman in the bus inspired me to the following poem:
Questions.
Hello, Neighbour. How do you do ?
May I take this seat by you ?
This gonna be a long ride from town to town
And I like to talk to people, so I won't feel down
Where are you from ? How long will you stay ?
What is your job ? Did you have a nice day ?
Is it your first time here ? Do you travel a lot ?
Do you remember the day that Rabin was shot ?
Hello, sugar babe. Shall I buy you a drink ?
What's your favorite beer? Is your underwear pink?
Do you love reggae music ? Are you liking my style?
I'm not laughing at you. I'm just sharing a smile.
Do your beautiful eyes look for someone to snog?
Do you want to come closer, and clear up the fog?
Or would you prefer to go hide in the field ?
What did you do when the Diana got killed ?
Hello, brother. How is your life ?
How are your kids ? How is your wife ?
How did you get here, by boat or by train ?
Did you have a nice weather? How long did it rain?
Did you find out that people are always the same,
And that most of our lives we are playing a game?
All over the world you can see the same scenes.
Where were you when they bombed down the twins ?
Love, Moddy.
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