Archive for the ‘UK Ireland’ Category
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Travelversary, how I got where I am
So, that little bump in the road with the site being down marks my third year of running this blog. Well, technically I didn’t start writing on here until I arrive in China in January… but thehumanaught.com is technically three this week.
Additionally, this week marks another anniversary of sorts. It was November 11, 2003, that I left Canada and began travelling for five months living out of a backpack and on various kind souls couches, spare beds, backyards and floors.
The recognition that it’s been four years since that fateful day has led me to take a moment and…
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If This Is Torture, Thai Me To The Wall…
So… I have not been all that great with the LJ entries lately. I can only blame it on being more conservative with my money – I was in London and pounds aren’t cheap! Here, Bangkok, it’s cheaper though… hell, who am I kidding, everything is cheaper here!
I left Florence Saturday morning and spent the day travelling to London. All went well and Maryann was home to greet me when I arrived at her flat, which is always a nice touch. It was awesome to see her and her flatmates again. It’s sort of bizarre how you happen upon…
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French Wine In Roma
It just turned midnight and I’ve now been away from home for more than two months. Surrounded by chatter in a number of languages, I write this while in the “common” room of the Yellow Hostel in Roma, Italy. My day leaving Dublin went much smoother than the day I arrived there. I was preparing to head to Paris and start my killer-budgeted Mainland Europe trip spending nearly 20 euro a night on a hostel – not something I was looking forward to. Checking my e-mail quickly before heading to the Dublin airport and in turn to Paris, I had…
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Sacralicious
It’s been a busy week since I left Belfast, and leaving Belfast proved no small challenge.
Last Monday Carol left for Prague for the New Year celebration. I too was supposed to depart, but because I had stayed up the entire night before scouring the Internet for flight deals to Bangkok and various other travel tips I stayed behind an extra day. Sooo… Tuesday morning I woke up bright and early and headed down to the store to grab the rest of the money I owed Carol (she spotted me to buy my flights) and to get some batteries. Getting…
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Beyond Belfast
Alright… so I think I’m about to rush the computer with such force that my noggin and the monitor will disprove all known physics regarding two objects occupying the same time and space.
I was up all night (no not half the night) trying to sort out aspects of my trip. Things got pretty complicated for a while there.. but I think I’ve got it sorted now.
I had (wrongly) assumed that ferries operate frequently from Ireland to France. Turns out this is only true during the warmer season. The last ferry leaves port on January 2nd. That was ok…
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Christmas Belfeast
I met Christmas Day with a mix of emotions. I’ve been gone about a month and a half, and yesterday was easily the day I spent the most time thinking of home. I had some ups and downs, but kept my head down and made it through. As nice as it was to have relatives to spend Christmas with, it really wasn’t the same as spending it with my family. We spent the day at Carol’s mom’s, a retirement-like home where we were able to use a big common room all for ourselves the whole day.
Graham and…
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Proper Crimbo
Well, it’s Christmas Eve, I don’t know it for the feel of it, but only for the day that it is. It just doesn’t feel like Christmas without being surrounded by the ones I love.
I am blessed that I have Carol, her mum and the Kirklands to spend Christmas with, but I not in my entire trip have I missed home as much as I do today.
Thankfully I’ve had lots to keep me busy. Graham (Carol’s nephew – what does that make him to me?) and I went and saw Lord of the Rings: Return of the King…
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Man Alive, Barely
What do you call two Canadians in Dublin? Doesn’t matter, they’re too drunk to care.
So, what an interesting time Dublin proved to be.
I arrived Friday afternoon on a 16 quid/return bus from Belfast. The ride down went quickly, and it was with much amusement I sat and listened to some very loud locals sitting beside and behind me (I swear one day I’m going to just sit beside the cute girl that is ALWAYS on the bus before me, but because there’s so many open seats, I just sit alone and end up having some whiny, smelly…
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Dublin
Yep.. that’s about as creative as I can get for a subject line right now.
Just wanted to post quickly and say that photos will be coming soon (well, when I get back to Belfast). Dublin has been awesome. Seeing Julie and Gerard has been great! And I met a very cool, very cute girl named Joey that is assisting in showing me what Dublin is all about.
Ok… gotta run, only 2 minutes left on my Internet cafe time.
Peace.
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The Life Of Ry
Hey, so today officially marks the One Month Away point. And let me be the first to say, it’s flown by.
I figured that perhaps now would be a good time to share some of the wisdom I’ve learned so far.
A) Travellers are a community unto themselves. It is like a club and once you join, you are a member for life.
B) For some reason dryers never caught on in the UK.
C) Fortunately radiators did, and so when visiting someone for the first time, you usually get a great glimpse of their gitch collection laid…
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Ulster Fries & Meatloaf
A panoramic view of Belfast. A little handy photoshop work and presto!
Well, I’m about four days into settling into Ireland for the month and I’m having quite the time!
Friday night Carol took me to her friend’s place out in the country where I ate TONS of curry and drank LOADS of Guinness. I’ve waited until Ireland to have a drop of Ireland, and with the amount of pubs I’ve visited since my journey began, it’s not been easy. We basically just sat around and shot the shit, which was quite cool.
Saturday Carol and I got up…
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Random In Edinbur-ah!
The Humanaught
Yesterday I boarded a train that took me to the costal town of Stranraer where I got on the biggest ferry I’ve ever seen and waved farewell to Scotland.
I feel a bit like I’m on a city scouting trip, as each place I go I am trying to gauge if I could live there. I think I mentioned this previously, but I’m hoping to return to Canada at the start of April and get my Holidaymaker Visa to come back and work in the UK for up to two years. I am hopeful of Belfast, as…
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A Ness Place To Visit
Inverness
I must say, what the Glasgow gloom did to dishearten my spirits about Scotland, Inverness lit my opinions with sunshine. Though I arrived in the dark and rain, by Sunday morning, true to the day’s name, the sun was shining.
I didn’t end up going out Friday night, as Barbara’s boyfriend never made it down – so we stayed and watched the plethora of Jackass and Jackass-esque shows that were on MTV-UK and BBC4. Saturday morning I met Barbara in the city centre for a quick lunch and a pint before I grabbed my train to Inverness.
The…
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Glasgow-go-go
Sigh…
After failing, once again, to secure a ride with my thumb, I returned to the house in Manchester, begging and pleading for another night’s accommodation. It was cool to stay another night, as I got to know Pete a bit better, as he only showed up on Monday night. I informed him that when he got to S. Korea he needed to try Sojue (or however you spell it). I also advised him to give the peanut butter covered squid balls a try. I also got a chance to watch Delicatessen, a film by the same writer/director as…
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Hitching – Take II, Bugger, take it all.
Is there something wrong with me? I mean seriously… no one picked me up 
Haha. Perhaps I’m too intimidating? Perhaps I am just too impatient. Or perhaps, and this is a stretch, I just really like mass transit systems so much, I am secretly sabotaging my hitchings 
Anyway, embarked early this morning to hitch again. Took a city bus to a “perfect” spot, and tried for almost 2 1/2 hours with no luck. Finally I just said – screw it! and went into Manchester and bought a bus ticket…
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Mancunian Candidate
The bittersweet defeat of my unsuccessful attempt to hitch out of Ipswich has been tempered by the fact that I am again staying with some wonderful strangers.
Woodbridge was great, a nice break from the fast pace of London. I mostly just sat around, read and watched TV. One day I headed into Ipswich and checked out the museum and a place called Christchuch Mansion – essentially a really large estate that has a lot of old portraits and paintings. It was pretty cool. The Ipswich museum was pretty standard in regards to the natural history stuff. However, it excelled…
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Ok, just in case ….
So, this entry isn’t really an “entry” per se, but rather just a quick update incase I get abducted when I attempt to hitch hike to Manchester tomorrow and am swept off into some human-trade slave organization – in which case I would not get to do an update, and I’m sure you’d all be distraught – so, I’m doing it now.
I’ve spent the last few days in Woodbridge on the east coast of England. Departing London was painful, as I’ve made such awesome friends there and hopefully I’ll be able to see them again soon. I’ve been staying…
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Last Days In London
Well, once again I’m writing this on my laptop with hopes of posting it the following day. I was shown a cool backpacker’s Internet café today that only charges a ₤1 per hour of usage. I figure I’ll post this before I head back down to Andy and Margaret’s place and pick up the winter jacket I left there when I departed yesterday. Damnit. I mean, I haven’t found need for it yet, and actually ended up carrying it around uselessly my first day in the Queen’s city – but, I am somewhat certain as I approach Inverness and winter…
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Feelin’ The Love In London
It’s a bit of a test to be writing this on my laptop, so as to save time on the Internet.
Where to begin, where to begin…
After braving the I90 and the outskirts of Buffalo, Vanessa, Dana and I arrived at the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport. I sorted myself out at the ticket counter, said my goodbyes and headed towards security where I, surprisingly, didn’t set off the alarm. I ALWAYS set off the alarm – but I took no chances, I was one step away from taking off my pants to prove that I wasn’t concealing any terrorist devices.…
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Wanderlust
“Roads go ever ever on,
Over rock and under tree,
By caves where never sun has shone,
By streams that never find the sea:
Over snow by winter sown,
And through the merry flowers of June,
Over grass and over stone,
And under mountains in the moon.Roads go ever ever on
Under cloud and under star,
Yet feet that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar,
Eyes that fire and sword have seen
And horror in the halls of stone
Look at last on
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