Just got back today.
The fridgy smell of a 7-11, the view of the north shore mountains still with a bit of snow, the sun setting over the downtown, the funny coloured money that is so narrow it actually fits in my wallet... some re-integration impressions.
Friday, May 13, 2005
Saturday, May 07, 2005
Finding the beach and back
I wasn't exactly lost, yet. I had gone to go find this beach which after a walk, a ferry ride, two longish bus rides and another 45 minute walk. By the time I got there I was able to take a few sunset pictures and watch someone parasailing off the adjacent cliff.
But it got dark. And it is a 45 minute walk to the bus stop. So I decided to try hitchhiking. The reason is that there are no buses from this beach to the next city and it took me about 45 minutes to walk there before. I asked a guy who was leaving, but he said he was going the other way. So I started walking anyway. The guy later passed me, but didn't give me a lift.
Later another guy did pick me up and dropped me off at the bus stop. It was really cool - like I had hyperspaced 30 minutes of space. He spoke Portugese but nothing else. Portugese and Spanish are not the same language, but I try some Spanish words, just in case they overlap.
While at the bus stop I went to buy something to drink. The lady owner - through an interpretive dance circling, jesturing and counting fingers towards the clock on the wall - told me that I had missed the last bus.
As I was over 100 km from Lisbon so I did not really want to wait and then see if I could get a taxi there. I expected that taxis might not want to do that run and/or it would be expensive.
So I started walking. A bus passed me! The dancing lady/soda vendor was wrong!
I chased the bus for awhile, hoping the bus driver would stop. He wasn't stopping so I kept running in a silly way, hoping the bus driver would think I was really crazy/desperate and that would somehow further motivate him to stop. That doesn't seem to work.
I was actually lost in the sense that I did not know where I was on a map. But there was a road sign for Lisboa so I wasn't lost in the sense that I knew which direction to go. If I knew where I was on a map, then maybe I could choose a larger town that might have later busses.
Anyway, I just kept walking on the trail to Lisboa, out of this small town and towards a forest. At this point the street lights stopped and if I continued further I would be in complete darkness.
So it was around 9. I thought I would stand near this lampost and see if someone would give me a ride to Lisbon. I figured I would wait until around 9:30 and then head back.
There weren't that many cars actually. Maybe one or two every five minutes. Some slowed down, some sped up. All went by. I have never hitchhiked before, so I wasn't sure what the best technique was to look pickupable or other techniques to pass the time.
I threw rocks to pass the time. I considered throwing rocks at cars, actually. I imagine alot of hitchhikers think about throwing rocks at cars. But this is probably a bad karma idea.
I walked around in circles too.
I threw out my thumb in some arbitrary way when I saw a car coming.
In anycase I wasn't paying much attention. Then as I was making another round in my circle dancing, I noticed that a big truck had actually stopped and was reversing!
A girl had the window half undone and asked where I was going. I said Lisbon (in English). They invited me in for the trip! All the way to Lisbon!
Turns out Jr (from Portugal) and Jessica (from France) are a camera crew and had just finished a long day filming a surfer and a fake Mauri for a cell phone commercial for an East European provider. In anycase they could speak Portugese, French and English. We spoke mostly English, because their English is better than my French.
So I got back to Lisbon! And I felt really lucky. Jr. thought it was really cool that this was the day that he found a Canadian in the forest.
But it got dark. And it is a 45 minute walk to the bus stop. So I decided to try hitchhiking. The reason is that there are no buses from this beach to the next city and it took me about 45 minutes to walk there before. I asked a guy who was leaving, but he said he was going the other way. So I started walking anyway. The guy later passed me, but didn't give me a lift.
Later another guy did pick me up and dropped me off at the bus stop. It was really cool - like I had hyperspaced 30 minutes of space. He spoke Portugese but nothing else. Portugese and Spanish are not the same language, but I try some Spanish words, just in case they overlap.
While at the bus stop I went to buy something to drink. The lady owner - through an interpretive dance circling, jesturing and counting fingers towards the clock on the wall - told me that I had missed the last bus.
As I was over 100 km from Lisbon so I did not really want to wait and then see if I could get a taxi there. I expected that taxis might not want to do that run and/or it would be expensive.
So I started walking. A bus passed me! The dancing lady/soda vendor was wrong!
I chased the bus for awhile, hoping the bus driver would stop. He wasn't stopping so I kept running in a silly way, hoping the bus driver would think I was really crazy/desperate and that would somehow further motivate him to stop. That doesn't seem to work.
I was actually lost in the sense that I did not know where I was on a map. But there was a road sign for Lisboa so I wasn't lost in the sense that I knew which direction to go. If I knew where I was on a map, then maybe I could choose a larger town that might have later busses.
Anyway, I just kept walking on the trail to Lisboa, out of this small town and towards a forest. At this point the street lights stopped and if I continued further I would be in complete darkness.
So it was around 9. I thought I would stand near this lampost and see if someone would give me a ride to Lisbon. I figured I would wait until around 9:30 and then head back.
There weren't that many cars actually. Maybe one or two every five minutes. Some slowed down, some sped up. All went by. I have never hitchhiked before, so I wasn't sure what the best technique was to look pickupable or other techniques to pass the time.
I threw rocks to pass the time. I considered throwing rocks at cars, actually. I imagine alot of hitchhikers think about throwing rocks at cars. But this is probably a bad karma idea.
I walked around in circles too.
I threw out my thumb in some arbitrary way when I saw a car coming.
In anycase I wasn't paying much attention. Then as I was making another round in my circle dancing, I noticed that a big truck had actually stopped and was reversing!
A girl had the window half undone and asked where I was going. I said Lisbon (in English). They invited me in for the trip! All the way to Lisbon!
Turns out Jr (from Portugal) and Jessica (from France) are a camera crew and had just finished a long day filming a surfer and a fake Mauri for a cell phone commercial for an East European provider. In anycase they could speak Portugese, French and English. We spoke mostly English, because their English is better than my French.
So I got back to Lisbon! And I felt really lucky. Jr. thought it was really cool that this was the day that he found a Canadian in the forest.
Friday, May 06, 2005
Portugal Quiz
Is Portugal part of the EU?
What currency does Portugal use?
What major sports event was hosted here last year?
Is Lisbon on the Ocean?
What currency does Portugal use?
What major sports event was hosted here last year?
Is Lisbon on the Ocean?
Lisbon so far
Just got into Lisbon and I have been walking around for a couple hours.
So far it is a very very nice day, the city itself seems laid back and has wide pedestrian only paths and plaças (plazas) which makes it nice to explore.
The overnight train was ok. The bed was too narrow for me to sleep the way I normally do, so I kept getting pain in my right shoulder.
I shared the compartment with someone from China who is doing some marble business, a Portugese Ph.D student studying environmental economics and an American psych. major who is doing an exchange year in Barcelona. The Chinese guy had his baggage stolen the day before by a group of people at the train station. One guy dropped his (empty) wallet and while the Chinese guy picked it up and got thanked over and over, the other guys took his bag (with sim cards, his id card and a chinese visa card). The Portugese guy made him feel better by describing how he had his bag stolen a week before while on a train (I think): he said he got up to look at the fiesta and left his (non urgent) bag on the seat, when he got back it was gone.
So far it is a very very nice day, the city itself seems laid back and has wide pedestrian only paths and plaças (plazas) which makes it nice to explore.
The overnight train was ok. The bed was too narrow for me to sleep the way I normally do, so I kept getting pain in my right shoulder.
I shared the compartment with someone from China who is doing some marble business, a Portugese Ph.D student studying environmental economics and an American psych. major who is doing an exchange year in Barcelona. The Chinese guy had his baggage stolen the day before by a group of people at the train station. One guy dropped his (empty) wallet and while the Chinese guy picked it up and got thanked over and over, the other guys took his bag (with sim cards, his id card and a chinese visa card). The Portugese guy made him feel better by describing how he had his bag stolen a week before while on a train (I think): he said he got up to look at the fiesta and left his (non urgent) bag on the seat, when he got back it was gone.
Thursday, May 05, 2005
going to portugal
on my way to portugal. two nights ago in casa, last night in ageciras, now in Madrid to take overnight train to lisbon.
Met some americans and a brazian/american couple who we think got sold expired ferry tickets to spain.
Madrid is much nicer than i remember. Possibly the change of season, that I know more spanish, and that it is the first wester city I have seen in a few weeks and that it is familiar.
Met some americans and a brazian/american couple who we think got sold expired ferry tickets to spain.
Madrid is much nicer than i remember. Possibly the change of season, that I know more spanish, and that it is the first wester city I have seen in a few weeks and that it is familiar.
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Coming home May 13th
Not because of any big bad reason... I thought that things might end because of a big reason - say I got sick, hurt or destitute. But I'm not. I don't really have a big reason; other than to see my family, friends and city. That is the big reason.
So I am flying home May 13th from London. As I am currently in Rabat, Morocco now I will make my way up through Morocco, Spain, probably Portugal and then to London between now and then. Right now I am shocked - by how quick the decision came - and excited to return.
So I am flying home May 13th from London. As I am currently in Rabat, Morocco now I will make my way up through Morocco, Spain, probably Portugal and then to London between now and then. Right now I am shocked - by how quick the decision came - and excited to return.
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