Musings from the Road

I love the interludes of strange conversations and strange people I meet while traveling. Take for instance, in Barcelona at 6 in the morning when I met Mervio. Not homeless, but not quite 'all there', he was either up late or up early.
He graciously offered to share his marijuana with me, and even offered to buy me whiskey, I refused both. He spoke no English and I, no Spanish. Bleary eyed from just getting off the bus from Marseille, I answered most of his questions in broken French.
A harmless simple-minded Spaniard, he spoke of sport and then professed his love for me in his best English: "Baby, I love you." Unfortunately, the gulf of language difference was too much for us star-crossed lovers, and he lost interest, said 'Adios' and wandered off into the early morning light. I reflected on our strange conversation with amusement. It reminds me of the man I met outside the train station in Rome last year who bought me a bottle of water and then asked me to marry him (to which I politely declined). Or the homeless woman I met in a bus stop in America who was gnawing at cheese straight from the block. These people are not dangerous, rather misunderstood and largely ignored by society. It is the joy of travel to meet the locals!

Marseille, France, August 2013

I went to Marseille with no preconceived ideas of what it was like, in fact I had no idea what it was like - I didn't even Google tourist attractions! I went to visit my dear friend, Melissa, and I knew she would make the best plans for us! Of course I was right! Melissa miraculously had time off work during the days I was there - she had not asked for time off, it just happened to be like that! So I was so lucky to have her company the whole time! We stayed in her friend Marion's apartment and we all had a terrific time! It was special for me to be staying in an all girls apartment, after living so long with a family, it was like being at camp! Laughing, dancing, singing, being silly. I loved every minute!

We listened to music, watched TV, played knucklebones, and leaned out the window to hear a couple arguing and breaking plates. We ate hamburgers at the beach on the rocks at sunset looking out at the Mediterranean sea, we took a spin on Marseille's open air ferris wheel, ate huge sticks of cotton candy (called barbapapa which means 'dad's beard').

I got to meet many of Melissa's friends, even the family she nanny's for! We had fresh authentic Pain Au Chocolat from the bakery down the road, swam in crystal clear waters and walked for miles!  One day we met Melissa's good friend Virginia and had lunch at the port. Later, we met another friend and drove to the nearby small coastal town of Cassis, which was beautiful and quaint.

Melissa took me all over the city. We went to all the major sites and historical buildings, including the Notre Dame cathedral that overlooks the city and bears scars from WWII attacks. She showed me the neighborhood L'Estaque where she grew up and the little marina where her grandmother (who couldn't swim) taught her to swim. We ate chichi (fried dough covered in sugar and nutella), panisses (savoury version of chichi but in a different shape), and navette biscuits (all of which are Marseille specialities!).

I was really sad to leave Marseille and Melissa because I had an incredible time. I loved the sightseeing but most of all, I loved reconnecting with my friend in her home environment! Seeing the way she lives, the places she loves and making new friends. What a blessing! More pictures to come.

Wow, pain Au chocolat fresh from the local bakery!

Delicious food at the restaurant

A park in Cassis

Cassis

Cassis village

The Scooter and The Bet

This story begins at the end of another - Melissa and I had just finished an afternoon of exploring the city of Marseille by foot. Hot and tired but in good spirits, we decided the perfect end to the day would be a relaxing chat sitting on the rocks at the main Marseille waterfront. We arrived, and found some nice big boulders to sit on. But before we sat down, something caught our eye just to the left of us in the water. Lurking there on the rocks in the shallow water was a motor scooter! We were intrigued and so we moved closer. 

We observed it for a long time, thinking up all the possible reasons for it to be there (murder? scorned woman?). We watched as tiny black bubbles of oil and petrol leaked out and dispersed along the surface of the water. The bubbles were becoming more frequent and we saw the oil slick spread. Not really sure of what to do or who to call, Melissa called the police to let them know. They thanked her and noted all her details but did not indicate if they were sending anyone or not. 

After a while I started plotting how I could possibly pull the scooter out by myself. Melissa begged me not to try, but I was determined. She said she was scared I would fall in the water and she did not want to jump in after me. So we made a bet. I bet her 1 Euro that I could move the scooter without falling in the water. She reluctantly agreed and I took off my shoes and my watch and climbed down the rocks into the sea. 

I stood there in the water for a while forming a strategy, then started to pull at the tire. 

It took time because it would get caught on different rocks, but I kept persisting and soon enough I had managed to get it standing up in the water with the handlebars above the water surface. Melissa was in disbelief! She was so shocked she couldn't even take pictures!

I pulled and pulled and heaved until I brought the scooter to the edge of the rocks. But what could I do now? I could not lift the scooter out over the rocks to the shore, I would have to leave it propped up at the water's edge. Meanwhile, the sea patrol cruised past on their inflatable boat, they saw me trying to pull the scooter out of the water but they offered no help, they just said 'bonjour' as they continued past us! (Perhaps it is an ordinary thing to see someone retrieving a scooter from the sea?) 

But, then just at that moment Melissa's phone rang, it was the police! They had arrived! Three smartly uniformed officers stood above us on the sidewalk. It was absolutely perfect timing. They immediately came down to the rocks and together we lifted the scooter out of the water.

The officers thanked me because I had done all the work in the water which meant they didn't have to get their uniforms wet. They said that the scooter had probably been stolen, although it hadn't been reported as stolen yet. They assessed the scooter and were quite puzzled as to what to do with it, but eventually they said 'au revoir' and walked off with it. I put my shoes and watch back on and we made our merry way home, laughing all the way. Later that evening, Melissa gave me the 1 Euro that I had won. The lengths one goes to in order to win a bet! :-)

Anticipation

Tomorrow morning I leave Switzerland on the beginning of my epic journey back to New Zealand, taking the long way home.

I spend my very last days with my host family, it was very special! Last night we celebrated my host mom's birthday, and then this morning they left at 9am. Suddenly I was no longer an au pair! It is a feeling which I do not think will sink in fully for a wee while!

Today I enjoyed my last day in Switzerland packing my life into my backpack, then I took a walk by the beautiful Lake Geneva.

Then, later in the evening, I went out for dinner with the parents of my host mom and my host mom's sister. We went to a small local restaurant, shrouded under beautiful grapevines which formed a ceiling to the outside courtyard where we sat. We had fondue because in all my 19 months with the family, I had always somehow missed out on the nights when they had fondue! So finally I was able to experience Swiss fondue!

It is an interesting meal because there is some etiquette you have to follow. First they recommend that you drink quite a bit of water beforehand because the fondue makes you thirsty. Then you take a piece of bread and dip it deeply into the cheese (fondue is made by melting cheese with wine), stirring it around then you blow on it and eat it! Everyone shares the same fondue pot, and if you drop your bread into the fondue pot you have a punishment - girls have to kiss all the men at the table, and men have to pay for the whole table's wine! Luckily I didn't lose any of my bread in the pot!

 The fondue was delicious! Creamy and smooth. But once you start eating the fondue, you should not drink cold water, only hot drinks or wine, so I took a tea to sip. Even after the fondue you should not drink cold drinks for 2 hours approximately because otherwise the cheese solidifies in your stomach and it is very difficult to digest. All this etiquette of eating fondue! So interesting and so scrumptious! It was the perfect end to my Swiss adventure.

Tomorrow I will take the train to Marseille, France and begin the next phase of my trip!
Ciao!

The tale of the Sketchbook

Depressed at the realisation that I could not actually afford to buy postcards on my budget, I became inspired by this blog: http://drawntheroadagain.com/ where this incredibly talented traveler Chandler takes a sketch book with him wherever he goes and then publishes his pictures on his blog. I decided to lay a challenge for myself - if I could find both a sketch pad and sketching pencils for under CH5 (approx US$5 - a big challenge in Switzerland!) then I would begin to sketch each place I go rather than buying postcards. Bringing a sketchpad would add weight to my bag, but it would be well worth it in the end!

I went to my favourite budget supermarket Migros and after some hunting, I managed to find a very basic plain pad and a set of four pencils ranging 2H to 2B, all for CH4.10! I was amazed. And thus, I began my new 'tradition' of sketching each place I go. 

I did a few sketches and noticed that already my precious Migros sketchpad was falling apart. I was unperturbed and determined - somehow or another my sketchpad would survive the entire trip!

A couple of days later my host family put on a goodbye breakfast for me, it was so lovely, and they surprised me with a present - a beautiful moleskin sketchbook! A proper one that won't fall apart! And they bought me an eraser, pencil sharpener, pencil case and high quality watercolour colouring pencils! Was I spoiled or what?! So the following pictures were taken from my Migros sketch pad, but all drawings from now on will be in my beautiful new sketchpad! 

View from the foot of my bed at the Chalet

View out my window

View from the river near the Chalet 

View out my window in Lausanne

The table on Swiss National Day, August 1st.

I think sketching will be great for me as I travel because it will make me slow down and pause for a while, to enjoy my surroundings more and to be more observant of the little things. I hope that it will open my eyes to see more as I travel to these different and majestic places. 

A Story With A Moral

In a couple of months I am planning on travelling to Uganda to teach in a school or work in an orphanage - I am not quite sure yet what I will be doing. I have been busily researching different organisations working in Uganda to find one that will be a good match for me to work with.

As part of this process, I put a volunteer profile up on a website which connects volunteers to organisations and vice versa. I received a few messages from organisations trying to contact me to come and volunteer with them, but I realised that I could not open the messages unless I paid for a membership on the website (which I did not want to do). I wondered if perhaps I should pay the membership to be able to read my messages, I was so torn over it that I gave my dad a call and asked him! He suggested that I just wait for a little bit and see what else comes up before paying. I followed his advice.

The very next day I was checking my facebook account and I had a new message from a person in Uganda, the director of an organisation which ran a school and orphanage. He explained that he had found my profile on the volunteer site, had messaged me on that site, but had also found me on Facebook. I was very happy that he had found me on Facebook so that I could be in contact with him without needing to pay on the volunteer site!

He asked me to come and volunteer with them teaching English and helping in the orphanage. I said that I had a lot of questions, but that I would consider his offer. He patiently answered all the questions that I asked him. I am a very savvy and discerning traveler, I was not going to sign up without doing all my homework about this organisation. I did a lot of web research on the organisation and I was not fully satisfied with the information I received - the only things I could find about the organisation and the work they did was on their own website and Facebook page - there was no mention of it anywhere else.

I asked if I could be put in contact with a former or current foreign volunteer - I had a lot of questions which only a volunteer would be able to answer (including about the authenticity of the entire organisation!). He said it was a good idea and told me that he would get one of the volunteers to email me. A couple of days passed, then out of the blue I received an email from a so-called American volunteer called 'Lori'. I almost burst out laughing as I read it, it was obviously written by the director!

It was hilariously written and included sentences which a Western would never use, and were completely uncharacteristic for an American, such as: "greetings to you from Uganda, am called Lori from USA". Note that it doesn't even say 'I am called' (which we would never say anyway), it just says 'am called'.

'Lori' spoke high praise of the organisation (and of the director, surprise surprise!) saying: "am so excited that am able reach out and care for many people and am believing this to be my best experience in life ever!"

I found it absolutely hilarious that the director would think that he could fool me. I almost felt sorry for him, and whatever he was hiding. I wrote back to 'Lori' and straight out said that I knew it was fraudulent, that I was not deceived, and to never attempt to contact me again. I haven't heard from him since. I did get a good laugh out of it and no harm was done.

The moral of the story is: Do not try to fool me!! I have a sharp mind and I am not easily misled! haha.

So it is back to the drawing board on finding an organisation in Uganda, but I remain unconcerned, I will find one in plenty of time - I trust the Lord Jesus - He will direct my paths and bring me the right opportunities!

Beginning

I begin this blog in Switzerland. I am here for another 11 days and then I will be gallivanting all over the place, who knows where I will end up. It is very exciting! I thought I would share some songs which I carry with me as I travel - songs which give a sense of who I am and how I feel when I travel. A small piece of my personality, of my heart, which I will share with you. 

Fleetwood Mac - Gypsy 

Shapeshifter - In Colour

Six60 - Don't Forget Your Roots

Jillette Johnson - Torpedo