Wandering Scotsman

I’ve just transferred this blog to wordpress so all old posts have been transferred automagically…  I don’t have time to go and change things around just now, so bear with me!

It never seems like I do nothing, but I seem to achieve nothing…..much.

My blog has been quiet since Afghanistan as life (generally) seems not quite so exciting.  I lost my IT contract just before I left so I cam back jobless, with a car that I couldn’t really afford any more, and the prospect of a pre-Christmas lull in the contract market.

Despite this, I’ve pretty much ran my bank account dry just living in the relatively expensive UK.  I’ve managed to grab a good few weekends away up north to Ben Nevis, Glencoe, Aviemore, back home etc.  I’ve also decided to accept an offer of a flight to Florida to see my niece before returning to Scotland for New Year (yaah!).  I’ll be heading from where something ‘old’ means the year 1500ish (Edinburgh Castle) to somewhere old being 50 years…..  to one of the ‘free-est countries in the world’….but where you cannot let off fireworks in city limits (if my memory serves me right from the last visit).

Coming back, I’ll be going from 80 degrees to 30 degrees (thats 28c to 0c) overnight, but at least I should be able to swim in the sea on xmas day with a bit of luck.

I still hum and haw about what to do as an alternative to IT.  I loved the photojournalism work I did recently…..now if only I could get that to pay…..or even better find out how to find the markets!  Afghan pictures anyone?

More soon hopefully…..

Please, please, surely we can beat Italy tomorrow night!!

Yes, yes I know the blog has been pretty dead of late.  I won’t give you a full update on what I’ve been doing recently, but I now have my own laptop back!  10 weeks it took for the to and fro from the repairer to Sony to get the spare parts..

Anyway, I made it to the World Mountain Bike Championship finals in Fort William, Scotland this weekend and have uploaded a few pictures to the Wandering Scotsman Picasa Gallery.

I was catching up on one of my favourite clothing brands site today – Howies.co.uk and think I found the perfect postcard for myself just now – “Time not cash” – check it out.

If you had told me when I left that Leith would have been twinned with Rio De Janeiro by the time I came back I would have probably put a large bet against it.  Leith is one of those Edinburgh suburbs (although Leithers would hate to be referred as that as they class themselves outside the city) that is coming good.  Traditionally it was a more lower or working class than some of Edinburgh, but now getting more trendy with classy bars and restaurants mixed between the nitty gritty Leith of old.  A great area.  But you see, Leith, in my opinion, has as much to do with Rio De Janeiro as bears have with shitting in a lavatory.  But hey, each to their own.  Good on you Leith!

Also….Budvar beer has sadly changed the colour of it’s large bottles from brown to green.  BUT – Beer Lao has made it to the UK!  I’m not sure if this is an official source, but hey

you can buy Beer Lao online in the UK!

As for that I’ve had a lazy few days as I’ve been struck with a bad cold being really bunged up, and having horrible nights sleeps.  That and the reality of trying to realise I’m back in Scotland hasn’t made me very productive.  I called the ‘dole office’ today which is always a laugh so will try and sign on for benefits while I work something out – hey I’ve paid enough taxes over the years. 

Apart from that I’ve arranged to get my laptop inspected as my speakers haven’t been working for some time after it was dropped. Unfortunately it is the worst possible timing as I have loads I’d like to do over the next few weeks, and being a Sony it may well end taking ages, and me cancelling the repair.

Apart from that I have plans to head to Aberdeen to see the folks next week, and try to head away to do some outdoors stuff with a mate for a few days the week after that.

Somehow I’ll have to find a way to get some cash in as well!

This is Japanese for ‘Travel’….but I need to get my photoshop skills significantly better to make this look half decent!

So what’s it like to be back?  Absolutely bizarre.  It’s great to see people, no doubt about that, although I’ve been easing myself into that.

(Picture : view from Arthurs Seat in Edinburgh)

What does feel weird is not having worked for so long there it is going to take a while to realise that I may end up in the corporate world again to earn some cash.  As I waited for my last flight to Edinburgh from Heathrow, the departure gate was full of people on business flights, wearing suits, carrying briefcases and making last minute business calls : that world seems so far away from interacting with some local using only the best hand signals you can dream up, and going shopping for some food where you can’t decipher any of the packaging on the shelfs.

I’ve been going through some of my pictures in the few days since getting back which is a great way of reliving the trip and reminding myself of things I’ve forgotten I’ve done.

My trip highlights in terms of countries would have to be :

Laos – great people and places and so laid back.  Would go back tomorrow.

Myanmar – as above but it’s frustrating not being able to find out about the politics of the area easily.

Japan – it’s like what I had been expecting for years, yet there is so much more to see than I did.  It took me years to make it here.  Great experiences, wacky and definitely a lively friendly population.  I’d go back with outdoors gear.

New Zealand – For me, NZ can’t really be put in a specific place – it wasn’t first, it wasn’t third, it was just really great.  It’s similar to home in terms of you don’t get vast cultural differences and you don’t have to fight huge language barriers.  The people have a great lifestyle attitude and the country is just so diverse.  I really miss diving the Poor Knights and wish I could do that tomorrow.

There are so many favourite bits, I will try to write some country summaries over the next few weeks as it all seems very weird not blogging about what I’m up to, even though there may be very few readers.

I have a few things I’d like to be trying over the next month or so before I try to get any ‘real’ work.  I’m going to go through my photography and see if I can work out a way to get some income through that, maybe look at doing an ebook, look into ways of making some cash online and investigate doing another expedition of sorts using my photography and trek leading – maybe to somewhere like Mongolia.

Any other short term work considered!  Drop me an email!

I’ve been back in Scotland for a couple of days now after  a bit of nightmareish delayed journey.  It’s bizarre and yet to sink in.  It almost feels like I am walking along in another world!  The lively Edinburgh I left behind all seems so weird, and the weather is dull as well which isn’t the best thing to come back to!  I’ve yet to catch up and say hello to everyone.

Leith Walk in Edinburgh has almost been overtaken by the Polish – three Polish delis and several other business opened up catering for the vast amount of recent migrants to Edinburgh.

I’m not feeling too inspired to write just now and don’t have easy internet access….but more reflections on my trip soon!

Ever since I left my first extended trip in Whistler, Canada many years ago and my mate’s 4 year old daughter (at the time) sang this to me on the way to Vancouver airport, I always think of this song when leaving places.

And tonight it’s by far the biggest leave since then.  Twelve months to the day since leaving Scotland, eleven countries, over 10,000 km of my own driving, 33 flights, 60+ dives, 1 flooded camera, 1 dropped broken camera, 57 wireless internet networks (hey my computer tells me this I’m not *that* geeky), umpteen bus journeys, 100 kg of souvenirs, clothes and unrequired equipment sent home, 4 notebooks of random travel notes, to-do lists and email addresses, priceless and unlimited memories, and I’m heading back to Scotland tonight.

I’m not too sad about it just now (remind me that after I am back and broke!) as I know it’s happening and it will be good to get back and see everyone.  I wish I was heading back to my own place though but I’m still letting it out for financial reasons.  How long that glowy feeling of being back lasts, who knows!  I’ll definitely miss the ‘different’ factor of being away and experiencing different cultures, people and places without the rigid rules back home and won’t enjoy getting weird looks if I start chatting to some random person in a bar or on the street.  And just the other day I heard that Scotland is being run by the Scottish National Party and Tony Blair is stepping down in two weeks (I hardly see the news).

I am glad to be leaving Khao San Road though. As lively as it is, the place just doesn’t give too good an impression of Thailand.  Full of travellers that seem to have been somewhere too long, too many bars with ‘F*ck’ in their name or welcome board, too many old guys walking round with young Thai beauties, too many people who know they’ll make cash out of you so they don’t have to be friendly, too much rubbish sitting around the street, but bloody good cheap shopping and a few great bookshops especially if you are looking for stuff on Asia.

The pool is open, I’ve finished my banana shake, I’m off to savour the last few hours by the pool before I have to attempt to ram everything in my bags for the last time.  To all my friends : Please don’t say ‘same old, same old’ when I ask what’s been happening.  What I’m doing is just something different, I want to hear all your news too!