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Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Vancouver, BC, Canada
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In the words of the great, glorious and freedom fighting president of the United States, Mr. George Walker Bush:
Mission Accomplished! |
Posted by devon @ 08:32 AM CST [Link] [No Comments]
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Friday, July 22, 2005
San Jose, Costa Rica
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This country SUCKS!
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Posted by devon @ 06:09 PM CST [Link] [No Comments]
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Saturday, July 16, 2005
Martinique, French West Indies
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Somewhere in the Caribbean, a young man sits in a cafe and watches a harrowing, violent scene of armed robbery occur before his gaping eyes.
So much to say, so little time.
The crossing was incredible. I had forgotten how much I love being at sea. At intervals perhaps. I hereby declare my unconditional love for her, and make a commitment to spend more time together.
Looking away from the ship, and seeing impossible nothingness contrast the chaotic and majestic waves brings up feelings of awe, regardless of how long you watch. Indeed its quite hard to pull yourself away from it. I spent 9 months travelling on the ocean a couple years ago, and while I did get very, very tired of the life, I never tired of watching the sea.
I would also sit out at night and try to remember all the constellations.
We arrived at Guadaloupe on the 12th, and three cadets who were doing work experience on the ship rented a car and took me galavanting. Being with them, and it being there first time in the tropics, I had a mix of lost memories and feelings come back to me from my time on tropical islands.
The initial memory was why I hate tropical islands. They are all the fucking same. Tropical islands I think epitomise for many people relaxation, a release from wordly complexities and stress free living. Personally, relaxing makes me feel terribly guilty, and I feel much better when I'm stimulated by things that islands tend to unanimously lack, culture, information and complexity.
I'm generalising.
On the other hand, I've started to remember all those lost months in the pacific. All the maladies, laughs, catastrophe's and experiences that slipped out of my head once I arrived in asia. 9 months is a long time and I have remembered for the first time since leaving the pacific dozens of hilarious things that happened on those islands.
This is something that people don't really understand about my trip. I think its a tragedy that 9 months of my life simply get pushed out of my head with the constant overload of information and experience.
Too long, simply too long.
Its so strange to have a lost memory brought to life by something as simple as breaking open a coconut.
I leave in a few hours to cartagena, Colombia. Its a long, embarrasing story, but mommy got worried about me traversing the venezuelan/colombian border (which does happen to be riddled with marxist rebels intent on kidnapping anyone worth it) and found me a boat heading directly to Cartagena, saving me a week in the process.
Its good luck.
I got jacked for a cup of coca cola last night. Crud. I know Canadians read this site, so I wont say anything too politically incorrect in case someone has a heart attack, but the people on these islands generally suck. The first night I arrived on Guadaloupe, we saw a french man get slashed by a local trying to steal his motorbike. We've been shouted at a few times, I've been called whitey and like i said, this homeless motherfucker came up to me last night, got down on his knees, pleaded with me to give him some money, got up, threatened me, stole my cup of coke, then ran away.
It was rediculous. This is the first time I've been robbed. I mean, I've been to afghanistan for fucks sake and 3 days in the caribbean and I've already been robbed.
I've been thinking long and hard since I got here about the causes and factors, and verily, it does come back to our lovable colonial forefathers.
But I can still be selfishly pissed off.
Motherfucker stole my coke!
I'm not really angry, I laughed as soon as I saw him running. Did yell at the next guy who asked me for money though. Felt bad, he was a miserable looking french guy, skinny as a beanpole.
Anyway, I'm out of range for a couple days, will try to get on the horn in Colombia. Should be home in a little over a week.
TTFN |
Posted by devon @ 07:34 AM CST [Link] [No Comments]
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Friday, July 1, 2005
Le Harve, France
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In a decrepit enclave of a french port where the very fabric of the buildings seem to be disintegrating before our very eyes, two helmeted youths perched on a motorbike look with curiousity at a malnurished, parasite ridden mutt barking with malice at an equally shabby looking Canadian, who is shuffling towards a busstop, where he will meet a familiar looking west african man.
I hate competition. When I read other travelers or photographers websites, it makes me feel small. Even if they suck.
I am actually leaving tomorrow, en route a rouen, from where I will actually leave directly for Martinique. I will save a description of the conditions on board untill I arrive, but know at the very least that the boat I am travelling on is far from the expected banana boat. Its a giant fucking container ship. I can hardly (contain?) myself.
The transport planners here must have some cruel, ironic sense of humour. The busstop mentioned above, which I have visited three times now and exists far from the nearest concept of a decent part of town, has the most contradictory and insulting name I could possibly imagine. Above of the childish futility of creativly naming your busstops in the first place, the bastards in charge chose "Chateaubriand" for this one. For those of you unitnitiated in the world of culinary nomenclature, "chateaubriand" is a long tubular portion of meat cut from the rear of a cow, and is considered the finest cut of beef that can be consumed. Those who know me even at a distance will be acquainted with my severe intolerance of failure and idiocy of any variety when it comes to decision making. I have to say, after spending a few minutes reflecting on the poverty of my near surrounds, and feeling the increasing sympathy that wells up in any kind of caring human being upon doing so, to look up and see the name "Chateaubriand" plastered on top of the sign pole, all but sneering at the likely poorly fed local populous put a queer frown on my face.
All you can do is laugh.
Irony of this sort can really displace that sense of familiarity and order that creeps up on you when ones life is existing under a routine.
The most poigniant instance that I can remember is the "welcome to india" scene that occured in Daravi, bombay. It still makes me laugh out loud whenever I think about it.
I dont have time to describe it, but you can read about the whole experience here
Shit its a long post, but hey, I'm going to be out of touch for a while. Its around halfway down if your impatient.
So, even if I get an opportunity to post from Rouen, I won't. Not even to tell you what the even more ironic monument to the burning of Frances most controversial and famous martyr, Jean D'arc, looks like.
I've had enough of this disjointed beginning of the ending of my trip. It deserves a slap in the face, with a white glove.
that is all I have to say.
TTFN |
Posted by devon @ 08:45 AM CST [Link] [No Comments]
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