A litle bit more of Europe and coming home

I suppose we can start in Bordeaux. What can I say about Bordeaux? It's an amazing city, seriously. I loved my time there and ended up staying so long that I forfeited the rest of time in Europe just to stay there. I'd been meaning to go to Spain and Portugal still, but when you're having that much fun in a place there is absolutely no reason to leave at all! No rush and no worries, I'll get around to Spain and Portugal eventually. It's not the most important thing in the world that I follow the plans I set down for myself because I know that's never going to happen!

I'd found a couple couchsurfers in Bordeaux and last minute decided to stay with Melina and her friend. They were two German girls studying anthropology there in Bordeaux for a term or so. All I can say is they are amazing. Absolutely incredible. So was their French roommate Arthur. I had a ton of fun going out with them and meeting all the friends they'd made here in Bordeaux. I drank immense amounts wine and holy hell was it incredible. I don't drink wine, but this wine was the best I have ever had. It was so good. It was so good that one night I decided to just stay in and I drank three bottles by myself. Started with white, then blush, and finished off with a red. It was a night well spent. Plus a good bottle is only three euro! Who could refuse such a golden opportunity? Other nights were spent staying in or going out with them. Some were spent goin' off exploring and I spent one night out with some people I'd just met in town. Melina drove me out to a giant sand dune that's famous around there where I was reunited with the ocean. I spent over a week in Bordeaux including my birthday. Bordeaux is clas, such a good city and I'm sure I'll stop back by sometime.

Anyways, since I spent so much time there I'd knowingly skipped my flight from Portugal and instead got a different one flying out of Madrid. Since time was running out I got a rideshare and made it down for one night in Madrid. I didn't really do anything there but explore a little and I managed to stealth camp near the center. One day I'll come back and do Spain right. And then I was back in Ireland for a few days before I left for home.

Ah. Ireland. My new home away from home. My darlin' lover. My youth well spent. I hadn't realized how much I missed Ireland until I was back there. Wow did I miss it. I came back and immediately went to Galway because, well, because apparently all roads lead to Galway. And rightly so. I got to Galway and immediately met up with Shauna, we met up with the twins, and then we all met up with Rob and everyone else (All this is a loose sort of speculation because I'm not quite sure of everything that went down). And we all proceeded into a night of debauchery and shenanigans. We went good all night. All night and into the morning. And then all day. And then all night again. It was steady and true. It was bonding like the kind you can't find in America. As far as I can tell it was just pure Irish. I miss ye already Ireland....

And then it was all over and I was headed back to the airport skagged and hungover (neither of which left me for days). Met some awesome people on my flights back to America. Had a nice layover in Norway. Then arrived in NYC where I got to see Sierra and Lauren, two of my favourite people to visit while I'm out and about. It seems I only ever see them when I'm traveling. Had a grand time there and then it was back home to visit the fam and the dog. Which is where I am now. And ye know what? I miss it already. I miss it all. I miss the unknown and the adventure and people who don't know my language. I miss the food and the simple life of the vagabond. The generosity and the love of strangers and the bonds made while out traveling. I miss likeminded people, the likes of which are something of a rarity it seems. It's all just so liberating, it's all so satisfying. It puts you at peace in your soul and you're scratching that itch that never seems to go away. I do miss it, but it's still nice to be home for a little while. Nice to veg and play some video games and be a normal person for a short spell. See some friends I don't see very often, cuddle up with my dog, and maybe do a bit of running. It's refreshing because ye always gotta go recharge yer batteries for a bit before the next adventure. So you all know the nextadventure happens to be Peru and it starts Jan. 13th. So you can look forward to that at least, maybe I'll blog some of my life back home. But it's not always exactly PC so we'll see ;)

Keep being happy and have a good holiday season!

Beacon

Hows about some hitching?

I feel like I haven't given a good post about hitching very recently. So I'll dedicate this post to the generosity of the French and how culturally different hitching is here compared to America.

I was going to Boredeaux. I left Nantes really late (around noon) as the night before had more festivites than I'd planned for. There was no way I was going to make it today, Bordeaux was a good little bit away and it gets dark around 5 or 6 depending on how overcast it is. I had some applesauce tucked away in my pack for the inevitable night of camping somewhere in the French countryside. But I got to a fantastic spot outside of town and had two people stop in the first 10 minutes though they weren't going the right way. I wasn't too worried about getting out of town after that. 

While I was thumbin' it there a guy from Romania comes along also hitching down to Bordeaux and we join teams for a little while. Another car stops for us, but they aren't goin' the right way. The next car is a middle aged woman and her 10 year old son and they happily take us up to the next petrol station. Sometimes in America you'll get rides from people with kids, but not often. But it has happened so much over here it's shocking. But awesome, I think over here hitching is just not as looked down upon. 

So we're at the next petrol station for maybe 15 minutes before an older guy and his son give us a ride. They're going to an ultimate frisbee tournament and really just want to practice English. They drop the Romanian guy at a huge petrol station on the way to Bordeaux, but I decide to go on to La Rochelle with them. I always feel better when I'm by the ocean. We have a good ride and they drop me at the public bus stop to get me through town. I get a free tour for a euro and a half vis public bus and then I'm on the other side of town walking towards the highway I need with my thumb out.

I was just holding out my thumb while walking, not really expecting someone to pick me up as I was still in town when a car pulls over anyways. She's a young girl of 26 and headed about 50km up the road. She hardly speaks any English, but we do a really good job of talking regardless. I have to say she had the most gorgeous eyes and it was a good ride ending me up a good bit closer to easy hitching!

I had two choices of roads to go down at this point and kind of alternated between the two. I had 6 people pull over before I took a ride to Saintes. It was crazy, a car every 5 minutes!! The guy who picked me had a cat in his lap and he was on his way to drop it off at a shelter. He was really fun and dropped me where I presumed I would be camping for the night since it was nearly dark. But I wanted to try until the bitter end!

That's how I got a ride from a French fisherman who grows weed and scuba dives in his free time. He spoke less Engliah than anyone by far that day, but through pantomiming we talked for the full hour and half car ride. It was fantastic and he dropped me in the centre of Bordeaux. 

And there we have it, no problems whatsoever. The rides were awesome and so much fun. Simple as could be. I love hitching in France :)

Be happy,

Beacon 

A time for remembering

Being in Nantes with Maël has been incredible. From time spent listening to accordion late at night in the living room to eating kebobs under the castle bridge. Lots of cheek kisses and wine. It was awesome, but, in honor of how I know Maël, I am not going to blog about my time here in Nantes. No, instead I will go back two years ago exactly and tell of past adventures from my younger days.

I don't know where to begin. I can't tell it all because it's a long story. But I don't know if I tell about that time in Albania? Where we rented a car and drove all over to find the Blue Eye? Or Croatia, where I still claim the coolest spot I have EVER camped, right there outside the walls of the breathtaking Dubrovnik. Nah, I'll talk about the day we left Slovenia and hitched all the way to Carcassonne in France. (Let's be clear, this was a long time ago and fuzzy in my mind, but I will tell of it what I remember).

It was a race. A hitchhiking race. Me and Maël vs. Jake and Jess. The start? Slovenia, nearly on the Italian border. The finish line? Carcassonne France, where Jess' granddad has a farm in the countryside. It's not even light out and you can here the rustling of gear as everyone struggles to cope with the early morning grogginess. Sleeping bags are being stuffed into packs, phone chargers

found and put into ziplock baggies, teeth brushed. All four of us pile into the little car with Aya's mother and she drivesus  across the border into Italy where the sun is just starting to illuminate the overcast sky. And then we're off. 

Jake and Jess got a ride first, not surprising as they had Jess. We were soon to follow in some sort'o'vehicle I don't even remember. Soon they were out of sight and we were stuck on the roadside, thumbs out. Not long and a trucker comes to our aid taking us around Venice. It hurts to skip a place that fills my mind with a mysterious wonder such as Venice does, but there was a race to be won.Where are Jake and Jess? We don't know, we haven't seen them on the side of the road. Maybe they took a different route, maybe they're way ahead of us, maybe we already passed them. The cold air again, a fast car, we're at a petrol station. No, we're going to France. You're going to Spain? Can we go part of the way? No room for two, fuck. A van with a guy. Another rest stop and two familiar backpacks out front. Jake and Jess haven't been here long and we're soon doing fours. A van and we're all in it, to go to into Milan or south of it? We're all at another petrol. Excuse me sir, are you going to France per chance? Excuse me. Excu--- Maël motions me to a Range Rover. We get in, getting a jump on J&J. Where are you from? What do you do? Oh, I've been to New York too! Wait!? You're famous!? Giorgio Faletti? I'm sorry we've never heard of you. Makes sense if you're only famous in Italy. Fuck yeah we'll read your book, can we have a picture? Thanks for the ride!! Dust in the cold air. No one around, no, wait. One car with two women, not rare but not not often either. You're from Italy you say? Do you know who Giorgio Faletti is? He's that famous ey? Wow, we had no idea. Yeah, he just gave us a ride. A flurry of excited questions before a old broke down looking gas station. French plates! Maël is speaking in French to them! Good signs! Yes they're going to France! Long ride in a cramped car and it's one a.m. Where do we stay? The castle, it's looming over us as we drift off to sleep under the bridge....

A Day in Paris

Paris. Once upon a time I tended to dismiss Paris. I'd never thought anything about it except that I didn't want to go there. I never thought it'd be me to come and fall in love with a place so.. so... so idolized? That may not be the exact word I'm looking for, but you know what I mean. A city that people see as a fairytale ending. A city full of romance and love that little girls dream of running off to and getting lost in. And maybe that's why I never considered I would like it, because that was how I pictured Paris. 

When I hit Paris I was shocked. I had under (or over) estimated it to an embarrasing extent. Walking down the street there were beggars, homeless, and crazies everywhere you looked. The streets were dirty for the most part and there was graffiti thrown on nearly

every building. To say the least, I was relieved. It was perfect. Every big city has the same sort of atmosphere, but Paris is different. It feels dirty in a classy way. It had perfected being dirty. Not that all of it is dirty, it still holds the magnificent gardens and such that're so well known. But I think it was how everyone interacted. They all went about their buisness like it was a well rehearsed play. Now I know this tells you nothing of how it was, but just watching them was exhilarating. How is this so great you ask? It was how I turned a corner to find a crazy old man performing a skit for a homeless girl and her parents. It was no fucks given attitude of the citizens. How they would flippantly jaywalk whenever they wanted regardless of cars. How the motorcycles and mopeds would weave in and out, up and over the sidewalk or crosswalk as they pleased. Lemme' just say I've never seen someone look cool on a moped until now. And all of this done with the complete knowledge of what they were doing and not giving a damn. Just walking through you get vibrant feeling. Frankfurt and Stuttgart were fun cities, but for the most part all cities are the same with nothing new to offer. They all have the same old decent looking cathedral or a capital building with a random gold statue on top. But Paris made me feel intrigued again, there was a sense of unknown. Of wonder. It has more to offer than a mere ordinary city. It has things to offer I've never done before, things to offer I've never considered doing before. I makes you feel like there is so much more to life than what you're doing. It's huge and massive and old, all on a grand (not the Irish sense of the word) scale. Most cities will have a few or two cool buildings spaced out around the city ye know? But not Paris, oh no. In Paris proper everything is on such an impressive scale. Every building fighting for your attention. Each begging to be explored and sought. I could spend a year here and still feel like I hadn't seen it all... 

So congratulations Paris! You have not only swayed my opinion of you but you have full on recruited me to your defense. I'll promise one day that I will be back to visit you again, and I sorely look forward to that day. 

Be happy!

Beacon 

Frankfurt to Stuttgart

Frankfurt was awesome. More specifically, hanging out with Mike and Jan again was awesome. I love their humor and they are just such fun people. I know it seems like I didn't do a lot in Frankfurt, but that's because I didn't haha. Me and Mike definitely spent a few days where we didn't really leave the house at all except to go to the bakery on the corner. And it was awesome. There are many things in this world that are extremely underrated, and doing nothing on vacation is one of them. A lot of people get all planny and try to map it all out before hand with bundles of activities and sights to see. While that can be nice, it's not often relaxing ye know? It's just more stress of I've got to get here for this and there for that. No fun. Vacation is for relaxing and then if you're feeling a little adventurous after some relaxation go for it. Go out there and adventure. But you gotta be careful or you'll come back from vacation more exhausted than when you left haha. In sum, my advice is to leave more things up in the air :)

Jan

So Jan has this pony farm. And it was awesome. Just the variety of horses/ponies he had was awesome.We Spent part of a night there and I got to meet his son, a super adorable kid. After the pony farm we went out to eat some typical German food and drink. After summoning our inner hiker hunger we were all so stuffed we could hardly move by the end of it. Bliss. 

I had a great time in Frankfurt and was sad to see it go, but time :(... Next off is Stuttgart! I found an €8 bus ticket and jumped on that since I've become lazy in my old age. Why off to Stuttgart? Well I was off to see an old high school teacher of mine. If I'm on this side of the world I may as well visit some people! I got to meet her husband and we had a great lunch at a thai food resturaunt. And, even though it was brief, it was so good to see you again!! 

I decided to stay the night in Stuttgart with a couchsurfer I'd found. He turned out to be super cool, as was his Chilean roommate and his other couchsurfer who is a girl from Russia! Of course I stayed up waaay to late to get out at a reasonable hour today, so it's some more chill time before I go off into the wild blue yonder tomorrow.

Be happy,

Beacon

Belfast to Frankfurt (trail is world wide)

When I first decided I was going to Europe Germany was no where near in the plan at all. But as it went, and as I got entrapped by Ireland and its magic, I didn't have enough time to go over to France/Spain to hike El Camino de Santiago. That's alright though, there's always next time. But let's see, how did it all play out? There was a point in Ireland where I decided it was time to (sadly) leave the country and I thought about the people I knew in Europe to go visit. Well you can put two and two together and I landed on Germany! So I spent my last couple dazs in Belfast chillen' with the amazing Claire and her boyfriend Filly. I was meaning to get up to the Giant's Causway but the rain and numerous reports of how underwhelming it was dissuaded (is that a word? German spellcheck says no, but I think yes) me from making that attempt. And since a plane was on the line I took a cheapish bus back down to Dublin from Belfast so I could fly off to Frankfurt :)

Next thing you know I'm on Aer Lingus flying to meet Mike and Jan. Mike and Jan are two German guys I met at the beginning of the Appalachian trail nearly two years ago now. Good ol' facebook has kept us in touch since then! Now I was supposed to meet Mike and Jan at a McDonalds at terminal two. But the McDonalds was closed for the first time in history apparently. Lucky enough while I was wandering and wondering about how to approach that they wandered up and found me! We took a nice stroll through the night to get back to Mike's place and promptly made some food 'cause we were all starving. 

The next day Mike took me on a tour of the city and we did all the touristy stuff. It was really quite fun and Frankfurt is a gorgeous city. I've really enjoyed the place ye know? 

Now that all the touring was done we could start to party haha. We went and met up with some of their friends that night, inculding a German girl who had just thru-hiked the Appalachain trail this past summer! There is just something about trail people that gets you all excited. And being around Mike, Jan, and now Sophie too?!?! It was just incredible and such a good time reminiscing about the good ol' days (the z and the y are swapped on this kezboard and it's throwing me off everztime). Mike showed me some typical German foods (lots of sausage) and it's amazing I must say. 

The next day I went with Mike and we helped his friend doing some remodeling work on his home. It was really fun actually, and other than that we've just been chillen' like it's our job. It's been so much fun to just hang out with trail people again. Mike and Jan are fantastic and I'm loving staying with them too, unfortunately that's really putting some perspective on how little time I have left here in Europe :(

But I'm enjoying the hell out of the time I do have here :)

Be happz,

Beacon 

Galway to Belfast

So I made it back to Galway. No surprise there I suppose. That place is like a giant magnet to travelers it seems. I've had a grand time there and it's sad to say that I've left it for the last time on this impromptu trip to Ireland. This Galway trip was spent quite similar to the last few. Spending time with Shauna and her family and friends. I feel like I've met her whole family now, like almost absolutely all of them. As well as her friends too haha. I must say they are all incredible. They are all so much fun and have been so hospitable to me it's ridiculous. So to any of ye Irish I've met out there, just know you're always welcome in Texas :)

I hung around Galway until the finale of Doctor Who was aired, then said my goodbyes, and caught a ride with Shauna's uncle Marc and his lovely wife to Dublin. I just gotta say that he has some of the COOLEST kids I have ever met in my entire life. It was great fun, and Marc and his wife are awesome too :)

Me being lazy nowadays (also with a flight looming over me in the near future) I decided to take a bus from Dublin to Newry instead of hitching (seeing as it was dark). I was going to stay with Paul, one of Shauna's friends I'd met a few times. And, funny enough, the bus I aas on picked Paul up too (Ireland is a small world). So we chatted all the way into Newry, got some incredible garlic cheese chips, and then went back to his to watch Archer in a new country, Northern Ireland!

Paul 

Had a great time with Paul, he's a laugh for sure. He sent me off after lunch the next day and I was thumbin' it to Belfast. It wasn't hard to get a life once I realized the motorway was actually just a dual carriage (can I spell?) way. Got a ride from Michael and talked politics of Northern Ireland the whole way. I was dropped right where I needed to be and wandered a bit before I got to meet the incredible Claire, one of Shauna's best friends. And it's not surprising in the least that they are best freinds, because they both live on a whole 'nother level of awesome. 

My first night in Belfast with Claire, Filly (her boyfriend), and all their friends was amazing in an incredibly nerdy way. We got Chinese take out, some beers, and then spent the whole night playing Settlers of Catan. I've loved this game ever since I first played it in Slovenia with Jake and Jess. And on top of all this, I'm in Europe! Which means I can get my favourite cider in the whole world...

I love it

Needless to say it was a fantastic first night! I spent the next day wandering around in the rain and going through the Titanic museum as Belfast is where it was made.

Titanic Mueseum

Good ol' Irish weather

That night I met up with the group again. We drank a few and then headed off to a pub quiz, something I've never done before. All I knew is we were supposed to answer questions. How it worked was there were 6 or so rounds. Each round had a theme and 8 questions. Every team would turn in their answers at the end of each round and they'd let us know the standings. We were actually doing pretty good as we started, steadily around 2nd or 3rd place. And we held that until about midway through the quiz. We'd been drinking steadily the whole time and then all of a sudden we were in the lead! Also, it made it funnier that our name was quite inappropriate and they would keep announcing it in the rankings over the loudspeaker. But we were winning! And we kept winning and eventually we won! This means we got a 24 pack of free beer (you could call it Budweiser, but free beer sounds much more appealing). And immediately, the 6 of us are off to drink our free beer at someones house :)

Free beer!

Doesn't get much better than that,

Be happy :)

Beacon 

 

Cork and back to Galway

Well, many a thing has gone down since the last post per usual. And I'll be doing my best to explain it all in a rational manner that y'all can understand despite how badly I always do at that. Hmmm, where to start? How about where I left Dingle without much of a plan.

I left my friends house in Dingle early in the morning (not really, it was like 10am) and started thumbing it towards Cork because I'd heard very pleasant things about the city. I was in the middle of nowhere it seemed, a very small town, but despite that a kind woman named Martha picked me up in about 5 minutes of me thumbin' it. She took me down a gorgeous coastal road to Inch where there was an incredible beach. I spent some time wandering it before I walked on out of the town with my thumb out. 

I was kind of worried I wouldn't get a ride on account of there being one car maybe every 5 minutes. This was a small town after all and I doubted anyone was heading far. I still got picked up by Anne and Leslie on their way to Dublin. This next little bit will explain to you how small a place I'm in. We were driving down the road and we see a young girl thumbin' it too. And she had some swagger with it ya' know? Well they pull over to get her and I'm thinking it's pretty cool I'm about to meet another hitcher, but turns out they just all know each other and she is a local headed over to her friends house. I found that oddly amusing and incredible. Seriously, I wish I lived in a world where everyone knew everyone and you could thumb it down a road knowing full well a friend'll come along to collect you! Then, while driving down the road with her, we see another guy walking down the road too. And they're all like 'there's Tom' and the debated whether to pick him up too or not. It was a small car though and already a little cramped so they just drove by laughing making comments like 'no worries, Tom's a walker' and somehow I found that just hilarious. I'm chuckling over it just writing this haha. The way they said it ya' know? So funny. They dropped me in a small town where I grabbed a breakfast role and a ride from Stewart who was an incredible guy. He took me through Killarney and showed me around a bit before driving me all the way into Cork where I would spend all day wandering and enjoying the life.

I arrived in Cork and was instantly struck by the beautiful parks they have uptown. It was awesome, in my travels I've really learned to appreciate a good park. I spent all day wandering around the town. I felt out some tinder girls and sent some couchsurfing request since I arrived early enough in the day for that. Nothing struck me as a hit so I didn't worry and expected to camp somewhere. I did town things all day and checked my wifi later that night to discover a couchsufer had accepted me!! This was quite exciting as I haven't couchsurfed since the last time I was in Europe two years ago. And Peter reminded me of why I used to love it so much. He was so nice to accept me on such short notice and he showed me a great time. It was fun to just chill with him and talk about traveling and all that. Because god do I love to talk about traveling with someone who is also passionate about it. It was a grand night altogether and the next morning I headed out of Cork. Don't get me wrong, it was an amazing cool city, but it wasn't speaking to me in terms of sticking around for a while.

I knew I needed to get back to Galway for a Marianna's birthday part so I decided to hitch in that direction for the day, that way I'd be closer for the morrow when I wanted to get in. But at a point someone took me so close to Galway it would've just been silly for me to not go in that night, plus I was kind of exhausted from the road. So I got a ride from two Polish guys all tatted up first, to get out of Cork, then Pat, Jon, Jarred, and another Polish guy. I spent a good two hours under a bridge singing to my Ipod when it was to wet out for me to bother hitching and it was good. I got into Galway quite early, ran into a girl I'd previously met and chatted before meeting two Americans and going out to dinner with them. Two fab girls, one from New York and one from New Jersey, both studying abroad in Galway and it was grand!

After that I met up with Shauna and had a nice night with her and her parents, though I was so exhausted and was no craic at all. I needed to save all my energy for the Birthday the next day anyways! So here's where the real story begins really. It's time for the birthday party! But to make it simple, because, per usual, I cannot relate to you the way this all went down, I will simply say it was a whirlwind of ecstatic fun bonding with family and friends in a whole knew cultural level and environment. Needless to say I loved it and Shauna's family is obviously incredibly sound. Seriously the best. I wish I could describe it better but have not the time. Maybe one day! Until then,

(not all of us) 

Be happy!

Beacon

Dingle

I woke in Limerick. I was in my tent in some not so stealthy spot, but all my time homeless must be making me complacent. I got a really early start, crawling out of my tent around 10am haha and walking towards out of town to a petrol station. 

I grabbed some coffee, asked the first girl I saw for a ride out of town and got my first ride of the day from  Brona (I won't even pretend I can spell Irish names). Who started my day out fantastically! So positive about everything and she took me on a small tour before dropping me off outside of town. William gave me the next ride and gave me a tour of his home town down the rode away where I got picked up by Brenden then Madigan. Next Anne collected me and gave me a tour of a ton of little towns as well as the ferry terminal and dropped me for Johnny. Soon some guy with a really Irish name got me, followed by Gerd, and finally Aye landing me in Dingle Ireland.

9 rides if I can count, a little less or more if I can't. I'd say the day was a success! I met up with a friend of a friend here in Dingle and if I could explain the connection we have together as people now it'd be grand, but I don't think I could. I'm staying at his tonight and it's been incredible this whole time. Seriously, if people only knew what this was like I think the world could change.

Now, I think, is the time to address this blog for the current adventure. If you haven't noticed my lackluster writing notice it now and take note! Take note that it is because I am living. I'm living my life, and I'm enjoying it greatly. Seriously though, I'm here to live my life, not to write it. Though I want to encourage people to pursue this lifestyle I don't want to drag on and on about myself amd writing seems to take away from the adventure to me. I'm not quite sure how to balance that out though... Maybe, in time, I'll write a book on it and this blog'll be an incredible reference. But until then its purpose is to motovate. It's purpose is to inspire. It's purpose is to be a beacon in the dark to those to wish for more ;).... And one day I'll care enough to write well about it all haha! 

Everyone be happy and come to Ireland,

Beacon Bell

Gorge

There is just too much to tell. Too much. I dunno how to do it. So much happens in such a short amount of time. I can't even begin to write it all and make it sound as good as it really is. But basically, Ireland is gorge. It's sound. It's incredible! I don't even really want to leave ye know? Okay. Where do I start. It seems like I blogged only a few days ago.... But maybe not? Lemme try to tell it to you all straight and rapid fire like with a lot'o'photos and exclamations. Will that work? I'm not sure, but I'm going to try :)

I hitched back to Galway from Bonduran and had a grand day chillen' about the town before I met up with Shauna and her friends. We were just going out for one drink really and then it turned into a giant ordeal of a party and I want to explain it all and where we went and what we did and how I don't even remember most of it, but it'd take ages so just know that it was amazing. 

One of the many photos that night

And the next day was spent sleeping in and doing nada to get ready for Halloween. That morning I got an email from Holland (Cato, the girl I met hitching) and it contained one of the sweetest messages I've ever read. She said: "Me and another guy from the hostel went up to the beach today with 3 surfboards and wetsuits to surprise you with a free surfing lesson... But we didn't see a tent" and that is like one of the cooler things anyone'd ever done for me but I'd left kind of early that morning :(... I wish so badly I could of caught some waves with you Cato!! Maybe in Spain ;)....

Anyways, this was Halloween. We were kind of skagged (is that how you use it?) and hung over from the night before so we didn't know what we'd do. Ended up I was Dorthy, Lorna was Mexican, Shauna was a pirate, and Chloe was a gypsy

Gorge

And we went out and had another night much like the night before. Met up with Darragh, Robin, and Mike in their castaway group costume and had a freakin' ball. Next day was spent much the same as the day before. Lying in bed watching the new season of Doctor Who, talk about dreams coming true!! It was incredible. Then another day later it was off to climb Croagh Patrick. A holy pilgrimage Saint Patrick did back in the day. We got rained and hailed on, but got a great view at the top regardless. 

Another incredible experience. Next day is today and I was off hitching, determined to make it to the cliffs. First ride was from a young and adorable 19. year old girl named Mason haha. She was a blast. Next up was Conner, then Dimphnah, and then Richy. Richy incredibly sound enough and took me by his house, fed me, made me tea, and we hung out and he offered to let me stay at his for a couple weeks and borrow his bike to ride around! Amazing guy, but I kept on for the day, maybe to return, and got a ride from McFlynn to the cliffs. Breathtaking is all I'll say.  

Then hitched with two other folk before Patrick and Melissa collected me and dropped me in Limerick where I'll most likely be tonight. Like I said, a lot is going down haha.

Be happy,

Beacon 

Random hitchings

The next few days of my Irish adventure were spent distracting Shauna from an essay she was working on for college. Also spent exploring the town of Galway that I do enjoy very much. The whole place is gorg and the people are friendly and happy. We'd done a lot around the town and it's been fantastic so far. 

Shauna

Graffiti done right

 Galway bay

I got to meet Shauna's mother and father and sibilings and uncle and they're all just as incredible. I've been having a good time going to laughing yoga with Nigel and just generally having fun, but still needed to do some sightseeing away from the town. So yesterday (really the day before, but I woke up too late to take action that day) I decided to try and hitch to the cliffs of Moher, these grand cliffs that people come to see. They sound awesome to me! Well I hiked outta the town center to start me hitching and was just starting to work it when a girl walks up holding a sign for Sligo. I didn't know where that was but we got to chatting and became friends. I threw my plans out the window and me and her teamed up for the day. She's from Holland and I can't pronounce her name let alone spell it. She's my kind of person though, ye know? The kind that school sucks the soul from. So we're both off traveling and livin' life instead of wasting out days away building up debt. And it was a blast. I was headed North now very unexpectedly and we got rides no problem. Two rides and we were nearly to the top of Ireland in this quaint little surfing spot. 

Bundoran

Surfers

We had a grand time there. Bondoran is a sound place, real quaint and quiet this time of year. We had a little adventure there and it was a blast. Went out for pints that night and had that freeflowing connection people only get when traveling.

Girl from Holland

I slept in my tent on the beach that night 'cause we all know I'm a hobo at heart and she, being a lil' classier, stayed at a hostel.

Good times stealthing

And then I hitched back to Galway in the morn'! Took six rides and not long at all. Gary the Vegan Surfer, an older guy, Pat, Fergison, Noel, Michael, and then the last guy who's name I couldn't say. It was a blast, never waited more than 15 minutes and had a blast. Now I'm back in Galway 'bout to meet Shauna and some of her mates for some pints and it's just all grand :)

Be happy y'all! 

Beacon Bell

Welcome to Ireland

I'm goin' to start this post off by apologizing to any Irish people reading this because I'm sure I'll be tryin' to look cool and all usin' some Irish slang, but who even knows if I'm using any of it properly? Other than that, here goes a story about my first few days in Ireland...

Well, it's more than that I suppose. In some ways this is a story about Ireland and how amazing it is. But it's not just that. It's about traveling and it's about meeting people in grand ways that you'll never forget. It's about hitchhiking in a country you've never been to and never really given much thought to either. It's about drinking and friends and gorgeous Irish accents. And honestly, a lot of this post is about Shauna, the girl who has convinced me to consider Ireland amongst the most incredible of countries because of how incredible friendly she has been :)

My first real day in Ireland was spent sleeping in my tent. I got there in the morning, jetlagged to death, and decided on a nice nap in my tent. Turns out I spent the whole day sleeping. I had no game plan. I knew nothing of this country whatsoever. I didn't really know anyone here either. So my friend introduced me to someone here via Facebook and I got the solid advice to go to Galway (pronounced Gulway by the Irish who keep correcting me). I decided to not go into Dublin at all in that case. Which ended up being the best decision. Since it was already late from my full day sleeping I went and camped in a field on the outside of Dublin near where I'd need to hitch out in the morning. I tried desperately to sleep and managed a bit, but couldn't keep it going do to the jet lag and spent the night staring at the Irish stars wondering how no one back home'd come adventurin' with me. Then I wandered off to a McDonalds in the wee hours of the mornin' where I met an incredibly nice young lad named James. With his good wishes I was off around 5am to start hitchin' because I had nothing better to do yet. I didn't really expect to get a ride due to it being pitch black outside. But as my luck had it I got picked up by a Nigerian cab driver on his way home from work free of charge. Nice fellow as he was took me a good bit and dropped me off back into the dark. I didn't want to try my luck twice without the sun up so I pitched my tent on the side of the motorway there and passed out for a couple hours. 

Got up to a nice chilly day with the sun poking through the clouds and got to thumbin' it. First ride came from Phillip and he was quite nice, not going far though. Dropped me at a fantastic spot where Andi collected me. Andi was so nice, works for Intel, but again, it wasn't a long ride. He dropped me at a slow exit, but I waited it out where Marius stopped for me in his lorry. Super nice guy as well and gave me some biscuits to eat. He dropped me at a nobody exit and I didn't hesitate to walk down to the motorway instead of staying on the onramp. Didn't take but 15 minutes before Oliver picked me up in another lorry. A true old Irish man with a accent so thick you could spread it on bread. Another short ride before Byron, the last ride of the day, picked me up. What an incredible fellow. A New Zealander who married an Irish gal and he wasn't shy in the least. We launched directly into talk of travel and all the places we've been. What a cool guy, loved meeting him and he was kind enough to take me a good many kilometers out of his way to drop me in downtown Galway, my destination.

Really it hadn't taken long to get over to Galway from Dublin. Maybe four or five hours, but the funny thing was, with Ireland being such a small country and all, everyone who picked me up thought I was going ridiculously far because it was clear across the country. And I guess I did go East to West coast in that hitching, but it was really no big deal at all. Same thing with Galway too, it is an incredibly small town so I feel like nearly everything is walking distance from me. I had no plans once I got to Galway either. All I'd heard was that it's a cool place and I decided to check it out. I wandered around a bit, decided to maybe stay in a hostel to meet some traveling folk ye know? As luck turns out all the hostels were full up so that plan went out the window pretty quick. Camping is always plan B, but I have some other creative ways to find places to stay. My new and favourite way to do this is Tinder. If ye don't know what Tinder is, well it's not quite supposed to be used how I use it. To be honest it's a hookup app. But I use it for hitching and finding stays nowadays. Anyways, I posted up at this one hostel and made good friends with Maeve while bumming some internet and hitting the Galway Tinder scene. I got a few matches, but nothing really seemed that promising. I was about to give up and go do some wanderin' before finding a place to camp when Shauna and I started talking. I could tell right off the bat she was sound. Incredibly sound. She was just super nice and a little motherly not wanting me to stay in my tent and all. We arranged to meet up for a pint where I had my first Guinness in Ireland (it was actually really good). She introduced me to some of her friends and then took  me over to her brother's place where I got to meet the whole crew it seemed. Darragh, her brother, Marianna, Nigel, Mike, and Rob. And every single one of then was incredibly fun and welcoming as could be! So we all drank for most of the night before all of them went of to a gig. It was a great time and then they all came back and played guitar and sung songs until the waaaaay wee hours of the mornin' and it was incredible. Darragh let me stay at his for the night and we all slept in the next day, except for Shauna who had to go to college (sorry Shauna for all my distractedness). 

The rest of us and I spent the morning sleeping and then made out way to McDonalds for hangover food. It was fantastic, before we all slowly drifted down to the cathedral to see the parade that was on! 

Parade'n'such :)

More has happened as that was all three days ago and I'm still with Shauna now, but I don't have the effort required to type it out now. There was just something about the whole night that was incredibly free spirited ye know? I came to Ireland with no plans. Went to Galway on a whim. Managed to meet the incredible Shauna and have one of the better nights of my life. I was already convinced of how awesome Ireland was and I was stoked more than ever to be here. It was a great introduction to Irish partying, drinking, and culture I think haha. But more than all that it was just good fun. Shauna is such a chill and awesome girl. Glad I met her here in Ireland and she was kind enough to take me in so far. Anyways, I'll add pictures to this post later and I'll continue the rest of the story when I have some free time. All I can say is you should visit Ireland :)

Bí sásta,

Beacon Bell

When adventure calls, answer.

I realize that in most of my blogging I never really talk about how to travel. I just tell you what I do, but I leave out a lot of the nitty gritty details because I feel like most people aren't worried about it. And maybe they aren't, but I'm going to start giving more tips into this lifestyle. I've had some people asking my advice on traveling. So first let me say, traveling like this is a mindset and nothing more. It's not all about the deals, the cheapest sites, and the people you know. It's about the pure adventure of it all. But I guess it does help to know how to do stuff cheap! 

So how I made this happen is I got a Megabus (best buses out there) ticket for $20 from SA to DFW. Why? Because flying out of DFW is going to save an immense amount of money. Getting to a larger airport for cheap is almost always the best option. Sometimes there are funny deals some cities have going like SA and Seattle, but, normally, the larger the airport the cheaper it'll be to fly out of. And the same goes for flying into somewhere. I went up a day earlier than my flight because that's how the bus schedule coincided with my flight. I didn't want to spend the night in DFW airport so I was desperatly trying to remember who I knew in Dallas when I remembered my friend Brent! I'd met him when we were both serving at a Vipassana meditation sitting a year prior. He welcomed me enthusiastically, he was just excited to get to talk to someone about traveling. And this guy has been so many places. He has lived in Japan and almost everywhere in South America. He has an incredible knack for languages and has collected many an item from all over the world. Seriously, his room was amazing with all the things he had brought back from his travels. I kind of hope I can have a room that looks like that one day. And we had a great night with some incredible Indian food at one of the cooler resturaunts I've ever been to. It was awesome, and then he took me to the airport early in the morning to see me off.

Now I have never been on a flight where the plane is not the at the very last terminal and I'm not sat in the very back of the aircraft. But somehow, this flight, I got upgraded to first class for free!? Woo!! Who woulda thunk it? Well this means I get to drink free whisky and eat my free crappy airplane food while I watch the sun set outside and the stars slowly start to peek out.

And I can't help but remember a similar flight I took two years ago the first time I went to Europe. I once flew overnight from Seattle to Iceland (maybe I've written about this before) and I had the most incredible thing happen. I hadn't expected this at all, but I woke up in the middle of the night on that flight and casually glanced out the window only to be awstruck by the Northern Lights staring me down. It was so incredibly beautiful I couldn't believe it. I was listening to the Icelandic radio station at the time and it was just so perfect for the lights. With the bells and the chimes, it was cold music, but the Northern Lights are a cold thing. It was inspiring. It was more beautiful than I could imagine. The green wavering ribbons. They're so graceful and so quiet you know? It's scary almost, you could be going about your buisness one night in the North and if you don't happen to look up you'd have no idea that they were up there dancing away. 

So I finally go to Ireland and I only wanted one thing... to sleep. I knew I shouldn't of stayed up all night and that the jetlag would get me, so I decided to use today as my buffer day. I hoofed it out of the airport to the first wooded area I found, pitched my tent and passed out for 6 hours and it was awesome. I love camping in the cold!! Woke up around 4, walked back to the airport for some wifi and now I'm attempting to tinder a stay haha. And if that doesn't work out I'll just stage for my hitching tomorrow! If you care to find me look toward the Western sky!!! (for y'all I guess it'd be East though)

Anyways, I miss you all! Can't wait to see Ireland. I'll update you when cool things actually happen :)

My home

Arriving in Ireland! 

Be happy :),

Beacon 

Sneaking into Mexico (accidentally)

I went to Mexico the other day and has a very interesting experience. Ivonne and I are actually still baffled by what happened there. I think every conversation we've had since then has included the exclamation "I can't believe we got kicked out of Mexico!". Now I apologize now that there are no photos from Mexico, but I really thought we would be staying there longer and I had no time to take any. And so, without further ado, here is that story.

I had met Ivonne a week prior and she was that free spirited type of person. The kind who'll do some crazy things on just a whim. We were talking one Wednesday and she was telling me about her family in Monterrey, Mexico when I said we should just go to Mexico sometime and visit them. Well why not this weekend she asked. And in that way we decided to drive to Mexico. It's only a 5 hour drive from San Antonio to where her aunt lives. We were both super excited to be on our way. I picked her up Friday after she got out of school and we road tripped down to the border with me trying to learn Spanish on the way there.

Now we got to the border in Laredo and we didn't really know where to go. We were just following signs to Monterrey really. We passed over a bridge, which I was pretty sure was the Rio Grande, drove through some checkpoint like stations, and were lost in some town that I was pretty sure was Mexico, but we didn't know. We didn't know because literally no one stopped us at any of the checkpoint things. No one stopped us to ask us for ID's, passports, visas, or anything. We just drove through everything without talking to a single person and then bam, we were in Mexico (though we still weren't sure). Because why would we not get checked for a passport or anything??? So we were really confused, but kept going just following signs to Monterrey. We had to stop at a gas station and ask for directions once (we were going the right way though). So on we go on our merry little way. We get to the "highway" and keep going on that. By this time we have been driving in Mexico for about an hour, and we get pulled over. We don't really know what's up because we hadn't done anything wrong (that we knew of). Thank goodness Ivonne speaks Spanish way better than I do because apparently we were in trouble. Apparently we had come into Mexico illegally, though not intentionally. The feds had stopped us and we didn't have any of the things we needed that we probably should have gotten at the border. We believe somehow we accidentally skipped at a checkpoint or something and that's how we got in, but, again, we are not sure. The officers were saying that we had committed a felony and yada yada yada. They said they were supposed to take the car and take me to jail. And Ivonne was just pleading with them to let us go back and do whatever we needed to do or saying we'd just go back to America. This goes on for a little while because we are so confused and so they take her out of the car and talk to her (because she actually speaks Spanish). Apparently they were asking her all sorts of things like what we do for a living and how we are funding this trip. Ya' know? Those sort of pointed questions like they want something. And then they ask for $200 to let us go. Yes, they were asking for a bribe. And they said they would give us the code word for the next cop who stopped us. Just to tell them Officer Ochenta stopped us and we would be free to go. Unfortunately we only had $42 though and 300 pesos. Well we were kind of screwed then. A while later they are finally convinced we have no money and tell us to just go back to America. We GTFOed haha. We were so gone. So so so gone.

We were worried about not getting back into America, but we made it back in. And we made it past the first checkpoint in America, telling neither that we'd just snuck into Mexico accidentally. Interesting times in Mexico for sure. I'm gonna try not to drive there next time! But it was so much fun. Good experiences all around! No harm no foul after all.

I'm headed to Ireland in two days, I'll update again sometime over there.

Be happy,

Beacon :)

Upon those travelers who make their way without maps or guides

"Upon those travelers who make their way without maps or guides, there breaks a wave of exhilaration with each unexpected change of plans. This exhilaration is not a whore who can be bought with money nor a neighborhood beauty who may be wooed. She (to persist in personifying the sensation as female) is a wild and sea-eyed undine, the darling daughter of adventure, the sister of risk, and it is for her rare and always ephemeral embrace, the temporary pressure she exerts on the membrane of ecstasy, that many men leave home" - Tom Robbins

I know it's been a while since I've written, but I thought I'd catch you all up on what has happened and what is, more importantly, about to start happening.

After the fishing season Amber, Max, and I had to bring the Deer Harbor II down through Canada and back to Bellingham, WA. At this point in the season everyone is just itching to be done and get back, but, unfortunately, we are at the whim of the weather. This trip could easily take weeks, but somehow we manage to make it perfectly in four days. We had 0 weather delays which was all I could ask for at this time in the season. Down through Canada we got to see a few killer whales pods too! I was worried I wouldn't see any this season, but they came through for me and there was no disappointment. We came upon one pod with like 30 in it at one point and stopped to watch them playing around. They'd come over close to the boat to check it out or splash about with all this other whale friends. Here's a few (including a baby and a massive bull) who came a little closer to the boat to see what's up!

It was all pretty sweet and we finally made it to Bellingham to have one last awesome crew night together before I headed to Seattle via Amtrak the next day. I didn't linger in Seattle as I had bought a dirt cheap plane ticket back to San Antonio, Texas to surprise my family. Seriously though, you gotta try skyscanner. It's this super awesome app that finds these super cheap tickets. I bought the ticket from Seattle to San Antonio the day before and it was only $150. I couldn't pass that up! And so before I knew it I was on a plane down South! Interestingly enough I was sat next to Rick Steves on the flight. I had no idea who this guy was, but turns out he has my dream job! He has a television show about traveling Europe! I would do anything to get paid to travel. Dang, that job is legit. But anyways, huge coincidence eh? I, the traveling bum, am sat next to the famous traveler. Sometimes you gotta love fate. After swapping a few stories he gave me his card and, seeming a little interested in my traveling, he was off! Until next time Rick Steves, maybe I'll see you in Europe.


Long story short, I made it home. It was fun for a few days and I did all my housekeeping things (going to the doctor, visiting with my dog, getting tattooed) before I started getting bored again. Now this is dangerous ground, trust me. I just came back from Alaska with a fat check and nothing to do. On another note it's always weird going from poor to rich (relatively). So now for what is in store: Me and Stumbles (you may remember her) planned a trip to Peru in January for her birthday, I'm going to Mexico today with someone I just met last week, and I bought a plane ticket to Ireland for next week... All of this happened unexpectedly within a few days. I love the randomness of it all and I cannot wait to get back into the game! Real blog posts are soon to come, this is more of an update on my boring home life :)

Be happy,

Beacon

Tin roofs, dreams, stars, and letters

    Sometimes in life you just need things to be simple. A little while ago it was just Parker, Finn, and I on the RS40. The other boats had run to town leaving us to take care of any fishermen who'd happen to wander in. We quickly used all our ice packing a few boats and there was nothing else we could do but wait for the Deer Harbor to get back. We had a whole day off. A complete day of doing nothing but whatever we wanted. I spent a lot of the day in my sleeping bag reading "You Can't Win" (I highly suggest it). With no one yelling, no sound of an engine or boom, and no schedule weighing on our minds. We turned on the generator a few times to cook and watch movies, but other than that is was blissfully quiet. That is, except for the soft pitter patter of rain on the tin roof. If you can find me something more relaxing than that, something that'll put me at ease quicker or sound sweeter to my ears, I'd kneel at your feet. Under that roof, relaxed, we talked of train hopping and traveling. About Parkers dog and his friend's wedding and how big it was going to be. How excited he is to see all his friends in one place again. Intermittently we would doze off on foam atop plywood. Not beds made for kings and queens, but we aren't kings or queens so no worries. Some people get so entitled. They just make themselves unhappy by always wanting more, never being satisfied. The truth of it is, I mean the key to happiness, is just in loving what you've got. Even if it's just some foam on some plywood under a tin roof being drummed by thousands of tiny raindrops. Don't get me wrong though, if you're in a tight spot get out of it. Don't settle for shit. Some of the truest words I'd ever heard Max had told me, right there a few weeks ago. 'If nothing else, every man deserves two pillows'. 

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Boat dreams. By dreams I mean when you fall asleep and see yourself in strange places doing strange things that, at the time, seem perfectly logical. But I also mean dreams in the sense of goals you aspire to obtain. Both occur on a boat. When you get on a boat you have the strangest dreams. Mine can be so vivid they'll wake me. I don't remember what I dream, but I know it's intense. They leave an affect on you when you wake. Like you just came back from another world. You see, the dreams are so vivid sometimes that you aren't sure they were altogether a dream. They're the dreams that come with deep sleep. The kind of sleep that comes after the deprivation of sleep and a long hard day. And then you have time to daydream. And you dream of all the places you'll go once the season is over. All the sandy beaches you'll dig your toes into, all the books you'll read, and all the plums you'll devour. Your imagination runs wild, so wild. At least, mine does.

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The stars in Alaska are wild. When I'm lucky enough to get a clear night... It's not even dark enough until around 11 to see them. And God do they blaze. I walked out on deck after we'd finished all the work and shut off the deck lights. I hopped down the totes close enough to the hydros on the upper deck. I'd just had an incredible dinner of fried halibut cheeks and was on my way to the barge to try and read some chapters of the book I was currently on. I knew it was futile, every night I'd read maybe a paragraph before I felt my eyelids would start to droop. Or maybe I wouldn't even get to the book. Often times I open my book, see my friends letters that I use as a bookmark, and decide to re-read them. I was on my way to do this when I chance looked up at something that'd caught my gaze. As if Medusa had locked eyes with me and I was set in stone, it just stopped me. They're just so bright when you're truly in the middle of nowhere. And every time I look up at stars like that everything else melts away. It's like all my worries are gone. All my aches and pains and fears just ebb away as I get sucked up into the sight of them. My peripherals blur around me, the stars fill my eyes and it feels like they're drawing me up to them. Like I'm floating towards 'em, my feet no longer on the ground. And I can be content with my life. Not happy, not sad, but simply and blissfully content. No more worries, no more heartache. 

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There is something about writing a letter. There's also something about receiving a letter, but I'm not here to talk about that. Most everyone knows how exciting it is to receive an old fashioned letter, but writing them is different. It's like you're pouring yourself out, waterfalling from the soul and heart down into your arm, through pen in hand, and splashing all over a piece of paper. And by the end of it that paper should be so sodden with your emotion that the reader should forget that you're in God knows where doing God knows what and they should reach out to touch you only to be startled that you're not right beside them.  I'm not saying I can do this, because it's doubtful that I can. But that's my aim when I sit down and really write a letter. I put it all in if I have the energy, because it's exhausting to write a good letter to someone. It's exhausting knowing all your hard work and truest feelings may be lost in transit by some chance of fate. It's exhausting hoping that someone'll write back and waiting for it always until you finally give up on them. Not to say that's how it happens, but sometimes it does. Needless to say, I enjoy writing letters and a big thank you to everyone who has written me in my lifetime. It's much appreciated and always will be.

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Alaska is well, I wish I had more of an update for y'all. It's been rough, but it's going quickly enough. September 20th is sneaking up on me. Hope to see some of you after all this. I know I haven't been away long, but when you live without worrying about the time of day, day of the week, or month of the year it seems like a lot more time has gone by than really has. 

Be happy y'all, 

Beacon