Subject: Continuing my travels on Scotland June 1998!!!!
 Date: Sun, 07 Nov 1999 10:23:51 PST

continuing from : Thu, 18 Jun 1998 


HI All ! 

well as you mailing list oldies will recall when I first got to Great 
Britain I did a tour that took me from London to Bath to LLanjoglen in Wales 
to the Lake District to Edinburgh.  Here I spent some days then took a coach 
to Oban - a west coast fishing village as it was suggested to me by Nusi. 

I regularly sent you all emails about what I was doing but due to 
tardiness on my part and lack of finances for internet cafes these emails 
stopped JUST when I was about to recount what happened when I descended into 
an irish pub in which were scousers, a stag parties, and a gathering of men 
following a set of bagpipes..... 


--------------------------------------------------------------- 
This is the story as recounted over a year ago. 

This entry details : my last two days and nights in Oban, taking a boat trip 
to the Isle Of Mull and a seal colony, meeting Tania again and how once she 
was bleeding, checking out an old castle, catching up with mates Malcolm and 
Sarah in Inverrary, Duke Of Argyll. 


I had been in Oban for a day now. In t'evening I went for a walk up Pulpit 
Hill and got bitten by the 'midges' (green sandflies), bin careful not to 
inhale them. Up here I met an old fella and had fun explaining things like 
cameras to him. An english couple: the husband really and vocally enjoying 
the sunset at 10:30pm at night ! 

I was nervous about going into a pub but decided to bite the bullet and went 
into the Oban Inn which for those that have been here it is the one on the 
corner near the dock. Here I watched a world cup game and had a chat with 
some sailors who had all been to New Zealand in the 40s-50s or 60s. 

I then left the pub. 

Now, during the course of the night there are a bunch of pubcrawlers 
replete (?) with two bagpipes and a drum. Whatever pub they go into they 
cause great whoops of laughter and joy. Anyway they pop into the irish pub 
and I join them..... 

[and now the story continues] 

...descending the stairs and looking ahead through the frosted windows I 
can see a distorted vision of fun and frivolity. Shrieks and laughter. I 
pull the door open and walk right into that bunch of guys - just in time for 
the bagpiper to start up and get everyone worked up. 

Standing room only. 

To the left of me is a solid sweaty mass of people on the tables and 
lounge suites bordering the walls. Scottish sardines packed so tightly not 
even a fart could slip through. On a tiny tiny stage to the left is a band 
"Rough Justice" playing standard rock covers. A bit mroe space so I head 
this way. 

I stand near the front trying not to look too conspicuous by listening 
with interest when the guys next to me start talking. They are from the Isle 
Of Skye on a stagnight do. I intimate it doesn't look too raucous so far but 
they say they have to drive back tonight and work ! 

Next to the stage is the toilet and where all the guys seem to be hanging 
out. A blonde girl walks by snaring all males eyes. There are a bunch of 
45ish year old guys and they smile at me knowingly. A guy with frizzy brown 
hair and a mousey moustache looks at me and says "you like that ?"  I can't 
stop myself and say "You're a scouser aren't you ?" 

Sure enough he was cos then for the next few minutes he regaled me in his 
distinctive stereotypical accent about how he knows the Verve and how 
liverpudlians are "the salt of the earth mate the salt of the earth. Aye the 
salt of the earth". How the women are beautiful and people look after each 
other. And to prove this he gave me his phone number if ever I need a place 
to stay and how lovely the lasses are with a knowing wink and a constant pat 
on the back. 

As the night wears on I decide to head on home feeling I've done enough 
exploring and socialising to deserve the right to sleep. But not before 
several pats on the back and plenty of handshakes all around in the 
immediate area (10 metres by 20 metres). 

I got up nice and early at 9am hoping to make the 10am boat trip to the 
Isle of Mull and seal colony. As I approach the boat I can see it's full up 
so about face and head north up the coast towards Dunollie Castle. 

A great and windy walk past the Pink (bricked) Cathedral for 1km. The 
castle is a ruin and the outside walls are overgrown with vines. Outside a 
sign claims of no responsibility for falling rocks and stones. Inside I 
explore the castle with some fellow tourists crawling into dirtfloored nooks 
and crannies to take a photo looking out towards the water. As well as 
hopefully the successful panoramic photo on this highpoint. 

It was still windy on the way back but there is small sheltered area in a 
bend in the road so I manage to bask in the sun here and cook in my tshirt 
and shorts. I reclined on a piece of ground where a movement one metre to or 
fro would result in me being blown back or against the rock wall. I dwelled 
on this peculiar situation and attempted to think of perhaps some allegory 
on life and its trials and tribulations, on malevolent friendship, flying 
cows or a clever quip, but had no success.  (Well couldn't be arsed really). 

It is here one of three locations that I sit down and pen all this down 
for you guys to be transcribed onto computer later (much later as you now 
know), and one of two instances when Tanya seems to chance upon me. 

With the two of us sitting here I can see a great vapour trail. Everyday 
there have been several jets heading out to sea. In fact, the sky is 
littered with naturally formed clouds with streaks left by the jets which 
diffuse as the day go on. So that in the late afternoon and evening one can 
look up and see what look like just clouds but I know better (and so do all 
the Obanites of course who see it everyday). I've documented this with 
several photos. 

And because of this I decide to take a shot of Tanya from behind with 
vapour trail above her cos it looks good and mysterious. But of course you 
want to know who I met on my travels so I do take a front of her face. 

At the third location where I am writing this up I am sitting in the 
town's square and a child has just had his sandwich pinched by a seagull 
without much of a fight. Now he reaches over and tries to get a bit of his 
mothers but she forcibly says NO. 

At the other location Tanya says she has lost her wallet - she is calm as 
she knows it's part of some great plan. I think on this occasion we talked 
about relationships, Pan (the god of the forest again) and tantric sex which 
we'll leave at that as it involves a lot of blood on her part. Did I mention 
earlier how she ended up here ? 

She is south african and had a not nice childhood and felt a calling to 
come here, specifically The Isle of Iona. The first place of the Christians. 
The island itself is supposedly a serene place but is a magnet of spritual 
people of all kinds. Tanya would say that as soon as she walked upon the 
ground she felt something. 

check this one out : 
http://www.whidbey.com/Whidbey_Institute/iona_main.html 
http://www.whidbey.com/Whidbey_Institute/iona_images.html 

http://www.tagnet.org/llt/cw27.htm 

http://www.zynet.co.uk/mull/tour.html 


I head back to the hostel and grab my jacket and jump onto the 2pm boat 
tour. 

I should mention that when I go back to the room, my roommate wakes up and 
I realise he was the barman at the Oban Inn. He's from Melbourne. I also 
should make a little aside and mention that on the Slowcoach tour some 
people got off at some places or moved on further ahead so at various 
locations we sometimes meet back up again and it is certainly a warm feeling 
to see a familiar face, so this was a nice event. 

The boat trip is cheap, 6 pounds. It is a one hour journey and I am lucky 
I brought along my brown oxfam jacket as it is wet and windy as I sit on the 
back of the boat as it toos and fros getting the occasional spray in my 
face. Eccentrically I am still wearing shorts, tshirt and jandals.  Most 
long boat journeys are boring and this was pretty much the same, though 
there were other boats and islands to look at on the way. As well as a cliff 
face that looks like icicles. I am joined by various english and scottish 
people mostly oldies. 

We arrive at the jetty where just down from it is a sunken ship. We have 
one and a half hours to explore the Island of Mull and Duart Castle and 
environs. Looking across from the castle we see if I remember correctly a 
private school. Whatever it was it was beautiful, a beautiful house on the 
shore with a colourful garden. Took a few snaps which I have only just 
developed. The Island is big and the castle is simply on the most eastern 
tip of it so I walk the round a bit and look around. 

Here's some info about the castle. 

http://www.zynet.co.uk/mull/members/duart.html 

The trip back is faster and within 45 minutes we pass the seal colony and 
grab some snaps of some napping seals. The journey was well worth it. It was 
windy but the sun was out. There are about 30 seals and they wre all playing 
or lazing on the rocks and stared at us quizzically. 

There are some great islands here with great mountainous formations. I 
head back to get a hot shower. In fact it is too damn hot as it is broken ! 
I jump out of the shower and bump face to face into a czech girl as once 
again we have unisex bathrooms. I mumble something and jump into the 
neighbouring shower. I keep bumping into this czech group everywhere. There 
were on the bus as well and I saw them around the town but never got a 
chance to speak to them till the very last night. Shame. 

This night I don't recall what I ate, it was possibly noodles or spaghetti 
from the supermarket. 

Late at night I phoned up Nusi to tell her I was here, where she told me 
to go. In the phonebooth next door is an english guy on holiday telling his 
wife how wonderful and relaxing the place is. 

I head back to the same pub and get talking to Alistair and his brother. 
They are both chefs and their father was a sailor or something so his 
brother was almost born in New Zealand. They take me under their wing and 
head along the marine parade to another pub. It strikes me that everyone 
knows everyone around here so a new face is something extraordinary. 
Alistair get inebriated and tells me of his time in the Falkands and the 
Gulf and how it took him a very long time to recover. Through tears he 
recounted how in a local pub someone wore the wrong team colours and how he 
smashed a glass and had to stop himself from piercing the fellow at the base 
of his spine and twisting. 

Anyway we had a fair yarn and exchanged numbers etc. At one other pub we 
played pool and I got talking to another sailor who had also been to New 
Zealand ! 

Headed back home after midnight pleased with another days socialising. 

The next morning I had one last walk around and got the bus to Inverary to 
catch up with an old friend... 

------------------------------------------------------------ 
Oh yeah, Tanya did find her wallet in her room - under her pillow. 

http://www.scotland-info.co.uk/ 

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

 Subject: more Scottish High(land) jinks ! 15-17th June 1998
 Date: Tue, 09 Nov 1999 07:42:46 PST

Okay, I believe my last week of travel during June 1998 was this : 

12th June - Friday night in Edinburgh. 
Oban 13th Saturday - 14th Sunday 
Inveraray 15th Monday -16th Tuesday 
Edinburgh 17th Wednesday 
de la soul, London thursday 18th 

So this entry'll start from : 

Monday 15th June 1998 

I got the lunchtime bus for Inverary from Oban. It is literally a one 
street no - a half a street town so wiht minutes I had familiarised myself. 
I called into the hotel but my friend Malcolm McLeod and his wife Sarah whom 
I havent' seen for perhaps 2 years weren't there. So I killed some time by 
walking around again and doing what my fellow busmates were doing, i.e. 
going to the tourist information office and finding out what else one can do 
around here. 

I decide to check into the YHA hostel but it doesn't open till late 
afternoon ! 

If I recall, I then headed on to the Duke of Argyll's residence and had a 
little walk around the castle and assaulted a scottish highland cow which 
was swarming with buzzy green midges. 

Anyway...eventually...at long last...I manage to check myself in for the 
night and head off with camera in hand to the hotel pub where they will be 
playing pool so I've been told. My plan is to walk in and surprise Malcolm 
by taking his photo as if I was a tourist and complete stranger or old 
friend who he does not know is here and has nor seen for two years ! 

I walk into the pub, see Malc bent over 

about to take his shot 

and 

 I get him. 

[hmm..reading this later this can be a bit ambiguous and may allude to 
something else - ed] 

He looks up and in his typical subdued manner says 'Hello Darryl'. It 
would eventuate later that 1-2 days earlier when I phoned his cousin for his 
details, his cousin told him I was coming ! So much for the element of 
surprise and the fainting and hyperventilating I would expect from seeing a 
ghost from the past. (Speaking of ghosts I've taken my photo in plenty of 
church graveyards here but still no ghosts). 

We grab some dinner and I catch up with them both. Sarah with a big 
welcoming smile on her face (as usual) introduces me to their workmates. 

The next day they have the day off so I call round there place round 
9-10ish time to catch an episode of this childrens program I've heard a bit 
about : The Teletubbies. The TV is behind the kitchen so I'm privy to the 
goings-on and gossip back here. 

We jump into the car and they show me round the area. I believe it was 
Loch Lomond (around Crian Larach) that we get to the top of. There is a 
bigpiper here and we throw a few coins in for him. 

We drive some more following the lay of the lake with the lake on one side 
and greenery and hills on t'other - it reminds me a lot of home. (Nupe, not 
homesick yet ;-) 

We stop off at a pub and are served hot potatos by a fat south african 
guy. I have mine filled with haggis and I love it ! 

Since in London I've only had haggis once and that was from the 
supermarket, I cooked it myself okay but it was terrible, very very salty ! 

We got back in the early afternoon so with the agreeable weather Malcolm 
and I head up the nearest hill Dun na Cuaiche. 

The trip took about 30-40 minutes, can't recall but it traversed a cow 
field, a dark forest where of course one always meets other fellow walkers 
then finally a nice walk to the top where there is a bed of long lucious 
green grass to lie in and look down upon Inveraray or straight ahead to the 
other mountains and landscapes or upwards... 

I have a photo of the view from here that I may scan soon, but if you 
can't wait check out this link : 
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/AboutArgyll/discover.htm 

And have a look at the 6th or 7th photo "Inveraray and Loch Fyne from Dun na 
Cuaiche", this is the view we had. This photo isn't that good. Too dark and 
small. 

As I write this now over 12 months past the occasion I feel a longing to 
head back out into the wilds again. 

Once we're all photoed out we head back down for dinner. 

I believe the Scotland world cup game was tonight so we watched it, I 
think everyone knew they were to lose but what the hey. Afterwards they take 
me down the road to visit someone from our old college. I forget his name 
but as it happens I had been to primary school with him as well (though he 
was a year younger) and we reminisced and unearthed dark names and faces 
from the past. 

In two days time I would have to be in London for the De La Soul concert 
so I retired to bed early, and before the 11pm curfew at the hostel. 
Tonight I am sharing the room with a late twenties guy from Australia who 
has made his plan to go home emptyhanded thereby indicating that if he 
spends all his money here it would mean he would have lived life to the max. 
I still ruminate on this idea even till this day. 

Next morning I said goodbye and took the bus to Edinburgh via Glasgow. The 
moment I arrived I phoned up the Castlerock Hostel and book myself in for 
the night. 

I seem to have acquired two bags now so drop them off at the hostel. The 
sun is shining and welcomes me back to my final day here. 

I check out the museum and gallery and have a little walk around. Passing 
a budget music store (;-) I see a pub advertise a pub night so later in the 
evening I head back there.  It is horror theme pub "The Mary Hope Tavern". 
Here I met Anna and Rob a crazy aussie and south african. 

The next morning I get the 8:30am bus back to London and spend 8 hours 
cramped against a window. 

And this is where the next entry comes in : 

http://www.oocities.org/SunsetStrip/Arena/6613/trip/delasoul.html 

fin