I used to find it fascinating to listen to the stories and tales of others and about all the places where they've been, but some such tales involve little else than "then we went here, then we went there" with no interesting news about *what* they did in those places. This page contains the former type. It details where I've been, and when.
Ek het getrou dagboek gehou (wel nie juis getrou nie, maar wel hier en daar) van my reise, en ek sal op 'n stadium waarskynlik (of waarskynlik nie) die presiese datums naspeur.
Tuis tot daar / Home til there
I started out on my working holiday round about the end of March of 1996. I was a student in 1995, and much of the early days of 1996 was spent trying to get some extra money for my trip. I was able to use a student loan for the bulk of my money, but any extra money would have been handy. In the end I took some £540 with me. The minimum entry money was five hundred (one year later it was one thousand, more or less) or they'd put you back on the plane to South Africa.
London / Londen
I didn't arrive in December like the song says, but in March at a very inopportune time. My research was not that bright and I didn't realise that I'd landed in London slap bang in the middle of some public holiday season in which jobs were hard to come by and most job agencies where closed. Many of the digs contacts were also away for the weekend or worse, the week. Ek was 'n maand lank in Londen.
Ek het 'n paar name van kennisse gehad om by te kuier, en ek het by 'n paar van hulle kon aandoen. Daar was Amna Robinson, wat haar naam vir 'n wyle na "Anne" verander het om dit vir die Britte makliker te maak, saam met wie ek eenkeer 'n koppie koffie gaan drink het by 'n stasie. Haar broer Barry dink ek het ek ook gesien, eenkeer. Voorts het ek probeer om by die SA Gemeente in te skakel, maar in 1996 was hulle 'n treurige spul wat nie juis working-holidaymaker-friendly was nie. Ek het één van hul dienste kon bywoon. En dan was daar Corinne Allen.
Corinne was 'n vriendin van Karen (die ene wat Amerika toe was) via 'n roundabout manier. Corinne het op 'n stadium Suid-Afrika besoek en een van Karen se vriendinne het blykbaar ook in Engeland met haar gekuier en by haar gewoon. Ek het haar adres gehad, haar gebel en sy't my vir 'n naweek genooi. Sy't gebly in Hurstburne Tarrant, in Hants ten weste van Londen. Ek het op 'n stadium werk gekry in Iona en die naweek voor ek sou vertrek, het ek by haar vir 'n naweek gaan oorbly. Sy't my ook rondgery na verskeie ander plekke in hulle omgewing. Dit was baie naais en ons het vriende geword.
Isle of Iona / Ionaeiland
Ek het op 'n stadium begin werk soek as 'n "general assistant", ontwetend dat dit 'n fensie Britse naam is vir 'n waitress. Ek het toe vir 'n pos aansoek te doen in Iona (wat ek nie 'n clue gehad het waar dit is nie) en hulle het my 'n pos as "kitchen porter" aangebied, wat 'n fensie Britse naam is vir 'n skottelgoedwasser en vloerskropper in die kombuis. Die tannie het my mooi die pad verduidelik hoe om daar te kom, en met haar instruksies kon ek myself reghelp. Ek het in Iona aangekom met minder as £20 op my naam.
Om in Iona te kom, moet 'n mens die bus neem van Londen na Glasgow, en van Glasgow na Oban. Oban is 'n vissersdorpie aan die Skotse weskus, en was vroeër 'n baie gewilde bestemming en afsetpunt vir mense wat die eilande wil besoek. Dit is steeds 'n redelike groot plek op die toeristekaart. By Oban neem 'n mens die ferrie na die eiland Mull. Op Mull ry 'n mens bus tot by die dorpie Fionnphort (uitgespreek "finne-firt"). By Fionnphort neem jy nog 'n ferrie oor die Iona Sont na die eiland Iona. Ek het twee maande lank op Iona gebly en dit was omtrent die lekkerste twee maande oorsee. Ek het twee keer 'n naweek na Oban gegaan vir voorraad en om dit te leer ken, en ek het eenkeer Ben More byna heeltemaal uitgeklim (dis Mull se enigste Munro) saam met 'n pel wat ek daar gemaak het. O, en op die laaste dag het ek na 'n eiland waarvan ek die naam nie meer kan onthou nie, gegaan op 'n seilskippie.
Lochmaddy, North Uist / Lochmaddie, Noord-Oewis
Toe my twee maande op Iona verby was, en ek nog nie 'n werk gekry het elders nie, besluit ek om maar rigting Tobermory te trek in die hoop om werk daar te kry. Ek pak toe my sak en dinge en reis na die jeughostel in Tobermory (sonder om te boek, en gelukkig was daar een plek oop). Ek het op daai stadium een of twee moontlikhede vir werk gehad, en in Tobermory bel ek toe weer een van hulle. Toe kry ek die werk, maar ek moes sowat drie dae wag voor ek kon gaan. Dus my tyd kill op 'n manier.
Op die bus van Tobermory na die ferrie na Oban ontmoet ek toe twee Suid-Afrikaners, en dit was 'n geluk, want ek het met een van dié twee, ene Lara Malan (as ek reg onthou) 'n redelike kontak behou. Sy vertel my toe van 'n lekker jeughostel in Inverness, en ek neem my toe voor om daar te gaan oorbly. Van Oban af ry ek toe Ford William toe en slaap daar oor. By Fort William kon ek die hostel in Inverness bel en bespreek. Ek was in Fort William en ek moes vir mense sê "wys my op die kaart waar op die planeet is ek". Op daai stadium het ek nog nie juis 'n kennis van die Skotse geografie gehad nie.
From Fort William I journeyed to Inverness where I stayd in the mentioned hostel, of which the name now escapes me. I found that the bus and the train was equally expensive for my next leg, and I decided to take the train. Well, when I got to the train station I found that I had misinformation and that the train was twice the price of the bus. But I had to take the train because there were no more buses that day to my destination.
From Inverness I took the train to Kyle. At Kyle we waited two hours for the bus to arrive, which then took us over the German bridge onto the Isle of Skye and all the way to the port of Uig, where I would catch the ferry. I was quite worried because according to my time table the ferry was about to depart and the bus was very, very late. As it turned out, the ferry was even later. From Uig I took the ferry to Lochmaddy, which is on the isle of North Uist, the northern-most isle of the the southern chain of the Western Isles, which, together with Skye, is also known as the Outer Hebridies.
I stayed in Lochmaddy for two and a half months, more or less. During my stay there I once visited South Uist, I regularly visited Balivanich, and I camped out on the Isle of Bernerey on two occasions. It was on North Uist that I became a regular attendant of the Wee Free church of Scotland -- a turn of fate which would take me to Edinburgh instead of Newcastle upon Tyne. I attended a church near Bayhead, where I met and befriended Mary Laing and her parents.
Auld Reekie / Edinburgh
At some stage I became restless and the working conditions in Lochmaddy didn't agree with me, so I decided to leave. At first I thought I'd go south to either Manchester, Birmingham or Newcastle (in fact, my mind was just about set for Newcastle), but in the end Mary convinced me to go the Edinburgh instead. In Edinburgh I had the prospect of meeting many of Mary's friends and friends of the church.
The week or so before I set off to Edinburgh, I went to visit the Isle of Lewis, just to see what it was like. I took the ferry to Lewerburgh in Harris, and then took the bus to Stornoway, the capital city of the Western Isles. I wandered there for a few hours and then headed back on the same day. I missed the opportunity to stay over at Mensans in Calanish, silly me.
I caught a ride on one of the cooler trucks that serviced the hotels in the Isles, all the way back to Uig, back to Kyle, and from there back to Inverness. From Inverness I went to Loch Ness and stayed there in the youth hostel. From there I went to Perth, and stayed there a day as well. And on the day after that I arrived in Edinburgh, very green and very happy to see a real city again.
I just remembered something... I think I also visited Iona again, and slept over at Tobermory again on that occasion. I also visited Lara in Onich (near Fort William) where she worked, but I can't remember on which leg this was.
Ooh, I just remembered another thing. I stayed over in Fort William and climed Ben Nevis, highest mountain in Scotland.
I stayed in Auld Reekie for about three months. I never really got out much, except when the church youth when to Comrie in Perthshire for a weekend-away. I worked in various places in Edinburgh. I stayed in the youth hostel for about two days, then moved into the samaritan Alf's flat in Morningside for two months, and then stayed in a room in a flat in (can't remember) for a month until it dawned on me that the rent was way too much and that I've been under some expectations which did not realise. Plus, I had the convenient excuse that I needed to return to South Africa for a wedding.
Interlude / Tussenspel
Returning to South Africa for a wedding is probably one of the stupidest things I did. No offence to the bride and groom, who are two very, very close friends of mine. But I went back to South Africa at the end of November and only returned to Scotland somewhere in February. That's two months I could have made a lot of money, instead I spent a lot of money going back and returning again.
On my trip back to South Africa I stayed over at Corinne's again for a weekend. Hence I didn't need to stay in expensive London. Corinne was also kind enough to drive me to the air port. Oy, now my memory is awry... did I stay in a youth hostel in London that time? I think I did.
I met some Wee Free contacts in South Africa and they asked me to say hi to their son in Glasgow on my way back to Edinburgh.
Second year / Edinburgh II
The second time I went abroad I arrived in London, then I stayed over at Corinne's for a weekend, and then I took the bus to Glasgow. I met my contact there (can't remember his name) and then popped over to Edinburgh. In Auld Reekie I stayed over in the Princes Street hostel. I stayed there for nigh four months, made many friends, made more friends in the church, etc. At the end of it all I wanted to go the the Shetland Islands, but I was unable to find work there. I did, via Dee Cooper, find work in Pitlochry, which was the worst time of my holiday in Scotland (the people were very nice, but it was a bad choice).
During my second stay in Edinburgh I didn't get out much either, except on a hitch-hiking tour with a friend for seven days. I'll write about that trip in a seperate article, but briefly we went from Edinburgh to Killin near Fort William, and then to Skye, and then to Ullapool, and then to Inverness and Loch Ness, and then to Culloden and Smithdon, and then to Aberdeen, and then back to Edinburg.
Pitlochry / Ses maande gemors
I got the job in Pitlochry and was supposed to stay for six months. If I can give you one piece of advice, it would be never to stay in one place for longer than 3 months unless it is a big city. During my stay in Pitlochry I revisted Edinburgh on occasion to fetch supplies and to get out of it all. I also went to visit some friends near Loch Ness (I hitched some of the way), and I went to the Black Isle on a church youth weekend-away (I also hitched for this one).
It was at Pitlochry that I met Genevieve St Ives, and I still remember the pub at Moulin. O, I also went for a brief visit Blair Castle.
Also during my stay in Pitlochry my mother and grandmother came for a visit. I took two weeks off from work and travelled with them to various places in Scotland. I'll write about that one in a seperate article as well, but basically it was quite nice because my grandmother inherited some money and we could stay in B&Bs instead of hostels, and drive in a rente car instead of public transport, etc. Briefly, they went to many places in England, and the Lake District, and then met up with me in Glasgow. We went to Arren, Mull of Kintyre, then up to Skye, we went to see Iona and Mull (and I took a picture of the Free Church building on Mull), and to Loch Ness and then all the way down to Edinburgh. I decided to stick with them and we went to the Lake District again, and all the way down to London where I found that there is not much difference between a £11,5 youth hostel and a £115 hotel room.
After Pitlochry I went back to Edinburgh for a while, and on my "continental trip".
The Continent / Duitsland
Initally I would have gone to Belguim to visit two friends, and to France perhaps as well, but in the end I made another stupid mistake by trying to be on time in South Africa for another wedding. Lesson learnt: friends will be friends even if you can't make it to their weddings, or not.
Ek sou vir twee mense in Duitsland gaan kuier het. Die eerste was 'n ou-ou collegevriend van my, Alex Flesch, met wie ek via 'n gesamentlike vriendin weer kontak gemaak het. Die ander was Bernd Schick en sy vroutjie Carmen, van wie ek vroeër al gemeld het.
Ek het die bus gevat van London na Dover, die ferrie van Dover na Calais, die bus van Calais na Berlyn via Frankryk, België, Nederland en dies meer. My indruk van Nederland was dat dit 'n weird plek was. Ons moes in Amsterdam oorklim. Dus het ek 'n stukkie van Amsterdam gesien (sowat een blok geboue by die bushalte).
Ek het 'n week lank in Berlyn gebly by Alex-hulle se flet wat in die hartjie van Berlyn was. Ons het ook eenkeer na Oos-Berlyn gegaan en gaan koffie drink in die roterende restaurant van die uitsaaitoring.
Van Berlyn af het ek die trein gevat na Bernd toe. Ek dink ek het via Heidelberg gery, en hy't my by die stasie opgetel. Dit was 'n lekker en moeilike ervaring want anders as in Engeland kon ek natuurlik geen snars verstaan van wat aangaan nie, en as dit nie was vir smartiane wat jou as toeris uitken en vir jou vertel by watter stasie om oor te klim nie, eindig jy weliswaar in Moskou op as jy nie oppas nie...
Bernd woon in Neunstein en ek het by sy ouers in Öhringen tuisgegaan. Van daar af het ek die trein gevat terug Londen toe, via Parys (en wat ek van Parys gesien het was twee treinstasies waar ek moes oorklim van die ICE af op metro en van die metro af op die Tonneltrein. Die trein het minder gekos as die bus. Les nommer hoeveel: moenie net aanneem die bus is goedkoper nie.
As ek reg onthou het ek weer in Londen by Corinne gaan kuier, en sy't my weer lughawe toe geneem. En toe is ek terug Suid-Afrika toe.
