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Reports

During my travels, my compensation for free accommodation for one night, was for me to write a daily travel diary. Of how I got to my next location, the people who would host me, the food I was offered and everything else. Below you find the archives of the highly extensive reports. Know that English is not my native language and most reports were written at high speed around midnight. Enjoy.


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Saturday, 28 July 2001
Stockton-On-Tees --> Snaith (UK)

Back on the road again, and this time literally, as my hostess in Snaith let me drive her car!
As it was Saturday, nobody had to work and I was lucky enough that an and Tonie would drop me off at a junction near a place called Scotch Corner. Ian had to pick up his parents, who were coming over from Scotland for a visit and I was lucky to be dropped of on the motorway going south around 11 am.

It was pretty easy to get a hitch, but most drivers dropped me off remote onramps, where there was less traffic going my direction again. Of course, I’ve been spoiled too much.

But eventually, around 3.30 I arrived in Snaith. Snaith is a small town, near Goole, and is surrounded my nuclear power plants every few miles.

I was invited by Miss Joziena Goldie and when I walked up to the front door, her mother Bea, was already waiting for me.

Bea had been living here for the last twenty-five years and she is originally Dutch. So we talked Dutch of course. And Joziena is leaving for a holiday to India tomorrow, so at that moment of time she had been at a friends place and I would meet here later tonight.

Bea excused herself, because she still had to do some shopping. I didn’t care about that at all, even when she threw me her car keys. "Wanna drive?"

Huh!? She was the first person ever, during my travelling, who would let me drive the car. And for me it’s something completely different, because the British drive on the left lane and their driver’s seat is on the left. So I also had to get used to the gears at my left.

I think it really is a fact that the Dutch are much more trustful than any other country in the world. But I am about to find out that in the coming years.

We had to go to the Sainsbury’s supermarket in Goole, which was a fifteen minute drive and I loved it.

I had a car myself for almost a year, and the thing made it from the Netherlands to Spain and back in February 2000, together with three of my friends. But last December the Peugeot 305 really gave up and was ready for the dump. And I had not really driven anything else than my bicycle.

Besides the driving at the left side of the road (for me still the wrong side, but the British won’t listen to me ;-)) and the gears on the other side, it basically is all the same. Actually there was nothing to be concerned about. Even parking backwards was easy!

After a small hour of shopping and buying the groceries for today, I was allowed to drive back again. It was fun!

Back home I played with the dog Ben in the back garden. The heat wave is still playing around above England, but as the sun set down carefully, it got better outside.

While Bea was preparing dinner, I met Joziena, as she came home. She was very exited to meet me and fired all kinds of questions to me.

She heard about my project on the Steve Wright-show on the BBC-radio and found it "So interesting and such a splendid idea of travelling around" that she just spontaneously invited me over through this website.

Joziena is a teacher at the local school, so she also has her 8 weeks off and decided to go to backpacking through India this summer, departing from London tomorrow!

It was funny how she was packing her backpack after dinner, and while I was using her internet connection in her room, she asked me for advice.

I had never been to India before, only visited Sri Lanka a long time ago. But I could tell her that good walking boots were better than open shoes.

And on the other hand she advised me about the use of her malaria tablets. She already got the full shots cocktail a few weeks ago and had to take the malaria tablets before she left too.

I know I’ll be on my way to tropical countries within a few months. But for example in South Africa -as the authorities say- I would only need the malaria tablets. But when I’ll visit countries like Pakistan and India, I will need to take the cocktail too.

She was always very inspired by my project and used to followed me around a lot. If just more people (and she meant a lot more people than just you and me) would be more open minded, more things like this would be possible.

Until that time, she will be arriving in India tomorrow after a 7-hours flight, while I’ll be heading down south to Nottingham, the legendary home of Robin Hood. India just has to wait a little…

[b]Good night Snaith!

Ramon.

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