Scooting around Scotland

I've been informed that people getting these posts via Hotmail are getting blank messages. I can't fix the problem at the moment, but once I'm in Addis I'll change my delivery mechanism which will hopefully fix the problem. In the meantime, hopefully you're reading this on the web. On with the update...

Upon landing in Glasgow on Friday, I met up with Rachel McLellan, who was kindly providing a roof over my head for the next couple of days. We headed off to a Glasgow pub with her flatmate Nicky to meet a bunch of other Aussies living up that way (Suzie King, sister of Jeff, among them). We went around to one of the couple's place for desert and beverages. I had Milo. Yes, they have Milo here. And Vegimite. You can even find Tim Tams, if you look hard enough.

Anyway, the next day (Saturday) Rach, Nicky and I headed out of Glasgow to the Island of Bute (pronounced 'Beaute', as in 'Beaute mate! Slap another one on the barbie.'). After a lovely drive through the Scotish Highlands (only slightly dampened by cloud setting in), we caught a quick ferry to the island. A short drive, some lunch, and £6 later, we were riding across the island for some seal spotting and a 'wee dip in the ocean'. I was reluctant at first, but the water turned out to be fantastic. Not too cold at all - very refreshing. Plus, I taught Rach how to skim sea shells.

Sunday was very sunny. We headed down to The Rock, which is the church Rach goes to in the mornings. There I met Smidy, a very cool guy who also happens to belong to a kayaking club. As a consequence of this, we headed out onto Loch Lomond, with only a thin fibreglass shell separating me from the deep. We puttered around on the Loch for a couple of hours and then headed back to the barn. After a quick shower, the three of us headed off to St. Silas Episcopal church (I think - correct me if I'm wrong Rach), which is basically the Church of England (Anglican) when not in England. It was actually remarkably similar in style to Ashgrove, except for the use of litergy. I even knew a few of the songs.

On Monday morning, Rach dropped me at the train station and I headed into the city to catch a scenic bus trip to an island on the western coast of Scotland called Mull. In Oban I caught another ferry to Mull Island. Somebody later told me that 'Mull' means 'island' in Gaelic. Hmm... On the ferry ride over we went past a castle which was apparently Sean Connery's hideout in a movie called 'Entrapment'.

Tobermory is the biggest town on Mull. I stayed there for the night at a Youth Hostel there, but before that I decided that after the fun I'd had on Mull, I'd hire another bike and go for a ride in the countryside. The bike guy pointed me onto 16km loop track, and I headed off. Mull is a very hilly island. The highest peak is over 3,000 feet high! After a lot of ups and downs, and several photos of the spectacular scenery, I had finally gotten to the far end of the loop and started heading home. It was at this point that the chain on my bike decided it had going around in circles and getting nowhere and call it a day. This turned out to be not as bad as it might have, since about 300 metres down the road I came across a nice couple with a car who kindly gave me a lift back into town. The bike hire guys were nice enough to give me half my money back, which is fair enough, since the bike did get me half way on my journey...

The next day, it was back on the bus. Leaving Tobermory at 9:45 in the morning, I finally arrived in Edinburgh at about 5:30 that afternoon. Once I got to the Bed & Breakfast I would be staying at that night, I tried to get in contact with my aunt and uncle, Rod and Kay Bullpitt. After finally getting hold of them and trying to arrange a place to meet the next day, we finally came to the realisation that our B&B's were just down the road from each other. So, we met up and headed into town. They had tickets to the Edinburgh Tattoo. I didn't. But I'd heard that left-over tickets are sold an hour before the event starts, so I hung around and was fortunate enough to pick one up. They turned out to be pretty good. I spotted my aunt & uncle, and then settled in to enjoy the show. It rocked! If you ever get the chance, see it! Definately one of the highlights of the trip. If you see it on TV later in the year, see if you can spot me, but especially watch for the Top Secret Drum Corp. They are the most coordinated percussionists I have ever seen.

The next day the three of us headed back into town and checked out the Holyrood Palace (the Queen's residence in Scotland) and then they headed off to Aberdeen and I went up to the Edinburgh Castle. After seeing a few castles now, I think I can say that, although they often have a good view, I wouldn't want to live in one. You tend to have a pretty short life-span, from what I've seen. Plus, there are way to many stairs.

From there, I headed off to the airport and was back in St. Albens that evening. My next update will be the final one from the UK on this trip. I'll most likely be in Ethiopia next time you hear from me. See you on the other side...