Happy Travels

KHAO LAK

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khao_Lak

is a coastal and beach place about 11 hours drive south from Bangkok and as I don\’t have a map of consequence, no idea of mileage. Again I expected the smooth white sands, flat blue Andaman Sea however it was rough, dirty and windy and again I compare Australia\’s beaches and coloured sand. Much much nicer. We do get the dirty waters at low tide especially near river outlets so am waiting for the sea here to calm and colour to change to that bright blue in the advertising pics. It is humid around 30o all the time and I spent the VIP999 bus ride in a wide armchair that went back nearly to bed with leg rest that proved v uncomfortable. I wanted to sleep but got about an hour or bit. This bus has a total of 24 seats in 8 rows of 3 and I booked the seat on its own. Cost the equivalent of AUD30 and as the airport is in Phuket I think Khao Lak is about an hour or so north, another connecting bus trip would have been required had I flown. I consider the bus deal to be the easiest way to get to Khao Lak and less challenging. The plane worked out to cost exorbitant depending on what travel agency I visited (couldn\’t organise it on the computer) and I got to the Southern Bus Station (it was called Bangkok Bus Station) in Bangkok on a local ac bus for 19 baht and saw a lot of local life in the suburbs on the way. This bus station – wow – I saw 77 bus bays and the night I left from there there were thousands of locals, not too many farangs, and these pretty buses all over. \’Pretty\’ is my word for vehicles that seems to be decorated to look like toy-things.

THE BUSES

In Thailand they decorate them inside with short scalloped and frilled / 0r fringed curtains and tie backs and coloured strip lighting atop. This lighting could be blue, green, red, pink or alternate different colours above the windows. So \’pretty\’! The lights outside the bus – well, they can be blue, green, the red for the rear and normal headlights but both rear and front have the other coloured lights too buses some looking like christmas trees. Also the lorries and bigger trucks also have patterns of coloured lights on their cabins and across the grill and some cars have blue lights on their side windows and along the grill – again so \’pretty\’! Lights all over and lights all colours.

WEATHER

As I type this it is pouring and this happens about every couple of hours, then it stops and gives us time to move comfortably around, before it pours again. For the rainy and off-season period there are still a few tourists around but I wonder for how long. The accommodation offered is less than seasonal rates and one doesn\’t have to fight to get anywhere and thing. And if one gets wet, doesn\’t take too long to dry off.

THIS AFTERNOON

I came down here to volunteer with \’kids4funinthailand\’ an organisation (soon to be charity) started after the tsunami to build play gyms etc for children. They are doing fairly heavy outside work, between pours, and Steve a Pom and the originator of the above organisation hasn\’t enough space nor work for more volunteers so directed me to help with english teaching to locals, some Burmese. This is with the Tsunami Volunteer Centre (TVC).

Teaching – the local schools are on their 6 week break so teaching is directed to restaurant staff, school camps, orphanages and construction workers, etc. I went with others to the \’Hello\’ Restaurant to teach 3 staff who were pretty good; then to a holiday camp for burmese children and also to the \”Lazy Restaurant\’ in town where each day at 10am they will teach locals if they turn up. That class is called the Lazy Class. The Burmese are not allowed to be taught so their lessons and building are called \’Learning Centres\’. The lessons are prepared out of the TVC which I understand is on its closing run having been opened since the Tsunami December 2004.

ORIENTATION and VESAK

School is back this week on Tuesday 20 May. Monday, full moon, and Vesak, no school and banks etc close. We were taken to a Buddhist Temple just out of Khao Lak for a celebration which took about half hour and ended up with us offering flowers, lighting 3 incense sticks and one candle and walking around a part of the temple three times. I loved it. Immediately we had done that en masse, the place closed down. Lights turned off. Doors locked and people managed to leave quietly and within about 10 minutes – quite amazing. We were one of the last people to leave. There was Goi, Thai who works with TVC who took us along with commentary, then 5 volunteers, Rob, Jenny and Andy, English; Michelle Irish and Me.

ORIENTATION

Goi took us out for the day in TVC truck to look at different beaches, villages, sights, memorials etc mainly to do with the tsunami. It was quite full on but of great interest. The sights that fascinated me most were the Police boat which was the bodyguard of the King\’s Grandson who was visiting Bang Niang at the time and who lost his life. This boat ended up 2 1/4 kms onto the land and it has been left there as it was. There was another sight, this one was with two fishing boats that left the coast and ended up almost 2kms inland both in different places but one was moved to be on display with the other. One was called an \’angel\’ boat because even though it twisted and turned and ended up so far inland it did no damage! nor hit any person. The other was called a negative name because it did lots of damage and manage to cause the death of about 197 people. The first boat had been running and just about to leave the pier for fishing whereas the other was tied up and not running. Looking back on my photos I found that I had taken a photo of only one of the boats. The story is fascinating and the size of the boats – awesome – the amount of water that ran through the land for these boats to float so far – no words for the whole thing.

WILL CONTINUE…;

\”Vesak is the holiest day in Buddhism. On this day are celebrated the birth, the Enlightenment, and the death of the Buddha. This day is usually in the middle or last two weeks of May.

Buddhists the world over rejoice and ponder this day, which is itself a symbol of rejoicing and pondering. Celebrations can be large affairs, filled with (vegetarian) food, animals, and festivals, or small remembrances, filled with meditation. Silent marches or meditations in the evening end the daylong celebration.

This holiday goes by other names as well, among them Buddha Purinama, Wesak, and Visakha Puja. The name may be different, but the reason for celebrating is the same…\”

TEMPERATURE

Today\’s temperature is 27° and quite warm enough for me. It\’s a general welcome to what I can expect of Bangkok and Myanmar. I always appreciated the cold on Erraid for the reason that I don\’t manage too well in hot weather. However, I have given away, left and swapped just about all my warm clothing \’cept my big wet weather jacket bought in Oban, Scotland and a couple of wool shirts I bought as I left Sydney and which I anticipate having to wear upon my return as it will be a bit cooler than Myanmar.  All my winter woolies will still be in storage.

TRAIN TRIP and HOSTEL

When I arrived yesterday via Eurostar rail from Venice, okay train \’cept there are no announcements until the train is slowing into the station, it was warm and I found the hostel which was opened in March 2008 – I thought it looked like an old hospital but I hear not – it is 6 weeks old, offers a lot that other hostels don\’t usually offer like pool, sauna, large towels, and 24 hour free internet connection. Plus other attributes. It seems to have been planned by someone who was a traveller or backpacker and knows what facilities make sharing a room with a few others just that much more comfortable.

There are very many internet places and after Venice where it is from euro 5 per hour for use, I saw it as low as euro 1 per hour.  (There\’s a euro sign on this keyboard – just haven\’t been able to find the right combination of keys to work it).

Because I had trouble getting accommodation in Rome, I discovered there was a public holiday on 1 May just about all over. And there is one in Bangkok when I arrive on 5 May.

SIGHTSEEING

Well, you might ask, what was there to see? Florence is a flat city, easy to get around in on foot, well the old city is anyhow. What I did see the first afternoon I arrived, I headed to the magnificent Baptistry next to the Duomo. Being later in the afternoon some of the larger buildings were closing. The Baptistery closed later. This can explain in more detail http://www.onlineflorenceguide.com/florence-sightseeing.html . A fine example of 11th century Romanesque architecture, its layout is octagonal and it has a diameter of 26 metres. Its roof is pyramid-shaped and topped by a lantern with columns; it is also covered in white and green marble. It was the city\’s cathedral until 1128 and is dedicated to St John the Baptist. Many illustrious men of Florence, including Dante, were baptized here at the 1371 baptisimal font. I saw the baptisimal font but it was out of reach and surrounded by a lovely designed rail. The floor was covered with different layout designs and designed tiles.

The Baptistery has 3 BRONZE DOORS: the one to the south is by Pisano (1336) and is divided into 28 tiles with stories of St John the Baptist and the Cardinal and Theological Virtues. The other doors (1403-1452) are both by Ghiberti. The north door depicts 20 scenes from the NewTestatment and 8 tiles with the Fathers of the Church and the Evangelists. Michelangelo defined the east door as the Gate of Heaven.

So that\’s a bit about this beautiful building made with lots of marble, green and white and a lovely shape. I went back this morning early to get photos of both the Duomo and the Baptistery clear of people and vehicles to block their view. To find this morning that iron gates protect all the doors of the Baptistry and all my photos show these, and some of the doors to the Duoma were opened so no photo there.

DAVID

Today I visited the Accademia Gallery only having to wait in line for about 1/2 hour to see David and some unfinished sculptures of Michelangelo called \’Prisoners\’ which I just loved. There were many many works of art by other renaissance painters which I will list later and I spent some time there. It also included a Music Museum, again more details later, but I was able to hear music made on the old instruments and read about some which were very strange looking.

Unfinished and more to come including street markets and coffee shops. I am off now to the Florence train station to catch a train to Rome and thence to get to the airport for my plane to Singapore. The cliche would be \’doesn\’t time pass quickly\’ but I won\’t say it.

MOSNA

[work in progress so excuse]

Here  I am again and being reminded of the beauty that is this country. Bucharest and west to Medias not quite so pretty but once in this area, the green hills which just rise up out of the ground so steeply and which had been terraced many years ago for grape growing and step down the hills,  are glorious and I wonder that anything or one can move safely on them – so steep they are.

And I am visiting my family Schuster again and being welcomed in with their many guests and visitors. Last time here it was summer and I\’d actually forgotten that. With the winter, wet, winds and snow on Erraid I was conditioned to life\’s seasons being only one – cold and wet. It  So it is much more carefree for me with the sun out and temp higher than 3o, and I am wearing today only one or two layers, the temp outside got to 19o – a delight. An evening can get down to 4o but inside much warmer as Lavinia lights the kitchen fire to warm the kitchen and make the home very comfortable.

On my arrival the family had a guest from France for a couple of days; a local woman from about 100ks away living temporarily with them mainly to learn to speak Romanian [she comes from a Romanian Hungarian village where Romanian is not spoken so her quest is to learn to speak it- the village is in Romania!]; and also there is a cousin of 18 visiting; add me to make 4.

The last 4 days had taken their toll and I was extremely exhausted when I arrived at 9.30pm and my condition was contributed to by the usual difficulty I had in Bucharest (lack of english, no signage in english and trouble getting information and/or help about anything) and from the airport. However I managed to get to Gara de Nord the main station for the train to Medias, which left I thought at about 3.15pm. I picked up a couple of english speakers along the way and got to the station more comfortably with enough time to buy a ticket. However using the public telephone was yet another, and consistently so in any city and country, almost impossible hurdle to jump. It turned out that I wasn\’t able to call Schusters to confirm the train arrival time but had emailed previously ETA and trusted they were aware.

What actually happened was the train was about 15 minutes late into Medias and no pick up. So I thought to self, why not phone? Asked a couple of people on street for help – no english. But a public phone right there. But – phones in Romania [I now find out] take only cards. Where to get card? Little booth open, but no sell phone cards. Imagine self catching taki out to Mosna, about 8ks. Asked man with a mobile if he spoke english, yes, and could I pay him to make a call for me. Eventually we got through to Schusters and Willi collected me. May sound – so what? but when this happens each country, or town, it is nigh on impossible to get where I am supposed to be, get information, directions, or help with ease. I find this the part about travel that is more than a challenge -it drains my energy and motivation sinks. When I get what I want it seems such a small price to pay, but that\’s the same in retropect in any situation.

TRAINS

The train was called the \’Rapid\’ but a 6 hour journey and we travelled about 150kms stopping at larger and not so stations for 10 to 15 minutes. There is also the \’personal\’ and ….trains. They are no faster or slower. The Rapid new, clean, plastic, colourful and bit hard to sit in with no foot rests, takes 6 hours. The thing about the UK and here, including the typically Virgin trains in UK,[ same as their planes, cattle class], almost no luggage space, no conductor assistance in getting off and on, fighting to get to and into one\’s reserved seat because if it is occupied it may well stay so, narrow aisles, no foot rest and lots of seats going backwards and some with tables in the middle. I wonder how they trained the population to tolerate this style and remember when the XPT first ran the north coast line at home, it had the same seating arrangement. Do remember also the newer trains with foot rests and no tables. Whomever copies and orders these trains seems to be persons who drive and/or don\’t know what the locals think is necessary for a 14 hour train journey. But that was my opinion of Australian trains – my lack of understanding of the locals tolerating these trains beats me-\’cept the trains are all pretty and new and sleek looking. Give me comfort any day.

MOSNA

What a lovely place it is. And also in a month the local council elections take place. So guess what is happening in this village and all other villages around, work is being done on the roads. No different to Australia. I went into Medias yesterday to visit the Post Office, go to vegie market with Lavinia, and to the supermarket. The food in these is probably worse that what Oz offers, no organic or \’special\’ (read whole) foods. And just as home, thousands of crazies shopping for the Easter break. Romania is Orthodox Christian and their Easter recognises Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The family I am with had their Christian Easter and now share this Easter.

This is an organic farm which I have spoken about earlier in my blog. They have a few cows about 8 or so and milk about 5 from which milk they produce quark, yoghurt, cream, ricotta, fetta and other hard cheese. Most sells in the organic shop in Sibiu to which they travel with their produce x 2 per week. It has taken about 3 years for this shop to be known and now everything they offer in the shop is sold. They tell me also that people in Bucharest want to obtain this quality produce and so a lot goes to Bucharest one way or the other. There are very few organic shops in Romania, actually this is the only one I believe, and at last the message is getting out to people that there is an option now in Romania to eating contaminated food.

Once I am travelling and having to work out where to go to catch a bus/train, where to stay, how long it takes, which platform connecting trains run from – I feel great! I then remember just how good it feels (most of the time) travelling and seeing new places.

I left Erraid, ferried to Oban, trained to Glasgow, changed for train to Crewe, changed for Chester, changed for Bangor and changed finally to bus to Caernarfon. Took me all day, some of the scenery was good, other just same row upon row of similar housing in similar looking villages/towns and there wasn\’t even a fanfare to announce that I had crossed over the border into Wales and not even sure which town began on the railway line.

WELSH COASTLINE

The train followed along and tunnelled through rocky outcrops of the coast and the water looked a dirty brown as did the sand and at low tide, huge sandy beaches with lots of cement and rocky groins with rocky shore too. In places, most of the way actually, there appears to have been a wall built against the sea either as a earth wall or rock/cement. Then there are monstrous areas of mobile homes, huge mobile communities which I doubt are much mobile. There are acres and acres of these homes, actually got to be thousands some of which are for holidays and some seem to be permanently occupied. Mainly between the railway line and the sea so in the summer (?) it would be very busy and crazy I am sure. Quite a site to see row upon row upon row upon row of these.

The trip took hours to go from Crewe to Bangor, the train doesn\’t go to Caernarfon but to Holyhead, and apparently it used to.

There was also a wind farm, not sure on land or sea.

The canals seem to be about as wide as a narrow road and I have read nothing yet about them, how they are used etc. So you will know as much as I do at present. But there were a LOT of boats tied up to the shore. I even saw a couple of locks which I\’ve never seen before and this I saw from the train going west and then east to London.

BANGOR TO CAERNARFON

Bangor is a lovely place, hilly, with the Menai Straits and the bus stop was almost outside the station with buses running often during the day to Caernarfon about 25 mins ride away. There was still daylight when I finally arrived about 6pm and after 3 direction enquiries I found the very historic Black Boy (or Buoy) Inn which turned out to be a very great place to stay. The management and staff were always very friendly, willing to help, joyous and obliging. In all of my trip to date, I don\’t remember any place being so easy to be in and the whole staff so obliging. And the food was great.

Behind Caernarfon are the Snowdon mountains topped with snow, the highest is Snowdon Mountain the second in the UK to Ben Nevis in Scotland. This part of Wales is called Snowdonia.

BLACK BOY INN

http://www.welsh-historic-inns.com/black-boy/index.php.

This stay at the Inn was given to me as a gift and a wonderful surprise too – it was more history to see and learn about as the Caernarfon Castle walls passed within about 30 yds of the building. Initially I thought that that was all there was to the village, just the castle, but a bird\’s eye view proved a bigger town of about 15,000. A lot of boats in the marina too, a very wide water expanse which at low tide revealed a lot of sand but at higher tide, it was very watery. Don\’t know the in and out tide levels though.

I wandered around the town the first night, had a meal in the pub and watched a bit of TV in the room. Saturday I intended doing a few things including another night\’s stay – finding the tourist and post offices, getting directions to the Menai Bridge, and checking out the charity shops. I have found in the UK that charity shops abound and in Caernarfon there is 7! I went on a big shopping spree buying two items. I found the PO and sent some postcards, then took the bus to Bangor to change for Menai Bridge. As the bus drives over the bridge, and there are 2 lanes only with huge post in the middle, it has to crawl through the arch and it looks like there is only about 2\” either side of the bus – there is another bridge, the Britannia, which main traffic uses and obviously larger vehicles too, which is down-strait of this one. I took lots of pics of the bridge and then waited for a bus to Beaumaris Castle. The weather was very cold and that bus was late by 20 minutes so I hopped on the first bus to come and that was to Holyhead. The Stena ferries travel from Holyhead to Ireland. I didn\’t realise that it took the bus over an hour to get there. Consequently I spent the rest of the afternoon safely out of the wind but needing a walk when I arrived in Holyhead. So I waited for the next bus back which meant that I missed the opening hours of Carnarvon Castle, imagine that. I didn\’t even get inside to see it at all and just had a small walk on return, dinner in the pub and then bed.

http://www.anglesey.info/Menai%20Bridges.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menai_Suspension_Bridge

WELSH

is spoken by 95% of the people, that is in Caernarfon not too sure about the capital Cardiff. It is totally non-understandable with lots of w\’s and y\’s in the words. I love hearing it spoken.

Croeso = welcome. Tiraeth = beach. Safle Bws = bus stop. Some of the railway stations along the way: Penmaenmawr: Llanfaern: and I found out that the pronunciation of Ll is like \’ick\’ don\’t remember the dd, or ff pronunciation.

CAERNARFON TO LONDON

First bus out of Caernarfon this morning, Sunday, was 9.30a to Bangor but that was in time for the first train out of Bangor at 10.34a, a Virgin train which is just like being on a Virgin plane, cattle class, almost no room to move and even less for luggage. One thing about the british trains – the seats are fixed and there appears to be more seats facing backwards! than forwards. It is such a messy system I wonder how the locals don\’t just protest. One can book a seat to find when one gets on that someone else is sitting in it – the steward doesn\’t check seating and it seems to be that one deals with it best one can I hear sometimes losing out and having to stand if no seat vacant. One only sees the steward when they come checking tickets and that\’s about it. Australia certainly seems to give a wonderful service which I appreciate even more now PLUS the seats turn about.

CANALS

-and another interesting thing I noticed was these canals maybe only in the UK where these canals are set up for boats! http://www.canalholidays.co.uk/longercruises.php http://www.kateboats.co.uk/route.htm

LONDON

On arrival, I had booked to hop a bus at 4pm and head to Luton airport where I was going to hang about until my early morning flight but the train was a little late, I couldn\’t make that bus, and my phone card didn\’t work (imagine, how strange?? the story of my travels) to advise them, and so I have booked into St Pancras YHA again and leave on a 5.22a train from the new International St Pancras train terminal to Luton to catch my 8.10a to Bucharest. I am very tired and intend getting a good sleep tonight. By tomorrow night I intend being at Schusters\’ place in Mosna, Transylvania, Romania – for a week – yippee!

PLATFORM 9 3/4

I just had to see this and had to ask where it was. No wonder I hadn\’t run across it before as it is way out the back of the station. And the silly poms come to visit Ramsay Street?

THAT\’S SCOTLAND AND ERRAID WITH MULL IN THE BACKGROUND

www.erraid.com

Thursday 17 April, that’s 2 days from when I write this, I will be leaving this wonderful Isle. It’s a little like my initial venture out of Sydney lots of thoughts about how I will do, where I will end up, what I will see, whom I shall meet and how will I get to where I am going.

Having been settled here for a regular 11 ½ weeks it’s become like home. All together I have experienced 16 ½ weeks on Erraid and in one way it seems a very long time, in another, barely no time at all. The main thing for me has been fitting into a community, something new, and the adjustment and commitment and responsibility that goes with living so. Always a personal upheaval and I’d reckon there’s always compromises to be made. I have found it a delight, and I feel extremely fortunate and grateful that I’ve been given this opportunity. I mean, goodness only knows what type of people come to Erraid and the community welcomes all.

Weather

The weather for leaving – here’s hoping, and not sure of the forecast yet – I am expecting it to be fine and clear. Has been spring-like for a few days now which has enabled the young American guest mob to help with planting more potatoes, weeding the herb garden and potting out leeks and calendulas. So with this good warm weather and forays around the Island there are a few pinkish faces. Great walking weather and some have gone swimming. When I measured the temp of the water in Balfour Bay about 2 weeks ago, it registered at 13˚ amazingly as it felt very cold on my feet and I expected freezing! One young boy went in wearing his wet suit, all others either in their birthday or bathing suits. So back to the weather for Thursday. The tides for Thursday will be low in the morning which is when I expect to leave for Fionnphort to catch the bus to Craignure where I pick up the CalMac ferry to Oban. There I stay overnight and catch the Glasgow train at 8.11am on Friday 18. Which means that if the weather is foul and we can’t take out the boat to cross to Mull [I hope as I don\’t feel energetic enough to wheel my suitcase and backpack my backpack across the bogs], we could take the tractor and trailer and drive over the Bay as there’ll be not much water. However, I expect it to be a straight sailing from the pier.

Daily Schedule

Wondering what else to tell you. The daily schedule over the week – I have 3 full working days, 2 free, and 2 half working days which is more time off than the residents who seem to work 7 days per week. Maybe I told you this before. Working day begins with a 9.15a resident and guest meeting and tuning in, work whatever may be on offer starts about 9.50-10am, we then have a tea break about 11.15a and prepared lunch at 12.30pm. The afternoon working session begins at 2pm, another tea break 3.15\’ish and dinner at 6pm with meditation at 5p and singing 5.30pm. The free days which are generally Wednesday and Sunday dinner only is prepared, the cottages being supplied with kitchens and food to make our lunch and/or breakfasts. The two half working days – well, Friday morning is cottage cleaning, the arvo is work and Saturday morning is community cleaning. This includes the sanctuary, dining, kitchen, pantry, scullery, dairy room and general meeting room. Saturday arvo I do gardening etc or whatever is required and Sunday is day off. Wednesday the guests are offered a trip to Iona, the next and bigger Island to here and also off Mull. So they get boated across to Mull, driven to Fionnphort to catch the ferry to Iona and return the same way about 4pm. This is weather permitting of course.

I am staying in the cottage today for a change even though it is a work day and getting my matters and the cottage into order and consequently not contributing to the sheep round-up. But what a day for it. Sun – the day is gloriously blue, just like the Canberra skies in winter, and there is a slight wind chill factor as there\’s snow on the mountains on Mull just over the way. And I believe that Spring has sprung whereas we, Australia, have gone into autumn. Anyhow, Australian autumn weather on the east coast is always good sunny days needing a cardi or a light jumper and at night much heavier wear. In Canberra and the southern states probably a lot heavier clothing though, maybe?

Boutique Shopping

Whilst visiting or living on Erraid, one can go shopping at the \’boutique\’, a large chest of drawers in cottage #4. I have been able to find sox, beanies, gloves, jumpers, shirts, and trousers, even wellington boots and wet weather jackets, for use here and am presently washing and returning them back to the boutique. Also giving a few shirts etc that I have purchased along the way – my aim being to keep the weight of my luggage back to what it was on leaving Australia. So all the papers etc I collect or want to keep I mail home and the extra clothing I can leave here. The boutique – a very good system me thinks.

Daily Work

Yesterday I potted out leek plants from their tiny seed tray into a larger container. This was done in a greenhouse and consequently I was able to strip off about 3 layers of clothing – such freedom! The other day I potted calendulas and previous to that onions.

Away for now and shall be back when I can and maybe before I leave the Island as after that, it\’s finding inet cafes along the way.

APRIL

The first few days of April has brought spring weather, still more and new snow on top of Ben More on Mull, where else? and hail and winds. It is so delightful on those spring days the sun warm enough to colour one’s skin, the wind so light that it is comfortable without a warm hat on, and when there is a wind, sometimes cool enough to make my face ache. But that introduces spring I believe.

STAFFA

Now – what a magnificent Isle that is.

http://www.fingals-cave-staffa.co.uk/staffa.asp      http://www.scotland-inverness.co.uk/staffa.htm

I took the opportunity last Wednesday to catch the boat from Fionnphort taking us about an hour to Staffa Island. The day was great, I was extremely fortunate in that the sea was flat with just a little rolling past Mull and there was little wind. But on Staffa we only get about an hour to see the highpoint of the Island and then walk around the rocks to Fingal’s Cave. This is what I came to Staffa to see – the Island has a unique stone form and tides and weather over thousands of years has created a cave into which small boats can float and then back out and looks as if it is lined with sort-of organ pipes with the green water lapping the hexagonal shaped rocks. It is said that Mendelssohn on his arrival there heard an orchestra in the wave and water noise in the cave. I had to contend with tourist chatter and camera clatter. The only disappointment with this trip was the limited time on the Island. It certainly on a clear still day warrants a couple of hours to wander over the top (it is all cliff faces), sit and contemplate, bird watch, lie on the long soft grasses and spend silent listening time in Fingal’s Cave. There are the ruins of a stone hut that no one seems to know what it was for, could be a bothy, but I have read that there were sheep grazed there at some time. The locals over hundreds of year would come to collect Puffin eggs and catch the birds to eat. The puffins live on the ocean for most of the year and come into Staffa to nest and breed and when the chicks are sufficiently able, return to sea.