the first step

I guess the experience of the first step is always unforgettable. I came to realized later that never again, at any other point in the same journey, I will have this much to gain. Its natural for one to feel vulnerable when just starting out on a new journey, especially when there weren't that much of experience and preparation before hand. In fact, I’m only able to sleep for 4 hours the day before the travel and I wasn’t really sure that if I had brought all the travel accessories and enough clothes. However, travel with housemates somehow makes me felt more secure I think.

Furthermore, Scotland was a ‘safe’ target to start with, the Scotts speak the same language (although they do speak an ancient language called Gaelic), eat the same English-like food (bread and steak, what else?) and using the same currency, so there are less possibilities of the occurrence of the ‘unexpected incident’. After all, it may seem that I don’t have much to lose as well, sometimes the unexpected can even adds excitement to the trip, a serendipity perhaps.

5/10 morning. The trip started with the 90 mins train travel from Newcastle to Edinburgh, Scotland. The scenery along the journey was absolutely stunning, with the wide open fields, edgy cliffs and seashore. After we stepped out from the station, the first scenery came into my view is some big department stores and elegant building, well typical city view, that was my first impression. However, the BIG surprise came when i turned around, the opposite side is a massively packed old town, with the castle standing proud over the hills. i cant suppressed the adrenaline running through my veins and the excitment that treatening to jump out from my chest. awestruck i am.


It was later that i finally understand that Edinburgh city is divided into two parts, new town and old town, connected by a few bridges. The one that i am standing on is called the waverley bridge. Edinburgh's elegant Georgian New town is in stark contrast to the compact, narrow closes of the old town. Personally, i think the old town is more beautiful than the new town as it preserve the original scent of the Scotland.

The first destination was our hostel- caledonian backpackers. it was really cheap with only £8 for b&b per night. The hostel itself was a Georgian style building beside the corner of the busy edinburgh street. This hostel is probably tries hard to maintain its ethnicity and character as there are some odd, gothic painting all around the walls of the building. Our excitement was washed away by horror when we see some guys sitting inside the dorm, it was then struck us hard that the dorm that we booked is actually a mixed dorm. i wasn't totally satisfied with such arrangement but i have no one to blame but myself, well, i guess if you don't mind sharing a room with some foreign people from all over the world then it do has a communal-like atmosphere with colorful cultural diversities (yeah, i am comforting myself).

To be continue.........

The beginning of the end

I decided to write in multiply again. Something on the days of the remaining three months of my stay in UK. I knew that i have limited time left in UK, and all i can do is to explore as much as i can and write it down when it still freshly lingering in my mind. i know i will never come back again, as a tourist maybe, but it will never be the same. so here you go, this is the beginning of a series of the end.

Before i started my series of blogs on the scotland trip, just wanna spill out some of my current feelings and the whole after-trip dilemma. i always have a deja vu kind of feeling after an intense trip, i may looked a bit spaced out for a while due to the saturation of my senses, well, its just me i guess.

i'm gonna write the blogs slowly, no rush cuz i hope to recollect every little piece of memories i had, every scent that i absorbed and every sight that i saw during that 4 days scotland trip.

Back to my after-trip dilemma, i wasnt aware that the whole UK is turning into the season of fall now, the fact that i'm living in north west means that for the most part-i dont get that season that early, compared to Scotland or south of United Kingdom. The night i reached in Liverpool after the 4 days trip, the sky was all misty and the weather hard turn numbingly cold. yeah i do miss the autumn red leaves and the chill in the air dearly. I guess the weather too, had some ripple effect on the weird mood i have now. i'm not sure whether this emotion is good or bad, but it had sure influenced me in a certain ways. i will reveal them slowly in subsequent blogs.

Some feelings last for eternity. The reason eternity is so hard to grasp is because we try to understand it in terms of time. However, when the feelings remain vivid and endures a life time in your memory box, it is eternity.

Hence, this after-trip-feeling-blog is the introduction of my scottish experience. It is the beginning of my travel diary, ironically only written after the end of the trip.

The feelings of the after-trip can all be summarized in just one picture.

5 CommentsChronological Reverse Threaded

delete reply lyonlionel wrote on Oct 9, '06 Sometimes memories are just all that we have to hold onto. I feel you.

edit delete reply atlantisian wrote on Oct 10, '06 and you know what, memories last longer than the reality.

delete reply lyonlionel wrote on Oct 10, '06 and yet it's the most painful

delete reply ahlok2003 wrote on Oct 10, '06 every story has to come to an end; the new chaptrer is waited for explore again...i feel it all the times.

delete reply eugenetwj wrote on Oct 11, '06 There are happy memories too, but its usually hard to let go as well

Boring???

Finish my 100++ pages thesis.

Housemates got drunk.

me going to Scotland.

life aint so boring after all.