He recibio muchos mensajes de este tipo. Many messages wishing me a good journey and also saying that they are following the journey. Thank you for that, I have decided to write a bit more about this journey and I will use this blog to record where I go and my thoughts. Will be in Spanglish (Spanish and English) and I might even drop some words in Quechua (the language of my ancestors) and Irish (the language of my children ancestors)
I feel that writing and taking photographs is a way to reflect and share what I am thinking, what I am seeing and what I am feeling. Cuando comparto, es una forma de conectarme conmigo y con otros. Es una forma de dejar ir para dar espacio a otros pensamientos y a poder observar y estar presente en lo que este viviendo en ese momento.
No tienes miedo de viajar sola? You are not afraid to walk on your own, travel on your own? I am not scare of travelling on my own, but I was bit scare of sleeping on my own in my beautiful Van named Van Gogh. The first night was the hardest because it was something new. Will always be grateful to my dear friend TB, was very kind to listen to my worries and read my messages until I fall sleep. Has been a month since that first night and I have learned a lot in how to travel in Van Gogh, have slept in beautiful places and I know what I need to do to keep safe and what I need to bring and what I don’t need to carry in this tiny home. Having said that, every day I learn something new.
How do you choose where to go? Ireland is such a beautiful place, it doesn’t matter where you go, you will always find beauty, interesting places and interesting people. I choose where to go, depending in what is the intention. Right now I am traveling the Wild Atlantic Way and it covers the West Coast of Ireland, in other occasions the intention was to go to the most Northerly point (Malin Head) and to the most Southern point (Mizan head). The destination is important, however the journey to get there is what always surprises as I never know what is going to happen. I love maps and I look at them with attention and choose a route. Sometimes I choose the route because friends live on that way and it doesn’t matter if it will take longer, visiting a friend is priceless. In other occasions I choose a route that will take me through beautiful country roads, sometimes I choose the fastest route if I am in a hurry….but sometimes I just look at the map and listen to my intuition.
I am on the road again, this time I open the map and my intuition pointed towards Lough Ennel. En este viaje estoy trayendo un Kayak conmigo. I have been in Kayaks and canoes for more than 20 years, but always with people I love and never on my own. Lough Ennel was the best choice for a maiden voyage.
Before going into the Lough, I say hello to the Lough, introduce myself and asked for permission to for a paddle. Is like when you go into someones house, I am sure you will do the same, so why not with nature? There was a lovely woman that was observing while I was doing this, she approached me with curiosity, we had a lovely conversation and shared stories. I told her that before I climb a mountain, swim in the sea or a lake or walk in a forest, I always asked for permission and introduce myself to the spirit of the place and at the end I always say thank you. Ella se sonrio y me dijo “I love this, from now on I am going to do the same, has so much sense”. She was a historian an new a lot of stories, she told me about Lough Ennel, about Belvedere House and about Lilliput which is little village on the shore, this little village inspired Jonathan Swift to write Gulliver’s Travels.
I went for the paddle thinking about the stories that she told me and about Gulliver’s Travels which I have read many, many years ago, I remember one of Swift’s quotes “Blessed is the people who expects nothing for they shall never be disappointed”.
While I was thinking about this quote I met beautiful ugly Duckling and many other beauties, it was definitely a gift that I wasn’t expecting. Two things I will remember a) How beautiful is the ugly duckling and b)except nothing, in that way everything is a gift.
I thought that I was going to sleep on the shores of Lough Ennel, but the sun was still shinning and my energy was restore after the paddle so I continue the journey and the road brought me to Uisneah, which was a couple of miles from the Lough. Only that morning I heard for the first time about this place, it was mentioned by a friend that knows about energies. . Somehow I landed in Uisneach, the believe is that this is the center of the island of Ireland, the Qosqo ñawi, the belly button, el ombligo, el pututi. A place of high energy.
The day ended in Portumna Bridge, the border between County Galway and County Tiperrary. I park Van Gogh beside the beautiful River Shannon who is flowing toward the sea.