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 |   Enga mellom fjella: where from across the meadow, poems sing from mountains and molehills. |
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Enga mellom Fjella  Sentinel Marked as if you own me I bow before the Bitterroots and just like you my rocky soil, my withered grass lays prey to the empty sky. © Kåre Enga 2007 "Sentinel"   Reader's Choice of Poems: "Zmitri" "Glice" "Waterlily" "Speak soft my name" "Mauve Mavis" Reader's Choice of blog entries from my old blog "L'aura del Campo" :"Death of Jeannie New Moon" "Winter: 18 Mas'il (December 29)" "When is it proper to tell someone you love them?" "Holy day. Autumn in November. A mole." "James Doohan, Scotty. Ombra mai fu. Eutin Guitar Orchestra" FACES     PLACES            Kåre  Enga~ until everything was rainbow, rainbow, rainbow! And I let the fish go. ~ Elizabeth Bishop The Fish |
| When I was homeless I didn't count the days. But... two years was more than 104 days. I should be thankful instead of complaining. This trip has not gone as well as planned. That said, there have been many nice times and I always meet nice people. Like the Swedish-Finn on the train yesterday. A lawyer! Well spoken in at least three languages. She reads two more... "Swedes will fight to the last Finn." Or in other words... willing to sacrifice others but not themselves. Ah... the Swedes. Finns don't trust the Russians either. Two hours... three? The train was delayed. Great talk about the Finns. History too. She'd even lived in Australia. So I should be thankful. Once in Lillehammer, I shared the room with Arne from Grimstad. Closer to my age but spoke English. Nice chat but it was late. Great bed here. Great breakfast. I could go to sleep for a week. And I might but, I'd like to do that in Molde. Ideally I get back to Montana before July. Just need to buy tickets. There's no easy cheap direct way. High season... my bad. I should've known. Really... I should've known... because I look into these things to not be caught. I'm cautious with planning and miserly with spending money. Did okay in Ireland, Japan, South Africa, Portugal. Australia was challenging though. I'm under budget but I need to check my balance as I don't know how much I have left! Once I have my ticket back... 53,235 |
| Ireland... Wish I had the energy to get to know you. I fear my body will shut down if I don't shut up and listen to it. Outside 'tis a cold and rainy day. Inside I just can't... I should be on the road to Dingle, to Cork, to somewhere. My body complains. I am going nowhere. My mind has been swirling like this song, "Vivir mi vida", sung by Marc Anthony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXnjy5YlDwk I have this urge to be back in Costa Rica. I feel estranged from everybody and everything. It doesn't help that I finally found pictures online of a friends' family. Just makes me realize how heart-broken I am. Like "Il pleure dans mon coeur" by Verlaine in this version of Billy Cowie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx-eI-VV4Gs But I should be thankful like Mercedes Sosa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIrGQD84F1g o su canción: solo le pido a Dios... I'll have to go out in the rain eventually. I'll have to continue my journey as well. I'm just not ready yet. |
| Me... ...very tired of traveling. My writing has suffered tremendously but I did write something and posted it today. I feel the urge to write... not just the energy. Plus, a small voice keeps nagging at me that I'm in Oslo to experience Oslo and not just sit in a room and write. So... ...off I go on another walk. Yesterday's inspired me. There's hope. |
| I didn't felt well Saturday night; felt better Sunday. Today's Monday... Quite frustrated with my stay in Tavira, but it's turning out okay. Shouldn't do travel for this long next time. It's exhausting. Lots of photos and I've actually been writing... just not posting. So... Lisbon and Lagos went well. Evora next. Then Coimbra. "Coimbra tem mais encanto na hora de despedida". |
| I really couldn't continue this blog as it was reaching its limits. I haven't done as much writing as planned on this trip though, so maybe that wasn't a bright idea... Or maybe not. I'm surviving. Finances are doing okay. Health is holding on. Japan: loved it. Will go back to Yamagata, Toyama, Nara... if only for the people. Tokyo is interesting. Gardens at Mito were very nice. As were the ones in Kanazawa and Okayama. Takayama is relaxing. Beppu has hot springs. Fukuoka... I could live in the place I stayed. Great places everywhere except Okayama... didn't care much for the hostel. Australia: lovely stay with Linda and Dirk in Wangi Wangi. Nice visit with Flavio in Sydney. I preferred Brisbane though. Melbourne is easy to visit. Cape Town: dodgy. People are friendly... or more likely... not. Glares and grumpiness. Only 5 days though. I'm off tomorrow. So... Japan... YES! I really didn't have time to properly visit Kyoto; there was no place to stay in Sendai; not enough time to explore Tohoku; didn't get to Shikoku. Australia? maybe, maybe not. I'd like to visit Adelaide and I really did like Brisbane. Cape Town? not likely (great place to stay though). The area east of Johannesburg and Mozambique might entice me back to Southern Africa. Off to: Dubai, Portugal, Norway and Ireland. Next trip? Probably a visit to Costa Rica and I must see my mother if she visits my sister. Elsewhere in the world? Senegal still beckons as does Burkina Faso, Camaroun, Rwanda. Tromsø, Norway in winter and/or a month in a town like Molde. The Baltics and the Balkans, Antarctica (in my dreams). |
| My Tlog: "On The Write Path" I'll mostly be posting there on this trip. Already 15 views... will work on that. Need to set it up as my blog and elicit comments. The first entry is similar to my "Nuture your Nature" entries. All in good time.  |
| ...tomorrow may be worse. me: I bought shoelaces, gloves, ziplock bags for clothes (hope I can compress them), M&Ms (two bags of chocolate since United Airlines charges extra for food), razors... and I picked up my meds. I have clothes set aside. Too many I fear but getting them into bags and compressing them tonight should be fun (not). My lists are getting shorter. By tomorrow, Wednesday, it won't matter much. What's done is done. What isn't? Parts of the trip aren't planned yet but I feel confident that I can continue planning once I'm in Hawai'i. For example: trains are tricky in Japan but even that has an answer. People have been very nice to me recently. And I gifted some jade plants and found a friend to look after a bunch and another friend will water what's left in my room. So... just checking in before I check out. |
...losing it again. Needed coffee today. Woke up tired. I haven't thought about collecting seashells. But... I'll be at a couple beaches, so... Hail storm! Turned everything white and slick. Fortunately not dangerous. The crocuses are ready, probably been blooming. I wish! Once I arrive in Hawai'i I can relax a bit.Me: Typing on my new computer. A bit large... but light-weight and good in many ways. I'll get used to it just like I get used to lots of things... grumpily but eventually. I reserved three nights in Fukuoka for the end of March. Occupancy is already 87%! I was lucky to find a room. Slowly... my lists will get shorter. Pre-packed underwear... ...and if I'm smart I'll do the rest of the clothes. I set aside 7 pair of black briefs. If I over-pack like I usually do I'll have to cut back to 4 or 5. I like clean underwear. Outerwear is less crucial as long as I can layer. I'm thinking of calling my new blog (tlog) "The Write Path". Any thoughts? |
| Itinerary: HAWAI'I Honolulu, Hawai’i: Arrive February 26th (via Denver on United), leave March 3rd. Stay in HI hostel near U. Hawai’i-Manoa. $22/night! Try to see: Manoa Falls, bus to North Shore and Windward towns, Hawai’ian cultural sites, Chinatown, gardens. JAPAN Arrive March 4th (on China Airlines), leave March 30th. Narita: March 4th and 5th. Stay at Japanese style hostel near the airport to unwind and make plans. No particular schedule. Ueno, Tokyo: March 6th, 7th, 8th. Stay at hostel for $29/night. Hopefully link up with Hiroki (who I met in Poland last year), see gardens, shrines, Asakusa. Mito: Tentative at this point. Stay a couple nights and visit the plum blossom gardens. Possible itinerary: North to Sendai, Tohoku, then south to Kansai (Kyoto, Osaka, Nara) in hope I see cherry blossoms (hanami); but, there are many shrines, monkeys, bamboo gardens, old sections of towns and good walks. Then either Shikoku (island) or direct to Kyushu (island). Hot springs in Oita, sister city of Kumamoto, beautiful city of Nagasaki, pottery towns, volcanoes. Fukuoka: Stay a couple days and leave March 30th. Depending on year this could be the height of cherry blossom time (mankai). AUSTRALIA Arrive March 31st (via Canton on China Southern Airlines); leave April 14th. Brisbane: Arrive March 31st. Stay in Brizzie for three days… depends. Gardens, river, semi-tropical. It’ll be the early early autumn. Wangi Wangi: No exact date. Take train (11 hours) to visit friend, Linda. Sydney: No exact dates. Hope to visit friend Flavio who I met in Norway. Sydney is known as a party city. Melbourne: Spend a couple three days before leaving on the 14th of April. A very cultural city. SOUTH AFRICA: Arrive April 15th (via Singapore on Singapore Airlines); leave April 20th. Cape Town: Parks, Mosque, Multi-cultural city, baboons and penguins, fynbos (plant kingdom). UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Arrive April 21st (Emirates Airlines); leave April 23rd. Dubai: Two nights in hostel. No plans. PORTUGAL: Arrive April 23rd (Emirates Airlines); leave May 15th. Lisbon: April 23rd, 24th, 25th. Stay in hostel I’ve stayed in before in Bairro Alto (about $11/night). The 25th is the anniversary of the Carnation Revolution of 1974, a national holiday. Possible itinerary: Lagos for about 4-5 days (to rest at one of the most wonderful hostels I’ve ever stayed in); Tavira for a couple nights. Will check into visiting Sevilla and/or Mérida in Spain; then Évora in Portugal. Coimbra: May 8th- 11th (tentative). May 10th is A Queima das Fitas, a huge university graduation celebration. Lisbon: May 12th, 13th, 14th (tentative). May visit Óbidos, or just gather thoughts and relax before flight. NORWAY: Arrive May 15th (TAP Airlines); leave May 25th. Kristiansand: May 15th (arrive by train from Oslo), 16th, 17th, 18th. May 17th is THE national holiday. The 19th through 25th isn’t planned yet. Hope to watch Eurovision on the 24th. IRELAND: Arrive May 25th (on SAS); leave June 9th. Possible stop in Cashel for the first night. Bus runs from Dublin airport. Trá Lí: May 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st. Attend Listowel Writers Week. Take 3 day workshop on Travel Writing from Mary Russell. Possible trip to Dingle. Possibly visit friends from Montana. Possible itinerary: Definitely will visit Cork (and “rest”) but dates and duration not decided yet. May get to visit Belfast. Should probably spend a couple nights in Dublin. NORWAY: Arrive June 9th on SAS. Nothing planned after this date. Possible itinerary: Want to stay in Solvorn and Molde, visit Ålesund, Kristiansund, Frederikstad in Norway. May visit Dalarna in Sweden for Midsummer Fest; Göteborg and Uppsala also possible. Visit to Gotland or Åland less likely. Have considered Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania. Coming back? Only two good one-way tickets found: WestJet from Dublin or Glasgow though Canada or Icelandair from many places through Iceland (could I afford to stay 4 days?) Dates: Between June 29th and mid-July. Total trip will be 4 to 5 months. I’ll stay mostly in hostels. I love trying new foods, especially regional ones. I visit gardens, churches, parades, et cetera. I don’t do beaches but I’ll be near and at a few so expect pictures. I specifically arranged dates around national festivals. Goals: To write in my journal every day and take down the senses: sight, sound and especially taste, touch, smell. To write a travel piece at least every other day. To post on facebook regularly if not every day, including a couple pictures per day (I’ll edit the thousands later). To keep in touch as best I can, though Skype, postcards, but mostly through facebook. Peace, Kåre. enga@ymail.com |
...but you'll have to wait.   Talked to a Turk from SW Turkey today. As he said... look at the eyes to know whether the smile is genuine... and he's right. I need a magic wand. Can I borrow yours? I intend to marvel at the variety of food I'll get to sample. Must remember to gather addresses again and send postcards. I don't expect to see any monsters... but one never knows.MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE: That was a short pale scream. Brought to you by trying to decide where to go and where to be. I reserved a bed in Narita, Japan for March 4th and 5th. For 4100 yen/2 nights. I reserved a bed in Lisbon for April 23rd, 24th and 25th. About 30 euros/three nights. I may as well try to reserve as many places as I can this weekend. The library is closed Monday but most other places aren't. Like Honolulu! I found a place then read the fine print... no one over 45 years old.  So... back to lists and checking them twice. 12 more days. They go by fast. |
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