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Reports

During my travels, I received free accommodation for a night in exchange for writing a daily travel diary. This diary documented how I reached my next destination, the hosts who welcomed me, the food I was offered, and other experiences along the way. Below, you will find the archives of these extensive reports. Please note that English is not my native language, and most entries were written quickly, often around midnight. Enjoy!
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Tuesday, 5 June 2001
Exeter --> Paignton (UK)

Today I arrived at the Cherwood Hotel in Paignton, a lovely city in one of the most beautiful parts of the United Kingdom. I'll be staying in a free room at the hotel next door, because the hotel of my real hosts James and Pauline Alderson had no vacancies for the night ---

Today Bob woke me up around 7.30 in the morning. I had a shower and some good breakfast.

He had to go to his work, he is a carpenter in the Exeter area, around 8.30 am.

So after breakfast I packed my bag and we got off. He put me off on a roundabout with a dual carriage way heading to my new destination for today: Paignton.

Around 9 am I got my ride that took me to the entrance of the city of Paignton directly! I only had to walk over the top of the hill and another 1,5 mile to arrive at my hosts' place: the Cherwood Hotel, with James and Pauline Alderson (only 1 minute walking to the gold beach with impressing clear blue water)!

The city of Paignton is located in a bay between the cities Torquay andBrixham and this whole area, in the county called Devon, is also called the English Riviera - in my words: the Florida of the United Kingdom!

Everything here are green hills as far as you can see. Unfortunately it was very cloudy today, not that hot at all.

I arrived there around 11am and they expected me around 5pm in the afternoon. So while James was doing some shopping for their hotel, Pauline made me a fine English lunch with toast, eggs, saucages and bacon. It was delicious.

They spontaniously invited me through my website early April, but today they had no vacancies in their 9-rooms hotel at all. But when James arrived with all the groceries, he told me he had a arranged a room at the hotel next door and he would pay for that, so I could stay for the next day!

He even offered me his honeymoon-suite (with a kingsized bed and everything silk and satin!) for Wednesday 'till Saturday, because he is just thrilled by my project!

He said: "Appearantly you have the balls to come up with this idea and the guts to really go for it and explore the world; with all this day-by-day travelling you must be getting pretty tired after a while and you won't see any big thins in the cities you'll be visiting."

I was amazed!

He continued: "If you stay here for a few more days, you'll can totally relax and continue your travelling and I will show you around the surrounding cities!".

After I had finished my lunch I told him about my Big Adventure for tomorrow, Big Wednesday for me, and we found out a great solution for the rest of the week anyway!

(What the heck is going to happen on Wednesday?)

While Pauline settled the dining room for tomorrows breakfast, I sat at the bar of the fancy little hotel. After a while James took me for a quick tour through this little city and we decided to have dinner outside tonight.

It was around 4pm when James lead me to his neighbours' hotel and I got settled in my room. I defenitely had to give myself a good afternoon nap and around 7 in the evening I got ready again for dinner with the Andersons.

James has been married with Pauline for several years now and they have been running this hotel for two years. When James was just a kid he didn't really know what to do, so he travelled over the sea as a deep-sea-fisherman on a big boat, untill he decided to become a sales representative. That would get him less dirty than with all the fish.

When he was 21-years-old he started his own little company and had some 20 people working for him!

At dinner, in this restaurant around the corner, it was great to hear him speak about his 49 years of life experiences and I was thankful for the little advices he gave to me for my project.

When next to our table this Simon was starting his musical career as an artist (playing Blueberry Hill and the songs from the Blue Diamonds) all the oldies stood up and started to dance. James said we had probably come on the wrong day, because normally there would be some better entertainment.

Anyway it was funny to say those elderly people dance while Simon brought back old memories back to life with songs from the 50's and the 60's. Maybe I'll be doing the same thing when I'll be old...

After dinner Pauline left to go back to the hotel to maintain the reception and prepair for tomorrow and James took me to some fun places where the youth would have great parties in the weekend.

In one place the average age was 18 and a karaoke machine was entertaining some almost-drunk girls. We had a little drink there and continued our great talking!

In the next pub, the Spinning Wheel Inn, we sat by the fireplace while James and I discussed about all kinds of opportunities a young human being could do on this planet nowadays.

Nights like this are really fantastic, because I really like to enjoy a beer while listening to a band perform modern rocksongs and while talking a little about life in common.

It's all great stuff for the book I definitely will be writing after this whole project is over within a couple of years... It will defenitely something different than the report that you are writing right now.

After a few beers and a lot of laughs in the English Pub we got back to the hotel. Outside the streets were empty and it started to shower a little bit.

So tomorrow will be a big day, that's for sure, but I will report about that when I'll be able to at night. Just keep your fingers crossed to hope that nothing bad will happen!

Goodnight dear Paignton!

Ramon.



Follow my tracks on Ludo's map! It's in Dutch, but you'll see a lot!

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