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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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Friday, 15 June 2001
Hanbury --> Heath Hayes (UK)

Today I got a hitch from a modern day witch, was present at a slaves auction and stayed with Andy Bullock and his parents in Heath Hayes. Just tell me if I write too much…

At 9.50 I woke up because of the smell of a warm cup of coffee, standing next to my improvised bed on the living room floor.

Nick was just getting ready to go off to his shop for an appointment with a customer of his and woke me up with the coffee so I can take a shower and we’ll have breakfast a little later.

After my daily washing ritual (just so I can fully wake up) I had cereals for breakfast while Nick read my report about yesterday on his laptop. He was quite amazed and had never expected to see it so in details. I just hope you, my reader, like it this way more than just the simple global stuff in a man’s life.

As The Gift from Daniele and Carol in Cardiff, Wales, Nick got an old fashion paper notebook with some real leaves on the cover. I think it fits quit into his life, because -next to the necessaries- he is not so materialistic. I think he liked it.

I packed my back and I was ready to go. We would head up to the Leather workshop, because Nick had some orders to finish first and I could easily play around on his office Internet connection.

I did not really had a big schedule for today, my hosts for tonight would expect me between 4 and 6pm, so I had enough time to spare.

Just to get rid of the thoughts that he would drop me off the motorway with an empty stomach, Nick treated me a full plate with chilli at the local restaurant, while we looked out of the window to see the ducks hide for the thunders and heavy rainfall. After this meal we even had to stay inside, because outside you’d get soaked wet within a second!

Around 1.30pm Nick dropped me of at this quit road, that easily leads up North onto the M5, which would become the M6 in Birmingham.

I got a hitch in this van where I sat compressed between the door and another passenger on the front seat. While the whole car smelled like petrol, they generously smoked their longs out with cigarettes. But unfortunately they dropped me off at this service station on the M42, heading around the East side of Birmingham.

From this point it took pretty long to get a hitch, and I even didn’t know if I was standing at the right spot, because it was a very unusual and crowded traffic junction. Almost one hour later I got a lift from a guy who was going to the Neil Young concert in Birmingham. He set me off at the junction where I could get from the M42 onto the right M6. From this point I only had to travel to the 11th exit on this road, where my hosts’d pick me up for tonight.

And for the first time in the UK I got a hitch from a lady. A very unique lady in her way of behaviour. She was on her way from London to Preston to play live action roles and battle reanactments, as it was the 10th century.

The back of her car was loaded with (fake) axes, shields, clothing, etceteras. And she really enjoyed doing it. It gave her a break in her boring week life as a biochemical developer.

Next to that she practises also modern day witchcrafts. Not the boiling hot water stuff, but the elementary part. She just could not really prove it to me, just as a religious person can not prove his believe in his religion. But she told me some great stories about her ability to predict things, even details, and make things move or change just by influencing a power field around her and with the help of certain stones.

Normally the ride would take 15 minutes, but we got stuck into this traffic congestion, so we were moving only 10 miles per hour. And than add an enormous depression falling on our path and you can understand that we started to make complete sentences with passing license plates on the back of cars…

Outside I could see over ten different varieties of grey in the stormy clouds providing so much rain, that a little river existed next to the motorway.

At the 11th exit she dropped me off at the roundabout and I walked a little 200 metres to a local pub, where I would meet one of my hosts for tonight.

Les Bullock came to pick me up. Les is the father of Andy (15), who originally invited me over. Before going to their home in Heath Hayes, Les took me up to Andy’s school where an auction was going on.

Next year, in summer 2002 a group of twelve young students will make a month tour to Honduras. The only difficulty for them is: raise the money for it yourself. So that’s why they had organised this auction where anybody could bit on whatever products and services they offered (see the photographed list). And yes, one of them were three of themselves being dressed as slaves, ready to be sold to anyone who could use their services.

It was a very enjoyable experience to be welcomed in this event. And I saw it as a great way for the adventurous pupils to learn to gain money and do something for it. Every pupil needs 2,500 British Pounds to be able to make the trip and tonight they all raised an amount of 500 Pounds with all there sales!

We finally arrived at the Bullock’s home at 10pm and I was getting really hungry. As I showed the works of this website, Jackie (Andy’s mother), heated up some good filling chicken curry.

After dinner, Andy who had been active all day for the school project, went to sleep. I stayed with Jackie and Les, while even drinking some whiskey.

After the standard twenty questions I get fired at me every day we had some very interesting conversations about the differences in politics, moralities and public understanding between The Netherlands and the rest of the world, not just the United Kingdom. About how we don’t make big problems about prostitution, euthanasia, child-pregnancy or the use of drugs. Of course it’s not a positive commodity to have in a country, but -hey!- it exists and we Dutch just found our way to handle it all.

The Dutch made prostitution a legal profession, the ladies have to pay their taxes. In return they gained more safety and partly prevent illegal prostitutes.

Euthanasia has become very normal in our country, because anyone has their own right to speak out about your own life. And just as I say: if I ever get to live a life like a vegetable by any circumstances, just let it be finished soon.

Child-pregnancy just cannot be stopped by punishing the parents like it happens in certain countries, because it happens when they are not there. And just if it happens, make sure people can control it and get free professional help if they need it. Only providing help, creates enough prevention-knowledge that child-pregnancies have decreased in the last ten years!

If you prohibit the use of drugs, people will always try to experience with it in secrecy. So way not have people use certain soft drugs in a protected environment, where you can handle it a bit from above and educate the users of it, instead of having so many young people with drug problems because of the global prohibitions?

We Dutch don’t make Big Issues of our problems, we just find a way to come with a solution that helps any victims and presents future victims.

And I think because of these ‘policies’ the Dutch have become very respectful to a lot of things in life and towards other people. That’s just one good reason so state that the Netherlands can be an example for a lot of other countries, also the United Kingdom.

***

But we didn’t only talked simple politics only, we talked globally about things in life and about what this Letmestayforaday-project means to me (to see the world thanks to the people living on it, not to became rich - well, mentally moneyed would be fine).

Having a lot of money - just for that reason only - makes people (and their family and friends) blind. Having nothing and see the world can only be everlasting enriching. And correct me if I am wrong, but I think this line was once used about former British premier Tatcher: Know the costs of everything and the value of nothing.

I just hope to become one of the million futures examples of that.

Just a final nice quote to finish this pretty serious writing:
Do not take life too seriously; you will never get out of it alive - Elbert Hubbard

Good night Heath Hayes!

Ramon.

[Ps: comments are welcome on my messageboard, see left menu]



The Map

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