A note on Hitchhiking!

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After 8 months of travel, I have decided to come home.

Don't get me wrong, I adore travelling, with the constantly changing environments, ability to meet new and very interesting characters, the exposure to new cultures, etc., it can be EXHAUSTING!!

Seriously, I travelled largely by hitchhiking, which can be described as the ultimate test of ones' patience, not to mention faith in the kindness of complete strangers. Picture it, standing or sitting for hours on end, waiting, waiting, WAITING! Watching one person (Read empty cars) whiz by you spewing toxins and noise your way can be tough. Especially if you are travelling solo, as I did for the final three weeks of my travels. It isn't very encouraging seeing this one person one car trend, especially in Morocco and Portugal, countries most people would associate (at least I did) with a little bit more poverty and therefore fuller cars. But no. Generally speaking, they should have been perfect for us hitchhiking folk.

In any event, you can imagine the stress you put on yourself when you have a plane to catch in Paris, and you are stuck way the fuck down in the Western Sahara, for example (excuse the language, but it was a trying time !).

That being said, I fully intend on doing some serious hitchhiking in my home country. Plans, being tentative, are to travel across this vast expanse of a country to Vancouver, to see my sister and some friends. I also go West to scope out the scenery and possibility of living there, in the future. Cause we all know how BALLS cold it is in Ontario, anywhere you happen to live. I'll certainly look into ridesharing programs, one I already stumbled upon (Craigslist and Kijiji). Sweet...

So why hitchhike if it is oh so tough? Easy. It is a great way to meet new people, who can share insight about their locality, offer you a place to stay etc., it is an awesome way to extend your travels by months, since you don't pay anything (usually), and who can deny the fact that you are quietly saving the planet? That's right, saving the world. It all adds up, does it not?

Of course, there were other hardships attached to my travels, of course always by choice. But the title of this blog entry is HITCHHIKING, not camping next to the side of the highway in a rainstorm, surrounded by brambles.

Bitch, bitch, bitch!

Actually, I thorougly enjoyed roughing it in a forest, even if curious and still unknown and unidentified critters were poking around my tent in the Loire Valley. They certainly added to my funny dream repertoire (they could talk, picture that little groundhog from Caddy Shack will ya?).

In conclusion to this rambling entry, I am happy to be home. I am thrilled to be sleeping on a proper bed. It will be sweet not to have to worry about getting somewhere at some date.

Oh wait.
That's what conforming to this society is all about.
Oops, there goes my freedom to do anything I want!
Shit.
Well, I can still do what I want, cause I am free.
Nice.

And what I want is to travel to B.C. And to squat in the Grand River Valley Floodplain.
So that's precisely what I will do this summer. If anyone is interested in joining me, just lemme know. Misery loves company.
Just kidding.

Peace out until the next one.

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Photos

Waiting Patiently
Lots of baggage adds to person hell!

Gotta have a sign!
My travelling companions full of enthusiasm

Happiness is..
This was our first day hitchhiking together, as a trio. What fun we'd have!