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Published: December 14th 2007
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I've finally blogged a catch-up from last year's romp through Guinea, Mali & Senegal. Perhaps one day I'll revisit Europe and Morocco, but I think I'd rather look forward with these writings. I'm having a birthday, you see, one of my own choosing. The rebirth will happen somewhere around the 2nd week in January. But I'm getting a bit ahead of the tale.
The ticket is booked, Chicago to Dublin on Aer Lingus (bless them, for showing Ryanair how it ought to be done!) I'll have a day in the Emerald Isles, and then on to Glasgow that evening, to meet up with a falconer couple, friends who live some 20 miles north of Glasgow. I'm told I'll be forced to celebrate with Hogomony (pig-what? Scots speak an english that's harder to understand than French!) After the visit, I'm off to ferret my way down through to Senegal, the cheapest way I can. So far, that looks like Aer Lingus again, from Dublin to Agadir, Morocco, and then overland from Agadir on down through Western Sahara, Mar. and in to Senegal at St. Louis. It'll be a very different trip this time for a few reasons:
1) Though I
Saying Goodbye
Leaving behind my best companions, Tippy & Koda, is the hardest part. The road isn't a good place for a Mastiff pup and a high-drive Australian Cattle Dog, though. (The ACD would be great protection, but it's still too difficult to travel from country to country with animals.
They're in excellent hands, with lots of love and land to play on, lots of other critters to play with... and they're safe there as well... God willing. may still eventually gather birds for the scientific breeding coops, there is no timetable this trip, and no return date. The pressure is off, which should allow me to relax and enjoy it a whole lot more.
2) I'll be bringing a guitar with, and a laptop, a small digital music recorder, a high-quality mic, a compact digital camera (the same one that took all those blog photos) and a new palm-sized camcorder. I'm going to be needing to recharge things... but will probably end up carrying less weight overall, while having the ability to record music multi-track, do music videos, etc. I hope it pays off... at least in self-expression, not to mention some online sales to keep me afloat.
3) Though it's definitely on a shoestring, I'm not particularly planning on coming back. I'll write articles and make music, do what I must and can to make a living, but I'm not expecting to return to the States except maybe to visit.
The last 48 years have been spent as a citizen of the United States. I've a love for the land of my birth, and there's no mistaking the beauty and majesty of the land... and yet I feel most at home abroad, as though I'm a Yank only by accident of birthplace. This year, in which I enter my 49th year, I declare my own citizenship, decide for myself and become a citizen of the world.
I'd thought of taking a flat in London, a sort of stepping stone, weaning off from the U.S. to see if I'd be content in Europe before doing something as extreme as moving into a country the locals are trying to get out of. But the cost of rent in London is too dear, and since I'm not an EU citizen, I can't work lawfully there. I saw that path as a trap that would all too quickly lead to me being broke, cold and hungry and begging off funds for a flight back home... and that won't work, you see, because the U.S. isn't really my home anymore, if it ever was. Those of you with the Bug may understand what I mean. To the rest, I'm not unpatriotic, just realistic, and true to my own heart.
Senegal? Dakar? Why a 3rd World country? No, it won't have all the most modern conveniences... but it will have qualities one can't find elsewhere. For starters, the climate. Dakar is nearly ideal, high 60's to low 80's day and night, all year long. Situated at the westernmost point in Africa the ocean keeps things comfortable and fresh. It's also rapidly becoming the port center for West Africa, which may very well be the next last frontier. I can get to the Gambia if I need to speak english for a while... and stay in and above Yoff or in Mbour, as suits my tastes and clothes.
Those of you who've been in Africa may recall how it somehow just
feels right, familiar. My best guess? Genetic memory. Regardless, it does feel right, to me. So I'm going to make a go of it, do the best I can to make it work. The biggest difference between last year and now is that last year I had wheels... and this year I may not, at least not at first. When some work starts coming in, I may be able to afford something with 4 wheels, though.
So.. embarking on a new adventure. Will I even make it down to Dakar? When I get there, will I be able to afford those 25 cent baguettes and coffee? I think so. I hope so... Always been a Renaissance man. I can fix computers and other things, build, take tourists out, translate scam letters into proper english... There ought to be something I can do to make a living😊
Wish me well, and subscribe so I can keep you all posted!
Peace & Creation,
JT
"The opposite of War is not Peace... It's Creation." -- Jon Larson
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