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Snowstorm in Maine
-17 degrees and bucketing snow ... No worries mate!We battled through the snowstorm in Maine while driving to a social function. In the car my sister, her husband and I were frantically trying to stay warm before making a dash through the driving snow and into the venue. We awoke the next morning to find the whole neighbourhood blanketed in nine inches of perfect snow, providing a beautiful backdrop with an outside air temperature of minus 17 degrees celsius. Wait a minute ... was this some kind of vivid dream? I'm from Australia and I've never experienced anything like this before! But that's one of the joys of travelling and has become my new life for a time, as I visit family in the gorgeous Maine suburb of South Berwick during a northern hemisphere winter. Playing uncle to the two kids and raving on with family is the plan while experiencing a whole new way of life which includes fierce snowstorms, temperatures well below freezing, snow mobiles zooming around the neighbour's "yard" (it looks more like a snowfield to this Aussie), frozen lakes, snow ploughs, ice hockey and ice skating. Here I am in beautiful Maine in the north east of the United States, but let's recap the journal
to see how I got here.
We left off at Monterrey, dear reader, in northern Mexico from where I organised an international bus trip to Houston. This major city in Texas has recently taken in 100,000 New Orleans evacuees due to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina. I met up with two American friends who walked the Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu with me in Peru last year. It was great to catch up with them and they treated me to traditional American hospitality as they welcomed me into their home; their kindness being reminiscent of my previous visit to see family friends in California twenty years ago. My friends and I zoomed around Houston on the super impressive highways, and got to see some of the sights of this happening city which is now the third largest in the United States. I was wide eyed in coming from Latin America to the United States, and they say everything is bigger and better in Texas for good reason! In the Houston suburbs the residents don't have fences enclosing their houses from the street, which really enhances the tree lined neighourhoods that are a feature of this beautiful city. Listening
Ice skating in New Hampshire
Getting into the spirit of the Torino winter olympics. Pity about the technique! to the accents of the southern belles was making me weak at the knees, but I had to move on and north is the plan. Thanks so much to my friends for your generosity and hospitality during my brief stay in your wonderful city.
So I took the greyhound to Portland Maine. Yes indeedy, I was excited to do an epic American road trip, and the bus journey is an experience I'll never forget. Taking in four bus changes, three layovers, 2100 miles and fifty hours travel time; I eventually arrived in Portland two days later and right on schedule. Our first driver made a memorable impression, she started as customary for a greyhound driver with a few company policy announcements on the microphone and then said "For those of you who like to pop gum and whistle, that is prohibited on this coach". I was the only foreigner on board and had to stifle a laugh, mind you I did notice general disbelief and shaking of heads from some of the other passengers. It was like ... Aw shucks ma'am, we sure do appreciate y'all clearing that up from the get go ... as sounds of passengers gum
popping and whistling dixie gradually began to recede. It was unbelievable! However, it's all part of the fun as the greyhound took us through the deep south and up the east coast. I crossed over a dozen state lines on the bus in what was an unforgettable travel experience.
While riding on the greyhound I've never felt so self conscious about my accent. One elderly black man asked me at a rest stop tongue in cheek "So what part of Mississippi are you from?" "Sydney Australia" I replied with a smile. The other lingering memory from the road trip was the dress sense of my fellow travellers. Without being disrespectful I really felt as though I was in the middle of a fancy dress party for the first time on my trip through the Americas. There were the hats, the do's, the tats, the bandanas, the baggy jeans, the bling, the bomber jackets, the furs, the bright coloured cowboy boots. Really, it was all I could do not to stare, and I did feel out of place at times. Over the course of fifty hours if you had pulled any four passengers aside with me and asked which one
My big brother takes the lead
We strode out during a brisk winter stroll. was not American chances are I would be singled out every time. It was fun but very puzzling and slightly ironic for me. My personal opinion follows: I felt that in trying so hard to express their individuality through all kinds of zany get up the passengers only succeeded in identifying themselves as unmistakably American, but who am I to criticize or judge as maybe I'm the one with the zany get up! Overall it was a brilliant trip and a wonderful experience travelling through the American heartland with some of the experiences reminding me of the hilarious scene in the legendary rock band send up Spinal Tap. In the movie a reporter visits the bands' studio and asks why all the controls on their Marshall amps are modified to max out at 11. Surely whether it is 10 or 11 it's still maximum volume. Yeah, says the singer ... but ours go to 11!
After my arrival in Portland I met with my brother briefly (more to follow) and then was driven to South Berwick on the border with New Hampshire by my brother in law. Again I am grateful for the generosity and hospitality shown to me
by my sister and her husband, which has been just the tonic after some hard travelling during my big trip. I really appreciate the hospitality guys! This is my first visit to New England and we have been out to a function with a great live band who even rocked out a version of a Georgia Satellites song, they have so much great music in the States! We also went ice skating, photographed frozen lakes and went to watch the kids at swim training (in the same pool as local Olympian Jenny Thompson).
Of course the visit has also been a great opportunity to chat at length with my sister, who has been living in the States for many years. I've had a great time in this vast and wonderful country brimming with kind locals who would do anything for you. Actually when I think about it, basically all of you should be here now!
Of all manifestations of power, restraint impresses men most." Thucydides
As I continue my travels, until next time it's signing off for now
Tom
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Larry Smith
non-member comment
Appriciation
wanted to tell you how very much I have enjoyed your travel.Larry.