thoughts from the ferry

10/11/2008 – 8:05PM

Right, so I’m safely on the ferry and just now leaving the port in Bari. I’m notoriously late. Luckily, I wasn’t even running behind today. I was on the boat by 6:30. I was shocked to see the ferry leaving port at 7:50 – ten minutes before its scheduled departure. With my luck, its amazing I wasn’t running to see the bloody boat leaving without me.

I’ve just in the past five minutes realized one of the biggest downsides to traveling solo (at least traveling solo on a ferry where the vast majority of the passengers speak either Greek or Italian): I have no one to share my thoughts with. Normally, this isn’t a huge deal. But, when you have a really funny thought – as in a thought that makes you literally laugh out loud, as I just was – you really want to share it with someone. Since I don’t (damn you Brian), I decided to quick open the laptop and share it with any of the readers that still check my blog.

So, some quick background: One of the things I did this summer was hike the Great Glen Way, a 79 mile hike from Fort William to Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland. It was an outstanding week – also, as you can imagine, very exhausting. Brian and I rough camped along the way. To save weight, I ended up buying what is called a Hennessy Hammock – a lightweight (1.9kg) and compact hammock which serves as a tent. While not terribly warm, it was very practical for the hike Brian and I did. You might be thinking, ‘How can you sleep in a hammock?” Indeed, this was my thought as well. But, after trying one out, I was sold. I sleep just as well if not better than I do in a normal bed.

So, I’m on the ferry, as you know. With my InterRail pass I was essentially able to get a free trip to Greece (with the exception of paying port taxes, E7). The only stipulation is I don’t have a cabin – I have an oversized airplane seat. As I was just looking around the cabin, I noticed some thrifty travelers had already staked out their spot on the floor with their sleeping bags or blankets. I erupted into laughter when I imagined myself stringing my hammock up between two of the pillars in the cabin. I may actually see if they’ll let me. If not in the cabin, maybe on the outside deck. I can’t imagine it will be any colder than it was in the Highlands.

That’s it for now. cheers