Traveling Beans

Under the Broadwalk...

or next to it. A week after landing in the UK I find my self on a stone beach (like a regular beach but with stones instead of sand). It seems like this is the only place I can jack free wireless....and I'm not really complaining. Brighton is a beautiful city on the south coast of the UK. It looks out to a calm ocean, with France just on the other side. I've can't lie...I have been enjoying my self very much in this small beach town. Yet these last few weeks have been far from a Holiday (vaction for those of us who are not in the UK).

Well...where do I start? How about the insta-shock that hit me when I arrived at my first hostel. I wasn't really sure what to expect when I started this trip....but I wasn't expecting to go into shock. It lasted for maybe three days, but with help from my three new German friends, Maxi, Carsten, and Yonas...I quickly began to navigate the streets of central London. London is a very beautiful city. Old, grand, and very royal. You can tell that the UK has been around for a long time. Where some buildings in the states may be 200 yrs old...buildings here are ancient....as old as the new world and even older. Perhaps age has given London wisdom as well. It is truly a cosmopolitain city...with people from all places in the world. Not that the U.S. isn't culturally diverse, yet it seems there is more acceptance and understanding for difference in this country than back home (even after the recent bombings). All the monuments are grand and ancient. Much more impressive than our nations capital. Buildings with gold triming, grand hallways, and enourmous rooms. The British take much pride in being one of the greatest empires in the world.

Brighton too has some history. It seems that some great long time ago....during the time of King George (don't ask me which one), a great royal pavillion was build near the beach. It's architecture is very Indian....think the Mughal period for those who know some Indian history. Very grand, beautiful, and expensive. It seems that at the time that King George built it all of the royals thought he was crazy. This might be true, but one can't help but stand in awe at how a lot of money and a little craziness can build something so fantastic. The lonely planet describes it has Indian look on the outside....Chinese brothel on the inside. I haven't ventured in yet so I can't confirm....but one thing that is for sure is that it is beautiful.

These last few weeks have been more about meeting world travelers than doing my project. In the last ten days I have met at least six people who are about to wander the world or have just wandered it for a year. It is encouraging too hear the many reasons and stories behind why people have packed up and left home. So many things to see in this world, so little time is the general consensus. However, I am feeling discouraged about my project. It's been almost two weeks and so far everything has been a non-starter. I can get my project going...I don't know if it is because a lack of motivation, shock, or just that I keep running into dead ends. My contact was suppose to meet with me today...well it's 7pm uk time and I'm still waiting for his call. I'm re-evalutating my situation and deciding what my next move should be. I constantly ask my self why I decided to come to the UK. I think perhaps it was a poor decision project-wise...but a excellent decision when it comes to meeting world adventurers. Perhaps I needed an easy and smooth transition before I could commit to the larger task at hand. But the growing frustration is starting to rain on this seaside pardise. There is only so much beach bumbing one can do before they start to feel guilty...and although I have met some amazing individuals....I need to feel like there is some movement.

As the sun sets and the beach cools down....I look forward to the bright lights from Brighton pier. It's like Vegas on the water. At least I can distract my self with this towns charm while I wait for an anwser from my contact. But I know that if I don't see some action in my project soon...I may be writting about Ghana sooner than I planned. As it stands, I think I may head out to Accra by the end of this month...a whole month sooner than I had planned for. I suppose that is where music really is...and that is where I should be. For now, I'll enjoy the cool evening and the beautiful mornings...and tomorrow afternoon, I'll draw up a new plan.

K. rios

posted by Radio Ríos @ 2:53 AM