Freeconomy Blog
Sat
02 Feb
The highs and the lows...!
| 16 comments |
Whilst writing my blog on my first night in Glastonbury, a few local freeconomists, and also the founders and organisers of the amazing Sunrise Celebration festival, found me and brought me back to theirs for my second dinner that evening, gave me a bed and packed my bag full of food.
Got up the next morning, had one great experience after the next, had to refuse about £45 in cash and lots of lifts, and even had to start refusing food! Ended up walking to Yeovil and heard about a place called Tinkers Bubble and thought I best go and see them. Amazing people and an amazing community.
Took off for Dorchester on friday morning, which was a bad decision and I paid for it. I misjudged how far it was and didn't get there until dark, the place was empty and so I continued on to Weymouth as I realised it was pointless to hang around. SO I walked another 13km there, which meant I spent 14 hrs walking almost non-stop and covered almost 60km. When i got there it was freezing and had to pitch a tent in the frost. When I got up this morning but my tent and my water bottle had frozen!
So now I'm tired, blistered, hungry (as I'm rationing my food) and missing everyone. Having said that I'm in great spirits and I knew I'd have at least a doazn evenings like last night so I can't complain! They are a gift and my bidy is just a shell! And if Peace Pilgrim can do it so can I!
Anyway, when you are really concerned about something what are a few blisters.
Sorry this blog is really basic account this time but I need to get back on the road, its 48km mile to the next town, and I've already clocked more than 160km in 3 days, which is much more than planned but for reasons I'll make clear when next I have time!
Lots of love from a Saoirse in good spirits!
Comment on this Post:
Oakheart comments ...
What route are you going to take?
Are you coming anywhere near london?
Next time you log on - any chance of saying which place you might end up next at?
james emmans comments ...
Hi from Surrey, hope the walk goes well and many people follow you, I put a link on my blog to do my bit! I have heard of no money solutions in America so am keen to learn more. Safe trip to India!
barack comments ...
Keep on going!! Wish you the best in your endeavor. I am in America.
verve comments ...
hey, what a great in-depth analysis of societal flaws through the introduction of ’freeconomy’ concept. hope u find great joy and happinessin every path undertaken. may all who come across your path be able to leave wonderful memories of humanity and love.
harvey comments ...
This is Harvey from China.I’ve read about your amazing plan from the Internet the other day.I think you are a person with conviction.I know you will go towards the east,which means we wil get much closer as the time goes by .I’ll follow you throughout your journey!Keep moving !
krismi comments ...
we are inviteing you to our home,if you are passing through Zagreb in Croatia. Contact is; krismi@net.hr
krismi comments ...
my parents in Banja Luka in Bosnia woud be honoured too, to give you shelter and food if you are pasing through Bosnia and Hercegovina. I have speak about you to them, feu minits ago.you can also contact me on my mail: Krismi@net.hr, becouse there english is not so good.
barbara comments ...
Hi,
If you pass through Ramsgate, you have a bed, food, and access to share your progress. contact is barbaragdobson@hotmail.com
hope your blisters are not too painful!
Keep strong and safe.
Barbara
Realist comments ...
So have I got this right?
A comparitively rich Westerner who could easily afford to pay for what he wants, is travelling to the most deprived parts of the world to beg food, accommodation, transport etc from destitute people who would be far better off spending what spare cash they have on their own families rather than subsidising your gap year travel titillations.
No doubt you will succeed - at great cost to your unwilling hosts.
But your journey reflects better on the poor people who will have to subsidise you than it does on you.
What is the Sanskrit word for "scrounger"?
You would do more for the poor in the Third World if you simply booked a package tour through Thomas Cook.
But then you wouldn’t be able to pat yourself on the back so often, would you.
Just grow up and stop being so self indulgent!
Gitta (forest) comments ...
Sorry we all missed you on Saturday night in Bournemouth, but 5 of us had an oppoortunity to meet.
We did wonder if we had the wrong spot. Anyway, hope you are well.
Courage is to take a step forward into difficulty without a solution in mind, but yet feeling that victory is ahead. It is going empty handed, but knowing that God’s hand is stretched out to pull you.
selina comments ...
Blessings on your journey. May each step affirm unconditional love. If you are walking eastwards along the coast you are welcome at our place. Food, bed, bath etc whatever you need. We are between Eastbourne and Hastings a few miles in land in Ninfield village. contact selinawitch@darkmother.co.uk
Blessed Be,
Selina
x
Be the change comments ...
In response to the post from the ‘realist’.
Saoirse is on a peace pilgrimage where he will offer help to potential hosts in return for food and if he’s lucky a bed for the night – this I don’t believe to be termed as ‘scrounging’ but more obviously: earning his keep. Also to clarify, he will not be accepting ‘transport’ from anyone as his pilgrimage is entirely on foot.
The large majority of countries between England and India that he will be travelling through are in fact continents such as Europe which will hold a relatively good deal of material wealth. The people who he meets along the way will learn of his ideals of peace, love, strength of communities and the importance of looking after our environment, for which some nations have forgotten about in pursuit of materialism, money and war.
Saoirse is completely altruistic in his pursuit for these ideals and without everyone else onboard uniting together, the world will remain a place full of corruption, greed and inevitably poverty.
Perhaps we all ought to consider the amount of courage and faith in humanity that this kind of selfless pilgrimage will take and take a leaf from his book in being the positive change.
Realist comments ...
So the "people he meets along the way will learn of his ideals of peace, love, strength of communities and the importance of looking after our environment".
Of course the indigenous people of the Third World would never reach this profound conclusion without the wisdom of some sanctimonious bloke from the UK.
They should count themselves lucky!
Cultural imperialism anyone?
katy comments ...
to ’realist’
i think you need to look into this a bit deeper. also you sound quite bitter- what do you do to increase peace and community on this planet? it’s very easy to get a knee-jerk notion of what someone’s doing and critisise.
if you’ll look closer at the previous persons reply to you, you’ll see that they said he’ll be in alot of comparatively wealthy countries on his way to the third world countries and that it is those wealthy countries where the message of anti-materialism, peace and community will (hopefully) be heeded. not in places like india.
in fact, i believe saoirse has said that he wants to meet lots of people and learn as much from them. 2 of the people that have inspired him in life most are FROM india. so please, leave your preconceptions at the door and read about why he is doing this trip before you spout off.
Realist comments ...
I’m sorry but this is now so irresistibly hilarious I am beginning to think it is just a very clever piece of satire.
The grand tour by which a bloke from Bristol was to bring enlightenment to the poor benighted people of the Third World runs into trouble even before he gets out of Dover.
Guess what – the ferry company refused to give our intrepid traveller a free ticket. Who’d have thunk it?
Mission over – or almost. Luckily Katie’s mum - who clearly has no more sense than her daughter – coughs up the moolah for what turns out to be little more than a day trip to France.
But then disaster strikes. Once across the channel Saoirse (does it rhyme with arse?) discovers something that had clearly not occurred to him in all the meticulous planning for his trip - astonishingly the people in France speak French!
Wow, who knew?
So Saoirse heads back to the UK – courtesy of Katie’s mum - tail between his legs but determined to learn this thing called “French”.
Tremendous fun, although I’m not sure what has been achieved here.
Saoirse is clearly learning valuable lessons – such as not everyone in the world speaks English.
And Katie’s mum has found a new and innovative way of emptying her bank account.
But I suppose world enlightenment is going to have to wait a little while.
But please Saoirse don’t give up.
The comedy value is simply too precious.
If Saoirse manages to get across the Channel again I am looking forward to his reaction if he ever reaches Italy or Germany.
Guess what – they don’t speak English either!
