Raf's Travel Diaries

Personal experiences, travels, tips, thoughts and nonsense.

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Showing posts from August, 2011

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A Foxy Tale: Raising Baby Foxes on a Small Farm

I've been wanting to write for a long time, but I sit here, and ... nothing. At last, I think I have a story to tell you. A couple of days ago, someone was telling me, in a very astonished manner, the close encounter he had had with a fox. This person went on holidays to the country side, and after feeding foxes for a couple of weeks he managed to get reasonably close to one. I hate myself after I do this, and I know I sound like a total brag, but at this point I blurted out -"My sisters and I raised 4 baby foxes! 3 actually, one died". My partner rolled his eyes, he's used to my unbelievable stories. How We Came to Raise Baby Foxes In this story I was ten, lived with my family on a small farm, we were poor. Poor as in our parents borrowed the few coins in our piggy bank to buy bread. Poor, but probably the happiest memories of my entire childhood. My dad was out doing one of his rounds on the field when he heard the cries of cubs near by. Hunting foxes was ...

Life as It Is: Choosing Adventure Over Comfort

He woke up without knowing if it was true. He knew it had been a dream, yet there was a hint of doubt in his mind. He hesitated in opening his eyes, maybe it really was true. He plunged into reality taking a quick look around. The familiarity of his bedroom disappointed him, it was the same one he had slept in all his life. He felt angry at himself, always making up excuses. Why? Why did he always do that? In that instant he made a decision, one that would change his life as he knew it. He got a raggedy small backpack he had stashed long ago under his bed and, after dressing up quickly, filled it with some random clothes. He put his passport and wallet in his jean's pocket. He knew if he thought it twice, he would never do it. And like that, without thinking it or looking back, he left for the airport. She woke up suddenly, scared, sobbing. It had been one of those nightmares again. She couldn't shake it off. She stared at the roof for a while, wondering how things would tur...

The Other Ireland

Without knowing, I chose to go to Northern Ireland on the 13th of July, a public holiday which commemorates the anniversary of the shutting of Derry's gates (Derry was a 'fortress' to Protestants, when the city came under siege from King Jame's army). I took the train from O'Connolly Station to Portadown (30 euros for the ticket!!!), where 2 friends who live and work in a farm near by picked me up. It rained all afternoon, plus we were advised not to go anywhere because sometimes there are incidents in the marches on this day, so we just hung around the farm house, played pool and ping-pong and then went over to some other farm for a BBQ. On Tuesday, after a quick breakfast we set of for the Giant's Causeway (World Heritage Site- UNESCO), a huge area of interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. Just see for yourself, this place is incredible! ( £ 6 to park). Natural volcanic formations Giant's Causeway Giant's Causeway ...

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