No Chacos in Britain

Cardiff was great! I successfully replaced most of my gear, took in some quintessential sites, and jumped back onto the honey road. I visited St. Fagans Museum of Welsh Rural Life where I learned that the traditional Welsh farm family would have eaten primarily oatmeal and milk (so I think Genevieve, Karl, and myself would have been fine). I even found an oatmeal bin that would be perfect for the EcoHouse! It could probably hold a thousand pounds of oats! I searched everywhere on the grounds for its hidden bee bole.. I found some piglets, a turkey, and some Langstroth beehives, but no boles.

I also indulged, on behalf of some other Eco-Friends, in visiting the Dr. Who museum and then went to an Olympic football game (Team GB, yeah). I shoved off from Wales and am currently writing from Bristol, home to many works of the famous street artist, Banksy, as well as the Yatton Area Bee Project. I visited with the founder of the group today who shared with me his experiences with various hiving styles and his perspectives on the future direction of the art.

Tonight, I am packing up for Buckfastleigh in Devon to visit Buckfast Abbey, home of Brother Adam and birthplace of the Buckfast Bee! I will be camping just down the road from the Abbey and then meeting up with a prominent Top Bar Beekeeper. I will also be taking to a segment of the Abbot's Way through Dartmoor, keeping my eyes peeled for tors and that infamous Hound.

Sut ywt ti?

I'm fine, how are you? Thanks to everyone for all the thoughts and encouragement. It has certainly been a crazy start to the year (and its still going), but I am working to settle it down a bit. Most of the crew flew back to the Phillipines today, but the officers still have more debriefing to do. I lost all of my gear to the ship, so I am going to hit an outdoors store this week to get some boots and a proper backpack again. On the bright side of it all, I made it to England a few days early!

I have been in London for the past few days, but I am leaving this morning for Cardiff, which is home to the International Bee Research Association, the National Museum, St. Fagans bee boles, and Warre hives. My guidebook tells me sheep outnumber humans 4-to-1 and I figure honey bees outnumber sheep 40,000-to-1.

I have journaled a lot in the past week and hope to share some thoughts, but it will probably be a week before I get to it.

Here are some more updated articles of the MSC Flaminia and a picture of our rescuing vessel the DS Crown:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_MSC_Flaminia

http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/fpfalmouth/9827625.Mid_Altantic_ship_fire_survivors_arrive_safe_in_Falmouth/

DS Crown
http://marinetraffic.com/ais/shipdetails.aspx?mmsi=308089000

Burning Flaminia - I read that the tugs saw a second explosion and it looks like the fire has moved back a lot!
http://cf.gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/800-3-635x476.jpg

Signing off from Lloegr. Next stop: Wales!

Dillon

A detour for sure

Hello Friends... Alicia here Dillon's girlfriend for those of you who do not know me.  Yesterday/last night at some point there was an explosion on Dillon's ship.  HOWEVER he is SAFE I heard from him this morning and he is on another ship on his way to England.  I am sure he will update everyone as soon as he reaches land.  He made it out with his passport and his important documents. Dillon just wanted everyone to know he was safe and that there is no need to worry. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers and if I hear anything new I will let everyone know.

Family Reunions and Setting Sail

Great successes were had in Austin and in Houston! While in Austin I got to check out Mellow Johnny's (Lance Armstrong's bike shop) and the Liberty Bar (the most American place in Austin) with Liz and got to hang out with lots of friends, old and new - and many honorable Hendrix alum, Elias, Katherine, Wendell, and Ben. We also checked out Barton Springs, a giant spring-filled swimming pool that is unbelievably cold, even on sweltering hot days. I had a great time, but being hosted by a friend in Austin was much different than the experience I had just come from in Houston. I didn't have to learn bus routes or the city layout for myself and generally had less independence with the restrictions of staying in the UT dorms. It was certainly a gift to be taken care of, but when I returned to Houston and set out across the city to pick up the Russian visa I was invigorated by the sudden sweep of freedom. Navigating the Metro and trekking across the cement landscape in 100F heat  was surprisingly refreshing and provided a sense of confidence concerning my ability to navigate the year that is to come. Oh yes, the Russian tourist visa came through just fine and the lady assisting me at the visa office was exceptionally nice! Before hopping on the Greyhound back to Arkansas I got some Tex Mex at El Real, a movie theater-turned restaurant. There, I ate "Puffy Tacos" and watched Steve McQueen, Yul Brynner, and the rest of the Magnificent Seven defend a Mexican village from a gang of bandits.

"Queso is Great!" - Indeed, it is.

After returning home and saying final goodbyes to friends and family, I embarked on a twenty-seven hour Greyhound trip to Charleston, South Carolina where I have been waiting for the past five days for the MSC Flaminia to arrive in port. I think the highlight of the trip was the section between Atlanta and Columbia because I sat next to a very old black man with deep roots in the south - I could barely understand most of what he said because his accent was so thick. As we sat waiting for the state line he told me many stories, all of which ended with "but Georgia's a big damn state." Also when we reached Augusta, Georgia I noticed he was especially interested in stretching his legs. When he saw that I was not accompanying him off the bus he said "don't you want to get off here? This was James Brown's hometown." At hearing such news and seeing my traveling partner's obvious excitement I was happy to oblige. He had lived in GA and SC for over seventy years, but it was his first visit to Augusta. I told him it was about time and was happy to share it with him.

In Charleston I have been staying at the Not So Hostel, which is a nice-enough place and I have been very impressed by how cool Charleston is. I spent the fourth with a few friends from the hostel, two of which were from England, who noted that (1) Independence Day is really not a good holiday for them and (2) that the fireworks show over Riverfront Park in North Charleston was the largest display they had ever seen -  surely not helping America's growing national debt.

Since then, I have mostly been finishing up my packing and plotting the trip for once I arrive in Britain. Nonetheless, there has still been plenty of time to adventure. Deciding not to waste any time away from the honey trail, I visited the Savannah Bee Company in the downtown area where two honey experts let me sample at least ten different kinds of honey, from Appalachian Sourwood to Georgia Tupelo to the local Charleston stuff. I have never been in any place like it, but the Bee Company was full of great bee products (beeswax candles, honey laden soaps, comb honey, and so much more). It is one of four stores (the other three being in Savannah) and seems to be a nice family-owned business.

Savannah Bee Company, downtown Charleston

Bee veils and empty bee packages make for nice lamp shades.

Savannah Bee Company - the honey tasting table. The legs are made of boxes from Langstroth hives.

Savannah Bee Company - a nicely organized shelf of exotic honeys.

I board the MSC Flaminia in approximately two hours from the Wando Terminal in Mount Pleasant, SC and I want to let everyone know that I'll be on the Atlantic for the next 13 days.

You should be able to follow the ship, or at least see what it looks like, at http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shipdetails.aspx?mmsi=211378120

I'll try to upload another post about leaving the U.S. when I get to Felixstowe, England.