climate change activist and science communicator; photographer; mapmaker
My actual travels, those I aspire to, and those of others
Over on BuryCoal, I have posted an explanation of why I am going to the Keystone XL protest in Washington D.C.
I hope it is comprehensible, despite having been tapped out during an unusually exhausting Greyhound journey and posted using snatches of WiFi from passing coffee shops and motels.
The bus ride from New Orleans has already been unusually uncomfortable and filled with stress and delays. Still, it is best not to complain and be grateful that I was able to salvage some audiobooks from my recent iTunes explosion. I have been listening to Little Women and finding it rather touching.
All told, my time in New Orleans was colourful and enjoyable. I wish it had been possible to spend a few more days there, but it seems like a good idea to be at the Washington DC event right from the beginning.
I should be there in about seven hours, barring additional delays.
I am moving on to Washington DC either tonight or first thing tomorrow.
There are masses of things left to see in NOLA, but the pace of exploration so far combined with staying in a hostel are wearing me down. For me, at least, staying in hostels is not altogether sustainable. I tend to get more stressed and tired with each passing day.
It’s a one day bus journey to Washington, so it may be best to start at 9pm and go through the night, rather than spending a somewhat more restful night in a dormitory before heading to the bus station at 6:00am.
I am still looking for decent affordable accommodation in Washington, so suggestions would be appreciated.
This has been a crazy evening. Everything I said before about the exceptional friendliness of NOLA deserves to be amplified.
A chance encounter led to a long night of excellent free music at a place I would never have found on my own or through a guidebook. I am invited back to the same place tomorrow for the Rebirth Brass Band.
At nearly 3am, my hostel is still a hive of activity. I should try to sleep, however.
I have only been here 24 hours, but New Orleans (henceforth NOLA, as posting from iPhone) has displaced Dublin as the friendliest place I have visited.
Near my hostel, three random people asked me to take their photos, then warned me not to show the camera in that neighbourhood after dark.
I have already made a start into exploring local cuisine. Tonight, I am going to see live music on Frenchman Street. In addition to being friendly, NOLA seems very affordable in terms of food, accommodation, and transport. You can get an all-day bus and streetcar pass for $3.
It is hot here but not too humid and everywhere is air conditioned, including the brightly pleasant streetcars running up Canal Street.
If anyone knows any locals who might show me sights beyond the Lonely Planet collection, that would be amazing. Email is the only real way to reach me, as I float from WiFi island to WiFi island.
Atlanta is my next stop.
If I had time to stop, I would get a real meal somewhere, have a shower, and take the tour at the Centers for Disease Control.
As it is, I will make my final bus transfer before New Orleans.
Data roaming with Fido is ruinously expensive – about a dollar a meg – so I will be foregoing cellular network access while in the U.S. I will probably find WiFi from time to time and thus be able to update my blog, post to Twitter, and upload photos to Flickr.
The meticulous documentation of my somewhat absurd journey will become punctuated rather than continuous.
I dropped by Toronto and saw Rebecca’s play, which was thought provoking and well done. It is quite something to watch giant symbolic puppets fight to trombone accompaniment in the middle of Dufferin Grove Park.
Now, I have a 30 day ticket for unlimited Greyhound travel and a bus to Detroit to catch at 1:00am. With the unlimited ticket, I need to line up and get a new ticket at each city. That is a pain, but I think this will be a cheaper way to do Toronto to New Orleans to Washington to Ottawa to Toronto. I wish I had bought the unlimited ticket in Ottawa this morning. I would have saved myself $75.
The route to New Orleans runs through Detroit, Nashville, and Atlanta.
Will anyone be around downtown Toronto tonight between now and 1:00am?
Things are likely to stay busy for a while, with little priority accorded to blogging. This Flickr photostream widget should provide at least some novel content as I carry on with executing whatever version of the move/travel plan proves possible. It will stay at the top of the page while I am busy, so there may be new posts appearing underneath.
I will also be updating Twitter and BuryCoal.
[Update: 24 August 2011] If you want information on the ongoing Keystone XL protest in Washington D.C., the best source of information is TarSandsAction.org.
Photos from the event are also being uploaded to Flickr frequently.
[Update: 5 September 2011] I still have lots of moving-related work to do, but at least I will be in Canada. As such, I am removing the ‘sticky’ property of this post. It will no longer stay perpetually at the top of the front page.
Until recently, my brother Mica was living and working in Australia. Now he is traveling in Asia and blogging.
