From the Other Window

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Just back after a terrific four day weekend in Cornwall. We've wanted to visit the place for ages but it wasn't until Fe and her husband Romke invited all comers from the PinoyUK lists to do an easter holiday that we had the opportunity to do so.

In fact it was more of a Van's barkada holiday than anything else - apart from Fe, Romke and little Nina, her old SGV friends and a few new london mates made up the party of nine. I was the designated driver (with Jon backing up) so I probably saw the least of the countryside of all of us, but I still managed to take some pretty stunning photos of the seaside.

There's too much to fit into one entry (and too little time to fit into several), but in four days we visited Exeter, Tintagel (including the castle there), and Wadebridge; caravanned between St Just and Penzance; picnicked in the shadow of St. Michael's Mount in Marazion; watched the waves at Mullion Cove; ran on a cold beach in St Ives; and drove to Land's End and the cliffs beside Minack Theatre. The entire journey was 870 miles plus the trip to and from London and Wimbledon.

In between we had some good, fresh cooked food (British and Filipino); had some pretty interesting chess games (both Rudi and Jon are sharp players) and improbably good weather for most of our trip. For most of us it was our first caravan experience, which I would definitely recommend if a large group of you are going. The nearest experience I've had are weekends in Baguio with my barkada, except we didn't have to pay 102 pesos every two hours for electricity and heat... and Baguio isn't nearly as diverse and dramatic as the Cornish landscape.

* * *

For me, part of the attraction was testing myself against the roads and motorways of Britain; a 300 mile drive does things to your back you would not believe. Yesterday was both the most strenuous yet, since I drove a total of maybe 9 hours between Exeter, North London and West London ferrying people home, in a cavernous nine seater smelling of baby puke and pringle cans. Still, as I drove through some fantastic countryside in post-Easter sunshine, I can't really complain.

Now it's Tuesday and I'm too wound down to work and too wound up to relax. All's well that ends well, right?

// when I looked up, it was 3:06 PM //

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