4th day on Mull

I got to wake up to the same clear sky I slept with so the scenes were just as sharp and clear. 

Where I took the starry picture with me standing in it. 

Where Orion was

Because it was such a nice day we took a photo together using Roy's tripod. 

And another. 

Same routine, we ate breakfast which is generally cereal and milk with some tea and then we were off!

Here are a bunch of scenes on the way!

Sandra wanted to get off here to admire the view and to film the birds. It's very nice. I got to see my first swallow in person. I snapped pictures of it but it was too fast. 

Same spot

Moved on further and stopped to identify more birds. I was drawn by the tall grass. 

Got out of the car for this. 

Went further on to find this

And this

More dramatic sheep and cool clouds

We stopped for 11sies and then they told me that there was a "Grey mares tail" nearby, which is a term for a single waterfall. So we all got out for a walk.

Grey mares tail, I hopped down the bridge for this shot. 

Other side of the waterfall

Further down the shoreline is a bigger waterfall! 

Roy and Sandra stood up top the cliff on the left side of the picture above and took in the scenery as well as probably observing my obsessive picture taking haha. We decidedto "walk on" and get back on the road.

I saw this single pink tree in the middle of nowhere and thought it was awesome. 

You can still see the pink tree on the left. 

Curving into the bay

And there it is. 

We parked here for another walk as well as lunch. We had something different for lunch today. Normally we have toast and cheese but we had tortilla rolls. I had mine with salami ham and cheese. Roy and Sandra had one with some jam as well but I didn't get one because I was away when they wanted to ask if I liked jam haha.

I took a walk before lunch and Roy and Sandra were just resting up. Sandra was observing me crossing a small river to get to the bay and seemed entertained by how slow I was probably haha.

The bay

I saw a giant rabbit hole. I wonder if it'll take me to wonder land... 

Approaching the beach. 

Which one do you like better? 

I ran out of camera battery and went back for my spare. Needed to get back for lunch too. Sandra had her video camera ready to film me crossing the river again and Roy had a camera out to take pictures of my attempt. It was easier this time around I crossed over quickly. Roy had missed his chance to take a picture as he was observing something and didn't expect me to run over so I re  crossed the river and stood on the stone in the middle of it haha. Sandra recorded all of this. She said so they have proof of my existence on there holiday haha.

While we were preparing for lunch, Roy told me to check out the bathroom and to look around and tell him what I thought. I was a bit confused and was expecting something profane or something haha. I went to go use the bathroom and looked around and couldn't tell what he meant. Suddenly this guy slowly emerged from the drain.

I was shocked to see this toad. Yes that is my pee.

Poor guy was getting peed on. I waited to see if he would crawl out since he was heading the direction but then reached the smooth end of the urinal and couldn't climb out. He seemed weak, who knows how long he had been there. He started turning around back for the drain and I ran to the RV to look for a plastic bag. Roy laughed when I confirmed to Sandra that there is a live frog in the bathroom. She thought he meant it was a mechanical one as a joke. She gave me a tortilla bag and I went back and he was half way down the drain with his bum up.  I could tell he didn't want to go down. He knew it was toxic. I didn't want to just grab him cause I didn't want to scare him down the drain so I waited a little while until he decided he didn't want to go down and stood above the hole. I slipped my hand in the bag and underneath him and let him climb on. Then I took him to the stream up the hill. 

Much better. 

He stood there for some time. He must've been very weak. Eventually he moved a little and then sped up for the edge of the stream and looked for a small pool to emerge himself in.

He will be fine. 

The sink wasn't working but I wiped my hands with a disinfecting towelette that Roy handed me and also told me to throw the bag I used away in the bin outside haha. Didn't think about it but yeah toads can carry diseases, especially ones that have been in urinal drains.

We had lunch and I had shown Sandra my photos of the toad. Roy also asked me if it is OK if we just camped here for the night. I said yes because it was beautiful and I can explore more and I could tell he was a little exhausted. But I was in no rush to go anywhere.

We all took a walk to the beach. Roy and Sandra found an easier route to cross the small river. We walked for a ways and then we parted as I went to go take my photos and explore and Roy and Sandra went the opposite direction I was drawn to. So on with the scenic pics.

This was cool. I wish I took more of it. I didn't seem to care for it at the time. 

Black waves, but clear water. The black are seaweed bits of some sort. 

Getting my shoes wet

I wanted to climb that rock on the left

(Next to the rock)

So I did! 

I must've sat here for about an hour before I got tired of it. 

I noticed this. It looks like a big shark like fish eating a small thing. 

The sun was going down and the wind started picking up so I went back. I saw holy looking light. 

I decided to pitch my tent early while I was out. 

I pitched it on high ground on a small cliff. 

Called it a day and waited for dinner. Sandra made... Hmm I can't recall anymore though I believe mushrooms were involved. The bad thing about posting too late I guess is I miss some details. Though there was so much already I know I have been leaving out. We chatted as usual and also planned on me leaving them the next day so I could catch the ferry to Oban and the bus to Glasgow. I decided that I was exhausted from sleeping outside although pampered by some extra warmth, food and transportation Roy and Sandra gave me. I guess I am not as seasoned enough for the outdoors haha.

We were able to have a long talk and I also helped Roy with some computer stuff. He had a thing that he could connect to his laptop so he could connect to the internet with his service provider so I set it up for him. We talked more about life and I discussed more about what I want to do when I get back home. There is a lot to do. I feel I have the motivation now though so hopefully it sticks with me.

Roy and Sandra was really supportive and I could tell they really were concerned and hoped things went well for me. Their children struggled with similar things as well. Their son Chris actually got his PhD in bio engineering if I remember correctly but ended up not using it for his profession because he couldn't find anyplace would allow him to do his research. He managed to find another way of using his brilliance though and worked his way up. His hard work paid off in the end. Even though he didn't get to be in the field he studied, he managed to find a good career elsewhere.

I think I need to stop following the roads that society believes to be the right or only way to happiness. My Theatre department and some professors all know that there is no right or wrong path and we are encouraged to find our own way but seeing as I was lost and I asked about those things, they gave me a path that they knew I would be interested as well as something that worked for them in the end in which most of them suggest pursuing a masters knowing I have some interest and skill in teaching... But I know that isn't all that I want to do. And all I think I was looking for was support in my ideas on what I should do... But I can't expect anyone to agree with my ways or support it because they don't want to support something unstable and be a part of the disappointment if it doesn't work out because I am sure as much as they wish me well, like any parent, they will suggest a proven route that has a higher statistical chance of success. But that's not what I want and I know I wouldn't get to where I want to be following a set path.

Like this trip, completely spontaneous and vaguely planned, it could have gone wrong in so many ways. But by taking a risk and realizing those risks, I tried anyways and was lucky enough to have gotten so much out of it. Perception is also another thing. Staying positive and open, I found the good within the bad and was able to see things from a broader perspective which all the friends I have met thus far have helped me see. I am bad at gambling but in a way, as much luck and coincidence was involved meeting all these wonderful people, there was an element of myself that also made it happen. Regardless of failure, there is always something to take away from the experience and really there have been many failures or things that did not go as smoothly or according to plan, but I managed to accept it, learn from it and move on. I knew all this, but it didn't click until I realized I have only myself to rely on in the middle of another country where serious help from family would be an inconvenience and difficult. But then I found so much help from so many people it made me also realize I am never truly alone. So as long as I enjoy what life has to offer I believe people can take away from that in me as well. Uist, someone you'll see later, discussed with me the joy I was giving him and Heather and that is why they helped me so much. I know now that everyone has helped me see that there truly is more to life than what we can see and/or do and it made me realize what some people really value beneath the surface.

More to come...