Highlands and Islands

After a relaxed winter where I took advantage of the extended hospitality of numerous friends, lounging around for weeks at a time, I have at last begun what will be at least three months of continuous adventure travel.

At least there's no danger of strong sunlight...

In all honesty things are off to a rough start. I have a toothache, my computer won’t charge (I’m writing this on my phone), my camera is gone and the weather forecast is rain all week. Still, i know things could be worse. Last night I lay in my hostel bed in Oban

, Scotland reading Endurance – the outrageous story of a group of explorers trapped in Antarctica for several years. My problems are indeed small by comparison. Even more importantly, however, I’m struck by the fact that despite the most unbearable and miserable circumstances, their journals testified to the fact that most of the time they were happy. It’s an important reminder to me that comfort and convenience often have little to do with one’s contentment.

I write this post from the relative comfort of a ferry terminal – fearing neither freezing nor starvation – and remember that many of my best photos have been captured under adverse circumstances. We’ll see if I can rise to the challenge today!

Oban's Distillery is older than the town... they have their priorities straight.

The boat will take me from Oban, famous for its whisky, to the Isle of Mull. It will be my first, long-overdue visit to a Scottish island. The islands and highlands of Scotland are known as the most beautiful part of the country, and although the fog and mist have obscured some of the grander panoramas thus far, the long bus ride here offered plenty of views of wild waterfalls fed by the week’s continual rain.

This whole region of Scotland has myriad options for sight-seeing, outdoor adventures and cultural activities, but as usual I’ve chosen to avoid planning and just see where the day takes me. It’s an attitude that fits in well here, where life has a more relaxed attitude and less hurried pace than most other places in the western world. Ok, time to board the ship. See you on the other side.

I braved the rain and caught this shot of Oban's harbor.