Mon March 12 2018  —  e-mail Manfred

Ullapool. What a difference a w/e makes.

Flag Scotland Flag Uk

Tuesday, September 13 2004

1 month, 22 days

Ullapool, Scotland

About Travel Photography,
Colors of the World.

Manfred is creator of ThisFabTrek.com, travel photography, a travel blog and a photography blog (a journey from 2004 to 2013). 'I set out to see the colors of the world, always I try to capture the colors'.

Seeing, is understanding, so I report and photograph, but formost enjoy and live those different conceptions of life (all that TV [and the web] cannot give). I reject jealousy, animosity, bigotry. Be free!

Manfred in the desert of the Western Sahara

The mind, when pondering at night and always asked those questions. What am I doing in corporate wonderland of bank, university, office or church? Who is the other animal asleep deep inside, the thinker, punk, creative, or Indian, vagabond and healer, maybe artist, writer, photographer, traveler, globetrotter? Oh God, dare you to think. When I saw the lies, gambles and manipulations I follow the old dream and set out for the journey of life lived, the journey to see the colors of the world.

During years on the road I have taken the turns as they came along, and realized one thing: Only such a small part of the planet can be explored and such a vast land and sea mass will always remain unknown, to me; many swamps, jungles, deserts and oceans will never be traveled. But then I am father of twin boys, Daniel and David, my most important, and I show them some of the wonders and colors out there.

ThisFabTrek, Photography and Journey, the Stories from the Road and Life around the World, stopped in August 2013 after more than 9 years, Love and Peace.

Last vehicle.

G20, Chevy Gladiator.

Chevrolet Gladiator G20, The boys in Cordillera Blanca, Peru.
The boys and Chevy van, Peru.

The G20, the vehicle that came to me for the Americas adventures.

6 wheeled Land Rover.

Land Rover Defender 6x6
Link to Foley

The vehicle of the Africa adventures, a Foley 6-Wheeled Land Rover Defender.

Before, the MB307.

Manfred and MB307
Journey, Middle East.

The vehicle of the Middle-East and North-Cape Journeys. See all vehicles.

Daniel and David with nanny Aisha, the best we ever had, black African Woman carrying white twin babies, in Bamako, Mali.

Land Rover 7,442km

Trekking 199km

Ferry 352km

Train 150km

Other cars, taxis 132km

Travel Blog

contains Festival/Fiesta/Art photography.

"There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come." - Victor Hugo.

"What matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it, to tell the tale." Living to Tell the Tale - Gabriel García Márquez.

"They never taught wandering in any school I attended. ... they never taught the art of writing a book, either. It's all so mysterious."
"Wandering is an art in itself. Wandering and writing don't mix"
"Writing demands commitment and if one thing your wanderer is allergic to is that very quality of commitment, for once one is committed he runs that very risk of failure ..." Wanderer - Sterling Hayden.

"Photography enables you to grasp a place first time round. ... Photography is a means of exploration, it's a vital part of travel, almost as essential as a car or a plane. " - Wim Wenders.

"The worst prejudice we acquire during our youth is the idea that life is serious. Children have the right instincts: they know that life is not serious, and treat it as a game..." , Egon Friedell.

"How far you gonna go. Before you lose your way back home" - Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World, Achtung Baby, U2.

"If you want to be a hero well just follow me." - Working Class Hero, John Lennon.

"When I think of all the things I have done, I know that it's only just begun." - I love you, Lou Reed.

"One does not escape the Sahara - the Sahara let's you go or not" - Touareg.

"Planet earth is blue and there`s nothing I can do" - This is Ground Control to Major Tom, David Bowie.

"Glory for the crazy people/in this stupid world" - Ahmed Fouad Negm.

www.thisfabtrek.com > journey > europe > scotland > 20040913-ullapool

There comes Heidrun

Map: Scotland, around Ullapool.

Download GPS (KML) track/waypoints.

Caludia Haensel Heidrun
Claudia, Haensel, Heidrun.

Back on the mainland. Ullapool is the port of disembarkation. It is Thursday the 9th of September. I am scheduled to meet Claudia and her friends Heidrun and Haensel. They happen to rent a cottage for their week of vacation in Nedd just 50 or so kilometres north of Ullapool. I am bringing along a few bottles of red wine and a bottle of Talisker.

After many weeks on my own I am looking forward to meeting some known Austrian faces and bringing gifts (food for common consumption) along seems like a good idea.

ms with head lamp

Heidrun and I met before, years ago while in London, but only very briefly. So this is an occasion to get to know her and her funny brother Haensel, an actor.

Claudia and I have known for years. The evenings go by as expected, eating and drinking and having a good time.

Heidrun at Darkness with Hat
Heidrun with Hat.

back to top

Handa Island

Friday morning the 4 of us leave the cottage and drive north to visit Handa Island, a wildlife reserve famous for its high cliffs and bird watching possibilities.

Handa Island Cliffs
Cliffs on Handa Island
The group on top of cliff
Group on top.
Looking for whales
We are looking for whales.
Haensel on Islet
Man on a stone in a pond.
Group laughs on top of cliff
studying the map!
Haensel on Islet, Claudia takeing picture
Haensel on stone

walking handa isle
Heidrun on boat back from Handa

Claudia and Heidrun on boat back from Handa
Claudia and Heidrun.
Inspector Haensel
Inspector Haensel.

back to top

Ullapool

Saturday we are back in Ullapool to mingle with the crowd of tourists and investigate the local pub and restaurant scene.

Before the evening starts Heidrun and I test drive the Land Rover on the 4WD road that follows the Rhidorroch river up Glen Achall. Heidrun has been the first woman that takes a noticeable interest in the Land Rover.

She wants to drive it and enjoys how well it manages climbing steep and rocky patches of the path which is littered with massive stones. Taking the Land Rover onto this extreme road gives us both a good feeling of what traveling might be in other parts of the world. The Land Rover performs its task to our both satisfaction.

On the top of the driving experience we enjoy the fantastic scenery of lochs and glens and the bad road gives it a taste of being far, far away. We listen to Winter Chill 3 and talk and talk and slowly we fall in love.

Heidrun draggging
Heidrun and ms and beer

Haensel through the pub window
Through Pub window.
Heidrun through pub window

Ullapool the sea at sunset
Ullapool and sea at sunset.
Ships in Ullapool Harbour
Ships in Ullapool Harbour

Sunday Heidrun, Claudia and Haensel leave me and Ullapool. Haensel has to make his flight back to Vienna from Glasgow and Heidrun hers a few days later from London.

On my own in Ullapool I spend my time working on the web-site for the next 2 days. Being busy keeps me from thinking too much. Life has changed. And it hurts. Monday I revisit the Rhidorroch valley, the place where Heidrun and I had a can of Tennent's Lager. Heidrun is tall, "1.83" she said then. That's taller then my 1.75 meters. "I would not care" she added. I think she would join ThsFabTrek if I asked her. "When I go back to Austria I'll go and see her."

Tuesday morning I leave Ullapool. Too much drinking in the evenings. U2 is on. From "Boy" to "October" to "War" with "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day" all the way to "40". Some of their albums I play again and again.

I drive more kilometres then ever in Scotland: A total of 450 that day. Something has changed. The concept which was clear a week ago is no longer valid. Heidrun has moved to the centre of my mind.

Unease overcomes me. I am not interested in traveling on my own anymore. "I need to go to Edinburgh and fly to Zurich and then to Bludenz/Vorarlberg/Austria and see her and find out what has happened, whether something has happened and how to proceed".

www.thisfabtrek.com > journey > europe > scotland > 20040913-ullapool

back to top