Journey back to Malta.
Trip Start
Sep 15, 2007
1
26
29
Trip End
Oct 17, 2007
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Taormina,
Italy
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Before I knew it I was putting on my running gear and had set off to tackle the stairs behind Taormina one more time. The sun was still rising and the view from the top was exhilarating (and yes I got to the top without a heart attack once again!). The thing about running is that you rarely feel like doing it beforehand, and at times during it you would wonder why you are putting yourself through this. But when you finish you never regret going for that run. And it does not matter how many times I run I go through those emotions each time. But knowing how lifted and amazing you feel at the end provides the drive for me to push myself to do it next time. The human body is designed for activity, it is built for exercise. Even the brain has stimuli that respond to it in a positive way. Unfortunately this is something that many in the western world have forgotten.
It was an incredibly clear day at the top of my run. I could see mount Etna clearly in the distance, billowing smoke, portraying some sort of anger that I had reached her summit the day before! I looked at all the towns and people that lived in the shadow of that mountain with the very real possibility it could erupt and destroy everything they own at any time.
Good bye Taormina!
My guide yesterday informed me that residents in and around Etna are unable to get insurance against an eruption. The government does have a fund that provides assistance to those that lose their homes but it is grossly inadequate and slow in coming. The last time a home was destroyed was via a tremor during a minor eruption in 1993. It actually spewed lava 11 days ago, but there has not been a major eruption in 50 years. The fact it constantly blows smoke and produces minor lava flows occasionally is a good thing as it does not build up the immense pressure that is required for major eruptions.After the run a shower, quick breakfast, pack and then I was off on my return journey to Malta.
The rest of my day consisted of 3 hours on trains and 2 hours on a ferry with roughly 7 hours waiting in between connections so it was not a lot of fun. I did make friends with a half Italian half Maltese girl and her Italian friend. Turns out he is a bit of a cross dresser (he showed me photos) so that was interesting. They both starting drinking during the journey and were pretty drunk by the time we got around to boarding the ferry! I managed to get a photo with them, they certainly spiced up my otherwise boring journey. I am meant to catch up with them before I leave Malta so stay tuned!
My Maltese family were waiting for me at the ferry terminal and I was so happy to see them again. I had been missing both them and Malta and was keen to spend my last 3 days with them before I left for home. They had already planned to have tomorrow off work and we are going to Gozo which is the second island of Malta. I really wanted to see it before I left so that is something to look forward to.
It is now 1 am in the morning, I am going to do a quick journal update and then sleep. Tomorrow is the start of the last leg of my Maltese adventure, I cant wait.
