Tag: sea

Finding truth about perception and sexualization

It’s the beginning of April 2022 and I’m following the camper of a new very good friend along the Greek countryside. We have left the Hippie Camp and are heading for a more remote and lonely place. We don’t have an exact plan, but after some time we enter a small dirt road to a small chapel on a hill on the Peleponnese in Greece.

The spot is perfect for what we have been looking for: it has space for barely more than two campers and so there won’t be any other people joining us. What is more both of us have a little private area and in between these areas there is a small ruin of a small building whose flat roof is a perfect terrace for hanging out, doing Yoga, Chi Gong and hanging around.

In the morning when my new friend arrived at the Hippie Camp more than a week ago, I had the very strong impression that it was going to be a very interesting and challenging time for me. And I should be proven right. Our first conversation had been about mindfulness, Vipassana, living full time in cars as a nomad, etc. It turned out that she has been living alone in her car for three years and is traveling around like me. At the Hippie Camp, we spent pretty much time together and I learned a lot of new perspectives on topics and more practical things like picking wild food. The time at the Hippie Camp has been great and the time we are spending together alone now is great as well, but there has been and is something else between us.

At the Hippie Camp, I have been feeling not good all the time and partly the reason had been what I let her trigger inside of me. She never intended to trigger or harm me, but it’s been and is like so often in life: people are triggering stuff inside other people. But this time it’s been very different for me, because already at the Camp, I decided to talk about what was going on with me. Our conversations at the camp have been very honest and benevolent and continue to be so in this time we are traveling together alone.

Back at the Hippie Camp, I’ve been feeling like having a crush on her. But at the same time, I felt the deep and true realization that I’ve not been seeing her as the person she is. Of course, she is a wonderful person, but it felt like I’ve been seeing someone different. Like I’ve been projecting something from my mind on her. I found that to be so unfair and mentally abusive, that I wanted to understand it. In addition to this, I started to ask myself what my feelings are based on.

I’m believing that we humans don’t see anything as it is. Instead, each of us is perceiving everything through a very unique lens and that makes up our unique reality. This lens is formed by our mind, memories, the thinking patterns, we have learned, and all the other stuff. Most of the time this is a good thing and it makes living easier, but on the other hand, it can feel like being remotely controlled by my past. I’m aware of that for a long time and regarding many things in my life, I felt the true truth of this.

But when it comes to my perception of other people, I never felt the truth of it like now. Our conversations are helping me a lot and bit by bit much about my past romantic and sexual relationships are becoming clear to me. More and more I’m realizing that especially the women I’ve been in love and relationships with, I did not see as the persons they are. That, for sure, caused a lot of tension in these relationships. And what is more, I’m getting aware of how I’m sexualizing women in common and what a strong impact this has on me. For me, this feels so encroaching and like mental abuse now. And although I’ve been aware of these topics for so long, I only now feel the deep truth of them. I’ve never intended to think, feel or act like this nor did I want to harm someone, but still it’s true and I’m feeling sorry about it. Realizing all of this feels like a huge relief from something that had been controlling me a lot for a long time but breaking loose from these patterns seems to be a neverending process of change.

We are traveling together for some more time and have adventures and conversations that let us learn so much about life from each other. Even though our physical ways have parted, I am happy and grateful that we continue to walk our spiritual paths together.

The Hippie Camp at the Dimitrios shipwreck

It has been the end of march 2022 when Tino and I arrived at the parking next to the Dimitrios Shipwreck​.

I’m driving the coastal road around a long left corner and there I see it: the Dimitrios Shipwreck. Since I saw photos of it on Google Maps, I wanted to have a look at it and there it is. Tino is taking a sharp right turn on a smaller road and I’m following him. We arrive at the parking and see some other campers parking. After the beach near the dream cove, it’s the second time that I see other campers at a parking. Right next to the parking is a pretty big restaurant but it’s closed because the summer season is still not here.

We choose a spot around a fireplace to park our cars. I get out of Rosinante to check if she’s standing well, and suddenly I recognize the car we parked next to: it’s the van of the “Frenchy Friends”. Surprise and happiness are shooting into my head. They are welcoming us and we hang around, chatting about this and that and some hours later they leave to continue their journey.

Tino and I are taking the short walk to the shipwreck. Standing in front of it, I catch all its beauty and it’s just fascinating me. I don’t know why, but it just makes a big impression on me. Maybe because it’s a ship at s place where it shouldn’t be or it’s just the way it looks. The shipwreck is laying on the beach with its stern in the sea and its nose on the beach. Small waves are pushing into it but they fail in pushing it further onto the beach. It’s whole body is covered with rust giving it a mysterious and fragile feeling. The rust has done pretty well in ripping holes into the wreck over the last decades. But still, the ship appears massive and strong. Because it’s still here. Nobody cares for it, for decades it’s at that one place where it should never have come, but it’s here. And it doesn’t seem like it has any plans to leave soon. The side of the wreck which is facing the beach has beautiful and colorful graffitis on it. Somehow this lets the rusty past and the bright present melt together.

We are going back to the parking and there we get to know other nice travelers who are temporarily living here in all sorts of camping cars. It turns out, that at this parking are at least five campers all the time. Every day someone new arrives and others leave. So we have a lot of interesting conversations and hang around with different people.

The next days are full of talking, hanging around, cooking on a fire, picking food while taking walks around the area and having a great time. The parking develops in some kind of a lovely Hippie Camp with lovely and interesting people. I’m taking a walk around the camp and there is hair getting cut, a car repaired, clothes washed, the food we picked earlier is getting prepared for dinner and some temporary Hippie Campers are having fun on a slackline. Two of the temporary inhabitants are the “Romanian Vikings”: Anellise and Gabriel. These lovely Vikings are inspiring me so much when it comes to living on a budget, living and traveling in a car. Because their Camper needs some repairs and the needed spare parts take their time, they are on the parking for about four weeks now. But they are making the best of it. I have a big smile on my face and I’m loving the life in the Hippie Camp.

In the end, I’m staying for a week in the lovely Hippie Camp. I can’t remember, that I stayed in one place for so long since I’ve moved into a car. At the end of the week, Tino starts his way back to Germany and I continue my travel in Greece with a new friend and new adventures ahead.

Location on Google Maps

Visiting an alien plant planet

I didn’t know that there is an habitable planet and especially that he is so special and close to earth but at the end of March 2022 I visited him.

I’m driving down from the main road onto the dirt road that is supposed to lead me to the place were I will meet Tino again. Weeks ago we’ve met for the first time and by coincidence in Croatia on a abandoned military base. We got along very well and so we’ve met again in Albania and did some offroading and now I’m on the last kilometers to the spot he’s been living for some days in Greece.

The wind is blowing fiercely around and against Rosinante. Despite her 3,3 tons of weight, she’s tottering when a heavy wind gust hits her broadside. We are entering a small village which is located on a hillside that ends in the ocean. The street is getting more and more narrow and right next to a small chapel there is a car blocking the street. Because the last one hundred meters have been extremely narrow and steep, it would be troublesome to go reverse. I’m honking a few times, but nobody comes. So I’m taking my winter cap and wind blocking jacket and go out into the wind. The wind is loud in my ears and there is nobody to be seen. My callings get devoursed by the wind. Walking around on the private properties while searching for the driver of the parked car feels not very good. I try four doors and back yards, but I have no luck. So I go back to Rosinante and check how I can manage to drive her reverse through the tight and downhill corner. Out of nowhere a Greek man runs towards me and the parked car. He’s waving his hands and shouting something that I take for an apology. I’m saying “οκέι, οκέι”, but I don’t think that he can hear me. After the blockade has been cleared, I continuing my way down to the ocean.

I’m reaching the coast and a tiny harbour. But Tinos home is still a few kilometers away. It seems like these kilometers will be on a rocky gravel road along the coast. After entering this road, there is a fence gate blocking the road. The Greek use gates like these to keep their cattle from running away. I’m passing the gate and finally arrive on the alien planet. The whole scenery consists of so different but beautiful elements. All together they make a magnificent picture. The dark blue ocean is laying on the left. The wind is drawing interesting and ever changing patterns of waves on him. Next to the ocean is a rocky coastline in different shades of grey protecting the land from the ocean. The waves are getting smashed against the rocks and the spray gets tossed into the air. The land consists of healthy, fresh gras, flowers and green bushes. But the very special is, that the land is dotted by yellow bushes. The plants grow as far as they can up a slope. But at some point there is a massive cliff blocking them. The cliff is shining in different shades of ocher and brown. All together this scenery is just amazing! I continuing my way to the location Tino gave me and soon I see his car. I’m searching for a spot to park Rosinante and have to maneuver her on the narrow road, sharp stones until I found a good place for us.

Tino comes over from his car and I’m happy to see him again. We welcome each other and have a chat about this and that. He has the plan to investigate a nearby cave and I’m thankful for this adventure.