Down Memory Lane

Sometimes I find that London is crowding me and fuelling my lung with polluted air. I like London and at the moment I don’t think I can live anywhere else, but once in a while I have to get away from the bustling city life. I had to get out fast to rejuvenate myself. London does have quite a lot of interesting parks whatsoever but it’s a definite no-no (unless I don’t have any other choices) because I think the city is kind of short of fresh air.

I guess the destination of my weekend getaways depends on my mood but they all must be nature induced. I miss the times in MO, where I can just take an hour or two off to Devil’s Ice Box or Finger Lakes. Or the Cosmo Park since they’re all not too far from home.

Anyway, this time I chose to go back to Skipton, located in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (YD). I said back because it is a town where I started my life in the UK and it’s the town that offered me chances. I won’t be able to live there anymore but I will surely go back for it’s wonderful sceneries.

My first job gave me a lot of chances to explore Yorkshire. Armed with a fleet of ice cream vans, my friends and I drove everywhere in the country from busy cities like Cardiff and Leeds to Malham and Dent, two quiet villages in the middle of nowhere.

The work was hard but the rewards were sweeter. I love driving on the single-track road in the dales along side the creeks and sheep with coloured spots on them, looking at me curiously. Sometimes when I wasn’t pressed for time, I would stop and just enjoy the lovely views. I can lose myself and engross in my own thoughts about a happier life and a peaceful world without a care for others. I just wanted to be left alone.

This time around, I had the pleasure of exploring the YD again. It was so refreshing to go back and see it from the eyes of tourists. Walking at a slow pace without the need to hurry, I find that the view is and will always be magnificent. And I can’t help but sing What a Wonderful World. For a while there, I felt connected with the world of cattle and vast countryside.