Awhile back, over a year and a half ago to be precise, I told you about this new hobby of mine – live webcams. I’m still watching them, my favorites being this watering hole in the Namib desert in Namibia (the wildlife is amazing), and this channel that cycles through US cities (and a few Canadian ones) every thirty seconds, giving you a chance to “travel” virtually. I was then and I am now completely addicted to them.
It may have something to do with my disability. I can’t walk. Well, but for some short jaunts shuffling around my apartment on my walker. No news there. Once I get out of bed in the morning, use the toilet, etc., I am pretty much seated in my recliner all day until I go to bed around ten at night. If I’m not, it’s a quick trip across the courtyard to the dining room for a meal on my power wheelchair, or some puttering around on my patio caring for my plants.
I am the very definition of a couch potato, though not because I am lazy. I have no choice; it’s the hand I’ve been dealt. Or rather it’s the leg I’ve been dealt! See what I did there? 🙂 I’ve adapted, and divided my time up into set periods for different activities, all to avoid sitting around on my a** watching tv all day – which I did for the first five years after I became disabled.
I realized, when I found myself waking up one morning wondering what the ladies on The View would be discussing that day, I needed to change! I no longer watch tv (or our 21st century equivalent – streaming) before 6 pm, and then only until bedtime which I have set for myself at 10. The only exception is breaking news.
So the live webcams are a way for me to go somewhere without going anywhere. It is next to impossible for me to travel. It’s even difficult for me to “pop” around town. But if I was cooped up in my apartment all day, everyday, I’d go stir crazy. We don’t need to be adding “stir” to the charcuterie board of crazy that is me! I can only read for so long before my eyes start to glaze over, and I start to doze off. I try to get my gardening done before 10 in the morning, 11 at the latest, especially this time of year when the temperature is already hovering around 100 degrees by then. That leaves a lot of daylight hours to fill. If Gordon had his way I’d spend them giving him belly rubs.
Fortunately, I am an introvert and I enjoy my own company. Arthur Schopenhauer, the 19th century German philosopher, said that it was our interaction with other people that most contributed to our unhappiness, because the social contract involves so much compromise in order for our socializing to remain civil; if you doubt this, next time you’re in a group of people, pay attention to what you’d really like to say (um, but don’t say it!) and compare that to your smiles, and nods, and continual use of the meaningless phrase “uh huh.” Meaningless in the sense that you are not agreeing.
Almost all of our sorrows spring out of our relations with other people.
Arthur Schopenhauer, The World as Will and Representation, Vol. II
For his part, Schopenhauer preferred the company of his poodles, and lived alone with them for the last 27 years of his life. He set himself a rigorous daily schedule to which he adhered diligently, which included a two-hour walk each day, come rain or shine. There is much from Schopenhauer that I emulate in my own life from his “The Wisdom of Life” and “Counsels and Maxims,” two of his most famous essays that serve as a sortof crib sheet for living.
But I can’t pull off a two-hour walk. A two-minute walk would be a challenge for me! So the webcams became my “outlet,” figuratively and literally. Only one problem, they were stationary views of places, albeit live. Then I had an amazing discovery.
Live bus journey videos have become increasingly popular on YouTube, offering viewers a unique way to experience travel without ever leaving their homes. These videos are typically filmed from the front seat or dashboard of a bus, providing a real-time view of roads, landscapes, city streets, and daily life along the route.
One of the main attractions of live bus journeys is their ability to transport viewers to different locations around the world. Whether traveling through busy urban centers, scenic countryside roads, coastal highways, or mountain passes, these videos showcase the beauty and diversity of various regions. Many viewers enjoy watching them for relaxation, virtual tourism, or to learn about public transportation systems in different countries.
Creators often stream bus journeys live, allowing audiences to interact through chat while the trip is taking place. This creates a sense of community among travel enthusiasts and public transport fans. Some channels also provide route information, local history, and interesting facts about the places being visited.
For transportation enthusiasts, live bus journey videos offer valuable insights into vehicle operations, road conditions, and driving techniques. For others, like me, they provide a calming and immersive experience, accompanied by the natural sounds of the journey which have the effect of making it feel “real” – 3D for you ears.
I am hooked!
I love all things English, due in large part to my family’s heritage on my father’s side – the Wilkinsons, a family name that dates back to the Norman Conquest of 1066. And so, lately, I have been taking daily bus rides through London. It’s fascinating, and strangely more satisfying than viewing the landmarks, like The Royal Albert Hall or Trafalgar Square. Winding along the high street (British English for a town’s “main street”) or through neighborhoods of flats (“apartments”) with pedestrians walking dogs, running out to the shops, or bringing home a curry, I get a real sense of being there. The channel I watch has live audio from the bus, so I’ll often eavesdrop on commuters’ conversations – I’m a fly on the wall, without the creepiness of me sitting across from you staring as you talk to your mates!
I originally started tuning in to go on little expeditionary adventures, but my virtual bus rides have become a relaxing and almost meditative experience. I find myself looking forward to them, not just as a way to kill time, but as a positive, rejuvenating part of my day. I am fond of the saying “your mileage may vary” – so fond, that if you look up in the righthand corner of this page and every page on this website you’ll see it as part of the site’s fixed header. It’s a way of saying “what you get out of this may be different than what I get out of it.” In the case of live bus journey videos, well, there’s a pun in the saying, because the mileage I get is actual mileage! Why not give it a go…
