Crazy train

Everyone has a "crazy" friend. They vary in their antics from idiotic to just head shaking groaning.
I am no different and my crazy friend was Paul. Crazy Paul. He was one of the couriers, but he was also so much more.  Paul was a traveller, accomplished moocher, drug fiend, and doctorate of bio-chemistry amongst many other things.
Paul was the friend that your mother warned you about with the phrase "If Paul jumped off a bridge would you jump off too?" Yeah, I probably would have and I guarantee I'd have been laughing the entire way down.
The camps always seemed divided on Paul - and various experiences seemed to galvanise that opinion of him, but Paul never cared what others thought. For him it was always a shrug of the shoulders a big smile and a cheerful 'fuck ya' that wasn't aggressive or belligerent. He never sought any ones approval or acceptance.
I loved Paul from the moment I met him. More importantly I loved travelling with Paul. It was his spontaneity that won me over. There are many places, people and things I never would have experienced without him. On many occasions we would be drinking at the Royal Oak or the Manx on a Friday night after work and Paul would skull the rest of his beer and say 'let's go wake up Deanne and drive to New York.'
"Paul, its 1 am."
"I know, time is short, it will take ten hours or so to get there."
"OK, lets do it."
Deanne was unimpressed to be woken up and being dragged into a car, but she always went along.

Time is short.
How true those words are. Thanks to friends like Paul I have lived many life times in this short one.

India.
India is an assault on the senses.
The noise, the smells, the sound, the colours, the crowds.
The clash of cultures of the old and new India.
Unless you have been, it is impossible to fully comprehend just what it is like.
I first went to India with Paul, we back packed and trekked from Kashmir up to the Nepalese border and then south to Hyderabad. Along the way we took in all that the country had to offer, the food, the drugs, the culture. It was a fantastic experience. One that became all the better when on a whim, we headed to a Buddhist Monastery in Dharamsala and met his Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso. It was his birthday and we greeted him with the traditional white silk scarves, he in turn greeted and blessed us. I still have the scarf he blessed and while I am not one for overly sentimental attachment, I am greatly attached to that scarf - which had originally come from Guatamala and travelled to many, many places.
I was in such awe of meeting such an esteemed person, that I couldn't tell you what we spoke of. All that I remember is that there was a lot of laughter and good tidings. Sitting there drinking tea, I was happy and content just to bask in such wisdom and the radiance of joy.

Drugs.

Paul had a problem with drugs.
He mostly used weed and mushrooms but would try just about anything that was offered. We were once at a party and Paul was rolling a joint, I looked at him and asked how he expected to share. Paul responded that he couldn't as he had to make his stash last a week. He was trying to cut down to an ounce a week. Yes, you read that correct, an ounce a week. An impressive amount by anyone's standards.
During that trip to India, Paul ran out of money, he sold his return ticket to Canada, and then ran through that money as well. This wasn't out of the ordinary for Paul, as I mentioned he was an impressive mooch, a skill that he honed in just these circumstances. So, he set to work. Instead of working or getting food, Paul got as many drugs as he could from other backpackers as he could. He then proceeded to take them all at once and went insane. Quite literally. He was placed in a psych ward for 24hr observation and was promptly flown to England in business class by his travel insurance and from there back to Ottawa. Turns out, he had thought it all out. Why not make use of the insurance you pay for he figured.
It's a fine line between insanity and genius.
For most, Paul would have fallen into the former. However, when you consider that Paul received his doctorate in Bio-Chemistry, for developing a bacteria that feeds exclusively on human waste, reducing the water in treatment plants by 40%. It puts his mindset into a different light.
Fortunately, Paul met a girl named Hadassa. She kicked his arse. She got him to cut way back on the drugs and drinking and I am certain it was her influence that got him to finish his degree. Its now been thirteen years or more since I've heard from Paul and honestly I don't think I will ever find him again.

I'm alright with that. Its the memories of the adventures we shared that I am forever indebted to him for. Also, I think it was Paul's example of finding the right companion and changing a lifestyle while still staying true to yourself that made my transition into who I am now with Olivia all that much more possible.
So, to you my friend, where ever you are and whatever you may be doing. Thank you.