Last night I slept in the car. We'd pitched a tent at Sunset Campground in King's Canyon, then gone to have a shower and dinner at the Grove centre. When we returned at about 9:30pm, there was a large, extended Mexican family that had just arrived with 3 cars and were getting ready to set up 4 tents only 2 metres away, had just started a fire and were wanting to BBQ food at 10pm at night!

My experience from the previous night at Potwisha was noisy, to say the least, and I didn't want a second sleepless night in a row, so I suggested to Wendy that we move the tent, but she said she was too tired and wanted to sleep in the tent right that minute. I replied that I wasn't going to stay there as I wasn't going to get any sleep and that if she wanted to stay there, I would find a quiet spot somewhere else and sleep in the car. To which she started swearing and had a massive strop about all the stuff she'd already placed in the bear-proof box (provided at all sites and compulsory for campers to place food and strong-smelling products). The tent was eventually moved but there was a whole lotta huffing and puffing and far too much unnecessary negativity. So I decided to sleep in the car, instead, anyway.

I'm not interested in being treated in this way - not by anybody. I do not want to be the target of someone's misdirected anger and aggression. Perhaps the old saying that familiarity breeds contempt is true and travel can create a lot of stress, but I have not experienced this sort of behaviour from my friends (even those I have travelled with). It made me realise that I don't want to spend time around people who are rude or have no respect for me.

It also made me realise how grateful and lucky I am to have wonderful friends and family back in London and around the world. All my wonderful childhood friends in South Africa that still keep in touch with me even though they have busy family lives. My friends that I reconnected with in Australia, New Zealand and America who live on the other side of the world and welcomed me into their homes with open arms with no expectations. My friends that have returned to their home countries or found new ones in far flung places with whom I still share a special connection. My, mostly immigrant, friends in London, and those who have lived for a while in foreign countries, who understand what it is like to be a stranger in a strange land. My family who put up with my determined schemes to study, work and travel. I appreciate their kind honesty, words of encouragement, pearls of wisdom, positive energy and supportive gestures.

No person is an island and it is important to have like-minded people around to share ideas, thoughts and experiences with in a positive and constructive way. In any case, Wendy apologised very sincerely for her behaviour in the morning, and I forgave her and appreciated the apology. However, I also don't want to be walking on eggshells and feel wary of these type of unpredictable outbursts, so I feel that I should try to distance myself somewhat and spend more time doing my own thing. After all, we're not tied at the hip, married or in debt to each other.

So, we left King's Canyon and drove through Fresno where we had lunch at the Yosemite Falls Cafe - a quintessentially American diner. When we walked in it looked like someone was having a 70th birthday party and the decor looked like someone's granny had been let loose on the place. It turns out that they have a special menu for Senior Citizens and special lunch deals for retired folk. Great business model as they have plenty of time (and disposable income) for lunchtime treats!

We got to the Wawona Reservations office in the afternoon and the closest available campsite was at a place called Bridal Veil near Glacier Point. The ascent is steep and winding but the campground setting was beautiful amongst the trees and, most importantly, quiet! After we'd set up our tent, we drove to Glacier Point at about 5pm and watched the dust and dusk settle on the valley down below. The air is a lot cooler at this height and seeps into your bones. Glacier Point is an astonishing and dizzying 980 foot drop to the valley floor! Across the valley are massive rocky peaks and boulders with waterfalls cascading at various intervals into lakes and streams. The famous landmark that everyone comes to marvel at, especially towards sunset, is Half Dome. It really is a spectacular sight to behold and amazing to consider that people hike the . The shape of the valley below is a result of the carving action of ancient ice fields and it certainly feels like there is ancient permafrost deep within the core of the rocks!

Upon our return to the campsite, there was a ranger-led Night Prowl tour from Bridal Veil. This hike is not very far but the purpose is that you get to use your other senses. We were not allowed to use our flashlights so we could, according to our ranger, Phaedra, "regain our natural night vision". Unfortunately, this also meant that I couldn't write down much of what she was saying as the light from the iPod screen is quite bright.

"It takes about 30min for our eyes to adapt to darkness", informed Phaedra and so, with these words of encouragement, we proceeded on our night trek through the moonlit forest. Phaedra has been working at Glacier Point for 6 years and came up with the concept of the night tours! At first, it was quite scary being in the dark and sometimes stumbling over unidentified things, but then as our natural night vision kicked in, outlines became more delineated. When there is a lack of light, the cones in the cornea are deactivated and the rods take on the task of letting your eyes see shapes in the dark.

Throughout the walk, we would stop and she would explain certain facts about our senses, about animals in the area and about the history of the place. For example, she told us that you have to walk differently at night in the dark - heel to toe and lift feet high to allow for any roots and rocks on the trail. Many animals have great night vision because they have adapted it to see at night when they are most active. Their ears have also developed to heighten their sense of hearing which is why they mostly have conical shaped ears placed on top of their heads - for optimum effect - like satellite dishes! We all cupped our hands behind our ears to test this out - it really does amplify sound - try it out at home, folks!

For the most part, we walked along an old road built in 1882 to Glacier Point. Decommissioned a few decades ago, the forest has taken over and given it a new shape. A much more organic shape. We crossed dry creek beds with round, castanette pebbles and shuffled on dull sand until we finally reached a solid mound of rock which we climbed to the top encircled by a dense canopy of shadowy trees. It is here that Phaedra showed us the ancient "kitchen" of the local Native Indians. The rock had several holes, the width of small tree trunks, which, she explained, were probably created by women pounding and grinding acorns and other seeds and roots, over the years, to make food.

It was beautiful - the moon and the stars provided a safety night light and we could see much more clearly. We could see the Milky Way stretched out across the sky above and the smooth holes pounded into the rock below our feet. The area is alive with geology, history, biology, archaeology and geography. And we discovered this all in the dark!