From Spain to Switzerland...by bike!

It’s become an annual occurrence of mine to cycle around Europe in my summer break from Colombia with a few friends in tow.  This blog documented my coast to coast trip across the USA in 2010, and also mentions  trips from Barcelona to Milan in 2011, and to Spain from England last year, but for one time constraint and another, I’ve not always been able to go into as much as detail as I’d like to have done.  Anyway, this year saw the 2012 crew decide to embark on another tour across Europe on our bikes, so myself, university mate, James Birchall and sort of university mate, Andy Kenny, put our heads metaphorically together through Facebook messages over a few months to come up with the plan of cycling from the Basque city of Bilbao, on Spain’s northern coast, to Geneva, just inside the Swiss border and on the edge of the mighty Alps.  As our trips tend to coincide with the Tour de France, we also thought we’d stick in an ascent of the legendary Alpine climb, Alp D’Huez, where the tour was going up in its 100^th anniversary year, and why not also pass by the engineering magnificence of the Millau bridge in the south of France?  There we had it, route sorted!

In Spain, with views over to the Pyrenees and France

Unfortunately, the preparation didn’t go as planned for Andy, who injured his knee on a training ride the week before we were due to fly out, so we were a man down straight from the off, which complicated equipment issues for us, such as tents and stoves, as well as him obviously missing out on a week of his holiday.   Nevertheless, James and I proudly boasted that we felt fitter than last year, and together with James’ new bike, and some fine sunshine, we confidently cycled out of Bilbao on a Saturday afternoon, with the remnants of a stinking hangover being masked by the usual excitement and anticipation of what the next 2 weeks and 700 plus miles of cycling would hold for us.  This year’s route distinguished itself from last year’s monotonous riding through northern France by thrusting us straight into steep, but short, coastal climbs, before gradually climbing the higher peaks of the Central Massif, and then onto the Alpine ascents that are infamous with professional and amateur cyclists alike.

The world's tallest bridge, the Millau Viaduct, 

Spain’s wealthy Basque country didn’t feel like part of a country with 25% unemployment, I suppose that’s why so many people there want to be independent, but did provide us with very pleasant coastal roads and a reintroduction to the cycle tourer diet.  Eating huge bowls of cereal and bananas for breakfast, lunchtime ham, cheese and tomato sandwiches, and all rounded off with chorizo and tomato pasta for our evening meal, interspersed with cakes, ice creams, cookies and nuts throughout the day, is very enjoyable.  I hear that Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic are on gluten free diets so I’m not sure what they’d make of ours, but it works for us.

James trying to shelter from the hail

San Sebastian was beautiful and had an incredible cycle infrastructure, including exclusive cycling tunnels, but Biarritz, on the French Atlantic, wasn’t as glitzy as I’d imagined, maybe that’s why the ‘Beer and Tits’ nickname originated, but still it had a nice beach and was a decent place to take it easy for a day.  We gradually made our way eastwards, increasing the mileage up to a hefty 85 miles on one day, but also into hilly inland areas, more vulnerable to heavy afternoon thunderstorms.  We had a bit of luck for a few days, avoiding them by diving into bus shelters on the edge of town at the last minute or sitting in McDonalds making use of the free wifi, before we were caught out.  Arriving at the top of a 1,000m peak, dark clouds hovered above us, and despite descending at 30mph, we weren’t able to out run the impending storm.  All of a sudden a barrage of ice cubed sized hail forced us to duck for cover under trees (not ideal in an electrical storm), whilst hailstones continued to ping off our helmets and chink our bike frames as thunder rumbled around us.  A few passing cars slowed down to see why the two resting bicycles didn’t have any cyclists on them, but it didn’t get us down the mountain any quicker and a cold and wet descent meant a break from camping in a ‘Chambe D’Hote’ was in order to dry ourselves and our kit out.

Spirits were raised the next day by a return to clear blue skies and scorching temperatures, as well as some lovely cycling through the Ardeche region, passing scented lavender fields, before we met up with our crooked companion, Andy, that evening.  His knee hadn’t quite repaired itself on the beach in Barcelona (blame the beer), but he felt up for the challenge to plough along with us for the second week towards Geneva, where he was then set to start another week of intense cycling through the Alps on a separate holiday.  Cycling predominantly with his right leg and a concoction of drugs that would make Lance Armstrong jealous, he more than kept up with James and I, leaving the prospect open of still being able to make it up Alp D’Huez.

Before that however, we had to stop off in Grenoble.  I’d previously heard good things about this place, but I reserve the right to call this city perhaps the most boring one I’ve ever had the misfortune to stumble across.  I’d say cycling 6 miles in the evening, along main roads, without finding even one bar open, makes it more akin to the nuclear decimated Chenobyl than a supposedly wealthy western European city.  At least we weren’t short of conversations though with our campsite neighbours well involved in their own domestic dispute and the campsite itself boasting toilets that smelt very much of stale urine.  A lovely place to stay, it was not.  Anyway, the Alps beckoned and at least Grenoble has a good cycle network, enabling us to make a rapid escape for the mountains.

Alp D'Huez - Andy 3rd, James 1st, Me 2nd

The name of Alp D’Huez rightly reverberates around cyclists conversations throughout the world.  It features regularly in the Tour de France and this year the cyclists were, for the first time, subjected to not one, but two ascents of the mountain.  This involves around 8.5 miles of continuous climbing with 22 hairpin corners ramping up the gradient to around 13% in places, taking you from the valley basin at 700m to the ski resort, at about 1,850m.  The tour and its 500,000 fans had filled the mountain the week before, so the roads were freshly ‘decorated’ with support for Froome, Quintana, Contador and co, all adding to the mythical nature of the climb.  James finished first in about 80 minutes, I was a few minutes behind and Andy’s ever expanding right leg managed to power him up not too long afterwards, a top effort from all of us.  We found a podium to get a photo in our new, and increasingly dirty, Union Jack jerseys, where the inevitable comparisons to Froome and Wiggins were made (!), they’d get up the climb in about 40 minutes or so, half our time and that’s an incredible average speed of over 12mph, doing it twice!  The information leaflet said around 400 cyclists go up every day in the summer, but I’d say this is a very conservative estimate, and the continual stream of weary cyclists that came passed us as we enjoyed a celebratory beer even included one guy with a baby on the back his bike!   These days are always the highlight of the holiday for various reasons, none more so than being surrounded by stunning scenery and feeling very proud of what you and your mates have just achieved.  Obviously  knowing that the climbing is just about done, leaving you to cycle down at 35mph, is pretty good fun too…

Unfortunately a visit to the Grenoble campsite was once again called for, where our rubbish bag from the previous stay still hadn’t been removed, but we treated ourselves to a rotisserie chicken and manufactured a fridge out of Andy’s pannier for the beer.  All that was now left was the 100 miles or so of cycling to Geneva, via a stop off at beautiful Lake Annecy, to complete another cycle tour across Europe and finish with a few well earned beers!  Geneva is as expensive as you might have imagined, and also full of prostitutes we realised, which you might not have thought of.  Consequently walking around slightly inebriated at 3am looking for a takeaway felt more like walking down the seedy Avenida Sexta in Cali or Amsterdam's Red Light District than a classy European city, but I suppose nowhere's ever perfect.  It does have free public transport to the airport though, which is a very advantageous when taking your 25kg cardboard box and bike back home!   

Last day's cycling at Lake Annecy

When telling people about these trips afterwards they are often astounded by what they entail, and when planning them you do think if you really want to put yourself through the long, hot days, sudden rainstorms and endless climbs all over again.  But that unpredictability for me is what cycle touring is all about.  Cycling with your mates, experiencing all these continual challenges can be occasionally frustrating, but when finishing in a new city together and being able to look back at how far you have travelled in such a short space of time, you can feel rightly pleased with yourself.  Obviously you also feel a hell of a lot fitter, maybe with a few niggling pains, but having seen a huge part of a country, eaten its food, spoken the language and shared the usual jokes and bugbears for 2 weeks we start to think where the next tour could take us.  Maybe the World Cup or something else will get in the way next year, who knows, but if not, I’m sure we’ll get planning and think of where we could go.  Europe's compactness, fine summer weather and beautiful towns and cities always make it an attractive choice, but across the pond The Pacific Coast Highway, from LA to San Francisco, is widely regarded as an excellent cycle tour.  Wherever we choose I'm sure there'll be the usual trials and tribulations - wonderful weather, stunning views, evening beers, as well as a scruffy campsite or two and some horrendous hangovers hanging on the handlebars...but hopefully we'll once again be able to look back on what we've done, have a few more stories to tell and some well toned and tanned legs to match!


Here are some facts and stats about the trip:

Distance travelled - 722 miles (I think!)

Longest day - 85 miles, Lavaur to St. Affrique

Average mileage over 14 days - 52 miles a day

Highest point - 1,850m, Alp D'Huez

1,000m+ passes - 3

Accommodation - 11 camping nights, 4 hotel/Chambre D'Hote/hostel nights

Hottest day - 40oC, Viviers to St. Donat

Punctures - 0

Thunder storms that stopped us cycling - 4

Hail storms that stopped us cycling - 1

Evening meals - 9 'Pasta Delights' cooked on the stove, 5 burgers/pizzas eaten in restaurants

Countries visited - 3, Spain, France and Switzerland

Song of the tour - Ian Brown - Stellify

Foreign Football in Cali and the founding of Aston Huila!

I recall living abroad for the first time in Chile 5 years ago.  One of things I missed most about  life in England was having a regular game of football with a group of mates, an event to get together every week, do some exercise and share a few jokes and beers afterwards.  I felt the same sentiment when I started living in Colombia, and it took me a year and a half in Cali to find a good group of guys who invited me along for a kick about.  The crew I stumbled across were a mix of foreign teachers and a rag bag bunch of Colombians from all walks of life, some of whom have been playing together in the same place, at the same time, more or less every week for the past 8 years.  Obviously some faces have come and gone due to moving jobs, changing girlfriends and the like, but the tradition lives on and we meet every Friday, at around 6pm, for a game of 5 or 6 a side, on top of a multi-storey supermarket car park, with a view of Cali and in the shadow of the towering Andes.

The two teams that kick off are generally comprised of foreign transfers, it could be said, with a few homegrown Colombian talents who've managed to penetrate their way into the first team.  The quality of the game varies and niggling injuries persist, backs crack here and knees creak there, but we normally play for at least an hour, sometimes running up a rugby score with a few 'Golazos' in the process, but then always sitting down for a few beers and a good catch up afterwards.  Post match rumours have occasionally circulated about possible 11-a-side games and potential opponents, but it has taken until last Saturday for a full sided game to be arranged on a good quality pitch, with kits, opponents and, the hardest bit, our own 11 players!

Pre-Game Team Talk

'Captain' John Driscoll, who christened us 'Aston Huila,' did the lion's share of organisation, sending the team out by facebook, buying the oranges and even arranging a fake German away kit to wear, with a few pairs of accompanying Liverpool shorts, raising eyebrows amongst certain team members.  The venue was Deportivo Cali's training complex, in the south of the city and on the edge of the Cordillera mountains, which comes complete with a few pitches, pool, steam room, gym and even a bar and restaurant.  Our opposing team were all big 'Cali' fans with the relevant club membership to play at such a place, which is how we got the invitation to come along, otherwise there's no way we would have got the chance to show our skills (!) in such extravagant surroundings.

Being the first time most of us had ever played 11-a-side football together, as well as with the game taking place in Cali's suppressing afternoon heat, we didn't exactly have expectations of a possession, pressing based 'tiki-taka' style of play á la Barcelona, but we thought that with our virtues of organisation, communication and team spirit, as well as a few skillful players dotted around the team, we might be able to spring an upset on the Colombians.  However, like everything in life, preparation is paramount.  The star striker got lucky on his big Friday night on the town, with inevitable consequences, the intended left back couldn't make it due to his own toilet committments and the right back, myself, had barely eaten for the previous 2 days due to stomach problems of my own, as well as one centre back only just passing a late fitness test on his back.  All in all, not great and when we saw the size of the pitch we were going to play on, our childlike enthusiasm was replaced with a less gung-ho attitude, based around the need for energy conservation and maximising substitutions.

Being punctual foreigners we arrived one hour early, but being Colombia, the game was of course slightly delayed due to the referee's late arrival.  Eventually at about 3.45pm we kicked off and tentatively got to grips with our positions and sussing out our direct opponents.  Mine seemed to be a fairly silky skilled left winger, he wasn't having any of my banter intended to put him off his game and I opted not to put a Ron Atkinson 'reducer' on him early doors to make my presence felt, for fear of being turned and skinned, and then potentially sick chasing him down on my starved stomach.  Nevertheless, we had a fairly solid start with some good tracking of players and preventing chances, and even some good passing and a few chances of our own.  Having never defended a proper corner together, set pieces were never going to be our strong point, however, and it was from the first corner into the box that a towering free header put us 1-0 down after about 15 minutes.  The challenge now was to keep our heads held high and get ourselves back on track.  Luckily, a quick reply came thanks to some tidy build up play on the right and a nice finish from Canadian creative midfielder, Andy Harris.  1-1 and game on!

Top:Ayres,Whelan,Skinner,Driscoll,Chow,Sheakespeare,Harris
Bottom:Procter,Ortiz,Palmer,Kaney,McCaffrey

Unfortunately we couldn't hold on for long and we went off at the break 3-1 down after a few well worked goals from our oppenents.  Fitness was proving to be an issue, with most of our team sporting pasty white skin which was proving extremely attractive to the overhead sun, and the tropical heat wasn't helping the situation either, meaning regular substitutions, affecting the set up of the team.  It goes without saying that the half time oranges were a very welcome sight.  It turned out as well that the referee, who was having a pretty good game in general, had only given us a 40 minute half, but he said he'd rectify it by giving us a 50 minute second half, not that much of the team were interested in actually playing the whole official 90 minutes at that moment in time.

The second half started well for us, but the left winger, their best player, scored two goals in quick succession, leaving us an uphill battle for the last 25 minutes.  We still managed to get a few shots away and had we taken our chances, especially at 3-1, who knows what would have happened.  The game eventually finished 7-2, with the half highlights being Harris' stupendous second goal, a 25 yard screamer leaving the keeper hapless.  A mention must also be made for our goalkeeper, Luke Whelan, whose own goal was a sight to behold, clinically smashed in the top corner of his own net from 1 yard out after a goal mouth scramble.

So, the game finished, handshakes were exchanged and the rather tacky trophy was passed over to the victors, leaving us to reflect on Aston Huila's first outing.  After a quick dip in the pool and some time in the steam room to rest sore muscles and aching joints, a few beers slipped down easily in the sumptuous surroundings, with conversation revolving about when future possible games will be and areas for improvement as a team.  The sun, heat and humidity proved a lethal combination, and adding on our general lack of fitness, it was no surpise that most of the squad was left absolutely battered, so there we have one area identified for definite improvement in the future.

Post Friday Footy Beers!

Looking back a few days later after the knocks have faded away and we've all got our breath back, I'm sure we can all say it was a great day out.  It's not every day you get to play at one of the most exclusive places in Cali, surrounded by palm trees, the Andes mountains and with tropical birds serranading you as you run around a football field.  It might have been hard work, and we didn't win, but as with all team sports, it's not just the actual game that defines your enjoyment of the occasion, but more the actual people you play with.  Who'd have thought that all those Friday evenings running around on top of a supermarket, releasing the pent up anger from the busy week at work, would have lead to such a fantastic afternoon.  And so we'll meet again this Friday evening as the daylight fades, captains will pick the teams, the game will feature a few good goals, and a few scrappy ones, but of course we'll all sit down afterwards for a few (too many) well earned beers!

  

Back to posting with a personal review of 2012!

First of all, an apology.  This blog has fallen somewhat by the wayside over the last 18 months.  For this I blame a combination of more time consuming work and obviously becoming lazier in the free time I do have, but who would have thought that at 1am on New Year’s Eve 2012 the writing inspiration would grace my fingertips and keyboard once again!  That, and the steady stream of tweets and emails I receive on a weekly basis regarding  teaching, travelling, Colombia and anything else to do with my life, have put my mind to work on my life review for 2012.  I do read all the emails that you send me, and do my best to get back to you all, even if there maybe a delay, which I sincerely apologise for.  Anyway, hopefully this review should be a bit more entertaining than a standard ‘Round Robin’ Christmas card letter!

Starting on a professional level, 2012 treated me with a change of jobs.  I’ve now gone from working in one of Cali’s prestigious bilingual schools, teaching 8^th and 9^th grade English and History, to another top school, but just with 8^th grade English to keep me busy now.  Less planning, a bit more grading and more academic freedom is the general mantra of the new job.   I’m finding out 8^th graders are the same, regardless of the school – that means they like to touch each other, often inappropriately, hate authority and have little control over their hormones and emotions.  But it’s these observations of their growing up and (slow) maturing that make them ever so slightly endearing, at times.

Free time in Cali is being increasingly taken up by the growing cricket schedule - we have had 2 competitive games this year!  Us Cali folk ventured up to the capital in June for our first away fixture and then Bogotá returned the favour in November.  Unfortunately they trounced us on both occasions but all the meetings are turning out to be very memorable occasions, whether that is due to being invited to the British Ambassador’s residence in Bogotá, having inebriated team members vomit out of buses (no names), or some absolutely marvellous cricket in the meantime, I’ll let you decide.

The expanding cricket team, forming a sort of core for the British community in Cali, is definitely one of the highlights of living abroad now.  The cricket is taken fairly seriously, but the bonds amongst a rag bag bunch of people, developing into a team, and the people that surround it, make these match weekends ever more enjoyable.  Around that we have also had occasions such as the Diamond Jubilee to bring us together for a rendition of 'God Save the Queen', and even Cali’s first ever pub quiz, hosted by myself and good friend, Luke Whelan.   The role of being a Quizmaster can be a bit stressful, but having 50 people wait on your every word and then getting to see their look of general confusion with questions such as, “Which company sponsor Novak Djokovic’s tennis clothing?” is very good fun.

My holidays this year have followed a similar, adventurous theme, as with previous years (with the exception of the recent excessive Christmas drinking!).  I have just come back from the French Alps, after a week’s skiing in luxurious Courchevel, and the summer’s main expedition was a cycle trip from the south of England to the wonderful Spanish city of Barcelona, via the ferry to Northern France at the start of course.  University friend, James Birchall, and American cycle companion, Andy Kenny, provided the company this time as we ventured through western France, before arriving at the Pyrenees.  Regular readers of this blog will be aware that planning of our cycle trips doesn’t really come high on the agenda and just heading for a destination is the accepted norm.  Well, the same was true this year, except that the Tour de France decided to cross our path!  Obviously the Tour goes much faster than we do, but our ascent of the highest pass in the Pyrenees, the Col du Tourmalet at 2115m, was just 2 days before Wiggins, Froome, Contador and co were making their way up it.  Consequently, our 4 hours of climbing was accompanied by all the Tour fans setting up to watch the race later in the week,  all of a sudden giving us thousands of adoring fans shouting “Allez Allez”, to which I responded with my support for Wiggo!  There was also lots of past support for Lance Armstrong still painted on the road, I wonder if that will still be there in 2013.  Bearing in mind that 2013 is the 100^th Tour de France, I think I might plan to cross paths with it this time, maybe for the Alp d’Huez Alpine finish?

I always think it’s a good idea to ‘tick’ a metaphorical box every year, whether that be visit a place, see a person, or do a personal milestone, such as a marathon.  Well, the marathon box thrust itself upon my friend and colleague, Jim Watts, and I in September by way of the Medellin marathon.  ‘Thrust’ being the verb of choice mainly as we only entered 10 days before, and completed one training run in the process.  We were raising money for a local charity in Cali and our lack of training, whilst being very brave, was also rather short sighted in some respects.  Just having a good aerobic fitness is not enough for a marathon I found out, rather painfully, at the halfway point of 21km when my right knee seized up.  Still, Jim and I both finished, arm in arm, towards the end, in a time of over 6 hours, and when the finish clock had already been packed away!  It was immensely difficult in the scorching heat and with the pounding pain in my knee, but the solidarity and determination in finishing, together with the immense pride in completing 42km with my mate in Colombia’s first ever international marathon, was well worth the effort, and just about the 2 weeks of pain and hobbling that followed.

I suppose that brings me on to a nice end with the London Olympics.  A blog by an Englishman wouldn’t be complete without a mention of such a momentous occasion for my country.  I was lucky enough to witness Bradley Wiggins storm to Gold in the Cycling Time Trial and also three football matches at Old Trafford, including seeing the impressive but eventually disappointing Brazil team.   The tangible optimism and positivity in London, and around the whole country, was contagious and the venues, both old and new, looked spectacular.   However, the pride of watching both opening and closing ceremonies, with the images of James Bond, the Queen and Mr. Bean beaming around the world, accompanied by the music of the Spice Girls, Take That, The Who and everyone else, couldn’t have made me feel more proud to be British and will definitely stay with me forever .  What an occasion, what a year, and I wonder what 2013 will hold for me back in Colombia?!  That just leaves me to thank all my colleagues, students, friends and family for all being magnificent - Happy New Year!

*More pictures to be added in the coming days!*

Cricket in Colombia

I've mentioned the sport, cricket, a few times on this blog and in other places related to life in Colombia.  I played fairly regularly as a child in school up until the age of 16 or so, and have always taken an interest in the international game, of which my highlight has to be managing to get into Old Trafford on the last day of the 2005 Ashes test match, when 25,000 people were locked out of the packed stadium.  I pushed in the queue to get in, which is rather shameful, but would I do it again to witness the game come down to the final ball, definitely.  Anyway, this most quintessential of English sports has become quite a big fixture of our expat life in Cali over the last few months.

Peter Martin's great design work

Thanks to the many hours of organising by David Muirhead, Cali was able to host its first 'competitive' cricket game since 2002 against Bogotá last weekend.  The build up involved several fairly rigorous (depending on how old you are!) training sessions under the watchful eye of resident Aussie, Tony Carter, and even some net sessions at the restaurant in Rozo.   Arrangements were made for the British Ambassador, John Dew, to come down, t-shirts and caps embroidered with the new logo, social events planned, and eventually, the weekend arrived.  Captain Dennis Jarvis even gave strict instructions to the welcome party to get the Bogotá boys out on the lash in Cali on the Friday evening, in an attempt to cripple their batting line up the following day.  3am phone calls enquiring about the whereabouts of people's kit seems to ensure that was done to good effect.

Getting to the Colombo for the game may have involved a failing convoy of various overloaded vehicles and a few beers, but Friday's rain held off and the 20/20 version of the game was quickly under way with Cali winning the toss and putting Bogotá into bat.  The first over featured 2 sixes as the openers aggressively took on the Cali attack, but Andy Jarvis quickly replied with 2 wickets in the following over. A few chances could have been taken but the middle order ploughed on to take the score to 109/3 off 9 overs, a good building block for the rest of the innings.  Wickets continued to fall, until an impressive last pair stand by a passing traveller in the team and an imposter from the Cali crew, taking their score to a mighty 189 all out off the 20 overs.

Andy Jarvis batting

The Cali innings got off to a decent start with John and Tony, but two wickets in an over, including my own for a very irritating golden duck, were then followed by a middle order collapse.  John scored 44, and then Andy Jarvis took on the Bogotá attack with the tail, scoring a potent 32, but the lack of any partners was always going to prove problematic with Bogotá's bowlers on top form, the nomadic traveller making his mark with a 5 wicket haul.  We were all out for 98, giving the Bogotá team a resounding victory in the 'warm up' game.

We then headed off to the Carlos' residence for some wonderful hospitality to relax after the game.  The delicious paella was swished down with lots of booze, a bit of kareoke and dancing was also had, and all in all , a bloody good time was had by everyone!

Post game social at Carlos'

I then had to leave on the Sunday, so wasn't able to take part in the game, but from what I understand, the Bogotá team very much left their hungover heads on the hostel pillows.  Batting first again, they wilted in the hot Cali sun, and were all out for 133, letting Cali romp to victory by 9 wickets.  John and Tony Carter each scored half centuries and Tony was then named 'Man of the Match,' a fitting way to mark his last outing for the team before he leaves Cali.

Some turned up just to support, others helped out with the hospitality, some just played, but everyone got involved with the event and I think I can speak for everyone that came in saying a great weekend was had by all.  Rumours are already flying around about getting a rematch set up for November in Bogotá, I'm sure they'll want to take us on at altitude. Cricket may have its home back on village greens in England, but a football pitch in tropical Cali, Colombia, didn't prove too bad a venue I must say!

I'm back in England now, planning my cycle trip from Barcelona to Milan, starting in 2 weeks.  I'm then working in a summer language school before heading back to Cali again in August, for another year...or so!  Follow me on Twitter @latino_dave for ongoing updates on these adventures...

Events Back Home

When deciding to live abroad you have to be aware that in doing so you'll be detaching yourself from lots of things that have had a big influence on your life as you've grown up, your friends and family most significantly, but also news, sporting and cultural events that are constantly on going.  There aren't too many days when I really miss England, but watching Man Utd win the record breaking 19th title slightly hungover on Saturday morning and the victory against Chelsea last week, I thought it'd be great to be back home, enjoying the wonderful atmosphere of success whilst marauding slightly inebriated around Manchester city centre.

Although everyone is probably sick of hearing about the Royal Wedding two weeks ago, the same has to be said for that.  This was a truly global, once in a generation event, so much so that when teaching my 3rd grade children (8 years old) in the week before it, they knew more about some of the background and traditions than me, I was astonished.  Being in London, or just in England, for that special holiday period to soak up the feel good vibe, sing along with 'Jerusalem' and wave a cheap Union Jack around would have been fantastic, but then life's twists and turns have brought me here to Colombia and I suppose if there's a Royal Wedding in another 30 years or so, I'll be able to look back on this one and remember my crazy few years in tropical Cali.  As to where I'll be then, that's another matter!

And then in 2 weeks time, the ultimate occasion in club football, the Champions League Final, between Manchester United and Barcelona, comes to Wembley.  I was living in Chile for the 2008 penalty victory over Chelsea, so missed the manic celebrations in Manchester at John Terry's expense, but did venture to Rome to see the humiliating loss against Barca in 2009, although we had a fantastic few days in the Italian capital.  A friend has got hold of a ticket for the Wembley showcase, and I even met a Colombian guy last week who has splashed out €2,000 a piece for the game - he's going to London just for that, must be very flush with cash!

Even though I'll be able to watch the game just as easily here as in England on cable TV, with a few friends and accompanying beers no doubt, it'd be nice to be in a bar in Manchester, or London for that matter, and be surrounded by all the anticipation and excitement associated with such monumental events.  A global audience of 1 billion or whatever it will be just adds to the hype of it all, and I am very much looking forward to what I hope will be a victorious day for my team!

Next summer then brings the Olympics, the biggest show of them all to London.  Despite all the scepticism towards seemingly every aspect of the event, which I think is a very unfortunate aspect of the British psyche, it should be a great show piece and, as long as it doesn't piss down for the two weeks, a wonderful advert for the country.  I've just accepted a job at a bilingual school and will be in Cali for another year, but my holidays would coincide with at least some of the Games, so hopefully I maybe back in England to witness some of the spectacle.

Morning mist and sun in Cali

Obviously the wonders of the internet make it much easier to keep in touch with all of these things nowadays, but there is a part of me that always wants to be there.  This is just the case too with friends and family, the first of my good mates from university has just got engaged back in England, and living abroad would probably mean missing out on that wedding, depending on when and where it happens.  These are all things that affect people living away and can make it hard at times, but then you wake up, look at the morning sun shining on the 4,000m Andes that tower over Cali, and think what a cool thing you're doing in the meantime.  I don't know too many people back home saying that about their current job at the moment.

Colombia doesn't help itself sometimes

Over the past few decades Colombia has had its fair share of very well documented problems regarding drugs, poverty, violent crime and guerilla warfare to name just a few issues, but I generally try and use this blog to focus on the more positive or amusing aspects of life in this country.  I sort of feel a responsibility to tell the world (or my limited blog audience!) about this beautiful place and all the things it has to offer to someone like me, a young man looking for a different adventure to the standard graduate life back home.  However, every now and again, you hear a story of such preposterous proportions that just makes you shake your head and wonder why you bother.

This is the current situation at the university where I worked last year.  La Universidad Santiago de Cali is fairly typical of many in South America, quite well respected academically, but lacking in terms of resources for staff and students, even compared to other universities in Cali.  Nevertheless, I very much enjoyed my time there, a fairly cushy job that was relatively well paid and gave me valuable teaching experience, which is now very relevant for my plans to work in a school next year.  However, the university is currently embroiled in a corruption scandal that is affecting both staff and students a like.

USACA - "We're fighting"

It came to light a few months ago that the university was in "financial difficulties," this in spite of having 14,000 students who either fund their own courses or receive government support.  The university has unpaid tax bills, hasn't paid staff health insurance payments since late 2010, has reduced salaries and restricted the amount of hours teachers can teach, all because of this financial crisis.  And the reason behind this?  Not falling student numbers, not reduced government subsidies like in England (this is a private university), but pure and simple, corruption.


It turns out the Rector and his close group of cronies were swindling huge amounts of money out of the university every month, some say amounts that even supersede what the Colombian President earns which is $18 million (pesos) a month, about £6,000.  This is in a university where some students pay up to $7 million a semester, a substantial sum no matter how you look at it.  I'm not sure how long this has been going on, but the now ex-Rector had been in charge since 2001 and the fact the university is in such a precarious position financially, where teachers are only receiving half of what they are owed, indicates it must have been happening for a substantial amount of time.  Other stories such as university credit cards racking up millions of pesos of unaccounted for spending and all expenses paid trips abroad all contribute to this staggering abuse of university funds.

"Where's our money gone?"

Of course, there are consequences to all this.  As I said, teachers have had to suffer with cuts in pay and now delays in even getting that, and this feeds through to the main teaching activities, with some refusing to give classes, so students who have paid their semester fees are suffering.  It's a vicious circle that threatens the very existence of a significant educational institution, it'll be difficult to attract new students in such a volatile and uncertain climate.  There were rumours of government intervention, but the university constitution is fairly rigid on these things from what I understand, and that would also go against the principles of the proposed "Ley 30" educational reforms, which intends to bring in more private, rather than public, funds to higher education.

But, I go back to the title of this post.  Why is a university in such dire straits?  Is it because of the cocaine trade, or because of FARC...no, it's just an institutionalised system of corruption which has existed in a country for generations.  On Transparency International's Corruption Map Colombia comes out at 3.5 on a scale of 0-10, admittedly better than either of its neighbours, Venezuela (2) and Ecuador (2.5), but no where near the continental leaders of Chile (7.2) and Uruguay (6.9).

As a foreigner living abroad, you're very aware that you're representing your country every time you step out the door and interact with people in the street, whether you like it or not.  And on the contrary, every Colombian is representing their country when they interact with me.  Now on the most part, that is with the wonderful, outgoing and joyful nature that just about everyone here has in abundance, but unfortunately, if you're a foreigner who´s a teacher at a university and are not receiving your salary because of financial problems that have nothing to do with you, it doesn't help the reputation of the country abroad at all, quite the opposite in fact.

In other news, a man stabbed his girlfriend to death two weeks ago at 7am on a Saturday morning whilst on the MIO metro bus, after an argument.  Now, Colombia...you're a truly beautiful country with lots to offer, but how can we try and sell this country to the world as a place to come, visit and enjoy when this sort of stuff goes on?

No Need for Summer Time in Cali

When in England the last weekend of March with the clocks moving forward is always one of my favourite times of the year.  All of a sudden, the extra hour is created that rapidly lengthens as the summer progresses, giving us long, and occasionally warm and sunny, evenings that are perfect for playing sport, BBQs and drinking outside with friends.

It has to be said, one of the best things about living in Cali is the climate, I think it's officially described as semi-tropical but makes socialising in the evenings so pleasant and easy.  Last Saturday night we stayed up playing the Colombian game 'sapo,' (sort of like darts) and drinking on a terrace overlooking the city until 4am with no worries at all about the temperature and no need to go to a bar as you generally do back home.  This can't be said of all Colombian cities, the varying altitude throughout this mountainous country means every city has it's own individual climate.  Bogotá (2,600m) is pretty cold and grey generally, the coast is incredibly humid and hot, Medellin (1,500m) is very pleasant and Cali (900m) can be too hot during the day when the temperature is around 30oC, but is a perfect 20 or so in the evenings.

Typical early morning from my room

The year round summer does seem strange at times however.  Hearing friends back home now remark about the sun coming out and having no need to wear coats doesn't really register with me - it's always like that here!  Nearly April?!  The month and seasons are pretty meaningless in Cali, some months of the year there's more rain but they all sort of merge into one really.  Leaves on trees fall off every now and again instead of all at once, grass grows year round, sunrise is around 6am, and sunset about 6pm - all this comes from being so close to the Equator, which is only 300 miles or so south of Cali near Quito, Ecuador.

There's always pros and cons to everything.  Caleños talk with great excitement about whenever they go somewhere 'cold' - by cold they mean about 15oC or so in the mountains above Cali, not -20oC on a winter's night in the north of England as it was in December.  I'd like to see them experience that and talk with such enthusiasm about not being hot.  Some people say they love the rain that comes in torrential downpours a few times a week, but being from Manchester I'm not convinced by this, I don't think I'll ever miss the constant pissy drizzle I was subjected to all my childhood.

Cricket in a tropical climate

Even though it can seem strange playing cricket in January, there's more advantages to this climate than negatives.  The whole Caleño lifestyle is based around socialising, and the wonderful weather makes this possible.  Adults drinking and dancing salsa on the street, story tellers in the park at the weekend, children on their bikes every night - it does make for a lovely lifestyle, and one that doesn't make me miss the cold and wet of a January night whatsoever.


Here's a link to my second Guardian article that I had published 2 weeks ago about teaching English in South America.  They spelt my name wrong, again, but have since learned how to spell Colombia, so some progress made.
I've also written a few pieces for my fellow Geography graduates, Michael Gray and Joe Richardson, from Leeds University on their "Gradulthood" site, which is about us graduates from the recession foraging our way into the world of work, in an ever more competitive and demanding job market.

Minutes, Minutes, and how to run a Colombian Business

Mobile phones are just as big a part of life in South America as anywhere else in the world, but the cost of ringing cross networks here in Colombia is pretty expensive comparatively, and most people can't afford the direct debit, monthly contracts with hundreds of included minutes that we all have back home, just having simple pay as you go deals instead.  Consequently, 'minutes' are a recurring feature on any street in Colombia.  Basically it's some random Tom, Dick or Harry with a phone for each operator, Comcel, Movistar and Tigo, who you pay a couple of hundred pesos per minute or so to use their phone to call someone on a different network.  A very simple idea that all of a sudden gives a lot of people an enterprising opportunity for employment in a country where about 40% of work is in the informal sector.

Minutes in action

It's more or less like having a phone box on every street corner, and generates quite a few interesting social nuances.  First, if someone's calling you from a 'minutes' phone and you don't necessarily want to speak to them, for whatever reason, it's already too late, you've picked up because you don't know who's calling you and are then having to think of an excuse on the spot for ignoring the said person.  Next, there's the annoying one bell phenomenon.  If someone wants to talk to you but is too tight to use their own minutes, they'll give you a quick 'one bell' and hope you call them back, and be unreasonably annoyed if you don't.  My policy on this matter is to ignore these futile attempts to control you , if someone really wants to speak to me, they will pay a few hundred pesos to do it.  Phone etiquette also goes out the window.  A call creeping over from 59 seconds to 1 minute means another 200 pesos to pay, so conversations just end rather abruptly with the bare minimum discussed.


Minutes on a personal level are one thing, arranging nights out and such is made a bit more complicated by having to nip in and out to ring various people, but you get used to that.  However, I learnt the other day that the phone package at the language institute where I work is also minutes based, and that they have run out for the month.

So a bizarre situation currently exists where a business cannot ring anyone and just hope people call them for the next week or so.  I asked the obvious question of why they don't just get some more minutes, and how this would be just inconceivable in any developed country.  A business nowadays just couldn't operate or survive without a phone or internet, but it appears possible in Colombia (at least I hope it is possible here otherwise I might be looking for another employer soon!).  I was then told that they only gets 500 minutes a month anyway which I found bewildering.  500 minutes?!  That's about one Colombian working day, and seen as a fairly menial quantity even for personal use, and this leads me onto a more general topic of how businesses work here.

Foreign businesses often get a lot of stick in South America, especially the big transnationals, where they're seen as a capitalist threat to the established businesses of a country.  But on another level I can understand how they do so well here.  Foreign owners and managers obviously impose their own policies on efficiency, organisation and communication.  Colgate have a big presence here in Cali and I can't imagine they ever run out of minutes, and when you're in a competitive market these things obviously work in your favour.  Hence if someone wants to learn English at one institute and they don't contact you, they'll just go a few blocks away and enrol there instead.

I do often think about opening my own business and whilst it's never an easy thing to do, no matter what country you're in, if you imposed certain things on your employees in Colombia, you'd already be a mile ahead of the opposition.  Punctuality that means you open on time, respond to emails and get a phone package with minutes and you're onto a winner.  This is all part of living abroad though, there's some things from a different culture that'll you never understand, but add a novelty and variety to your everyday life that you'd never get at home, but make you appreciate those ever so basic things from your own country all the more so.

Help for Expats Abroad

Being an English teacher abroad, it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on the news and what’s going on around you.   At the best of times, things such as strikes can spontaneously break out and disrupt your daily business, as has happened this week at the uni where I used to work.  Students have taken it upon themselves to strike against University “financial irregularities,” or corruption to me and you, and consequently bugger up transport around the place.

Then there’s events like elections, in Colombia the sale of alcohol in shops, bars and nightclubs is brought to a complete halt by law for the entire voting weekend.  A bit drastic insisting on people vote sober some might say, but there are serious safety reasons behind “La Ley Seca” (Dry Law), which when looking into Colombia’s recent history, isn’t hard to fathom why.

However, volatile political regimes and different systems of government around the world do mean that in some cases, your adopted hometown can very quickly turn full circle into a virtual war zone, as in some areas of the Middle East at the moment.  The news has been dominated by the ongoing situation in Libya and the plight of British expats trying urgently to leave the country, a lot of these people will have similar jobs to myself, being teachers in international schools, universities and institutes who've gone to live abroad for a different adventure and experience.  It just so happens that on this occasion the adventure has unfortunately got a bit too real and so they've had to frantically pack up and put their life on hold for the moment.


The British Foreign Office appears to have received a fair amount of stick about how they’ve been 'evacuating' these expats, and it got me thinking about a possible predicament in Colombia and what’d happen here in a similar situation.  I’ll emphasise now that Colombia is currently very stable politically, probably more so now than at any point in the last thirty years or so, but natural disasters such as the earthquake in New Zealand, can happen here and provoke much needed diplomatic help for citizens abroad.

As Britain supposedly has the highest amount of expats from the developed world with figures suggesting up to 5 million of us live abroad (I'm not sure what that says about Britain itself!), it's no small feat to look after and provide assistance when required to them all through costly embassies and consular offices.  Obviously, most enquiries are probably to do with passports lost on a drunken night out, amongst other more bizarre requests, some of which just take the piss really, but do provide entertaining reading.

From time to time however, more serious situations arise as in Libya and New Zealand now, and British citizens genuinely need help, and for this the Foreign Office has a service called 'Locate'.  It encourages expats abroad to register their personal details in case of emergencies so that assistance can be organised, whether that be sending an email with some advice or an entire chartered plane as in Libya's case.  If you're reading this from abroad and you're not registered, I recommend doing so.  I've got no experience of actually using it myself, but you never know when it could come in handy, and for the sake of spending a few minutes giving a few details about yourself, it's hardly an effort.

It's worth looking at at their travel advice whenever you're going away, it's specific for just about every country in the world, and is constantly updated.  I do think it can be a little too cautious, but I suppose they have to be like that, and going on a weekend trip to Paris is not quite the same as backpacking around South America, but it's horses for courses, and if anything did happen, your parents would be the first to complain anyway!

The Global Reach of Blighty's Sport and Music

I was watching the Super Bowl highlights last night, not really understanding American football as usual, but thinking how this event, one of the most watched in the world, represents completely different things inside and outside America.  Inside, it's the end of the domestic season for the national sport, the culmination of a 6 month long, nationwide competition.  Whereas for the rest of us around the world, it's the $3,000 a seat, Black Eyed Peas performance, and million dollar commercials that send a message loud and clear to us all - this is the country that puts on the biggest show on the planet and the place to be.

Well, the Super Bowl and America may have their moment once a year, but I think one of England's greatest exports of recent times, the Premier League, has a much wider and more profound impact around the world.  The video below is shown on Fox Sports and ESPN all over South America, and I imagine further afield too, before the start of the games and really does paint the country in a fantastic light.  Beautiful, iconic landmarks, both old and new, lovely weather (!), brilliant English music and some of the most historic clubs in the game make our 'football' look much cooler and more exciting than that American version over the pond.   With end to end games like 4-4 draws and 5-3 wins last weekend, you can see why.

You only have to walk around any city centre in South America and see the hundreds of people wearing and selling counterfeit Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal tshirts to realise the incredible reach the Premier League has, much more so than the traditional American sports, and that despite America's dominance of TV in Latin America.  More English games are broadcast live here than back home, and the main broadcasters, ESPN and Fox, are included in standard cable TV packages that most homes have across the continent, rather than an expensive Sky package.

It's easy to see how our 'big' teams can so easily claim to have millions of fans across the globe, and how that plays such an influence on potential future stars of the game.  Hugo Rodallega at Wigan is the one current Colombian schoolboys look up to, but Faustino Asprilla's Champions League hat-trick for Newcastle against Barcelona is what is constantly brought up in conversations with Colombians.  The rags to riches stories of Brazilian players using football as a way out of the favelas to the grounds of top European clubs is a dream of many young men here, and even though it will remain just that, a dream, for the vast majority of them, that is more than enough motivation to spend a childhood devoted to football in the park.  The hopes and dreams being to escape lives where drug gangs and poverty are much more prominent than social provision and education.


On a slightly different note, the new Coca-Cola commercial for South America is also introducing the masses over here to English culture.  Oasis' "Whatever" is the song  for the "Reasons to Believe" advert, basically telling us the world is not all bad, we should buy a coke and be happy.  Very clever advertising, getting a load of kids to sing Liam Gallagher's words in a less Mancunian accent appears to work wonders.  My kids at school are all asking me if we can sing along to it, so a great excuse to introduce them to not just that, but all the other magnificent Oasis tunes too, and then the Manchester music scene aswell, The Smiths, Happy Mondays et al - a lesson planned like that!  Maybe Oasis should strike whilst the iron's hot, get back together and do a South American tour on the back of this?  On the other hand, I'm sure the royalties from that advert will be more than sufficient for a few more years before the inevitable reunion tour.

Back in Colombia

Here I am then, back in Cali!  This is the first time I've returned overseas to a place I've previously lived in, I was in Santiago, Chile, for my year abroad, but despite having probably the best year of my life overall, didn't really feel the urge to go and live there again, there's probably something in my head that is afraid of going back to somewhere with such fond memories and then not living up to expectation second time round.  Anyway, I wanted to return to a place I know, with friends, contacts and so on, and Cali fitted the bill, so I've now been "re-settling in" for the last two weeks with Stephen's family, an English guy who's lived here for 30 years or so and who works at the Santiago, where I was last year.

Landslide near Medellin, December

It's strange to be here again.  Memories come flooding back, both good and bad, and it's hard to think that lots has changed in the seven or so months I was away, not least the fact I've crossed a continent on a bike, which is a great talking point with any of the many Americans that I know here.  Cali's weather seems to be exactly the same as I remember it, hot, sunny and tropical most days, but it's worth mentioning that since I left last June, Colombia has suffered torrential rainfall up and down the country, due to the La Niña weather phenomenon, causing deadly landslides and flooding vast areas of land.

I managed to get one of my old jobs back in the school I worked at, but that's just one day a week.  My main job was at a university, but things don't look great there now.  Rumour has it they're under investigation by the government for corruption, staff pay and hours reduced and the suspension of recruiting new teachers all lead to me to believe it doesn't look good to work there again!  I've been handing my CV into language institutes, schools and other universities, so just have to keep at it and hope something comes up, which it should, and tout private classes in the meantime.

Cali, Colombia - A New York Times Recommended Destination!

The New York Times have just published their 41 places to go in 2011, I'm not sure what's relevant about the number 41, but anyway, Cali, where I'm moving to on Tuesday and lived last year, has come in at number 10! Here's what the articles says:

Cali's Feria

10. Cali, Colombia

Cafe culture is on the rise while salsa fuels the night life.

Cali has always felt like the grittier stepsister of Medellín, but tucked amid the colonial homes of the barrios of San Antonio or Granada are a number of new jewelry boutiques, low-key cafes and salsotecas teeming with crowds as sexy as any in South America.

Salsa remains Cali’s lifeblood. If the dance floors of Tin Tin Deo or Zaperoco are too full, try La Fuente, a pint-size bar jammed with sweaty students who spill out onto the street most nights. Or, follow the sounds of Latin jazz to Guayusa, just next door. Those with serious salsa chops hitch a cab out of town to the suburb of Juanchito, whose dance floors do not fill up until after midnight (but go in a group, as this section gets dicey at those hours). Also be sure to check out a performance of Delirio, the monthly cabaret that is part Cirque du Soleil, part salsa clinic.

I'll be right in the mix again this time next week, hopefully!

P.S.  After looking at the list in more detail I see Santiago, Chile, is number 1, and I lived there between 2007 and 2008, and Manchester, my home city back in England, is number 20!  It appears I obviously live in cool places!

Getting Ready for Colombia Round 2

It's been an odd few months since finishing my CELTA, preparing gradually for my return to Colombia, earning a few quid where possible, whilst not particularly enjoying the winter...I missed last year's snow and ice whilst in tropical Cali.

Top Gear, fantastic TV

In spite of the weather, I do come to enjoy living in England after having been abroad for a year or so at a time before.  You appreciate so many more things about the country, one of my favourites is TV.  I'm convinced British television is the best in the world, nowhere else could you just turn the TV on on any random evening and have a fascinating documentary on a free-to-air channel about some landmark building constructed hundreds of years ago, or watch three middle aged men drive from Iraq to Israel in convertibles, as with the Christmas Top Gear Special.  You can get some of the big programmes on YouTube when abroad, like X Factor, which when seeing foreign versions of the franchise, you realise how fantastic the British version really is as a TV show, if not for the artists it produces, but it's good to be here and not have to trawl the internet for hours to find these shows.

In between everything else, I've been trying to write my book on America and have made a decent, if not especially fast, start to it.  Book authoring is a long haul thing I think.
The Guardian have just published an article I wrote for them on teaching English in South America which I hope is useful for anyone thinking of teaching or moving abroad.  The person who typed it up did however spell my name and Colombia wrong, and spelt "South America" without a capital, and it hasn't been corrected at the time of posting this, so don't blame me!

Won't be seeing this for a while!

It's a bit more daunting going back to Colombia this time.  I don't have a concrete job offer and therefore no visa either, which means I've got two months to get that sorted, so there'll be no time to lose once there.  Unfortunately this urgency will probably be lost on the immigration person who deals with me, and I'm not ruling out the idea of having to border hop to Ecuador to get myself another tourist visa when my work visa is delayed.  I'll have to cross that metaphorical bridge when I get to it.  I do have friends in Cali though, and know where I want to live, so that should make settling in considerably easier, as will the lack of anything remotely like cold weather.  I'll have to find my salsa feet again too!

I leave on Tuesday and this blog will be updated every now and again with my various Latin adventures and escapades, so make it a favourite or you can now follow me on Twitter!  If anyone wants to contact me for whatever reason, you can do so by clicking on my profile on the right-hand side, or also through Twitter.

Now a qualified English Teacher!

This blog and the internet never cease to amaze me.  Since I've been back in the UK everyone seems to have heard about my American cycling trip, through either this blog, facebook, or even the old fashioned newspaper.  I've had messages from a whole host of people, ranging from my child minder from when I was 2, ex-colleagues and even an old friend who told me that I'm an inspiration to their life, and have convinced them to quit their bar job!  I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not, but it brightened up my day.  The blog's been a great tool for showing people what went on in America and also, and probably most importantly, helping me to achieve my fundraising target of £1,000 for Muscular Dystrophy.  I think I've developed a fairly nice "online persona," or whatever the jargon is, so thought I might aswell keep this updated, the obvious reach of the internet makes it a great way to keep people informed of what's going on, and if they want to join in in whatever adventures I'm trying to plan in the future!

Last night with fellow CELTA people

So, I've just completed a 4 week intensive CELTA course, which now makes me a teacher, of sorts.  CELTA is administered by Cambridge University and stands for "Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults,"  It's one of the most recognised English teaching qualifications in the world, although lots of people refer to TEFL, which isn't an actual qualification.  As I said, the course is intensive, but for a reason.  Despite having taught for more or less 2 years, the amount that I knew, or rather didn't know, was incredible, and the course definitely does what it says on the tin, teaches you how to teach.  Most people on the course were also in similar situations to myself, either having travelled or wanting to travel.  The course is a great way to do this, its worldwide recognition makes getting a job in your dream exotic location much easier than without one.  Being with similar minded people was really refreshing too, all interested in similar things, and all doing the course for more or less the same reason, to see the world, speak a new language, meet new people...make the most of life.  The continual lesson planning and assignment writing was made much more bearable having conversations about where we were all heading afterwards, if ever there was an example of working towards a collective goal, this was it!

There aren't too many places to do the course, I presume that's how they keep tabs on the quality of it, but there are centres in most countries and as it's administered by Cambridge, there are obviously more centres in the UK, than in other places, so if you're thinking of travelling the world, want to work in various places to fund that and are open to the idea of teaching, have a look at this to find out where you can do it.  I highly recommend it.

Colombian Paradise

I've just been on a "couch surfing" holiday to London, staying with a different friend every night for a week, which is a great way to catch up with people you haven't seen for a few years.  I'm now looking for whatever form of menial seasonal labour in the run up to the festive period, and at the same time, planning my return to Colombia in 7 weeks after spending a Christmas and New Year at home in Manchester .  I hope to use my CELTA and teach English again in Cali, although with more authority and knowledge this time round, but it's proving hard sorting jobs out with Colombians by email!  If any of you read this and want to employ me, get in touch!

Some final thoughts and stats...

I think this will probably be my last post for a while to do with America, I got back last Friday and am now settling back in, but at the same time very eager just to get out on my bike again, and already thinking of a tour for next year.  Cuba's quite appealing.

Hot and spectacular Utah

It's been a truly incredible summer, I still can't quite comprehend the enormity of what both myself and Andy have achieved, and don't think I really will do for quite a long time to come.  Cycle touring really is a unique way of travelling, you get to see a large amount of a country at a fairly slow, but steady pace, and you meet so many more locals along the way, which has definitely been the best bit about the trip.  I'm a big believer in it not being where you are, but who you're with, for a lot of things in life, and in America this has been just as true as anywhere else.

Perfect evening cycling, Wyoming.

On the one hand, the USA is one of the least appealing or charming countries to visit, with its vast expanses of nothing and "anywhereville" towns, all with the same uniform fast-food places, motels and gas stations.  But this is what for me makes it such a fascinating spectacle.  Somehow, that lack of charm and individuality creates a breed of people that are so, so friendly and welcoming.  Some of them may not be the most world minded of folk, but that's hardly their fault, just the way their country brings people up as a whole, in my opinion.

Stunning skies, Utah

You have to admire the American Dream, Way of Life, whatever you call it.  It's very hard to define, but if that means building the tallest buildings in New York, or perhaps the most outrageous city in Vegas, in one of the hottest and driest places in the world, or giving all the fat people a free "fat mobile" so they can shop, or letting everyone refill their Coke as much as they want, so be it.  In America, if there's a will, there's a way - what a fantastic outlook on life.  It's just a shame that none of it is in the slightest bit sustainable, but it's only one country in the world.  It just so happens it has a lot of people, and money, and is the most powerful one of them all, for now.  America, what a place.  I'll be back one day I think, see these wonderful people and amazing places again, but maybe with the roar of fossils being burnt in my ear on a Harley, that looks a fun way to travel.


Below are some facts I've compiled on the trip from a few sources, the journal that we wrote along the way, our bike computers, the maps, and generally things that have stuck in our memories.  The map has our rough route on it, the black Xs outline where we stayed.

Total distance travelled - 4,075 miles on Andy's computer / 3,953 miles in the journal.  Using the bigger figure for the averages!

Total number of days - 69, Sunday 11th July to Friday 17th September

Rest days - 9

Average distance per day, including rest days - 59 miles

Average distance per day, excluding rest days - 68 miles

States visited - 13, California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey.  And also Ontario, Canada.

Highest Pass - 9,600ft.  Route 12, Utah.  21st July.

Central Park, New York

9,000ft Passes - 4; 3 in Utah, and 1 in Wyoming

Biggest ascent in a day - 6,000ft.  Escalante to Torrey, Utah.  21st July


National Parks visited - 5, Zion Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Tetons, Yellowstone, Badlands

Century Days (100+ miles) - 2

Longest day - 105 miles, a combination of a very early start and a tailwind.  Trempeleau to Arkdale, Wisconsin.  25th August.

Shortest day - 31 miles due to a constant 15mph headwind.  Brookings, South Dakota to Lake Benton, Minnesota.  19th August.

Earliest start - 5.15am to avoid the heat and be finished before midday.  St. George to Springdale, Utah.  16th July.

Latest start - 1.50pm.  We still did 65 miles, reaching our destination by 7.30pm.  Lancaster to Allentown, Pennsylvania.  15th September.

Latest finish - 10.30pm.  Cold and wet in Tetons, Wyoming after a big 80 mile day.  31st July.

Hottest day - 46oC.  Mesquite, Nevada to St. George, Utah.  15th July.

Coldest day - 12oC.  Cuba to Wellsboro, Pennsylvania.  9th September.

Top speed - 45.4mph

Total time spent riding - 320 hours

Punctures suffered - Dave 3, Andy 6

Days lost to injury or problems - 0, the only slight injury we got was our hands seizing up towards the end due to holding the handlebars all the time!

Subway Footlongs eaten - Dave 43, Andy 42

Total length in metres of Footlongs eaten by us both - 26m

Combined money spent in Subway on footlongs in US$ excluding tax -  $425, not including Cokes or Cookies.

Fellow tourers seen - 20

Grizzly Bears seen - 2, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

Number of nights camped - 39, includes 1 night on a park bench and 1 night sleeping on the streets

Number of motel nights - 10, seems a bit excessive in retrospect!  At the start in Nevada we had to stay in motels as it was too hot to sleep.

Free accommodation nights - 22, a combination of Warm Showers people, friends and people who rescued us in one way or another.

Meals eaten off the floor - 2, we each dropped one out of the pan

Best summer ever.