| Copyright (c) 2007 The College Of Public Speaking | | | | Bariloche, Esquel, the Argentine lake district, Santiago, |
| Have you ever upset your family with a crazy | | | | Valparaiso, La Serena, the Atacama desert, Arica, |
| decision? | | | | Nazca, Arequipa, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, |
| Have you ever wanted to walk on the wild side? | | | | La Paz, Manaus, Angel Falls and so on... |
| Have you ever wanted to leave the office | | | | Do you get the picture? |
| environment and never return? | | | | Travelling together in a flat-topped Volvo truck we |
| Driving up to Manchester one autumn's evening in 1995, | | | | would share the wide range of opportunities that the |
| I decided something had to change. | | | | Americas had to offer. Having never done anything |
| The three hour journey from Leicester had turned into | | | | outrageous before and with the spectre of middle age |
| a six hour marathon, again. | | | | looming, I realised that I had to do something different. |
| It was cold, damp and desolate stuck in the endless | | | | Would I break the mould of my boring office life or |
| lines of slow moving cars. In my briefcase sat an | | | | step out bravely into an adventurer's world? |
| unsigned and rather overly negotiated contract | | | | I was single, no obligations and I had the money. What |
| extension for my job in Leicester. When I finally arrived | | | | is the point in having a big bank balance while life was |
| in Manchester at 11pm, bored, hungry and miserable - I | | | | passing me by? The following Monday morning, I |
| knew that I could not face another winter of living and | | | | handed my notice in. Contract discussions had been |
| working out of a suitcase. It was time for serious | | | | delayed and I had only ten working days to endure. I |
| change. | | | | couldn't wait to leave that office - it seemed like |
| A few weeks before, my train journey to London had | | | | forever. |
| endured several more hours than scheduled. The | | | | Once the deed was done, I was walking on air. |
| woman in the adjacent seat kindly allowed me to | | | | Skipping down the corridor and whistling 'El condor |
| peruse her travel magazine when she stepped off the | | | | Pasa' - I never whistle... |
| train at Luton. I had read my newspaper back to front | | | | It was a cathartic experience - no more endless miles |
| and on the second time of reading, I found nothing | | | | up and down the M1, no more ironing shirts and |
| new. | | | | resolving other people's problems... What a relief. Top |
| I reached over and killed a little time by flicking through | | | | priority on this project manager's list was buying |
| the glossy magazine, but each time I thumbed the | | | | outdoor gear, expensive sleeping bags, boots and all |
| pages, my eyes returned to page 34 which advertised | | | | weather jackets. |
| a five month trip to South and Central America. Setting | | | | For me, there was one special location that I knew |
| off from Ushuaia in Argentina (the most southerly City | | | | would be the zenith of my journey, Machu Picchu in |
| in the world) and finishing in Mexico City. The itinerary | | | | Peru... |
| read like a Who's Who of top travel destinations. | | | | If you'd like to read more about my adventures... then |
| Buenos Aires, Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Punta Arenas, | | | | select the link below. |
| Pucon (Mount Villarica - 10,000 feet active volcano), | | | | |