Day 57: Land Ahoy!
We arrived in Veracruz, Mexico at around 1pm local time. Yippee! Unfortunately for my itchy, goddamn-month-behind-schedule feet, the shipping agent says I’ve got to wait
Day 58: Go Yell It To The Ocean
The bus arrived at Tapachula near the Guatemalan border early in the morning to find another bus to Guatemala City waiting to take me away,
Day 59: Nineteen Seventy-Nine
I only slept for a few hours before we hit the El Salvador border and then it was off the bus, with queuing and formality.
Happy 30th Birthday Graham!
Congratulations on your 30th birthday, Graham…hope you like the pic!
Day 60: The Tailor of Panama
I arose before dawn for the last leg of the southern journey that had been necessitated by the fact that I didn’t get to go
Day 61: The Saviours of El Salvador
Back on the groovy bus up through Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador. No cute girl for me to annoy this time, but I
Day 62: Livingstone, I Presume?
I got into Guatemala City about 10am (not much sleep on the bus then) and hopped straight onto a bus for Puerto Barrios on the
Day 63: A Taste of Belize
The boat that Ishmael had got me on (it had been chartered by a German couple – I was cheekily tagging along for the ride)
Day 64: Once Upon A Time In Mexico
By this stage of my Herculean bus ride, it had been a week since I’d had a hot shower. To say I was beginning to
Day 65: Entering America
All I got to see of Mexico City was the outskirts and the bus station, but I hear it’s not much too look at anyway.
Day 66: The Lone Star State
I’ve got to say, the Greyhound buses ARE THE WORST FORM OF TRANSPORT IN THE WORLD — grotty, no films, no snacks, grumpy-as-hell drivers… My
Day 67: Coyote Ugly
I slept through to Orlando in Florida and then got on my last bus (for a few days at least) heading for Fort Lauderdale. This
Day 68: Spring Break
Spent the day on the phone and on the net trying to sort out, how the hell I’m going to get to Cuba. However, I
Day 69: Grand Bahama
As I write this, I’m sitting in a lounge on the day cruise over to The Bahamas. It’s usually about $40 there and back, but
Day 70: Failure to Launch
Okay. Here’s the situation. The USA does not like Cuba. It prefers its citizens to spend money in Zimbabwe, Burma or North Korea, obviously, as
Day 71: Awaiting Permission
Another day wasted attempting to get a response from the Treasury. I hung around at the hostel all day, on line and making phone calls
Day 72: Worst. Buses. Ever.
I gave it until 2pm until it became abundantly clear that the Treasury was not going to get back with an answer this week and
Day 73: Spaced
Rise and shine, Odysseus. Since you’re stuck in Florida, you may as well indulge your nerdy love of all things NASA. I walked down to
Day 74: We Have Lift Off!
Headed over to the Space Centre first thing and queued up LIKE A BIG NERD for a ticket to view the shuttle launch. These special
Day 75: Who’s Scruffy Lookin’?
A day on the Greyhound first to Miami and then down to the Florida Keys. What would incur the wrath of the bastard bus driver
Day 76: The Conch Republic
Getting up nice and early, Midge gave me a list of people to talk to about getting a boat over to Cuba. First up, Captain
Day 77: The Sun Also Rises
I woke up on a random ship in the port… The Appledore. I had absolutely no recollection of how I got there. Hat… check, shoes…
Day 78: Mission: Cuba
So much has been happening so fast it makes my head spin just thinking about it. Midge gave me a lift into Key West and
Day 79: Blockade Runnin’
The entire day at sea, we continued on our painfully slow march towards Cuba. I kept watch for US coastguard boats appearing out of nowhere
Day 80: Hooked!
What WOULD Philias Fogg say? If all had been going to plan, I’d be in AFRICA by now, having already stepped foot in every country
Day 81: The Forbidden Isle
After helming the nightwatch, I got a few hours kip before Johnny called me up on deck – he’d been chatting on the CB with
Day 82: Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
The madness of leaving at night, drunk and without a weather window slowly dawned on us – looking to port and looking to starboard, electrical
Day 83: Mexico, third time lucky…
In the morning, I made a huge arse of myself trying to pull up the anchor (all those years of never going to the gym
Day 84: Chilli Con Carnage
So the day was spent entirely at the mercy of the rather wonderful Mexican bus service. Leigh got off the bus somewhere in the middle
Day 85: Did You See Any Cubans?
As a wonderful final flourish, and as if to prove how much better Mexican bus services are compared to the American ones, my bus got
Day 86: Greyhounded
Spent the day travelling up through Georgia pressing northwards towards Virginia. As we travelled, my mind turned to three things; Architecture, Americans, and Greyhound buses.
Day 87: First We Take Manhattan
When I changed buses yesterday in Atlanta, I made a fatal error – I didn’t push to the front of the queue. And so I
Day 88: We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Coat
I had set my alarm for 6.30am to give me loads of time to wake up and get to the bus station for the bus
Day 89: The Shipping News
I’m still on the train at the moment; it’s a 20 hour journey. Looking out of the window, it’s like I’ve stumbled into Narnia. I
Day 90: The Halifax of Life
Now is the winter of our discontent. Well, it’s actually SUPPOSED to be spring, but NOBODY SEEMS TO HAVE TOLD THE CANADIAN TOURIST BOARD THAT.
Day 91: All hail to thee, EIMSKIP
Today began as yesterday ended with some email news, but this time it was GOOD internet news, news that made me do a little dance
Day 92: Naught else to do
I’d like to say today past in a drunken blur, but given I didn’t drink today, it was more of just a blur. I slept
Day 93: There’s Always an Irish Pub
You really have no idea how itchy my feet become when confronted with a few days of inactivity – I feel like learning to Riverdance,
Day 94: Shorts in Winter Time
Still in Halifax, then. It’s not worth my while heading back into America to get on another boat as none of them go to Iceland,
Day 95: Peggy’s Cove
Today I met up with James and we headed out with Rocky the dog, to visit (wait for it, wait for it) LIVERPOOL! Not Liverpool
Day 96: The Heckler
Today I went for a walk around the city, but it was still a bit rubbish. Although now the snow has all melted, it wasn’t
Day 97: The Hustler
After spending the day trying (and failing) to get a video edited before I left Halifax, it was with great relief that I got to
Day 98: The Reykjafoss Awaits!
Woke up with thunder crashing in my head (as Elvis once sang) with the owner of the backpackers telling me that the representatives from Eimskip
Day 99: Lost and Newfoundland
The Reykjafoss cruised into the port of Argentia at about 7pm. I had spent the day getting to know the crew – our Polish Captain,
Day 100: ¡Adiós Américas!
Unbelievable as it may seem, I’m STILL in the Americas!! Loading took a lot longer than expected so we’re still on the Canadian island of
Day 101: The Shipping Booze
Today was a half day for the Filipino crew – it’s a public holiday in the Philippines, so they got to let their hair down
Day 102: Heading East for Easter
Aside from our heading, the least Easterly Easter of my life – no chocolate eggs, in fact no chocolate at all! To be honest with
Day 103: Another Monday Comes
Oh my word, I feel ROTTEN! Spent a good part of today in bed, did a little editing, but it’s hard to concentrate when you
Day 104: The Guts of the Ship
This isn’t even funny anymore. The sea isn’t even that rough – the Gulf Stream in a little yacht was much, much worse. And yet
Day 105: Chivas Regal vs. The Pirates
Had a good chat with Chivas Regal, the cook, today – remarkable chap, last year the boat he was on from Kenya to Romania was