A Traveller’s History of the Caribbean
We bought our wrestling tickets with difficulty from a voiceless, faceless vendor behind thick opaque glass at the Arena Ciudad de Mexico and scooted into the building.
We were quite early and the place was deserted. We took our seats, about 10 rows back from the ring, and waited for something to happen.
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You may have heard in Episode 16 of our podcast that my parents flew from New Zealand to meet Baden and I in Havana.
Cuba was something a bit more intrepid for them. Baden and I had been in Cuba five years before and, expecting lots of changes, even we were unsure what we might find when we arrived.
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We mention the word “hot” quite a bit in this podcast because that’s what it’s been here cycling on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. We’ve been checking out some significant Mayan sites and having fun but the heat ended up being a bit too much for Baden.
Clockwise from top left: Baden swimming in a cenote; Chitchen Itza; Casa de los Venados folk art; Alan enjoying his Cuban poolside.
Clockwise from bottom right: shelter from the sun; hotel in Felipe Carrillo, the Talking Cross; Sanctuary of the Talking Cross
Clockwise from bottom right: Pedro Santos (triage is under the tree on the right); Baden struggling with heat exhaustion; our impromptu campsite; got a ride with Manuel to rescue the bikes
We spent our final night in Europe in a circular room with a few hundred besotted spaniards watching a beautiful woman sing love songs.
Our hosts were going to a concert and recommended we join them. Geraldine spoke so lovingly of Silvia Perez-Cruz, espousing her voice, lyrics, song choice, vulnerability. She said there was so much more to her music than simply a woman singing.
It was music that made Geraldine’s jaw drop and rendered her unable to think of, or do, anything else until the song had finished. Having watched a YouTube video of her singing Pequeño Vals Vienes that nearly made me cry, we obviously decided to go along.
We found an oasis during the Madrid heatwave in the cool waters of our hosts’ plastic paddling pool, so we recorded the podcast there. This time we review our whole European trip. We pick out some bests and worsts, count up kilometres travelled and other statistics and discuss some of the things we’ve been reflecting on since we finished in Lisbon.
Centre: Castrojeriz. Clockwise from top right: paddling pool podcasting in Madrid. Atop the Cruz Ferro. Finishing point for Camino de Santiago. Colourful sign on our way into town. Delicious apple flan by Michele. Cycling along Galician coast from Baiona to A Guarda.
Before we planned this trip I began a course in horticulture, learning about plant biology, the soil environment and garden establishment. Once I realised I might miss my final exams I decided to make a special trip back to London in the middle of our tour to finish what I’d started. It was also the perfect excuse to see friends one last time.
The Rise and Fall of Great Powers
Tom Rachman
Here’s another book I’ve just finished and liked. I’m partly putting these up here for anyone interested and as a record for myself in future!