Sydney,
Our time together comes to an end.
We’ve spent over 7 long years together and now the itch has set in once again! In that time we have laughed together, told stories and shared great times, but above all, we have grown together. I know you’re going to miss me. Ha!
I think friends are often under-rated. Having lost a best one, and found many unique ones, I value each and every one of you whom I have met and come to know. You have each taught me something grand. You are each, much to your dismay, a part of who I am. I have throughly enjoyed every moment we have spent in each other's company.
To all those I never found the time to work with, my sincere apologies. I’ll be traveling this world forever, so if you ever find yourself in the same city, do look me up.
Mother Nature is a beautiful thing to wake up to. Her fields, her snow, her deserts, her savanna's, her oceans, her Himalayas, her Africa’s, her strange creatures and her breath-taking views - views that are incomprehensible to some.
Every time we doubt her, she restores faith with a stunning, well kept secret. It is because of this, my soul continues to urn for what I have not yet experienced. For a new scene. For vast empty spaces to fill with nothing but big, empty skies. For the challenges. For adventure.
I think my heart collided with my soul’s train of thought...
Many people are never quite sure what to do with this life. I am perhaps one of the lucky ones. What better way to make the most of it all than spending as much time as I can, taking in as much of this world as possible. Meeting new people, trying the kinds of food that makes me cringe, being out of my element, doing the things that frighten me the most and enjoying the open road... North America, Africa, Europe, South America, Antarctica - all these major continents have only been seen in such minor ways by my eyes, if even at all. To me, all this is endlessly more rewarding than anything else.
I know I have unlocked the secret to life that most people never understand.
So on June 12, 2010, begins the next leg of this life long adventure. Canada is calling and I know I must answer. She is the next destination for me, on this amazing planet (But not before visiting my old friend New York). In these past two years there has not been a day where thoughts of excitement, intrigue and adventure have not seized my mind. You all know well by now that it is the unknown situations that I crave so dearly.
Unfamiliarity is a wonderful thing.
Montreal, I’ve been told, is a most beautiful city with a beautiful mixed language - a blend of English and French with no real sense of order in how it is to be spoken. A conversation can turn without warning from one to the other. I love that.
It is a stones throw away from the magic of New York City, the thunder of Niagara Falls and bearly more to places as isolated as the North Pole.
I have nothing for me in Montreal but a change. I have no job lined up. I have no accommodation lined up. I have no idea what to expect.
I have no idea if it will even work.
After that? Perhaps Europe. I’ll be there in January 2011 anyway, as Super Extreme Adventure Team and I participate in the Banjul Rally. England, France, Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal and The Gambia in a car that cost £100 - wish us luck!
So even though I may never return to Australia as a home, I can offer the promise of these things:
I shall continue to speak my mind.
I shall continue to grow both creatively and in wisdom.
I shall never sit still.
I shall spam you all continuously with email updates.
And I will never forget any one of you..
Au revoir des amis et des amants
Merci d'avoir ajouté la joie de ma vie
Sammy Valencia Esq.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
SEAT S5: Chapter 1
Tuesday, 13 April 2010
269 Days Before Challenge Start
Surely, once you’ve done Everest then anything is possible. Maybe.
But we only did 5550m on Everest. I wonder if that means we’ll die somewhere in the Sahara Desert this time.
Season 5 is on our minds already. It’s a rally. But not like you’d expect. It’s called the Banjul Challenge. We begin in England, and head through France, Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara Desert, Mauritania, Senegal and end up in The Gambia, over three weeks. So what’s the catch? The car we are using costs £100 and must be Left Hand Drive. Add that to the war that’s currently ranging between the Western Sahara and Morocco, and the fact that the Army has to escort us through Mauritania, and we’ve got ourselves quite an adventure.
It only took 10 minutes and a cup of tea for James and I to start talking about Season 5, not four weeks after we returned from Nepal and India. There’s so much on the cards, so much to see and do. My move to Montreal in June means S.E.A.T will start heading into the Northern Hemisphere where we can explore the America’s North and South, Europe where James has travelled extensively on his own, and of course Africa. After discussions on wether we should road trip across Canada and the USA, or visit South America we settled on something spanning two continents - The Banjul Challenge.
Chris has confirmed he is on board this time round after missing out on the last two seasons. It’s about time he joins us before we revoke his SEAT membership! The three of us are back. It truly is a coming together of grand proportions. James will be flying into England from Sydney for Christmas with the family, I will be flying in from Montreal after spending new years eve in NYC and Chris, who has already asked us to float him with the entry fee, will probably be asking us to buy his airline tickets from South Africa.
Of course, even with the team at full strength, this could all go horribly wrong. The car we use could break before we even leave England. That’s if we even find one at all. Try searching for a LHD car for £100 and you’ll see what we mean. We could get totally stranded in the desert. Or kidnapped. Or blown to bits in a war. Or sat on by Chris. But, hopefully, we will finish the rally and complete yet another grand adventure. All these unknown factors just mean Season 5 is going to be yet another great Super Extreme Adventure.
First things first, Entry opens tomorrow.. lets hope we actually get a place..
http://seat.sammyvalencia.
269 Days Before Challenge Start
Surely, once you’ve done Everest then anything is possible. Maybe.
But we only did 5550m on Everest. I wonder if that means we’ll die somewhere in the Sahara Desert this time.
Season 5 is on our minds already. It’s a rally. But not like you’d expect. It’s called the Banjul Challenge. We begin in England, and head through France, Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara Desert, Mauritania, Senegal and end up in The Gambia, over three weeks. So what’s the catch? The car we are using costs £100 and must be Left Hand Drive. Add that to the war that’s currently ranging between the Western Sahara and Morocco, and the fact that the Army has to escort us through Mauritania, and we’ve got ourselves quite an adventure.
It only took 10 minutes and a cup of tea for James and I to start talking about Season 5, not four weeks after we returned from Nepal and India. There’s so much on the cards, so much to see and do. My move to Montreal in June means S.E.A.T will start heading into the Northern Hemisphere where we can explore the America’s North and South, Europe where James has travelled extensively on his own, and of course Africa. After discussions on wether we should road trip across Canada and the USA, or visit South America we settled on something spanning two continents - The Banjul Challenge.
Chris has confirmed he is on board this time round after missing out on the last two seasons. It’s about time he joins us before we revoke his SEAT membership! The three of us are back. It truly is a coming together of grand proportions. James will be flying into England from Sydney for Christmas with the family, I will be flying in from Montreal after spending new years eve in NYC and Chris, who has already asked us to float him with the entry fee, will probably be asking us to buy his airline tickets from South Africa.
Of course, even with the team at full strength, this could all go horribly wrong. The car we use could break before we even leave England. That’s if we even find one at all. Try searching for a LHD car for £100 and you’ll see what we mean. We could get totally stranded in the desert. Or kidnapped. Or blown to bits in a war. Or sat on by Chris. But, hopefully, we will finish the rally and complete yet another grand adventure. All these unknown factors just mean Season 5 is going to be yet another great Super Extreme Adventure.
First things first, Entry opens tomorrow.. lets hope we actually get a place..
http://seat.sammyvalencia.
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