Ski The Gap : From Cairo To The Galapagos

John and Judy Shrewsbury

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RRP: £19.99

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Why I wrote this book

It all began with a dream, an old dream, to travel right round the world, to see the sights that only the most intrepid of travellers would have seen 100 years ago.
To prove that the average man & woman could do something really different, experience some of the wonders of the ancient, modern and natural worlds and return to this country slightly older, far wiser, and with a feeling of accomplishment.

The book came about from our deciding to take along a laptop initially to download photographs, eleven and a half thousand images distilled to nine and a half, also to keep our finances in order without resorting to ‘public’ computers.

Before we set out our children asked to be kept aware of where we were and what we were doing, despite our providing them with a full itinerary, world map for the ‘littlies’ (grandchildren) and a list of hotels, they wanted to know more! Then some friends we made in Egypt, who thought that we were utterly mad, asked to be included in the updates. So when we got to Thailand the emails started, and they continued sporadically until we had the camper van in Australia and I had more time (when not on kitchen duty) to sit down and compose.

The more we saw, the more I wrote, and half way along the East Coast of Australia the reply came, ‘When’s the next one coming?’ It transpired that our elder daughter had printed the emails and posted them to our other family members. My youngest sister had taken them along to her pub quiz team who now wanted to know more!
By the time we had completed the USA it was when is the book coming out? I did respond by saying did they think we were out there amusing ourselves?

In the months after we returned home, when we had given up on the idea of going down to a 3 course breakfast and where are we going today, we started the task of editing the emails, trying to take care not to lose the spirit of them by erasing the colloquial language and to work out which photographs should accompany the text.

Then we had a book and why should you read it? It is unique, no-one else has done the trip we did nor have they followed it up in this way without sponsorship! To learn the odd fact , it’s a mine for quiz questions, to realise just how small a place this vast world really is! To  see some photographs of things and places you possibly didn’t know existed, but most of all to be entertained by some of our mishaps and thank yourselves lucky it was us not you falling foul of Australian Customs at midnight in Perth!

I hope that when you have read the book you will realise that I have an eye for the absurd, and for detail. That officialdom around the world suffers from taking itself far too seriously and most of all, that you too could do what we did!

Synopsis

Pack up your job and go off round the world for six months. Visit the ancient wonders of Egypt through the chaotic streets of Cairo, compare that with the bright lights of Bangkok. Fly on to the contrasting delights of Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia. Meet the delightful inhabitants of the Sepilok Orang Utan reserve.

Get harangued at midnight by an official of Australian customs for trafficking Coffee Mate. Marvel at the unchanging scenery of the Nullabor Plain, ride the Ghan to Alice Springs to take in sunset and sunrise at Uluru. Drive the east coast of Australia from Cairns to Melbourne in a camper van in four weeks and remain speaking to each other at the end of it!

Visit the other-worldliness of New Zealand’s south island in winter. Watch Humpback Whales and Sea Otters off the coast of Monterey, drive the Golden Gate bridge before riding on the world's finest ground level cable cars in San Francisco. Visit the natural splendours of Yosemite, Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon, (pre Sky Walk). Take in the bustle of New York, the idiosyncrasies of New England and relax in Miami.

Fly on to Peru, for Lima, Cusco, the enigmatic Machu Picchu, an unexpected street carnival in Juliaca after visiting the floating islands on Lake Titicaca. The unexplained Nazca Lines from the air. Sail out to the Ballestos islands which have been reclaimed by the birds and sea lions.

Finish your journey by travelling to the Galapagos Islands, nature’s laboratory out in the Pacific Ocean. Have birds and iguanas look at you as though you are the curiosity, and have fun made of your awkward swimming by those masters of the art, Sea Lions!

All the time keep a journal and email it to the family at home, take thousands of photographs to remember the people and places by....

...finish off by writing a book to share the experience, and hopefully inspire others to follow your example and their dreams.

Oh yes... and get married and go for a honeymoon in Marrakech!

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About the Author

John, born Long Eaton, Derbyshire in 1953, Judy, born Worksop, Nottinghamshire in 1955, met in March 1972, and married July 1975. John became a Mechanical Services Engineer, Judy a State Registered Nurse. We had three children between 1977 and 1981, and then, for what were all very good reasons at the time, divorced in 1989. Our children grew up and two of them produced children of their own.

Then a family tragedy brought us back in regular contact, and we started to see more and more of each other. Eventually, in 2004, we sat and talked, and decided that we wanted a second chance at life together.

During our time apart, John had taken several longhaul holidays, whilst Judy had driven round most of Europe for hers. Chatting to people about far-flung places, John noticed that Judy was sitting on the sidelines somewhat, not taking part. Well, there was only one way to change this situation – we should head off around the world and see as much of it as we could manage!

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