Around The World In 80 Waves

A quick word to wish the Welsh boys well in the 6 Nations Championship decider in Cardiff later today.

I will be listening to the game via BBC radio online here in Monterrico in Guatemala, having test run the functionality on Friday morning.

I believe the roof is going to be closed at the Millenium Stadium so with the Welsh in full voice it should be an epic encounter. England with grand Slam ambitions, Wales needing a 7 point victory to take the title, the final audition for a place on the British Lions’ tour of Australia (for which I have already bagged a ticket to one of the test matches – thanks Chris) and that glosses over the fact that the two teams playing have the biggest rivalry in the tournament with the most championships between them.

A game I cannot miss even on the other side of the world. I will be wearing my Rugby Gogledd Cymru top with pride, and generally shouting encouragement at my computer.

Feeeeeeeeeed me now and evermore, EVVVERMOOOOOORE!!!!!!!

Cymru am byth!

My outstanding friend Neil has sorted out some business cards for me to hand out to all the people who are interested in my trip. It will be so much easier to hand one over than spelling out the webpage, especially because letters are pronounced differently everywhere I go.

Neil has done a wonderful job getting these produced back in the UK and sent them out to the Ambassador’s residence. They arrived just before I left for the coast in the diplomatic bag from the UK.

Dont you think they are fantastic? The small print on the back is a quote from Jules Verne that Neil thought was appropriate:

“The sea is everything. It covers seven tenths of the terrestrial globe. Its breath is pure and healthy. It is an immense desert, where man is never lonely, for he feels life stirring on all sides. The sea is only the embodiment of a supernatural and wonderful existence. It is nothing but love and emotion; it is the living infinite.”

I love them.

🙂

I started the day watching England struggle to beat Italy in the six nations, setting up a mouth-watering final clash of this year’s championship in Cardiff next week.

I followed that with a great Skype conversation with my mum back in the UK. It was great to use the residence’s internet connections to see the folks back at home. Apparantly it was 1C there and about to snow. Not much chance of that here.

The staff do not work at the weekends here, so as my contribution to Mother’s day here I allowed the Ambassador a day off and cooked everybody a Sunday roast. Roast beef, cauliflower, mash, beans, carrots roast potatoes and lashings of gravy. It was an absolute feast and I had also prepared a giant lime jelly laced with fruit cocktail for desert.

It also gave us the excuse to tuck into some more of the wine I have brought across two continents from the Napa valley. The Syrah tasted like Ribena and we quickly polished off both bottles.

Other than that not much going on apart from enjoying the Top Gear Africa special on the iPlayer in the evening.

Dear Mum

Hope you have a fantastic day today and that you like the flowers and chocolates that should be delivered today.

I trust they will have arrived on time as arranged.

I will be thinking of you all day today.

Lots of love

Robert

XXX

I’m heading off to scale an active volcano today. Will let you know how I get on.

Cymru am byth for the rugby versus Scotland in the interim.

Not me, my God-son Robert Pearson Junior. My cousin thouht it would be funny to confuse the vicar by having two Robert Pearsons at the ceremony.

Hope you have a great day and that you like the Megasketcher.

Lots of love from

Uncle Robert

A blatant plug for Stuart and Eric who are running the London Marathon together.

Having done it myself without an Emu as a training partner I know how hard it is, so please help them if you can.

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/StuCooke

Run Eric, Run!

The grand finale of British Week was the British Ball, which was themed around our rock and pop music.

I manage to lay my hands on some suitable attire and do what I can to help get things ready in the marquee in the back garden of the residence, but am largely in the way of the explosive sniffer dogs and other brilliant staff.

As well as the tables, the roof of the marquee has also been decked out in a Union Jack, and it isn’t long before the guests start to arrive.

I am again sat on the VIP table and have great fun talking rugby, business and surfing with the Central American represenatative of the World Bank, and about my trip with the Ambassadors from Mexico, Holland, Japan and Belize. My limited Spanish means I dont have any real conversation with the government ministers in attendance, but everybody loves my ‘Point It’ picture book which I will be using throuout this trip whenever the local language is unfamiliar to me.

I am not really spoilt by a pile of Ferrero Rocher at the Ambassador’s party, but the food was exquisite and a huge retinue of white gloved waiters ensure that my glass never gets close to being empty.

There is a covers band playing British anthems but with a funky twist, which are awesome, a karaoke system on the patio and a DJ is spinning his decks until well after 3am. I am not sure what I was expecting but am again chuckling at the experience of the dance floor bouncing to the entire diplomatic community shaking their collective booties to House of Pain’s ‘Jump Around’ and LMFAO’s ‘Sexy and I Know It.’

Without doubt the most entertaining evening of the trip so far. I am dancing for about four hours and due to the difference in size am literally able to throw the Guatemalan ladies around the dance floor, which is so much fun. A simply fantastic night, which ends with myself and the Ambassador’s husband being the last there and having the lights turned out on us some time after 3am.

Neither of us is feeling too clever today though!

Me finding the Ambassador’s residence was going to be almost impossible, so I had arranged to be met in the car park of the Tikal Futura Hotel and Miraflores shopping centre.  I had been given excellent directions to there by the embassy staff and found it easily enough. My mobile phone had packed up in the morning, (of course just when I would need it, Grrrr) so upon arrival I went in search of a pay phone to let them know I had arrived, and managed to get just enough details across in the few seconds I was allowed with the only coin I had in my wallet so that they could find me.

At least that is what I thought. Over two hours later I eventually met up with my escort because it turns out there are two car parks for these establishments. They were doing laps of one thinking how hard can it be to find a lime green VW Beetle with a surfboard on the roof, while I am sat in the other thinking the same thing. I couldn’t ring to find out what was going on because my phone wasn’t working, until I eventually had to persuade a maintenance man in the car park to let me use his phone to make contact and have him talk them in to me. Meanwhile they had been wondering if I had been abducted.

Upon arrival at the Ambassaor’s residence I am immediately challenged to a jumpers for goal posts football match with the staff. Although I am surf fit, I haven’t played football in nearly two years, or even been for a run since Central Park so nearly have a coronary and am melting in the heat.

Myself two bodyguards, a driver and the gardener got thrashed by the opposition. I wasn’t much use in front of goal, and our keeper had a shocker, but it was good to get to know everybody.

There is just enough time to have a refreshing beer before being driven into town in the Ambassador’s bomb-proof armoured car, complete with armed bodyguards, to go and see a Queen tribute act which has been laid on as part of British week back at the Tikal Futura Hotel, in their conference centre.

The tribute act hails from Argentina and are brilliant, basing their performance on Queen’s Wembley gig from the 80s. I like the rest of the 1000 strong crowd love it, but have the best seat in the house at the Ambassador’s table at the front of proceedings.

I am chuckling to myself when the sort of response I get from those around me to ‘Hi, what do you do for a living?’ is ‘I am the Minister for Trade with the European Union.’ This really isn’t your average surf trip! 

Wishing my Dad a very Happy Birthday.

I will be thinking of you today and will bag a few waves in your honour.

Hope you have a great day.

Lots of love from Central America