As I sit here in the Jorge Newbery airport in Buenos Aires waiting for our final leg of the trip to Ushuaia, I breathe a sigh of relief.  It’s been 24 hours since we left Toronto to start our epic journey to the southernmost city in the world.

The day started out unpredictable as usual. We recall going over our flight itinerary and approving the flights that we wanted. We remember hearing that most people had to change airports in Buenos Aries for their final flight to Ushuaia, but we vividly remember choosing a flight that kept us in Ezeiza International airport.

We were sitting pretty with a manageable 4 hr layover where we didn’t have to change airports.

Things Didn’t Work Out As Planned

When we tried to sign in at the automatic check-in, we were told to see ticket agent. That’s when she told us that they couldn’t check our bags all the way through to our final destination because we had to change airports in Buenos Aires.

“No, no, we aren’t changing airports.” We made sure to choose the flights that kept our connection in the same airport…we are clever travelers don’t you know.

Alas, we clearly aren’t as clever as we thought because upon further inspection of our e-tickets it clearly stated that we had to change airports. So in truth we are a couple of morons who claim to be clever, but really don’t have a clue.

Now we faced a $55 cab ride taking us one hour to the other side of the city.

Things were looking good when we landed. We were 15 minutes early and would have plenty of time to make it across town. That is until the captain announced that the ground crew wasn’t ready for us yet and we’d have to wait on the tarmac for 10-15 minutes.

I dozed off.

I woke up a half hour later to an announcement from the captain stating that they still weren’t ready for us so it would be another 10-15 minutes.

Yikes, we’re cutting it close.

Quick Reference:

Americans: Tourist fee of $140 for 10 year multiple entry.
Australian Citizens: $100 USD for 1 Year multiple Entry.
Canadians: $75 for a single entry or $150 for 5 year multiple entry.

When we finally disembarked, it was a crowded walk to customs as another flight came in at the same time. As luck would have it, Canadian, American and Australian citizens have to pay a fee upon entrance, so as we stood in line with hundreds of South and Central American Tourists, the US, Canucks and Aussies were called out of line.  It’s the only time I’ve ever been happy to pay a reciprocity fee.

There weren’t to many of us, so we made it through the queues quickly.

Long Story Short…

We made it to the Jorge Newbery airport with plenty of time to spare and all my fretting and worrying was for nothing. I just wasn’t sure what would happen if we missed our connection. Would the airline put us on another flight? Since we had to change airports, how could they be sure that we were late because of a tight schedule? we could have been dilly dallying for all they know.

Luckily we never had to find out.  Now we’re sitting pretty in Ushuaia and ready to explore a bit of this southernmost city in the world before we set sail for Antarctica. And we don’t have to change airports on our return flight home. So all is well in the land of Dave and Deb

Tips:

• Try to book a flight that keeps you in the same airport when flying to Ushuaia. This cab thing is stressful and expensive.
• Have some movies loaded up on your iPod for the Aerolineas Argentinas flight. They don’t have an entertainment system.
• The Flight to Ushuaia from Buenos Aires has less luggage allowance than the international flights so take that into account when packing. We were two kilos over but they didn’t charge us. Whew.

B.A.P. is a rookie group that has debuted with one hell of a single. If you haven’t checked it out yet, watch the video here:

We’re really impressed by this song. As you may know, the whole cutie-boy image makes us gag, and new bands seem to fall back on that concept for safety’s sake. It works for different audience, but – since we’re older – it just doesn’t do it for us. We were surprised, then, to see that this song had such an aggressive concept going for it. We were worried as well, because – well – if you’re aggressive and hard, but you suck, then the video becomes embarrassing.

B.A.P. were able to overcome most of the rookie group pitfalls. They were exceptionally strong and confident for a debut song. And, like we mentioned in our review, we really don’t like it when people suck at rapping. B.A.P. fortunately don’t suck at rapping. Bang Yong Gook and Zelo are both really good at rapping, and both have distinctly definitive styles: while Bang Yong Gook is very grimy, Zelo is skippy and playful.

Sure, we did have some complaints. We’re not especially fond of the name. We’re partial to words or phrases more than confusing acronyms. Also, not really sure about the whole electro bunny thing. Really reminds us too much of Deadmau5, especially since it’s acting like a DJ as well. But, these are just small complaints from an otherwise grab song and video. While we’re not gonna say that we’re totally biased towards everything B.A.P. do from now on, we can say that we’re quite happy with this song and video, and hope that they can keep it up!

P.S. Top did not text message us during our video, just in case you were wondering. How could he? We were in the middle of filming! He couldn’t know what we were saying as we were saying it! Now, though, that’s he’s seen the video, he’s surely gonna call. Top: I know you’re reading this. Don’t get too upset! It was just a joke!

Also, I know you’re dying to have our B.A.P. remix (aka BIBIMB.A.P.) on your iPod. We uploaded it! Check it out here:

Otherwise, on to the giveaway!

We've got some cool stuff to giveaway

First off, if you’re not following us on Twitter, come on now! You totally gotta do it. We post up cool pictures of stuff. It’s like Open the Happy, but with pictures. Anyhow, over the weekend we got to check out B.A.P.’s debut showcase. We got to go as press (woot!). Afterwards, we got a special interview that you won’t see anywhere else. Pretty cool, eh? All exclusive and stuff. We’ll post that later on this week once it’s all edited and approved.

Point is, while we were at the debut we got some awesome stuff, like their CD, iPhone case, glowstick, whistle, official debut booklet, and such. We’d like to give it to you! You want it, right? If so, here’s what you gotta do:

1) Subscribe to us on YouTube. DO IT!

2) If you had a Boy Band, what acronym would you use for their name, and why?

Most creative answer wins! You can leave your comments here, or in the comments to our YouTube video. If you’re going to leave your answer here, then leave your YouTube username as well. We gotta make sure you’re subscribed, after all!

Yeah! Best of luck everyone! We’re going WANKing tomorrow, so we’re not sure if we’ll be able to post the interview then or not. We’ll try to get it up ASAP

And, lastly, we’ve got Bloopers for this week as well! Check me out in the studio as I lay down some hot vocals for BibimB.A.P. and bust a freestyle at the end. WHUT WHUT!

For the original post on B.A.P. Warrior – Kpop Music Monday, or for our kpop and Korean Food videos, check out our Korea blog!

As if visiting archaeological sites wasn’t enough of an adventure, there are a handful (like Yaxchilan in Mexico) that are best accessed by boat which adds a thrill before you even get there.

Aguateca Archaeological Site by boat

It’s got the word “agua” right in the name and, in some ways, the roughly two hour boat ride that you have to take from the town of Sayaxche out to the Aguateca archaeological site was the best part of our visit to this once powerful Mayan city which dates back to 300 BC.

The Rio la Pasión is the only highway to the Aguateca Mayan archaeoloical site in the Peten region of Guatemala.

In Sayaxche we called a local boat man named Manuel (+ 502 59136012), then we piled into one of his small open-air boats and headed up the Rio la Pasión. The river eventually widened into what’s called Laguna Petexbatún. Surrounded by the Petexbatún Wildlife Refuge, the area is a favorite hang out for birds including herons, ahingas, cormorants and osprey. Not to mention crocodiles and iguanas.

Birds on Laguna Petexbatún on our way to the Aguateca Mayan archaeological site in the Peten region of Guatemala.

When we reached the site our boatman parked and we sloshed up a sloping hillside to the entrance. The hillside has natural springs which made the slope muddy and slippery so wear proper walking shoes for this one.

Archaeologists didn’t even know that the remains of this city were here until 1957, but they’ve unearthed a lot since then. The site is also bisected by an unusual grieta, a natural chasm that’s up to 80 feet (24 meters) deep.As you explore the trails around this sprawling site you can cross the chasm over the same very cool natural bridge that the Mayans used.

Aguateca Mayan archaeological site in the Peten region of Guatemala is best reached by boat.

Aguateca Mayan archaeological site in the Peten region of Guatemala.

You can camp for free at Aguateca in a big, flat, grassy area but you must be totally self-sufficient and you’d have to negotiate for your boatman to stay with you to ensure you have a ride back to Sayaxche.

Karen admiring the remarkably crisp carving on this stone stelae at Agauteca Mayan arcaheological site in Guatemala.

The Mayans who lived at Aguateca became powerful local rulers and they probably thought their watery location and hilltop perch afforded them some defense from their enemies. But it wasn’t enough. Archaeologists believe that an invading force ultimately breached Aguateca around 800 AD forcing the royal class to flee to nearby Punta de Chimino where they, again, relied on water to protect them.

Archaeologists believe that this palace was abandoned by the royal class as they made their escape from Aguateca around 800 AD.

This partially re-constructed stone stelae at the Aguateca Mayan arcaheolgoical site in Guatemala retains a lot of original carving.

These partially re-constructed stone stelae at the Aguateca Mayan arcaheolgoical site in Guatemala retains a lot of their original carving.

Chiminos Island Lodge on the world’s first Mayan-made island

When the royal class abandoned the beseiged city of Aguateca they headed for Punto de Chiminos, a spit of land just a few kilometers away. Once there, they started digging. Well, the royals probably didn’t start digging, but their servants sure did, ultimately cutting an impressive and enormous trench through dirt and rock to cut off the tip of the spit, creating a small island which they hoped would protect them from their enemies.

Mayans desperate to protect themselves from invaders are believed to have dug an enormous trench through earth and rock to turn the tip of Punto de Chiminos, above, into a man-made island.

Today there’s a small lodge on Punto de Chiminos. The Chiminos Island Lodge has five stand-alone bungalows built amongst what remains of the city that the fleeing royals built here before they were ultimately overtaken.

Situated around the periphery of the island, the huge wooden rooms all have multiple beds, private bathrooms, big porches and generator electricity until 10 pm. There are hard wood floors and a lovely stone shower. Each bungalow also has a thatch roof with a screened “false ceiling” built under the thatch to keep grit and critters from falling into the room. Smart.

Our room at Chiminos Island Lodge where a violent wind and rain storm made us feel like we were about to be blow into the lagoon--or smashed by a falling ceiba tree.

At Chiminos Island Lodge you also get what amounts to your own private archaeological site to wander through. What the fleeing royals from Aguateca left behind has not been excavated but building mounds and even the ball court are obvious as you stroll the grounds. You can also peer into the impressive gash in the land that the Mayans made to create the island way back when.

Just be sure you’ve used good insect repellent before leaving your room. The mosquitoes love it here.

Batten down the hatches

After wandering around the island we returned to our room to watch the birds on Laguna Petexbatún below us, listen to the howler monkeys in the jungle all around us and take a nap. At dusk the wind picked up a little bit and we woke up thrilled. A breeze! Cooler temperatures! Fewer mosquitoes!

But the wind kept going until birds, beasts and trees were being blown sideways. Soon the rain came and the wind intensified even more. White caps appeared on the lagoon.

Over the next two hours the storm blew out our screens and ripped off sections of our thatch roof. With rain pouring into our room we stashed our belongings in the driest corner we could find and piled spare blankets on top of our bed to try and keep the mattress and base bedding dry.

Just as we were beginning to get really concerned about a tree falling on our room (we’d actually put our shoes on and packed our things, ready for a quick getaway), the dramatic storm passed.

A heron that survived the previous night's violent storm heads out to find breakfast on Lagauan Petexbatún in Guatemala.

Related posts:

1. Survivor Mayan Style – Yaxha Archaeological Site, Guatemala
2. Archaeological Index: Mayan (and other) Sites We’ve Visited
3. Sacred Spaces – Xela (Quetzaltenango) & Laguna Chicabal, Guatemala

These gondolas are nothing more than flat-bottomed row boats used for years in Venice. Originally used as the primary means of transportation, they have largely been replaced by more modern watercraft…usually with engines.  Nonetheless, these boats are very well suited for the Venetian Lagoon and are often found along the Grand Canal.

Once the single most important watercraft in Venice, the Gondolas now are seemingly only used by tourists.  People come from all over the world keep these boats from going extinct and their captains in business at the same time.  This picture here is nice because it shows Venice as a nice, peaceful city…those who make it out to Venice for carnival however know better!

IF YOU GO:  You’d better hurry up, check out one of the many Apartments in Venice for rent, and visit this place before it is too late.  The city is sinking and although modern engineering will probably keep it afloat for years to come, there will likely be some serious changes.  Trains come to Venice from all over Italy and Europe so there really is no excuse not to visit!

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Flickr user Dr. Savage via a creative commons license.

To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo series.

In over two years of writing on Traveling Savage, I have yet to “miss” a post. By that I mean I’ve stuck to my schedule of writing and haven’t taken a post – or a week of posts – off since the founding of this site in December 2009. I use an editorial calendar these days instead of devising a topic in the moment, and I moved from my original two posts per week to three posts per week after I left my old job.

So what, you say? Consistency is a hallmark of blogging. Well, that’s about to change. I’m taking a vacation. A brief one. Like for the rest of this week while I’m at Disney World.

Look, I’m not just going to leave you hanging in the wind like that, staring at Traveling Savage wishing there was new and juicy information about Scotland while I’m galavanting in one of America’s most over-the-top tourist attractions. I wouldn’t do that to you.

With all of that time you normally use reading new posts here, why not consider doing one of the following:

• Read my four-part series on planning a trip to Scotland, which covers when and where you should go and how much time and money you’ll need.
• Catch up on my four-part beginner’s guide to single malt whisky and prepare yourself for enjoying Scotland’s national drink.
• Soak up some excellent travel music recommendations by reading my Trackpacking series of articles.
• Browse through my snapshots and word portraits of Scotland in a series I call Picture This.
• Click over to any of the awesome travel blogs I keep track of in my Good Reads list.

Ah, guilt assuaged. I’ll be back next Monday with more goodies to share, but before I get back to eating giant turkey legs and traveling the world within a theme park (so American)…

Plans & Happenings

I’m in Orlando! Well, hopefully, I’m actually writing this a bit ahead of time. Sarah loves Disney World and I love seeing her happy so it’s a win-win situation. Plus, I get to escape the Wisconsin winter (again) and give our cat Pip some SAD time alone. He’s been such a downer.

I’ve completed loads of planning for my next trip to Scotland, and I’m happy to say most of it’s done except for minor things like plane tickets. Here’s what to expect from my fourth trip to Scotland in a year’s time:

• 3 days in Edinburgh
• 4 days in Perthshire
• 5 days in Moray/Speyside
• 4 days in Ross & Cromarty
• 4 days in Orkney

The accommodations all look great, and my dad and I will be traveling during the first half of May – one of the best times to visit Scotland. We’re both getting really excited about the trip while I continue to set up events and meetings.

I’m trying to figure out when to take another trip after this upcoming one in May. There will be three weddings in my family in a three-month span over the summer, including my brother’s, which is making travel tricky. I would like to get another trip in before the end of September. Keep you posted.

Parting Blow

Now’s a good time to check in with you and find out if there’s Scotland-focused information you’d like to see on Traveling Savage that isn’t currently here. Different kinds of posts? I really value your feedback, so please let me know in the comments or via email.

State of the Savage: January 2012 is a post from Traveling Savage. Copyright 2012

I’ve been planning to go diving ever since we left home, in fact I even started an open water course before we left in preparation.  Unfortunately after the first pool session a woman knocked me off my bike (bitch) and I couldn’t continue, who wants to dive in England when we were about to set off to the tropics anyway?

Since setting off we’ve been doing so much that I never really got round to it, I know excuses, excuses! That is until that lovely girl I hang around with, Kirsty, decided my Christmas present would be a chance to ditch all my duties, boyfriend, blog guy, cleaner and general ‘looker afterer’ and finally get in the water.

Anyone in Thailand knows Koh Tao is the place to be for diving and despite having a few dive school recommendations; Davy Jones Locker just kept coming up.  Including, a friend on twitter the other side and a random bloke I met on a tuk tuk in Laos both suggesting them… What better way to choose your dive school?

After a pretty horrendous journey between Bangkok and Koh Tao my friend and I arrived on the island about 6 hours later than expected.  Luckily the first session of the PADI open water course was only a couple of videos and we were soon in bed recovering – yes together.

The Love Shack

The next day we spent the morning going through some theory before jumping in the Davy Jones pool to go through some basic skills.  We had one instructor teaching four of us and everyone breezed through the afternoon without any problems. I’m sure Kirsty would have done something about that had she been there…

Day 3 began with another theory session before taking the multiple-choice final exam just before lunch.  After a short break it was time for what we had all been looking forward to, getting on the boat and in the salt water.

SCUBA-POI

Dives 1 & 2 took us down to a max depth of just 10 meters.  Both started with practicing some basic skills in the shallow water before swimming off to explore the dive site.  My main highlight  was probably the large jellyfish we passed and seeing my friend take a rather wide birth while gesturing “fuck that” or more accurately ‘out of air’ but I knew what he meant.  Remind me not to just assume like that in the future…

The 7am start on day four took us to Hin Pee Wee dive site, home to a ship wreck but it was not for me to touch. 18m was as deep as we would be going on our open water course and unfortunately that was a few meters off what was needed to take a seat on the gun at the front of the ship.  Still, not a bad sight at all for my third dive ever.

Dive four at White Rock was to be our last dive and despite the ‘good chance’ of seeing a turtle it was not to be.  However even going that little bit deeper enabled us to see a lot more underwater life compared to the shallower dives of the day before.

And that was that, our open water course was complete.  Dives done, exams passed and we were open water certified.

I enjoyed diving just as much as I had expected to and maybe even more.  Koh Tao is a gorgeous island and I’m sure that helped a lot.

Koh Tao - Not bad eh?

Everyone we dealt with at Davy Jones Locker was incredibly friendly and a very good laugh, from the shop staff to the instructors and even the guy who took us in the side car of his moped to our bungalow on the first day, apologising after every speed bump.

Now I just need to get back there and get the advanced open water course under my belt.  But which dives to choose?

An open water course with Davy Jones Locker costs 9,500 baht ($300) booked online which includes all course materials, equipment, 4 nights accommodation and certification. A big thanks to the Davy Jones Locker for inviting us.  As always all opinions are our own. 

Diving on Koh Tao with Davy Jones Locker -

After an epic five-day journey including 4×4, bus, truck, ox cart, wading through rivers, trudging through bogs, and a blissful speedboat, I finally arrived in Andavaodak, Madagascar. I would spend my next three months here, diving, researching, and working in a remote paradise. This was the farthest point on the planet I have ever been, away from civilization and, as I was soon to find out, far away from proper medical care. The trip started out wonderful, diving or boat marshaling in the morning, studying in the early afternoon, capped off by football games on the sandy white beaches.

It was that trip though that changed my life. While I was enjoying that paradise, I was diagnosed with a corneal ulcer, I was to be administered antibiotic eye drops and given Codeine for the pain. However, things got worse, much worse, very quickly. Faced with the very real possibility of going blind, I had to orchestrate an emergency evacuation – in the middle of a hurricane.

Nothing prepares you for watching your own eye be cut open.

Nothing prepares you for an operation in a dinghy room in the third world.

And nothing prepares you for having it done by a doctor partially paralyzed by a stroke.

The only unfortunate thing in all this is that it took the loss of my vision to begin to see this more clearly.

Bart Skorupa recovered from the third world surgery and can now see fine, but that experience changed the trajectory of Bart’s life and career. He had to rely upon locals and missionaries for help. He only had the supplies that the locals had available and from that experience he decided that he wanted to help communities like the one that helped him.

He and Kyle Maclaren Miller founded a 501c3 charity working to create a world beyond poverty by investing in groundbreaking ideas, empowering local leaders, and engaging communities.

Groundwork Opportunities (GO) identifies and partners with local leaders in the developing world who have designed sustainable programs to address community-based issues, such as a lack of clean water, healthcare, or education. Once a partnership is established, GO provides the community with the start-up capital and guidance needed to turn their vision for a better world into a reality that will scale across multiple countries.

We first learned of GO thanks to a friend introducing us to GO’s volunteering opportunities in Africa. Then we found out that not only were Bart and Kyle offering some great opportunities for people to help and get involved, but they were offering volunteering for free. This is rare, and we are very excited to introduce GO to our Meet, Plan, Go! audience.

Listen to Bart’s complete eye ulcer story in full in this NPR interview – Blood and Faith.

And don’t find yourself in a situation like Bart’s without insurance. See how World Nomads can get you covered.

Learn more about Groundwork Opportunities and volunteering in our post “Volunteering Vision“.

I have been an avid supporter of Groundwork Opportunities (GO) since it was founded in 2008. I had just moved to San Francisco and I wanted to get involved in the community by volunteering for a local non-profit. I was first introduced to GO because a close friend of mine, Jennifer O’Connor, had just started working as their Development Director.

Heather's fundraising supported building beehives for a Ugandan village

She invited me to attend their first fundraising event and I instantly was attracted to their mission to create a world beyond poverty by investing in groundbreaking ideas, empowering local leaders, and engaging communities. The more I learned about GO’s mission and all of the diverse community led projects they were involved in, the more passionate I became about this organization. GO’s 100% to cause donation model and transparency was so inspiring that I wanted to do more than just donate or attend their events; I wanted to volunteer, fundraise, engage my network of friends/colleagues, and leverage my professional skills to increase the scope of its operations.

This past June, I joined GO’s racing team and became a GO champion. I chose to run the San Francisco Half Marathon on July 31, 2011 (my first race to date) and individually fundraise on behalf of GO. GO supports a model development farm in Masaka, Uganda that teaches other farmers and communities how to bring lasting food security to their homes, businesses and organizations. The model farm is used both as a training center and a community center for all program participants and gives farmers the skills they need to get out of poverty PERMANENTLY.

In an effort to build 30 beehives that would help 10 farmers to grow honey and get out of poverty forever, I focused my campaign to raise $1,000 to do just that. The support I received during my fundraising was remarkable! I was so humbled by everyone’s generosity and I ended up raising over $2,100, which ended up being enough to build 50+ beehives. Despite a foot injury during my training, I was able to cross the finish line with a smile on my face and know that I specifically ran those miles for the lives in Uganda that would be impacted forever.

Volunteers helped construct the beehives

Volunteering for GO has been an amazing and rewarding experience on both a social and professional level. I have strengthened my communication, negotiation, marketing and event planning skills. Volunteering has enabled me to be more connected with the local San Francisco philanthropic community and various business networks, while building lasting relationships that share my positivity and passion with my coworkers and customers.

As a result of my philanthropy efforts, I was recognized by many of my colleagues at Thomson Reuters, as well as the CEO, who presented me with a company Community Champion Award this past October. The best part was the award was a grant donation for GO! Through my ongoing volunteer work at GO, I have learned the phrase “You Give What You Have” which, in my view, means that whether someone only has a $1 to spare, advice to give, or volunteers their time, it all really makes a difference in helping those in need. With GO, I have learned we can demonstrate the power of how just one person can make a difference and help change the world.

Heather will be visiting Uganda this summer to see the impact of her project

Learn more about Groundwork Opportunities and volunteering in our post “Volunteering Vision“.

I first started fundraising with Groundwork Opportunities (GO) in the summer of 2008. The first fundraiser, actually. Over a beer and a couple of bar napkins, Bart showed me his and Kyle’s idea for what they were trying to accomplish. It wasn’t going to take much to convince me. I’d come from a background of organizing, was working in education, and was just getting my photography career going. We decided to throw a party at One Rincon Hill. Our goal was a few thousand dollars. It was going to change people’s lives.

Over the years I helped coordinate events. Throw more fundraisers. I auctioned off photos to help raise money and it gave me confidence to continue to work at building this career while working a full-time job. I watched Bart give himself to this thing entirely and that helped me keep going when I had no idea where I was headed.

We talked about my going into the field at some point. I really wanted to make that happen. Not just because I love to shoot and travel, but because I thought I was missing something fundamental by living my life on this side of the planet and helping to change someone else’s life on the other side. I believed whole-heartedly in what GO was doing, and what I was helping them to do, but it felt unfinished for me, personally. I knew that I was never going to truly understand what kept these people going day after day after day if I didn’t go out there into the world to see what this is really about. And to see who it’s about.

It was in a conversation about something unrelated that Kyle made a passing comment about making a trip to East Africa. That was in the spring of 2011. He ended up not making that trip. But, after eight weeks of planning, I had enough gear and enough time off to do it.

To explain what it was like to arrive in places that are war torn and filled with joy, it just doesn’t work in formats like this. Imagine the most moving moments of your life. The times when you realized that there was simply no way you could possibly exist, the you who you are, without other people. It was something like that. When I arrived home I had a difficult time understanding what was happening, or how the streets could be so clean, and calm, or how they could even exist at all.

I found myself in awe of what, before I left, was common-place. Literally staring, blank-faced, in the middle of streets. I also found myself in elevators with people not talking, or looking at one another. I found myself slipping back into craving things. The best that I can sum up volunteering in the field is that I think of my life now in two pieces. I think of my life before I went into the field with GO, and I think of everything I want it to be after that experience.

Over the weekend we had the chance to explore two cities in the south east of England that have a fair amount in common. Both are a short train ride from London; both have enough olde worlde buildings to be regularly used as a filming location for period dramas; and of particular relevance to this post, both can lay claim to being home to a famous name whose legacy is known throughout the world.

Yet the contrast in how these two cities promote their star attractions could not be sharper. Rochester, a 40 minute trip along the high speed line from St Pancras, makes much of its Charles Dickens connections. Wander along the high street and you’ll see a plaque on every other building. On one building is the nun’s house from Edwin Drood; on the next is Satis House from Great Expectations; here is Mr Sapsea’s home; wonder into the Guildhall and you’ll learn about Pip and his apprenticeship. Every link to a story is clearly marked while the Visitor Centre and Guildhall make a big show of every possible aspect of the life of Dickens as well as that of his many well-known characters.

The next day we took the opportunity to explore St Albans during the annual Residents First weekend. I was keen to see the old house of Samuel Ryder, a name known around the sporting world for his sporting legacy. In 1927 he set up the first golf match between Great Britain and the United States. The Ryder Cup has since become the most important event in the golfing calendar and one of the world’s most prestigious sporting events.

As well as setting up this golf tournament he made his fortune by creating penny seed packets, enabling people with small homes and modest wages to add colour to their gardens and windows. He was the mayor of St Albans and a dedicated philanthropist, making contribution to many of the city’s institution and leaving a legacy that covers many of the historic buildings.

It would be generous of me to describe my visit to the Samuel Ryder Room as underwhelming. Now an upper room in the Comfort Inn, his office resembles a typical bland corporate meeting room with nothing to tell a visitor of the history of the site. There are a few golf-related photos on the wall but no clues as to why they are there or what the link is between this building and one of the world’s premier sporting events.

Wonder around the city and it’s the same story at the other sites associated with Samuel Ryder. No plaques, no boards, no directions; not a hint to the passing visitor or even the curious resident about the history of a man whose name is known around the sporting world.

It’s hard to understand why St Albans, a city that is desperately keen to attract day-trippers from London, has completely failed to make a noise about one of its most famous residents. He may not be a household name on the scale of Rochester’s Dickens but to millions of golf players and supporters around the world his name will forever be associated with many of the sport’s most famous moments.

Surely there is scope for a museum that celebrates the great moments of the Ryder Cup as well as the life of the man himself (his seed business went on to become part of Holland and Barrett). Of the many millions of American and European visitors who come to London, how many are keen golfers who would jump on a train for 20 minutes to visit the home of the Ryder Cup if the right facilities were provided?

Samuel Ryder doesn’t even manage a mention in the St Albans tourism website although a leaflet has recently been produced that at least allows interested visitors to follow a short trail around the town to see the sites linked to the Ryder story. You can find it in an easy-to-miss corner of the Tourist Information Centre (or here).  Hopefully the local tourism folks will find a way to use the city’s links to the Ryder Cup to promote St Albans to a global market. So far their efforts have been distinctly below par.

St Albans and Samuel Ryder: A Tale of Two Cities is a post from: 501 Places