One of the things that is important to me in life is friends and family. We are very fortunate to surround ourselves with people that are mostly genuine and authentic. For anyone that has met Andrew that wouldn’t come as a surprise, because he is the most honest person I’ve ever met. He models that honest behaviour and our friends mirror it. As that happens we share our lives with those that make it a priority.
Friends at my 40th birthday.
This past weekend I spent time and made a point of seeing some dear friends that I hadn’t seen in months. Three different groups of friends all of whom I enjoyed my time with immensely. It was so nice to connect with everyone and just sit back and chat for hours. I cherish these moments and will miss them as we travel. I suppose I’ll need to rely on email, blog posts and Skype to keep me in touch with these friends.
I also made some old connections from family. I’ve been doing considerable research on visa requirements for different countries and exploring our options. A friend of mine told me that she was able to obtain a passport based on her family heritage. I did some research and based on the birthplace of my father and grandparents I may be eligible for a British passport and then Andrew could obtain one as my husband. The first step of applying is to have copies of birth certificates so I did some research on names and birth dates.
You may be thinking … easy! Not for me. Here’s a little family history. My Mother is from South Africa and my Father is from England. They met in England and moved to South Africa and had two kids, my two oldest sisters. Then they moved to Canada leaving my Mom’s Mother; my Granny in South Africa and proceeded to have three more kids. My Father died in 1987 at the age of 39 leaving my Mother with five kids in a Country in which she had no family. For reasons unknown we lost touch with my Father’s side of the family so not knowing anyone made it hard to know birth dates and names.
Enter the power of Google. I looked up two of my Uncle’s and took a shot and crossed my fingers. I found email addresses and sent them emails and was so pleasantly surprised when one instantly replied. Not only did my Uncle Geoff reply, but he replied with enthusiasm. It was so nice to get a reply that expressed happiness in hearing from me. It made my day. He provided me the details I needed and connected me with one of my Cousins. I didn’t remember that I had six cousins from him – wow! It’s not very often people have that many kids anymore. In any event I received a heartfelt email from my Cousin Baylen who is an avid cyclist too. To put it in the words of Baylen it’s great to hear that there is another avid cyclist in the family. I was struck by how he genuinely sounded inspired by our journey. I loved hearing it and hope that time will allow us to meet him before we leave Canada. While I’ve never met him and haven’t spoken to my Uncle in years, I’m amazed at the instant connection I feel because they’re “family”. Here’s his email below.
Hi Amanda,
It’s your Cousin Baylen, Geoff’s son!
It was a great surprise when I heard about our niece planning to tour the world on a bicycle! That will be quite an accomplishment, which one day I hope to do! I always hoped there was another avid cyclist in the family! I myself am an avid road cyclist and mountain biker! I’ve looked at your website more then a few times, and found it very inspirational!
I am currently gonna be racing the KR Enduro Series, and the Alberta XC series, and also a few Road races here in Alberta! Hopefully we could maybe meet up somewhere in B.C. Over the summer! I love your website, and whole plan for the trip! definitely inspires me to dream big! I have a few questions for you if you wouldn’t mind answering them!
1. When did you first get this idea, and what inspired you to chase after this dream?
2. When did you first start Bicycle Touring? And what was your first trip?
3. How many bikes do you have, and what are they?
4. What are a few tips you would give, to someone interested in touring?
5. Finally the last one, whats your favourite discipline of cycling and why?
PS: Here is my schedule for my KR Enduro Series!
#1. Canmore, Alberta, June 15.
#2. Kimberley B.C. July 12.
#3. Golden, B.C. July 19-20.
#4. Rossland, B.C. August 3.
#5. Revelstoke, B.C. September 13-14.
Thanks, and I look forward to hearing more about your trip!
Baylen!