Wednesday 1 October 2008
Riding It Out by Pam Goodall
Riding it Out by Pam Goodall (shown left)
Having made the daring decision to set off around the world by bicycle, Pam Goodall left the comfortable surroundings of her home in West Sussex one spring morning, and went on to pedal her way through Europe, Asia and America. She was approaching her sixtieth birthday and travelled alone.
A business woman for twelve years, Pam’s shop closed down due to competition from a nearby supermarket. The collapse of the property boom in the late ‘80s left her facing bankruptcy and the desk job which followed led ultimately to redundancy.
Enough was enough – three months later Pam was off, taking control of her life once again. It was the beginning of her Grown Up Gap Year. Undeterred by constant warnings of danger, her presence prompted spontaneous friendships which resulted in invitations to weddings, engagements and birthday celebrations, beach parties and barbecues. Frequently treated as a VIP houseguest, she enjoyed family meals, local sightseeing and an unusual day at a private health club.
Pam traded in her possessions for a bicycle, tent, compass and puncture repair kit and set off to cycle around the world… alone. She had no idea where she would be sleeping that first night, nor any consequent night until her return to England a year later.
Riding It Out her book is a record of this remarkable journey, giving a vivid and light-hearted account she recounted part of this adventure to a live and enthralled audience of Probus members in a light hearted but vivid portrayal of this year long bike ride This includes the trials of finding a place to sleep each night, the reality of owning a Brooks saddle and choosing to ignore persistent warnings from well meaning strangers of the dangers lurking ahead for a lone female cyclist. The challenge of obtaining visas throughout Asia proves nerve-wracking and costly.
She covered some 10,000 miles and 20 countries in her travels and the presentation captures her adventures, the amazing hospitality and the culture of the countries on her journey. It also smashes expectations and preconceptions about which countries are most friendly, unhelpful and its not what you think!
She passed over in a light hearted way the difficult situations such as attacks from angry hounds, officials trying to remove her passport, intimidation from angry youths and so on. The lasting memory however is the insight into different cultures, especially China which was fascinating and also countless examples of hospitality and human kindness.
If you like travel, cycling or different cultures then I can only recommend that you get a copy of her book and have a good read or find out where she is talking next and join the enriched band of listeners.
Details are
Riding It Out by Pam Goodall
ISBN 1-84426-310-X
UPFRONT PUBLISHING LTD
Leicestershire
Challenges during the journey included:
An appearance on Good Morning India breakfast television with two spectacular black eyes, the result of a dramatic crash on the road to Delhi.
The bike emerging in several pieces on the luggage conveyor at Islamabad airport.
The night of her 59th birthday in Hungary spent holding down the tent which had collapsed during a thunder storm.
New Year’s Eve camping alone in remote woods, with only raccoons for company and the condensation inside the tent frozen solid.
Chased by a rabid dog in Mexico.
Attacked by a group of teenage boys in Rumania.
Detained and searched by police in Vietnam.
Bike and passport confiscated by Border Control in the US, was there no have a nice day?
This was a fantastic presentation, without any visual aids apart from her trusty bike and of course a snazzy outfit (as seen below in the wilds of Bourne Hall the natives are peaceful there!) this must have made the peoples from many countries outside of Europe enthralled as well as fascinated, indeed it even awoke our membership who normally snooze after a very nice lunch!
The questions came fast and furious and perhaps the most informative was the sponsorship for a charity, Pam answered as follows with a background of a parachute jump as a mother of 35 and running the London Marathon in her mid 50's, both events sponsored for cancer research, Pam chose to be an independent free spirit. With no commitments to fund raising, this was a journey alone on a bicycle. According to Pam "a very rewarding and privileged adult gap year" in the next breath she remarked that raising sponsorship is a time consuming and exhausting activity that can consume more effort than the event.
This was a great meeting our thanks are many, not only the presentation but her willingness to allow us to use her material from the Book but also information on the Internet, so thank you Pam, just tell us if the facts are incorrect.
Photographs below are Copyright © Pam Goodall
"The Club accepts no responsibility for any statement, views, opinions of whatsoever nature expressed or given above which is just a summary of a talk given to the Club and does not necessarily reflect those of the Club or its members."
