A global hug
It’s a slightly complicated story, aided by a few graphics!
(Sent in by Rachel Vigers - November 2024)
Rachel and Sally met as British expats living in Hong Kong. Bonding over a love of travel, nature and the outdoors, the two often enjoyed hiking trips together and heading off on scuba diving adventures.
Rachel also had a friend Kate, another British expat who lived in Hong Kong. She also loved travel & adventure but, despite having Rachel as a mutual friend and living in the same territory, had never met Sally during their shared Hong Kong years.
By 2008, Kate was back living in England & Sally had moved to Singapore.
Feeling disillusioned after a decade in corporate banking, Sally decided upon a complete lifestyle change and handed in her notice to embark upon a year of adventure & reflection...
Fast forward 11 months, when Rachel received a phone call. From her friend Sally. Sounding upset.
Sally was in Ushuaia. Where? Exactly!
Having never heard of Ushuaia before, Rachel soon learnt that it was in Argentina & was the world’s southernmost city. ‘Fin del mundo’ (End of the World)! Sally had just disembarked there after a boat tour of Antarctica…
So, Antarctica sounds pretty cool, right? Trip of a lifetime!
Except that emotional highs can come with emotional lows too.
In truth, the utterly incredible trip that Sally had just been on had left her feeling incredibly lonely afterwards – made worse by the fact that her fellow trip passengers were all excitedly heading home for Christmas.
Sitting by herself in a rundown internet café on a low key high street, Sally decided to call Rachel. Through tears, she said "I've had the most amazing experience, but no one to share it with. On the one hand, it's as good as it gets but, on the other, I feel so sad and alone".
As Sally talked about her feelings, Rachel listened. But, when Sally got to the point about how Ushuaia was the main departure/drop off point for all Antarctica trips, Rachel suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
“Don’t go anywhere!” she said “Wait right there!”
Rachel had remembered her friend Kate used to run support crew sometimes for the adventure travel company ‘Racing the Planet’. She was sure that Kate had previously mentioned RTP having an ultra-marathon in Antarctica & wondered if she might know someone locally who could help Sally in her hour of need.
By crazy coincidence, the race was due to start within a few days. Rachel jumped on the phone to Kate who answered with “"You're lucky to get me! The reception here is shocking!".
Guess where Kate was? Yep. She’d just landed in Ushuaia. Boom!
Quickly, Rachel explained the situation to Kate…
“Wait right there!” she said “Don’t go anywhere!”
Calling Sally back, Rachel asked “"Are you still there? What's the address of that internet cafe?"
Switching back to Kate, she passed on the details & put the phone down. Nothing more to do but wait & hope.
Within the hour, a tall curly haired brunette from Bournemouth walked into an internet café in Ushuaia, Argentina, looking for a tall, long haired blonde from Somerset.
Connected via a tall Mancunian, sitting on her sofa in Hong Kong, the two woman briefly faced each other in disbelief – until Kate reached out her arms and said “you must be Sally. Rachel says you could do with a hug”.
And, in that moment, Kate gave Sally the fundamentally human support that Rachel felt so helpless to be unable to do from a distance. Technology and people combining beautifully.
All three women are now back living in the UK. Still connected. Of course!
