The old phone I’d brought with me was an unreliable heap of junk but it had one redeeming feature - it allowed me to select a network mode and frequency. I tried all three options without apparent success and dropped it in my pocket, grimacing. I would find out later that connecting an overseas phone to one of Colombia’s networks was highly unpredictable, but my priority now was to get to the boarding gate for my next flight. Provided I got to the flight, I could still make it to Lucas’ wedding in Medellin at 6PM. I politely made my way through the poorly lit Customs and Immigration area, full of black uniform wearing DAS officers and their grave expressions. I found the Avianca desk that Connie had told me to visit, and got a boarding pass for the flight to Medellin. I boarded bus between Bogota’s international and domestic terminals, and raced across the tarmac between planes and cargo vehicles. A tall girl with honey-coloured skin in her early twenties stood in front of me, wearin...
Chris Dowding wrote a draft Famous Five book, at 10 years old. He was unadventurous, and received poor marks for writing during school in the 1980s. Despite this, he published a book in 2007 (a Few Drops short of a Pint). He has experienced a demanding career as a Structural Engineer and divorce from his faithful but forceful wife of 13 years. Since then, he has trekked the Andes and the Himalayas. His love of a good story seems to compel him to keep moving his feet, and his words, forwards...