Adventure Diaries

Walking the Andes, 14,000km from Patagonia to Venezuela with Ollie Treviso

• Chris Watson • Season 4 • Episode 13

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Overview

From a Swansea estate to the peaks of Patagonia, Ollie Treviso became the first person to walk the entire length of the Andes — 14,000 kilometres across seven countries, taking 20 months of near-continuous motion. His story isn’t about records or ego, but about endurance, kindness, and rediscovering humanity step by step.

In this episode, Ollie speaks openly about losing direction in his twenties, leaving behind a job in insurance, and how walking became his therapy. He reflects on the extremes of the Andes — from the Salar de Uyuni’s white infinity to the Venezuelan jungle — and the strangers who saved him time and again. Through fractured bones, altitude sickness, and moments of despair, he found that the world is still full of good people and that adventure, at its heart, is about carrying on when no one is watching.

Chris and Ollie talk about how walking can heal mental health, the beauty of simplicity, and what modern life has lost in the rush for comfort. It’s an episode about grit, humility, and gratitude — a reminder that you don’t need to be special to do something extraordinary.

What You’ll Learn

  • đź’ˇ How a lost young man from Swansea became a global adventurer.
  • 🧭 The unseen kindness and generosity of South America’s rural communities.
  • 🗣️ Lessons in endurance, patience, and humility from 14,000km on foot.
  • 🌍 Why walking can be a powerful tool for mental health and reflection.
  • 🔥 How simplicity and gratitude can rebuild connection and purpose.

Resources

  • Follow Ollie’s future projects: coming soon via Adventure Diaries updates.
  • The BloomSpace Foundation— mental health charity supported by Ollie.
  • Books mentioned: Endurance (Shackleton), Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know (Fiennes), Shantaram (Gregory David Roberts).
  • Watch the Andes visual diaries on Adventure Diaries YouTube.

🎙️ If Ollie’s story moved you, Follow the show here
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Each listen, rating, and share helps Adventure Diaries continue bringing real stories of endurance, kindness, and wild places to life.

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 And I'm, I'm on a, just on a side, it's not a path, you know, it's an animal trail. I've just lost my footing, bang in a, in a flash, lost my footing, and I'm dangling over the gorge. I, I managed to jam my pole. I've started slipping, jam my pole into the ground and got my hand in the other hand in this big rock.

And I'm just dangling and my legs are completely dangling off the side of this, uh, into the gorge as I've gone to pull myself up. The rock has given weight. Uh, well, that was it Then I, I've fallen. It felt like I was falling for so long. I actually remember thinking, you know, this could be it. Basically, I was watching the news one morning, just, I, I, I put it to the back of my head and it's all over the news now.

They've put the, there's been bombs going off or in Kakuta. I thought I must be like a different park. There's a big place Venezuela and. Well, 55 days I slept in 40 people's houses. 

Oh, 

what? That's what type of people Serious. Yeah. That's what type of people they are. I had 30 or 40 people walking with me the last two weeks.

I never, it was never just me and Rafa. It was people following us. We had the fire brigade, the police, uh, the police, biking clubs, all the, they, they love like the, you know, the walking groups. So we have the ramblers back home. 

Yeah. 

They love that in Venezuela. And they've all got their t-shirts and that.

Oh, mate, it was, it was just like everything I thought for am more in the most dangerous country. Yeah. And I just thought, this is it. Like this is why. This is 

welcome to the Adventure Diaries podcast, where we share tales of adventure, connection, and exploration from the smallest of creators to the larger than life adventurers.

We hope their stories inspire you to go create your own extraordinary adventures. And now your host. Chris Watson, Chris Watson. 

Welcome to another episode of The Adventure Diaries. Today we're joined by Ollie Trivio, a man who walked the entire length of the Andes from 14,000 kilometers over 20 months and across seven countries from the glaciers of Patagonia to the jungles of Venezuela.

Ollie's not a professional explorer per se, and in his own words, he's just a lad from Swansea in Wales, but he's someone that felt lost for a while, but through adventure, found a new path, both physically and metaphorically, and along his endang journey is broken bones, crossed unforgiven environments, but being carried forward by the kindness of strangers.

And this isn't a story about glory or distances. It's a phenomenal feat of endurance and adventure, for sure. But this is also about humility, about personal transformation and human connections and what happens when you choose to trust the world a little bit more than you fear it. So settle in and enjoy this fantastic conversation with Ollie Trivio.

Ollie Trivio, welcome to the Adventure Diaries. How are you? 

Thank you, mate. Yeah, all good. Thank you. Here in Columbia. Very sweaty, but all. Feeling good, mate? Yeah, feeling good. Thank you. 

We're recording this in, in June at the minute and it's weirdly equally sweaty in, in my studio slash office. Is it in Glasgow at the minute?

It is, yeah. It's boiling. I don't dunno what's going on. 

Hopefully it stays like that for when I get home. That's what I'm praying for anyway. Yeah, as well. It stays good. 

Excellent. It's been a long time coming buddy. We've been trying to get this in the diary for, for a while for technical challenges, Scotland to Columbia today.

So thanks for bearing with us. So to, to frame things up all. Walking the Andes. It doesn't need an introduction, does it? 14,000 kilometers, 21 7 countries. There's so much to, to unpack, but you, you've kind of just finished that now, so that what people can expect today. We want to kinda talk through that, do that as much justice in the time that we've got.

Yeah, no doubt. There'll be, uh, we'll try and cram a lot in, but, but before we get to that, I, I always like to roll things right back. You know, what was it like growing up in Swanee? What was a, a younger Ollie like, what was your formative experiences like? 

No before it, it's taken me a bit to reflect on this, but I never thought of, for example, adventure as a thing.

Now, I never knew about people doing these grand adventures or anything like that that come on a lot later. But when I look back, I did have quite an outdoorsy life. I really wanted to be outside all the time. We were encouraged to always playing sport, always. Rugby was the main thing. Play football with my mates, bikes, fishing, but my grandparents had a tour caravan, so me and my brother and my two cousins would go away with them every weekend, so I wouldn't called it an adventure.

Then when I look back, it probably was very adventurous. You know, we come home, we went out. As soon as they got light, then we come back when it was dark and that was it. But they definitely didn't have, if I'm being completely honest, just love for nature. Didn't even think of it as a thing. It wasn't a thing for me.

Do you know what I mean? I never just. Thought about it as for, for what it, for what it is. So that definitely come on a lot later for me then. And I'm glad it did. 'cause it better changed my life completely, to be honest with 

you. Yeah. What before we talk about the Andes, what, did you do some stuff in the uk?

Because when I was kinda trying to see what you were up to before that. Yeah, 

so what happened was in my late teens, early twenties, I started to go off the rails a little bit. To be honest with you, I wasn't very happy. I didn't know what I was doing. When I look back now, I can, I can see that I just was lost, was really lost, you know?

And I was working for like an insurance broker. I just kind of, I can't believe I did that. Now I, because I, that's hell, I was soon to find out that I needed to work outside and to, to live, to be outside as much as possible. But I went to Australia when I was 21. That's sort of what changed things a bit for me then still carried on.

Admit, say we're going out, you know, work all week, drink on a weekend, and an ex-girlfriend come over and said, you've come all the this way and you're doing what you did in the uk. And I dunno what it was at that time, but I thought she's right, you know? And yeah, I said lots of stories, but I start, there's opened my eyes up a little bit and try traveling a little because even though I was gonna Australia, I was never thinking about traveling.

I was going into work, I had family there. It is where I'm from. People don't travel. It wasn't a normal conversation to have. But it was, then when I got there, I heard the first story of, I'm going to Columbia after this. In Columbia. Some people go to co. You know, I just never heard anything like it. My dad went to Australia when he was 21 because he had family there.

That's why I went to visit, and it was it slowly, slowly started to open my eyes up basically. Anyway, what I, what I did before then I, I started to work on farms and then I ended up living in a cave with this guy cave. I fell, I, I fell in love with agriculture and I was very lost at the time. And yeah, it was like I was just meant to go there and it was at that moment, but I still had this thing.

I can either cruise in Crankin area, the island. I can either go down south and go work in the Irish bars and party. You know, that was a strong option for me. Oh, I can try and ride this out. And he and I, and that was a, when I look back, there was a pivotal time in my life and I got into agriculture. He gave me good advice.

Anyway, I'm blabbing on, basically, I went on to walk the wel coastal bath. That's what I did. I woke the well coast, the bath, and then I was gonna walk to Scotland. This was at COVID. I couldn't because of COVID. So I walked home and walked the border of England and Wales. Come back to my house in Wales, started and finished at my house.

COVID broke back out. That Christmas worked. And then I woke LANs in the John Gross in the middle of winter. That was the second thing I did without paying for accommodation. That was like my thing that I camped every night and then I sailed the Atlantic, then a four man crew from the Canary Islands to Brazil.

Yeah, I didn't realize 

that. 

Yeah, so that I, I wasn't on social media. I didn't want it, you know, I, it was, uh, yeah. Sorry mate. I, I just went completely off track. 

No, that's it. So what was that? You come back to the walking, what was the, the what, what was it like sailing the Atlantic? 

Oh, it was un it was unbelievable.

First, I made it clear I'd never sailed before, so that, that was the big thing to mention there. I couldn't, again, like I said, adventure, you know, I didn't know about podcasts like yours at this time, but I met this couple we're in Grandin area and I was saying, oh yeah, we're looking for a boat to say the Atlantic.

I said, what? Couldn't believe. I never heard anything like that. I was like, you're gonna say yeah, we're gonna. I was like, right, I ain't gonna do that. I am doing that now. Wasn't, anyway, it wasn't the time then. Then COVID broke out and that was my mission. As soon as the chance came, as soon as COVID left, I was off.

I was adamant. So I went to Grandin area, I found a boat and I was part of a four man crew, 50-year-old Cat Moran water coming through the windows falling apart when we out the sea. But I think that was one of the most special things I've ever done, you know, to see the planet like that. We never used the engine once, you know?

And to feel like, actually feel it. I never thought I'd speak like this, but to feel the planet basically. And some days there was no wind and we just completely drift. And we know it was a lot of tension on the boat. The captain was a lunatic. That was another, yeah. So it was mentally very difficult because the captain.

Turned out to be a very, um, he wasn't a very nice guy, basically, but I mean, like the nights were the best for me. So someone had to be awake at all times and we'd work two hour shifts and, uh, I never forget one morning I had the night shift or night, but it was for the sunrise and it was just dolphins and wheels surrounding the boat.

And I just, I just held on to that, you know, whenever he was being difficult. 

Hi everyone. Chris here with just a wee reminder. If you've been enjoying the stories here on the Adventure Diaries, could you please take a moment to press that follow or subscribe button on Spotify on Apple Podcasts? It's such a small thing, but it makes such a huge difference to the show.

It helps the show reach more ears, brings more voices to the table, and really helps keep this adventure going. So if you're up for more wild stories, more adventures, and more thoughtful conversations, then please hit that follow button on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts. And thanks for being here and spending time with us today.

It is really appreciated. So hit that follow button and now let's get back to this episode. 

It wa it was worth, you know, it was just worth it for that moment. Yeah, it was brilliant, mate. Until then, to see the land, you know, from afar, it's a moment that I'll never forget. I absolutely loved it. 

That's something about the sea, certainly for me, that just opens, opens up the mind, and, and it can, yeah.

It, it just, it gives me ideas. I, I've had a few moments like that over the years myself, which is partly, which has kinda led to this whole thing. What can, can I ask, did, did you get sea sicking like that? Had you ever been on the water? A sea odor. 

I just, I thought in my head I was like, there's no way I'm getting seasick.

No way. And then we started to leave the islands and we are in these massive swells, you know? And 

yeah, it 

felt like, no tin tin, the movie, tin film is out in the ocean. And all the, what I thought, what have I done? What have I done? What, what was I thinking? We, we, we couldn't go inside the boat 'cause of stomach, you know, you wanna see the horizon or whatever.

But my thing was to try a little bit, I started to cook and I started to ease myself into it. The, the other two really struggled actually, but I was all right. I would say considering what it was, I think it helped that I really wanted to be okay and I was happy to go in and out to the, you know, the cabin and stuff and break it down.

But yeah, it took me by surprise and just trying to stand up on the boat was the best thing to ride. That was, that was the biggest challenge of it. But what, uh. And I gotta be honest, when I got off the boat, I said, I'm never doing that again. I'll never do that again because of the situation with the captain.

But I now finishing at the Caribbean. I know we'll come on to it, but I haven't seen it for 20 months to see. I forgot how happy I made me. I'm so happy now to be there and just splashing around and I'm thinking I could sail home from here. Do I? I can't do it. I can't do it to my family. But, um, yeah mate, what, what a experience.

And I think it's, it's just so unique in it to be, it's like nothing else, you know, catching a fish, you cat, you know, it's just as like, and to be fair, as much as a asshole as he was, he really made us take it, you know, we were jotting down where we were all, and notice every hour he, he, he had his hands on, you know, we, he were messing about you.

And I, I loved that about it. You know, he, he had us. He made, he made us work and he and I, so we learned a lot. It was very much a crash course. 'cause it's easy to go on his boats and, and just stay up in the night for two hours or do the washing or cook the food, whatever it is, and pay a lot of money. But I didn't, my payment was working and uh, yeah, I mean, and then when you, you know, you've gotta change the sales and everything that, that, that team spirit, then I loved it.

You know, we all had that buzz and yeah, it's gonna happen again one day, I'm sure. But I, I dunno, I, I really like to, when I get back now, to, to practice, you know, but see how, and like I live in Swansea, we are right by a sailing club. It's very easy to go down there and, and stick your hand up to be part of a crew.

And it's amazing actually, when you start locking, like it's a different world, isn't it? Sailing the even way they talk and, and it is just like, it opens you, it opens your eyes then to connecting the planet, you know? Yeah. It was like, it is like the best crash course. For, for everything. And you know what I mean?

It was just, oh, it was amazing. We arrived to Cape Verde, never used to Cape Verde before. Arrived there before. Then we went, then went to a few islands, then we went to Fernando Diona, Brazilian little island, 300 miles before the main land. And to see that land was just like, oh, you know, you just see it come you, and it's just like, there it is.

And Carnival was just kicking off in Brazil then. So that was another story. 

Oh, amazing. Yeah. I've had a good fortune of sailing because we've got friends that are sailors and taking his own like, uh, catamarans in Caribbean. It's, yeah, it's, it's just, yeah, it's just what one, there's just something about it.

Can I ask then, so you must had a lot of time to, to think plan ruminate when you were on that boat. Is, is that where the, the idea for the Andes came or how do we go from sailing the Atlantic to, to walking the Andes? 

Yes. It doesn't really connect all that well actually. But the, the idea started, I always, after that chat with the boy, I said, who went to Columbia?

I couldn't believe that people went to South America and I was caught. And the pinnacle of travel for me was South America, basically. And then what happened was, after all this time, I, I ended up in a farm in Morocco for COVID. And I was really dying to travel in a more authentic way. I, I had enough of the hostels.

I was on the farms, which are brilliant, but I just wanted more. And the owner of the farm said, why don't you just walk home? I said walk home. I, I said, hell of an idea. I, I, I just loved, I remember ring my mother, I said, ma'am, I'm gonna, I'm gonna walk home from Morocco. And she just laughed and carried on talking about the weather.

It was so bizarre, that thing. And I, and I went on my first wild camp just before that. And I just fell in love with it. We went for a hike on a coast and I just looked on my phone. Can you, can you walk the Andes just this, just this little flash in my mind. Just curiosity. Just random. 'cause the Andes 'cause of the Welsh Village in traveling, it was in my head, I'd seen photos of Peru and I just, I thought I want to visit YIs.

It, it was like that, you know, but I never thought that this would turn into that. But when we went right to Brazil, me and my mate bought a bike and started cycling south. We would've right up in Northeast and I didn't like it. I didn't like it. His mate was coming in and he bought my bike off me, but then I had some bad news from back home.

My cousin's partner, we have a very close family, he was killed in an accident in work. They just had a one one month, year old baby and it, it just shook, you know, obviously shook the family, but it sent me on a dark path to be honest. I tried staying out in Brazil. And I just, I, I was living with a member of the Nee Tribe, lot of stories from that as well, but I just, there was something wrong with me.

Do you know what I mean? I couldn't put my finger on it, but I said, and I, I fell outta love with traveling. So I said, right, if this is the end, you always said you want to go to Argentina, book your flight on, but before you go and book your flight to Argentina in September. And that was it. I just thought like, if this is the end of the travels, just go and live your dream in Argentina first, whatever.

And not necessarily walking, but it was just, just visiting it. And when I went back home, then I started picking up books and my amp bug got me a book by Ronald finds about Shackleton. And it absolutely blew my mind. I do did Shackleton's name, but I'd never read the story. And it was just something about him, his audacity to go after these, you know, crazy challenge challenges and whatever happens, you could fail, but you're gonna have these brilliant stories.

And then I was listening to a podcast with Ronald Fines and he said about the edit, his heart attack and that, um, all of his worries went, you know, he be, he felt like he had died and it nothing really mattered. And I remember cooking my food, listening to this, this podcast, I'm going to go, fuck, I'm gonna go and walk.

I'm gonna go walk the Andes. Like, I didn't even know where they really started and where they really ended. And that was it. And that was three, four months before. And that, so I, I, we will get onto it, but I didn't prepare very well. I had three, four months. I had my flight book to Argentina and that was it.

I didn't have any money, but I said that this is what's gonna happen, realized then the seven countries. So it was very, very fast this turnaround. It was just, I heard this story and I thought, if life can be that short and go, you know, I gotta go for it. The weight come off my shoulders is I, it was like things were great, but I didn't realize until I come out the other side of it, you know, that I've been so down.

And it was something in, they say listening to their story, Shaq, or then I thought, oh my God, this is happening. Because I just loved it that he was a normal guy. You know, a lot of them got military background and they scientists and he's just this guy with a desire to push himself to the limit when he, you know, and I just thought that's, that's a bit of me.

That is, I'd love to think he's, uh, 

what, one of his adverts. 'cause I've read the, I've not read it for a while, but what is it? He had some sort, when he was advertising for the crew, it was like the poster. It just, it just lists all the hardships and they just, the, the, the muti that you're going to expect, people still applied and, and, and went for it.

It was, there was no, yeah, he didn't, he didn't dress things up. He was a very, very, that's to the point. 

Yeah. That's the big deal of him, I think, isn't it? It's just like he is what he is. And he didn't seem to care either, did he? But he was adamant he was gonna do it so. I 

mean, from that idea to, to, you know, getting a bit sort, I mean 3, 3, 4 months, that's did, how did it feel when you started?

Did, did you feel that you had rushed into it at all or what, what did you feel? Overwhelmed? 

Yeah, I think, I know I've been asked what was the most difficult thing. Obviously a lot of things went on to happen, but I just, ideas are great, don't they? You know, anyone can wrestle up an idea, but it's doing it.

This, that's, that's a different story altogether. And I just remember being at the bottom of the continent and really just thinking, what have I done? 

You 

know, I haven't got barely any money. I can't speak, I can't speak the language, you know, I am, and I just, it was just, it was, I, I can feel in my gut now that feeling of just 14,000 kilometers of something that I haven't got a clue what's gonna happen.

It doesn't get any more ded in than that. For me, no, as well, or whatever happens, I'm too stubborn to quit, so I'm going. 

I was going to ask you that in the, in the nicest possible way. Are you stubborn? 

Yeah. Yeah. I think you've gotta be though, haven't you, to do something like this because it was too difficult.

It was too many things went wrong. And I think if I had a, I remember listening to something, I was listening to like a mil old military book and I saying about when they gone through selection, and I never thought about it like this, but he said, you can't have a plan B. It's gotta mean everything to me.

And I remember just having shivers and thinking, yeah, I haven't got a plan B, but I'm, I'm actually gonna do this as long as it's physically possible. I am gonna go to Venezuela. And I think, again, you have to be like that. But yeah, the scale of it was very difficult for me, and I've learned to break it down and I was, but just, yeah.

Yeah, it was a difficult thing, but now it's given me so much confidence, you know? 'cause 

Well, I mean, you've done it f firstly. I mean, we don't want to foreshadow and jump to the end. I mean, it's phenomenal. It's, I mean, I've spoken to a lot of people that, that have done like, you know, walks, which you'll see on this season of the podcast, but it, every, every one of them is very different.

And I think what, yeah, I think what really strikes me about this always, because it's so recent and I've been so invested in your journey and watching it. Yeah. And there's just so much of it that is just, and the root in the planning and the logistics and all that's important, but we get into that. But I mean, I'm really keen to understand how it's, you know, impacted you as a, as an individual, you know, spiritually, mentally, all that stuff.

But the humans that you have met along the way, some of the kindness and generosity of people. Yeah. 

But it was from the start. 

Yeah. Reason it was, and it 

was like, it was, then I got shivering right now because I was so scared of what I just signed myself up for. I know. I dunno if anyone you've talked to people about, oh, being the Patagonia, that tier Dego, it is hostile.

Yeah. 

The wind is, I've never felt anything like it, you know, and it's very bleak and straight away I'd made a mistake. I couldn't go the way I wanted to. I started a bit earlier and the borders, they, they closed this route. 

Yeah. So I've 

ended up on the Atlantic coast and I'm thinking all these things are going wrong already, and I'm having an absolute tuning from the wind.

I'm, I'm, I'm the lean forward. But what it was like straight away, it was in the first five days as ta as Sky come past a taxi driver. I was just coming into a, I was camping just before Tol, no, not to know. Rio Grande, I think it's called. And he pulled over. He, he, sorry. He went past me and he come back again to see if I wanted a lift.

He was a taxi driver. He wanted to gimme a lift for free. Like, that's, this sums up for a start. Yeah. I explained to what I was doing. I camped at the side of this road. Basically he'd see me camp at the setting up my tent in the night. He come back in the morning, beep in his own, and then he come back again and I still got it.

He gave me this heart from the school, and it, it's in Spanish obviously, but, um, he said like a heart inaction is a stronger heart. And I, I couldn't understand at the time, but he sent me a message then. 'cause he asked for his number and he said, he said, look, this is gonna be a long, tough journey, what you're doing.

He said, but here's my number and if you ever need anything, call me. This is in Tierra de Fuego, you know, one, the most hostile place in the world. And it sounds small, but I, I honestly walked away from it. And I was singing in scenario you could know. Like it filled me. I thought, wow, this might be, if this can happen here, if I can find that here, what am I gonna find now when I meet more and more people?

You know, it's just, it was al it was always, always, when I was starting to feel low. Something will come. Honestly, it was like, it's quite a 

defining moment. Is it? I mean, right at the very start of it you obviously, a lot of stuff must be swirling around your head and for Yeah, for someone to, to, to acknowledge and, and give credit to what you're actually doing without trying to interfere and, and disrupt what you're trying to do to try and get you into a taxi or get you into a horse.

It's like acknowledging it and giving you the courage and the, you know, the, and the support to continue. It's something. 

Yeah. And yes, it's as if you've got people well literally supporting you, but 

yeah, 

and I did message him. I did drop a message and he did carry on, messaged me throughout the whole thing and it was just, I'm sure we'll talk one more, but this, this is a running theme.

You know, like I said, I was very, very unprepared, got myself in some sticky situations. A lot of 'em, my fault from being unprepared, but like I said, I, not religious or anything like that, but it's sometimes I would look up to the sky and just think, oh, how was that just happened? You know? How, how was that just happened?

I 

mean, it's a to a to 'cause I think, 'cause if you're starting in Argentina, you know, quote unquote the end of the world. Yeah. Was it October or something that you started? It was the end of September. It was, yeah, 27th October, 2023. Yeah. I mean, yeah. I, I can imagine that the, the conditions must, well, I, I've seen the conditions actually on, on, on your, your stories and stuff like that.

Yeah. So how were you prepared in terms of, because you're, I mean, what I would like to do is touch through like the logistics, the planning, the experiences and stuff, and touch through the countries from, you know, Argentina right through into to Venezuela. But what strikes me is the amount of terrain.

High altitudes, for example. Yeah. The glaciers or the valleys, the jungles. I mean, you've went through the, the entire, entire, with the whole shebang. It's like, how, how do you, firstly, did you have any mountaineering experience or high altitude mountaineering or hiking or anything like that? 

I, I had a bit of, obviously in the course or path and I'd done Lanzen, Jonah Groats.

But it's hills, isn't it? You know, I took the, the, the, maybe the re uh, most re remote way through the national park. So lanzen to Lanzen, to Jonah Groats. But no, among the Nina experience, no, to be honest, Sue. Mm-hmm. And again, I had some, I made some mistakes there that nearly cost me my life to actually, yeah.

So I, I know really not proud of that. I think I went into it thinking I can, I can do, I can do this, and there's not gonna be any problems like. But it, it wasn't the way, and you're naive. 'cause until you see it, to experience it, you can't believe, you dunno what high altitude sickness feels like until you've had it, you can't believe it's a thing.

What I'll say is, what was great about LANs in Jonah Gross, I did it in the winter and I never paid for accommodation. And as much as it, none of it was as extreme, I, I felt the most extreme heat, cold rain, everything. But I never had so much inconsistent weather as I did on Lanzen Gros. I could, it would, it would clear up in the night, all my stuff would freeze, my boots be frozen, my clothes would be frozen and I could ham down all day and I'd be up to my knees in my penning penning weight in, in Winter Scotland, as you know, in winter, that's a, you know, yeah.

So what, what I will say one is extreme, but he was such good training because once I John Agro even I thought, why did I do that? 'cause I, I, I went at it really fast. It was a course, so Path I, it was just about living outside. It was a different, it was very much type one fun, but it toughened me up with it and made me realize that I can get through anything if I really well.

I wanted to believe that. Yeah, I didn't those, those were my experiences really a generally a fit guy. I suppose I'm, I'm quite active, but I did the basics. Time was, time was really difficult for me before I started because I was working to get the cash in. Then I went to the slam up, a quick 30 minute workout or something.

But what I, the others did tell me is what, at the end of the day, Walkins walking. I knew my shoulders were gonna be in agony at the start, and I knew my legs were gonna tick, but I'd been there before. I knew that would come, but then it was like, say the altitude sickness and stuff. I know my mouth feeling so dry.

I didn't know, I didn't know this happened to, 

yeah, 

this is how unprepared I was like. Not proud of it, but, um, I've, I've learned a hard, I've learned a hard play. It's all, 

it, yeah. It's all a, it's all a learning curve really. And it's part of the experience to, to an extent. So what, what I'd like to do, Ollie, is maybe like, let's maybe take country by country, maybe a good way to walk through.

So you went, you started in, in Argentina and then in Hle. Yeah. What was, what was your, a Argentina experience, like kinda end to end, what kinda, if you think back to that, what was, what was that like, what kinda stands out for you? 

It's a fantastic country actually, and it's so diverse ba you know, gr grand, like everything is just vast and the days at, you know, 300 kilometers of nothing.

And so I, I had this bag, 808 liters of walk, uh, eight days of food and I was, I was straighted into it, basically into this thing. So it made the rest of the journey easier because. People. That was the thing with the Andes. I could see how diverse it was. I thought, well I could do all that and a walk and I could see that more people were coming.

But obviously Patagonia hostile the wind. But then I really, once I crossed into the mainland, I'd gone in the Chi, I went chill Argentina about seven or eight times. 'cause I was walking the, the, 

yeah, 

the mountains are the border basically. So I, I crossed in and out a lot of times and yeah, I mean the Pristine Lakes, you know, and the Snowcap Mountains, the people are so friendly and you see the gout shows, you know, which is like the, which is the cowboy to see them.

It was fantastic, you know, the dream to see him living a simple life up in the mountains and to really spend a lot of time on my own. It was the first time I'd been really like that on my own. No connection. Maybe be seven days, sometimes seven, eight days. And crossing the chi as well, the national parks.

And it got to a point I thought, this is just perfect. You know, I got the lake, the Washington and I, I could have a little fire, just, I didn't have to worry about people or nothing. You know, it all changed. It was always changing Chile, obviously Argentina is where I had the, uh, sorry. Chile was, I had where I had the fall, but I was actually walking illegally on that spine of the Andes.

That's where I fell. So I had one foot in Argentina, one foot in Chile when I sort of fell. 

Wait, because I think you broke your, did you break your foot? 

I had a fractured foot. Then I bused my jaw. Yeah. What happened? What, 

what con what country was that in when you landed? That 

was chi. I actually fell on the Chilean side and I found help from the Chilean side.

So we can go into that if you want. Do us a bit of a Yeah, 

I think, yeah. So talk, talk us through Yeah. We'll, jumping that bit. Yeah. Talk us through that. I mean, that's a defining moment. Yeah. Defining moment. 

Chile, Argentina, Patagonia, and I set myself up for an eight day stretch of, of nothing. It was the first time in my life I've gone more than one day without seeing a, without seeing a soul, basically.

And on the fourth day, so in the middle part, but I'd had a dog following me for three days. Mad. I couldn't get rid of him. But what happened was, sorry mate. They blab on beer, but it was a river crossing. 

Yeah. I 

thought this is the end of me and the dog. No. I just trying to look to look at him, and I look behind and he's going all the way down the river and I thought, I can't let him go down the, so I had to jump in, grab him, and that's how he ended up staying me.

'cause he was on his way to his death, probably the way he was going down the river. So that's how we, we, he ended up staying. Anyway, we get to this point now, and I am, I'm on the, just on the side. It's not a path, you know, it's an animal trail. I've just lost my footing, bang in a, in a flash. Lost my footing and I'm dangling over the gorge.

I, I managed to jam my pole. I've started slipping, jam my pole into the ground and got my hand in the other hand and this big rock. And I'm just dangling and my legs are completely dangling off the side of this, uh, into the gorge as I've gone to pull myself up. The rock has given weight. Well that was it then I, I've fallen, I felt like I was falling for so long.

I actually remember thinking, you know, this could be it. You know, like I, I didn't know what was gonna happen when I. Anyway, I must have, I've gone unconscious when I hit the ground, woke, I've woken up in like the ice smelt and, and that I, uh, trying to find my stuff and just thought, well, I may as well keep going.

'cause in four days, do you know what I mean? I'm, I'm in the middle of everything. There's no way for me to, for me to go apart from forward, try convincing myself that I'm all right anyway, carried on. A dog is still with me and I just cannot get back on track. I'm looking at the map and I'm miles away and I've gone this way.

And I'm literally now at the side of, got myself on the side of the mountain. I've gone under glaciers trying to follow this way, trying to get myself down, which just turned this massive waterfall. And I've actually need lost my mind 'cause I'm looking at it and thinking if I slip again, I'm dead. And that was the situation I got in.

Anyway, managed to get my wits about me starting to get dark as well. And lucky enough, whether though we managed to get back where I was, but it was, it was such a intense part just to even get there. But what happened was, sorry I missed this bit, but there was a glacier. The way I was supposed to be going was it was a big glacier.

And I'm thinking, well, the only way I can go now is try to get over it, which was such a terrible idea. But I've got all these massive cuts now on my end and the dog has started to lick these cuts and I've got this story of rabies going round in my head because that's what people are warning me about.

'cause this is a massive open wound on my end. But in the bottom of the valley, I seen this red roof and I knew that I should have gone there, but I just wanted to carry on. Anyway, we've got to this point, like I said, I'm at the edge of the mountain. I've maybe just sort of lost my mind. I had that realization that I need to calm down now and get myself out this situation because there's definitely no one around that could help me.

So we got back to the point, went back on myself. So that's why the dog was so important, because he sort of, it was like licking my hand. I know sounds mad, but I say, look at what you doing. Like, do you know what I mean? So we went back and the dog then and started sniffing out the animal trail that has took us back down into the valley.

You know, isn't, it's just, it's Matt. Nice. And it took me, so we, it was so filled with adrenaline, but once I could sort of see we were at safety, I've, I remember sitting down and my body was wrecked. You know, it was like, I just calmed down when I, and I was in bits, we camped in at the bottom of the valley and it took me then another 12 hours to find, to, to find this red roof that I spotted.

And then it was a mountain police rescue school station just a bit down. I arrived there and I never forget their faces were like, 'cause all my clothes were ripped, my face was bust, I was limping and then they didn't even have a vehicle. So anyway, long story. It was, it is just a really long story that I could, we could talk about just this.

So many, so much things has happened. It's hard for me to go into detail about it, but it was so intense. You know, that feeling of feeling so vulnerable, you know, and knowing that if I fall down there, there's no safety net. I'd never felt anything like that before. So small. So te I was terrified, but at the same time did it make you 

question, did it make you question what you were doing at all?

What 

the, is the only point? This happened in the old trip when I woke up that morning, my 10th. 

Yeah. 

I thought every morning I would run through all the negative things first. That was just always the way it was, and I just thought that, you know, this is possible. Now, you know it, bad things are possible because I'm very optimistic, but I've never been that, that exposed, do you know what I mean?

But within, to be honest, within 20 seconds, I, I sort of said to myself, but the thing was, if I stopped in, I think there would've been a problem for the rest of my life. 

Yeah, 

could have been a traumatic, and to be honest, there was times where there was landslides and stuff like that, and I probably was a lot more cautious than I ever was.

But what I will see, it was the best thing that ever happened to me on that journey because it really made me respect, I was so disappointed in myself. It really gave me this respect. And going forward from that, really, I felt like I was making bad decisions and now going home. My dream is one of my dreams is to invest, you know, spend time with mountaineers, do the courses, be a more competent, feel comfortable in those extreme environments.

That sounds brilliant, and that's why I went on to have guides when I did for the Mountains to Learn. Course I needed them, but I loved it. I thought, I'm, I'm with them now and I'm firing these questions and I'm learning while I'm doing something I love. So yeah, that was a really big one. That was that. 

Ollie on that, how were you, how were you navigating that?

Were you doing that by map, by GPS? What, how were you actually doing it? Or, or, yeah. I had a, 

I had the GPS and I had it saved to my phone as well, so I was carrying a GPS, but I just, after I fell, I, I just couldn't get myself back on track. It must have been completely out of it, you know? It must have been just, yeah.

I dunno. I, I remember just looking at me and saying, I want my ear, you know, I must have been, it was such a fall. You know, I'm, I'm a big guy as well with my ruck sack on. Yeah. And I, I smacked, it was a rock that my, that my head hit. So, and I, I couldn't walk for a month after it. I so fracture my foot, like, could barely eat after it.

So I, I was on stop for a month because I just couldn't walk. 

Yeah. Crazy. Where, where, where were you camped up then after that? 

What happened? It's another story in the desk. In the desk at a van come past me. I couldn't believe it. His van comes past me. He's like, what are you doing? I seen you camp two days ago.

I said, I explained to him what I'm doing and he said, where are you from? I says, in Spanish, we sort of, my very basic Spanish. He said, I'm from Wales. Anyone like, get Swanzi. I said, oh, I got fuck off. I couldn't believe that he, I got swanzi. I was like, what? He said, I run an expedition with a group from Swansea in Venezuela.

I got, oh, I didn't see anybody for days. I did this guy. Anyway, so that happened and he said to me, look, when you get the bar Logic, my house is your house. And what stemmed from him is incredible. And again, it's just so soloing with you now, I dunno if you've seen the videos of me, I met him through her, my guide through Venezuela.

I've met her through him. Sorry, my guide through Venezuela was, through him, met so many different things of stem and it again, it was just one of them we're just thinking, I dunno what to say. I still can't get my head around it. So 

Some's been watching over it. I mean, I'm not particularly religious or that, but I mean, I mean, 

yeah.

And, um, what he, what he did. Obviously money's tight. You know, money's very tight from him in Patagonia. Obviously when you camp and everything, you can camp anywhere safe. But when you do need a room. It's expensive and money was a big problem. I contacted him 'cause I spent Christmas with his family. That was one thing.

I arrived there at Christmas, he's like, come with me. So I, I was away from home. I'm very much a family man. And then I'm sharing Christmas with his family, which meant a lot to me. Do you know what I mean? This was a lot of things. But he said, look, if you ever want to come back, like I said, my house is your house.

And I went back and I was there. I got the rest up then and, and really took the stress off me financially having somebody to talk to. So, yeah, he was, he was a godsend. He was, to be honest, I, like I said, I dunno, I am worked that out yet, Chris. 

I mean it's so, it's so event, it's so eventful. But it's, 

it, it, it was like, to be honest, after it, the following morning as well, I only got, that was af they rung my brother and after they got off the phone, I said, that was absolutely mad.

What a story it was. Obviously I come out of it, the key, but an incredible experience that I said could have gone a lot worse. Glad that I sort of. Found sense when I needed it, just to go back, get back going the last time I knew where it was safe. 

Yeah, 

that's all, it all seems obvious to me at the time, but I think I was so stubborn.

Yeah. 

I just thought there's no, I remember thinking I can't fail. Like I can't, there's no way I am losing. Obviously you speak to people, they don't work like that in the nature and sometimes you're not meant to be there. So very humbling. It was, you know, it took me, but I would say one of the best things that's ever happened to me and really opened my eyes and made me respect the nature and uh, really, really filled me with a desire to go and, like I said, be more competent and help people hopefully then inspire them, do the same.

'cause I think it's easy now to see his videos on Instagram. Oh, he's climbing that now that I can going. I now think bad things are happening and they, because maybe we don't respect them for what they are and aware and all these things. 

Yeah. 

Yeah. So it's a mad story, but, um, I'm glad I'm Gladys. I'm glad it happened and I survived the tell a tale.

No, absolutely. So on that downtime then that, you know, did you get, did that give you time to regroup or replan then? Because obviously how, how long into the journey was that? When that happened? 

It was just over a hundred days. 

Yeah. 'cause it's quite early on, isn't it? Yeah. Um, 

what I the NASA I met solved.

Yeah. 

When we were with now and obviously a big one, one problem I had was finances. And I needed to find a way, basically, and obviously social media was always gonna be the best in my situation. And Saul basically said to me, look, you, this isn't good enough. You know, this ain't good. This ain't good.

They're very brutal about it. And she was right. You know, but I, I didn't care. Like I said, I, I never had social media before it. Mm-hmm. Or not for a long time. So I just thought, oh, I'm walking to Venezuela, you know, I'll upload a couple of photos and that, you know, nobody walks to Venezuela, but it just don't work like that.

It really, it's about me and I, you know, the right content and that, so that was a big thing for me to regroup, to be honest. It was quite odd to get going if I'm being honest, you know? 'cause I was, I was back, that was probably one of the more difficult times as well. 'cause I was so comfortable I'd met Saul, but, um, you know, the comfort of a house and everything, thinking, oh my God, I'm leaving Patagonia now.

You know? It was just, I guess, sort of 6,000 miles. Yeah. Again, we just gotta go. I, I started to lose that. 

Yeah. Was it, was that the longest you ever stopped and stayed in here? Time was 

far, yeah. By far. Yeah, 

it, 

and it was fractured foot at the end. It was what it was. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, very. I just thought, why, why isn't this going away?

I just couldn't get my head wrong. Know you never anticipate an injury do Yeah. That one, that wasn't on my script. 

Yeah. Do you know what I 

mean? But, uh, lucky enough, it passed. It, it, it did cause me problems for a while, but it was almost as like, it just got stronger with time. But yeah like I said, just you've just gotta get back going and new, whatever it is, you've just gotta go for it.

Then it all felt normal again. Then I remember just thinking, oh, I'm back walking. I'm, that month off never existed, but I knew I needed to move. I, I needed to move as soon as it was possible. 'cause it was getting too comfortable. Like, I never wanted to stop for more than two days or anything like that, because it just, yeah, it makes, it makes it tougher to get going.

Yeah. So from then you're into Bolivia next? Is that, is that right? Yes. 

It was very long after that, but I went up for the days at, and the alti plan really started to, yeah, that was when I had my first taste of 5,000 meters. And that was, I just couldn't believe the way that it made, you know? 'cause I was just trying to go at it like everything else.

Yeah, 

but you gotta take your time. I thought I was so cold. I didn't want drink any water. But obviously being hydrated is so important, you know? And like I said, I was learning the odd way. Like I, it is so easy to find out that, but I just, I wasn't prepared. I didn't have the experience and when you pee as brown, you realize you've gotta drink more water.

Like, feel what I mean? It was just one of my lips. I mean, my lips, my head was bouncing. But what I will say, you get used to it fast, you know, you do always. You climatize very quick. And then, yeah, so I left Argentina for the final time crossed in the Chile, which probably one of the most. Special parts of the trip, I suppose, going into Eduardo have own national park.

Yeah. We cross into Bolivia. All these different colored lakes. 

Yeah. You 

have 5,000 meters. You know what I mean? The volcanoes around them was one of the only times I felt genuinely emotional. No. Looking around thinking they sink like whales. 

Yeah. It, 

this is different. Aswan is, you know, just really being in awe of where I was minus 15 in the night, you know, dancing around, putting my tent pegs in, like, and then, and it was on to Bolivia where I crossed the uni then the largest salt flat in the world.

Yeah. So I What was that like? Did that must, did that not mess with your mind? Like for, for days on end on that? Well, 

I didn't even, I didn't even think about it and then I met this couple who just come across it on my bike. 

Yeah. 

And uh, they told me. They told me, gimme some really good advice. Take a rock.

'cause you can't bang your eggs in. So I, you know, 'cause it's, 'cause it's obviously solid. Okay. But they said be careful because we almost lost our minds. I think. My god, they don't need to know that the day before I'm gonna cross. 

Yeah. 

But I was heading for a volcano and it's mad because the first five minutes like, oh my God.

'cause I've seen the four doors. This was like one of those dreams, you know, I thought, well imagine walking over there and nor words I've got will ever do that place justice because it's just unbelievable. It's vast. And I thought there'd be tourists. I didn't see anyone out there. 'cause of the way I walked wasn't the way the four by fours go.

And when I did see 'em, they were so far away and I was just out there on assault. 

Yeah. 

And then you're slowly leaving, you know, leaving uh, life behind you and you're looking around and think, God, it is really me out just out here. Yeah. Yeah, after sort of 15 minutes, it's boring. Then 

I was, I was gonna say, what was it like at night?

What was it like when even you just hit Yeah, that's, yeah. 

That's the best bit. Yeah, because the sunset, the stars, it gets so cold, mate. The, the change in weather, 'cause it's so dry. I just, well it's, it was hard to stay outside of the tent, but then in the morning then as well, and what I did, I picked up alpaca for a slash synthetic blanket 'cause it was gonna be so cold.

But I could really enjoy being out there and the night. But yeah, I think, you know, that's as about as far away from anything I've ever seen before. You know, it must have, probably not, 

it must been properly wild. I can just, yeah, it, it 

was, it was just me. I just, I just couldn't believe it. Do you know what I mean?

I just like, and I say I got boring, but maybe that mental side of it does come into it a little bit. But yeah, it wasn't a problem. Do you know what I mean? I loved it. I loved it and was almost sad that it came to an end. And it was great then. 'cause at the other side there was a family. There and they were looking at me like, because you can imagine I just, I appear, I appear from this abyss.

Are they looking at me like, what have you just done? And they were bringing me drinks and stuff like that, but a few locals weren't so happy I did it. Actually. They, they don't obviously recommend it, but I mean, with the right equipment, you're gonna be fine doing. It's about the cold. It is, it is flat. But yeah, just say banging the pegs in with a rock.

It sounds silly, but I just, I remember doing it like, really? Oh my god, this, this a simple thing of, of being in the salt. Do you know what I mean? And, um, ah, yeah. Or an experience mate. Something there can remember what it was like 

in terms of like, what was it like in terms of like the sound, was it silent or was it, could you, what was it?

Yeah, 

silent in the morning and the wind picked up a bit. It did. And that's when the cold really kicked in. But what I did underestimate was the water. I took a lot of water, but obviously from assault, I think I, yeah. Needed to drink so much more and I was all right. Again, I was fine, but I, I arrived without any water and I, I would definitely take another liter or two if I did it again.

Um, I was out there for nearly three days, so it was well over two and a half days on the, on the salt? Yeah. On experience, actually thinking back. But it's blinding. It's, it's actually blinding. You've gotta can't take the glasses off and that 

Yeah. 

I didn't want it to end, mate, to be honest. Soon. Yeah. Well, I did as well, you know what I mean?

But when I look back, because it was such this thing, I was looking forward to so much. 

Mm-hmm. 

But I went on to have an amazing time in, um, in Bolivia, to be honest with you. I, I was starting to get a lot of messages saying I. Not that, that, that they don't want tourists there. 

Mm-hmm. 

And they can be quite mean to tourists.

And what happened was, it was, um, the military apparently were trying to take over the government. I was heading on the other jeera to LaPaz. 

Mm-hmm. But I 

had to change my route and I needed to arrive to Peru because of my parents were arriving there. So I just picked the least. I just went straight. I went straight and people, what was happening was I was getting stopped and they were asking me for my passport, and they were being a little bit like unwelcoming to start, but it was, it was in my mind.

And they were asking for my passport or why, why are you here? Things like that. But obviously then they were, they were fine. But I, I really didn't wanna bother anyone. Jeremy, you never want to do that. So I started to pick up this bit of fear now, and I arrived to this one village and everybody was so nice on my way there, and I just noticed a lot of, a lot of, uh, cars going this way.

And they were telling me as a fiesta and everybody's in their traditional outfits and, um, everyone's in traditional outfits and you could see the heads turn, you know, as they walk thinking and you could see one. And then they had na mate and going, and then all the heads, it was hundreds of people there and it was the anniversary and basically the president of the village was there.

They came to grabbed me and they, but they sit in front of the square and then the people danced round and they were, and they were like making me dance with her, making me sit there, bringing me juice, some food. And he passed me the microphone. I, what do, what do? I said, what do you want me to say? My Spanish?

I tell like, tell him I'm happy. Tell him when you're happy to beer. I was like, oh, I'm happy. And I go, you know, so after all this like fear, I sort of built up. They, what they're saying is they've just never seen it at tourist year because it's not the way you would go, you know, you know, you see the monk in bike route is what I would be finding online.

Before I started, I was sort of using a lot of them and the details of the AK and the root of the Inkers were my two main sources. But it was mad though, you know, it wasn't the most beautiful way. It wasn't, but I just, and there's a lot more stories from Bolivia, just people being lovely, like, do you know what I mean?

They just wanted the same as everywhere else. I know they saw, they have these strong features. It's what you, when you see the Andes. I'd love to meet these people. And I was there, you know, and I just, uh, brilliant. And after all the negativity to have the response, I did say one person asked me my passport.

You could see a couple were unsure, but apart from that, they were, they were fantastic. You what I mean? And 

yeah, I do recall a few stories lit from your, your, your, on Instagram and stuff like Yeah. West locals and, you know, being fed and watered a lot of the time and stuff. And all the time, some of the food, it was just, it just looked, yeah.

It, it was 

all, I was in Bolivia as well. It was so cold in the night. All my batteries had died and I was in the middle of two weeks without any accommodation, no access or until, just had my satellite phone, but it was dead because of the, the cold had quickly wiped it out. And I arrived to this village, like the same thing as one shop.

They got the plaza and I said, turning very few houses. And they're looking at me like, what is this guy doing you? And next thing they're coming over, they want to take me to the shop. What do you need? They, they're very curious and what are you eating? What are you eating? And I tell, I'm telling them, bread I'm past and stuff like that.

She said, please, please, can I make you food? So I'm, you know, I'm a bit, you know, you're a bit, I run my back, but it's a bit of a sticky moment. Whatever. Just come here, charge all your stuff. We make you dinner, photos, gimme coffee. And it's just like, you know what I was saying about being away from home?

That don't, didn't part of the challenge, but it was all the time. It was all the time for me. And again, Bolivia, I mean this. Yeah, we, we'll keep moving. 'cause otherwise it we, it, it much was 

it, what was your coffee like then actually coming from the source? Well, I actually got a bit 

of a, I've got a bit of a problem.

My thing was in the morning, two cups of coffee, otherwise I'm not going anywhere. 

Yeah. 

That, that got me up in the morning and I, I loved it from the, from the first day till the end, getting up in my tent, flicking the hot water on and getting the coffee going. I can't wait to do it when I go back. Well, that, that's my simplest way of getting that, you know, thirst for adventure, whatever.

Anyway. Amazing. In Colomb, when you get the Ecuador, Columbia and in Venezuela, I never expected it, but they really, really passionate about the coffee at once. I had four kilos of coffee in my bag because they've just given you this, they've given you this coffee to take, you know, they, they can't, they can't let you go.

Yeah. Without giving you something. And Venezuela was like, just the ways they walk through the mountains is it's the coffee territory. Yeah. And they swear that it's the best coffee in the world. Obviously Columbia sort of have that tag, but actually a lot of it is bought in Venezuela. It's just Venezuela at the Columbia.

The slogan. 

Yeah. 

So they're very, very passionate in Venezuela. They're very proud to tell you that things are the best in the world. 

Yeah. But 

yeah, mate, just. It was just beautiful, you know, and to, to take, like I said, I actually really enjoy coffee and another thing I would like to go and find out more, learn more about it, you know, 'cause 

and it 

was great that they really wanted to share the details of the coffee in Venezuela, why this is better than that.

And what brilliant. Long story short mate, it was, it was the answer to that one. 

Excellent. I mean, you touched on Venezuela and you touched on a bit that kinda like the seed of fear a little bit because I think the West a lot of co negative connotations in that part, part of the world. Yeah. Particularly, you know, Venezuela, 

I think, you know, yeah, I, well that was what caused me the biggest headache actually.

Yeah. From the start, it got to the point I could, and, and in South America they probably have more fear of it than we do back home because they know what it's been like in the past. A lot of people from there have, have come down and obviously as Chinese whispers and they hear all these different stories as well.

So I was getting from a start, may laugh at. People, you know, literally just telling me that you're gonna die. Like, do you know what I mean? Yeah. It was constant. So in end, I didn't talk about it. I was gonna say before the adventures. Well, I, I really spoke to one or two people about it, and that was it. But yeah, the Venezuela compared it to, you know, um, VT in, um, Harry Potter, the v the V word.

Yeah. We don't say, we don't say that word. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I, but what, what my attitude was, right? If I, if I can't get in there, I've still got six countries and 12,000 kilometers to enjoy. 

Yep. 

Let's just not put too much energy into that now and focus on now. That was my sort of thing of, of dealing with it really.

But what happened was, it wasn't so much Venezuela in the end, but it was that border. 

Mm. Which 

is regarded as the most dangerous place on the continent. That, that the border between, there's the Sydney's cuckoo there and this Columbia and Venezuela. And then I arrived to Columbia and I was already anxious about it.

Like I said, lots and lots of sleepless nights. I, I must have a thousand messages from different people telling me about all these bad things that are gonna happen to me. And, uh, I arrived to this hostel when I crossed into Columbia and I met these adventurous mountaineers and stuff. And I say like, I don't think you know what's going on there, do you?

I said, oh yeah, it's a dangerous place. We said, no, it's, it's worse now. A new ward started off and it's the worst that it's been in 20 years. It's the worst situation that they've seen in Columbia and all that time. And I'm sort of just pulling my collar a bit now thinking, and for the first time I looked online and it was for me.

I remember just my, I can feel it now. My stomach started turning this place is they say one of the most dangerous places in the world. Whatever. Carry on, just keep on enjoying c Columbia. Um, obviously things are can't happen in Columbia. We come back to that. But, uh, and then, yeah, it's what happened.

Basically, I was watching the news one morning. I just, I, because I put it to the back of my head and it's all over the news now. They've put the, there's been bombs going off in Kakuta. I thought it must be like a different part. 'cause a big place. I went on Google Maps, it was on my route. The place I got got blown up.

It was the tos on my route. I'm thinking, I need to walk there. Yeah. And then it was telling, this is the most dangerous place, one of the most dangerous places in the world. And I just, you know, just gave me a massive headache. Again, just really starting to question, what am I doing? Like, 

did 

your family know about that?

Yeah. Did your family know that at all? No. 

No. I didn't tell 'em anything about that. I just thought it was unnecessary and I was having this all the time. But what, what the reality was when I was walking. It was all right. Things happened, obviously got mugged, but after it, it wasn't, it was after that where it was just, it was a place called Northern Santander that was the region.

And when I was getting closer to it, they were saying, well, no, the, the next, the next 10 miles is all right. But the next 10 miles after that, I wouldn't go there. And then the next in 10 miles, they were telling me the same. You know what I mean? Yeah. So it was like, that was a bit of, it is never, this place is dangerous.

But the next place where I thought, well, it was sort of gimme a bit of confidence. And what happened then was, this is, I can't sum up the trip any better than this, to be honest. 300 kilometers before the border, a car stop next to me. And he pulled all away, his wife, he said, all right mate, what are you doing?

Where are you going? I Do you want a lift? I said, I can't. You know, I explained what I was doing. I said, where are you from? He's from Kakuta. This is the city. This is really where I wanted information from. Kakuta. 

Yeah. He 

said, look, take my number if you need anything. I'll help you out as much as I can.

I was buzzing, right? So 70 kilometers before that is a place, place called Pamona University City, where everyone's telling me is a beautiful place. You really enjoy it. There're safe. So in my head I'm thinking, get the pamona from there. Find someone either to follow you or to take your bag. That was my idea.

'cause a bag, it just brings so much more attention. You what I mean? And just, at least if I can get rid of the bag, it'll fill me with a bit more confidence. Like obviously if somebody wants to take me, but he just had my, anyway, I arrived there on a Sunday. He, us, the man messaged me right on a Sunday. He said, hello mate, are you in?

Pam? Blowing now. I'm actually going there tomorrow because my dad lives in. I'm going to visit. If you want, I'll take you for breakfast. And I was taking three days off, eh? I was taking three days off. I had to organize this part of the trip and find a solution. Comes, takes me for breakfast. Tell him my situation.

He said, I'll take you back through. Don't worry about it. I was thinking, right, so this is, this has just happened for me now. So I had 70 kilometers get to this border village. Right. His son is part of the police that works at the border as well. So I've arrived to this, this, um, suburb, and I'm in one of the most dangerous place in the world.

He comes to pick me up from my Austal, takes me to his house, and I meet them pizza with, with all his family. Just thinking how, you know, this place has caused me so many nightmares. 

Yeah. 

And here I am, you know, just eating pizza. What I, what I'm trying to say is like, the place is dangerous, but there's millions of people there.

And even amidst all the chaos, there's still all these people. I want to help you. 

Yeah. 

And then the next day I had 10 kilometers to the border. He said, don't worry, I'll take your your bag and I'll see what the border, he followed me to the border. He took me bag ahead. I met them at the border and, and I was through.

It was just like, I went there for breakfast, sorry, in the morning, and that was it. Like, you know, I, I imagined this like war zone bomb, but it was just, yeah. Yeah. It was a bit, you know, it was like a hundred meters before the border. It got busy. You know, people on my leg are bothering me, but they didn't touch me.

Do you know what I mean? But it was just like, I can't tell you problem 

that up emotional, that pent up kinda fear and anxiety and stuff. Yeah, just, yeah. 

And it's, I was dread, I was dreading it, you know, I remember just thinking to myself, I'm just a normal guy from up the estate. Like, what am I doing here?

I mean, working for one of the most dangerous place in the world, but then there's this guy 300 kilometers before all. Who wants to help me out. Like, yeah. And he's telling me, yeah, bad things happen, but there's, you know, we, we took home for a walk in this little suburb. Hello. All right. You know, hello Mrs.

Jones. Hello. You know, just people living a normal life, like, do you know what I mean? Yeah. That's the bottom line. And I'm not trying to say that South America is perfect or anything like that. I know there's a lot of bad things going on, but there's so many more good people, mate. Do you know what I mean?

And that's, for me, that's the moral story. Obviously I did it for mental health charity, if I can find out there, you're telling me you can't find it in Glasgow and I can't find it in Swanzi or whoever else is listening as well. And like I said, these stories, I got hundreds of them and I'm so happy that I got 'em.

And I, I need to share 'em. Do you know what I mean? This, because as much as it was like I put in some big shifts, went physically to some dark places. That's what the most important thing is for me. Anybody can and could do with the walk, I could do with obviously if you're physically fit, but these stories of people helping me out in some terrible situations, I fish think there so much value in that to me.

Yeah. I mean that human connection, it's, it's, there's wonderful, some humans are just wonderful and it doesn't matter. Yeah. If it's the high risk, high risk environment, it's, it's, 

yeah. And just nice people. I never, you know, I didn't ask him to pull the car over, he just pulled the car over to see if I wanted anything.

Yeah. 

And normally they gotta give you something. Like I said, I, I, I can't take those four water melons and. Six avocados or you walking around, you got, you got this walk the shoulder because they, they can't let you go like without giving you something. It's just wonderful. They don't want the fault though.

It is not for Instagram. It's just they lovely people who take joy in helping other people. 

It's taken, it's great, the curiosity that they're taking in you, but it's, but it's from a place of like hospitality, from welcoming. Yeah. It's just that It's wonderful. It really is. Yeah. 

And like I said, I think, you know that, like I say, I probably haven't done it justice, that story about how much problems that place caused me and constantly going against people telling you gonna get, you know, I got feelings like, do you know what I mean?

I don't wanna be told when I'm woke I'm gonna get killed. All these bad things are gonna happen to me. And it, it got to me, I'll be honest with you, it got to me. But one foot in front of the other. I think it's so important to see things through self a lot of the times as well. And yeah, we, we got it done when I crossed that border then I had so much confidence during yeah, really great, great feeling.

And what was, and we can jump ahead a little bit, what was Venezuela like when you're coming into that? 'cause obviously you're heading towards the coast, the, the sea probably tropics to, to, to an extent coming through some, yeah. It's just like, 

obviously it, it was sort of Venezuela that separated the adventure from the rest in terms of pen and paper.

And I'd found people who have walked the Andes, you know, I, I would've used their, their walks as, as information for me. There's nothing out there to say anybody's gone through the seven countries and that's really what drew it and probably people saying you can 

yeah. 

That, this, that in a, in a boy. Do you know what I mean?

I think I can like, even though I yeah, doubt they myself a lot along the way. What I, what I was thinking was there's 40 million people in the country or more. They can't all be bad. I know that at this point. Do you know what I mean? I really believe that. And yeah, so through, I say the guy who stopped for me who said Swanzi, you know, in the days that I met Saul, Saul and knew a guide from Venezuela.

Rafa. So my, my idea was once I got the PR to have a guide all the time, that was really the dream. But I just, I couldn't raise the money. 

Yeah. 

Basically. I couldn't get the money to do it. But there wasn't a, I just thought, right, if I'm gonna do it anyway, let it be Venezuela. There's no information about it online, obviously.

It's come with a certain amount of, um, negative noise as well. And let's finish it off with this to have, for me experience of what is it like to walk with a guide? Is it, is it what I want for the next adventure? You know. What's it gonna be like? And it was the best decision I ever made because, just to share, we went through a lot, you know, he is like a brother now, after that time.

And selfishly, my Spanish just went, 'cause I had, 'cause I people, you know, I thought, oh, I'm gonna be in South America. I'll be speaking Spanish in a month. We don't learn much Spanish in the day that I can tell you it could have been in any day. You know what I mean? So it was very, very slow. But then I, he couldn't speak English, so I, I had to speak Spanish and I went up for the gears and what was helped me learn so much more, which is what it was all about really.

But obviously it's very difficult when you can't speak the language. Anyway, very super diverse. Venezuela and 55 days I slept in 40 people's houses. That's what type of people. Yeah, that's what type of people they are. I had 30 or 40 people walking with me 

the 

last two weeks. I never, it was never just me and Rafa.

There's people follow us. We had the fire brigade, the, the police biking clubs, all the, they, they love, you know, the walking groups. So we have the ramblers back home. 

Yeah. 

They love that in Venezuela. And they've all got their T-shirts and that. Oh man. It was, it was just like everything I hoped for and more in the most dangerous country.

Yeah. 

And I just thought, this is it. Like this is why, this is why I did it. I, well, I hoped that I could show it. Obviously I never knew the reality, but in my heart, in my gut, I went to cross the border because deep down I thought this was gonna be the case, but obviously anything is possible. And there I am struggling with 30 people in Venezuela.

You know what I mean? Forever's listening. If you've got any doubts about humanity, you know, have a look at, you know, there it is. Like, do you know what I mean? Again, it's not me, it's nothing to do with me. It's just people being great. Like it's just people and they, they, they're not out there for nothing more.

There's just a, there's a share. Very passionate with the country. They've really, and I think 'cause they're having such a difficult time, they, it's very difficult to, they've gotta love the country. You know, they, they turn everything into a positive. The South Americans do. 

Yeah. '

cause all of 'em are having the difficult time politically to be honest.

So we won't go into that. 

Yeah. 

But what they do do is know how to make the most of time, you know, they share things. It's has strength. The community side of it for me was probably the biggest thing. Atop when you're looking at 'em, they haven't got the a phones and the fancy cars or a car. They might have all those in they roof for the house.

They've got each other like, and what they say to me is, we, we are a family and when is a problem they all got a problem. And when is a party they bloody party mate. I can tell you so. And I just think it's so simple, you know, and I love that I did and I obviously this is for mental health and I think that's where we are going wrong.

We are drifting, we losing our sense of, we dunno what we are doing. We always want more. I can be guilty of it than sure you can, you know, it's, it is in a, it's in us it, but I know that's the next stage for me now is to go back home. 'cause I don't believe that we are not getting the community. I reckon there's a lot of great things happening in the uk and that's my next mission is to come back for me to have that next purpose.

Where is it? And for me to, you know, to share my life when I go back and just ask a question, where are we getting it from? And hopefully go and spend time with people and share that anyway. Yeah, yeah. I'll save that for another time, mate. But yeah, I really, that to me was just, no, I can't help you. You want, you want eggs?

Do Chris, I, I am got eggs, I got cheese, but they've got eggs up there. I'll take you there. No. You know what I mean? It's just, it's basics. But they just look at, they tell me we don't want anything more. 

Yeah. Don 

don't need anything more. We are happy. Leave us alone. And you've got the people coming, setting up the mines in and ruining it for 'em.

And that's the sad thing about it. Yeah, mate. I dunno what the question was actually. No, I think it was, 

it was more about like, it was really just like, 'cause watching the videos and stuff and the way that it kinda, kinda concluded and like, you see everyone following you and almost rambling along with you.

It was, it's quite heartwarming and I think you touched on it. Yeah. It's just, it's a fantastic way to end it considering like all the ups and downs across it. I mean, it's quite a, I mean it's from a feet of endurance and men mental strength. Yeah. But it seems like quite a, almost like a homecoming, even though, you know, foreign current country.

Yeah, it was, 

I knew company, my dad and brother were there, my mate and not my God Dad was like my, obviously I could, told my dad's a bricklayer. My, my father's a bricklayer. My brother's a welder. My brother's never left Europe before. 

Yeah. 

And he's in Venezuela because I didn't want to tell him too much, but I said, Joe, my brother, I said, just so I know Venezuela is, uh, regarded as one of the most dangerous countries in the world.

He didn't care a bit. You like, alright, go. When do I book my flight for him? He was just like, well, if my younger brother's gonna walk through it, 

yeah. 

I'm gonna, I'm gonna do what I can to come and it Well, yeah. And it was just, we finished off, for example, at this place called, there's no road there. You have to trek.

Go take the boat. Boat. And they have, they are listed as the best cookout in the world in order for the chocolate. And then they come in and they sing into and, and know for my dad and brother to see that obviously I've traveled a bit more, but to share that with 'em I was in bits to be honest with you.

Just, um, but yeah, it was just, it was, like I said, it would go back to it, but to be walking with all these people to feel stress free, just, just everything sort like, and I, and I, I, the sea almost didn't feel the end. I, I felt like I'd done it. I just needed to soak it all up now. And I started to stay off social media a bit because it, they, they, they can't go anywhere.

They, they pulling me in. You are having food with 'em. You can't be on your phone. Like, I just made, I made a decision. Let's just enjoy this now and share the story after, because I can't waste a second. This just, it's read me and Rafa went, we would, you know, we put in some big shifts as well. Obviously it's mentally very tiring as well to have all these people firing questions constantly.

You're up walking as well. I said to him, look, it's hard to be this tired. Let's really enjoy being as tired because when we finish and we have that beer and we're eating the fish from the sea, it's gonna be fantastic. And it wa and it, it was just like, I probably put too much pressure on myself to get too much out of it.

Yeah. 

In some ways. Like, I hope I create a job or I hope I get a book deal. And I, to be honest, it was a bit of that going on. Yeah. But then I was, then I was like, I've done it. Yes. I got more than anything. And I just felt great. 

Yeah, 

I can't put any better than that. Yeah, it was, it was so special. All that thing.

Do 

you ever think, oh, because I know it's still fresh, but do you think back to like when you started in Argentina, does your mind go back to that? No. Yeah, 

I've been talking about it a lot more now and that's, I mean, I think I could do four podcast full podcasts. Just so many things have happened and what it, the way it worked for me was every day was a new, every morning I had that coffee, I rolled a tent away, put my bag.

And I never thought about yesterday, never. It was always today I'm where I'm going so I never reflect this. So when I was asked a question, it was almost like, I can't remember because I've been so like focused on moving forward. So it's only now and, and speaking with Soul Zoom me and we talking and whatever was with my dad and I was like, God, deal.

I'll go back that moment of standing in a, the first couple of days feeling like I just a really little boy. 

Yeah. 

Thinking, what have you done? But also, I remember asking my question myself, a question, what stories are you gonna have in a year's time? 

Yeah. I 

remember that because that, that was always at the motivation as well.

I know something's gonna happen. 

Yeah. I'm not 

sure what is gonna happen, but yeah. I love thinking about that first day and just how naive I was to think that 

I 

could go and do it. I had nothing, nothing suggested that I could do it. Like do it like I've told I it's 

boldness. It is boldness. But the strength and conviction, I mean, here you are, completed it.

It's phenomenal. Yeah. 

And I, I just think I had, I had too many things in my lockdown now. Mm-hmm. Like making the most of life my family, the my cousin who passed away. The desire, the desire to learn. 

Yeah. 

I always wanted to be, I couldn't wait to see what was wrong in the corner. 

Yeah. I 

never died. I didn't, for me, that was it.

And I, I hope I never goes, like, it won't, but I, I just loved it. I loved what I was doing as hard, like I said, as hard as it was, but I just felt like I was learning all the time. Growing, growing as a person. 

Yeah. 

That's what it was all about for me. Do you know what I mean? And making it clear that I'm just a normal guy from up this state 

Yeah.

Who wants to try and do extraordinary things, I suppose, 

and inspiring thousands of people, maybe hundreds of things. Yeah. You know, you know, it's, you, you, you're inspiring many, many people Yeah. In doing this and that. And that's a part. Social media and humans. Yeah. As well. It's, it is wonderful. Yeah. And 

I think, like when I, but when I walked around wheels, I didn't have social media or anything like that.

My brother was posting photos 'cause it was such to catch a bit of wind. 

Mm-hmm. 

And I couldn't accept it. Mm-hmm. 

You know, 

people were telling me I was inspiring and stuff, but I think I had such a terrible few years in my early twenties getting up to no good. I never could have imagined a few years late that I'd be helping people hopefully have a more adventurous life.

You know? So it's, it's great to see that feel for, to be this. 

It's me. It's just 

been such a, it's been a mad adventure. All of it does. Not just the end. It's thinking back to being 21. My friends, they can't believe what, what I'm doing, like, because I weren't doing this. Like, I told her, I want interest going for a walk.

My mother said like, I couldn't get you to walk one from town and now you wanna walk the bloody Scotland, what's going on? But 

yeah, but I see, see for that, I think what, what's what I absolutely love about that and, and it's a consistent theme with people that have been on this show that people I talk to, it's like sometimes it comes from a, a degree of hardship, whether that's internal or external factors.

And sometimes this type of lifestyle or this adv event, or this adventure seems to come to people in w in weird and wonderful ways. And it just gives people a bit of a north star again and a proper place to do stuff. And then if, like, like you say, you, you, I mean, you're, you're coming across extremely well, just a normal block.

Yeah. And that's what people need to take from this. You don't need to be, you know, a. An Olympian, concrete, Everest, or whatever it is, you know, that there is, it's, it's, it's in everybody. And just don't tell yourself. No. You know, you can just, it's like it's, it is do shit. It's 

cliche to do cliche as it is taking that first step and like, I, like we were saying, you started the podcast, can't start the podcast.

We really want to, and now, and now you're flourishing basically. And you, and it's, it's like, I'm not saying go and walk a continent. Yeah. 

You 

know what I mean? Don't worry, you don't need to do it, trust me. But whatever it is that you, you dream about, 

yeah. Just 

give it a go and whatever happens, if I couldn't get into Venezuela for example, I would've had 12,000 kilometers of people learning behind me.

Obviously I would've been devastated. But yeah, I think it is amazing what can come around when you, when you do start looking and when you take that first step and my experiences, and this is through all of you know, the walk around whales. Zen, the boat, all these things is, there's always gonna be someone there to help you is always, yeah.

When you start looking many a time, I've, I've actually reached out for help on social media, wasn't what I planned. The things went wrong and I had it, and I don't think it's not me. 

Yeah. 

You know, I, it's, it's not them. I'm not a special guy or anything. And I think that's why I, I was fascinated by Shackleton because I was reading about fine, uh, around fines, XSAS, all these different people have got this military background.

I'm thinking, have I gotta go in, have I gotta go in the military then? Right. 

Yeah. 

I didn't find shit. Do, I mean, you know, you do start thinking like that or have I gotta be a scientist or these things, but really you've just gotta have that desire to go out and do it, don't you? And go for it 

and just Yeah.

Have strength and conviction. And the hardest thing is, is trying to shake off what you think others will perceive or what you're doing. Yeah. And that's a big hurdle for a lot of people. Yeah. And you get one shot at this life. As cliche as that is, as cliche as I see that time and time again, nobody keeps count of all this, all this stuff.

So, and if people No, 

and 

it's people do. Who cares? 

Yeah. Yeah. Well, i's like I told you, I couldn't talk to anyone about what I was doing. 

Yeah. 

Because I was, I was getting laughed. I was just, what's he on about? 

Yeah. 

It was, it's that foreign where I'm from. 

Yeah. 

I don't think it's normal in any many places, but I guess it's very much a working class area.

No one's gonna walk a continent. Do you know what I mean? So I had to keep it to myself, but I, I just really, really wanted to do it and believed in it. And to be honest with you, that was one of my biggest problems as a kid. I didn't want to, I wanted to be cool. I didn't want to go against the grain. Do you know what I mean?

Yes. And that's another big thing now for me, going back this community project is trying new things. 'cause it's, it's like they love getting dancing in South America. I mean, I got about four left feet. Do you know what I mean? I, I can't dance, but it's just like. Nobody, it's, but it is so freeing when you do it, you know what I mean?

It's a crap example. Whatever it is, just give it a go. But nobody cares. And like you said, we are gonna die. 

Yeah, exactly as it is. And see, the thing is you see, if you give it a, a chance and it doesn't work out and it's a bit shit and it's too hard and you don't like it, and you, you give up at least you've found something out.

But if it turns out it's something that, it gives you stories and connections for a lifetime, then yeah. I mean, that experience, you can't buy that. You just No, 

a hundred percent. It's, it's like, just give it a go. I think having that realization that I was gonna die, obviously going from my cousin 

Yeah. 

And passing away the way he did in a tragic accident and just saying, do you know what, if that's, if that's the way it is, 

yeah.

Two 

fingers, two fingers to it. Do you know what I mean? I ain't gonna make the most of it then I, I, I ain't gonna carry on with that attitude as well. And the next step is an adventure for me. I love turning things into adventure, and it doesn't mean tracking or anything, it's just the way I go about the next step to mean trying new things and making them off life, I suppose.

Excellent. And, and with that so when are you coming back home to, to 

I'm back. I am back now 19th of June. So it's just over a week. Yeah. So I thought, um, I've had a bit of time in Venezuela, but to be honest, I'm very aware that life is gonna change a lot now. Yeah. You know what I mean? For me. 

Yeah. 

I know, I know how much it meant to me.

A lot of things, like, a lot of things went on along the way, experienced a lot of bad things as well, you know, I could told you the fall shut me up. 

Yeah. 

. Do you know what I mean? They, they pile up obviously, getting mugged. I had bad news. Probably the worst thing really was again, told my grandmother I had cancer when I was away. She's the most important person in my life.

And man, I'd never cried like that before. You know, I was so cold in everything that I was doing, and I, I was so robotic. But, you know, it's just all these things, bottling up, bottling up, bottling up, but obviously dealing with that fear, crossing the border, blocking up, locking up. And it's done now. I hit the Caribbean C like, and when I go home, I, I need, I got a lot of energy, do you know what I mean?

And I feel really good, but I've listened to a lot of podcasts with adventures and stuff and seen how difficult going, going home is. 

Yeah. 

So I thought it was really valuable now for me to take its time, just, just a little bit of filter, do you know what I mean? Stop bit of quiet time on the course here in Columbia, sort of find my feet and, and then go man, and um, carry on, mate.

So, yeah, a lot, like I said, a loss happened. I'm absolutely fine. I feel great. But it's, it's, it's about not letting it come to, isn't it? Yeah. Do you have 

a plan only to try to almost like reintroduce yourself back into 

Yeah. Well, I'll go back now, but I'm gonna be going to see mind analyze, obviously the, the chart Do I raise money for?

Yeah. 

Myself. Not again. This isn't about okay. I'm fine. 

Yeah. Yeah. 

But I just wanna go and speak to 'em. Yeah. And just, and just fantastic. And just stay ahead of the game a little bit. Do you know what I mean? Fantastic. Yes. Have a chat with them, talk everything through and say, I think this community project is a big goal for me.

Yes. Writing the book and really sharing the story. Those are my new purposes now. A lot has happened. 

Yeah. 

I feel very privileged to have the, the experience I've had and I feel like I've got a duty to share it. 

Yes. You 

know, and that excite, that excites me and, and pass on all the things I've learned. So I got a lot to look forward to.

I love Wills. I love the uk. Yeah. Can't wait to get some Welsh kicks, don't we? Do you know what I mean? Yeah, mate. I'm, I'm excited, but like I said, I'm, I'm, I am gonna a problem talking about it. I'm aware that I've been through a lot. It's been an emotional rollercoaster and I, I just wanna stay ahead of any potential problems and, you know, it's like you don't look after yourself until you've got a problem.

And Yeah, I just don't wanna do that. 

It's a very sensible and open and honest, firstly. Thanks for sharing that. I, I mean, you, you didn't need to, but I, I think that's, I mean, people should take he to that. It's, yeah, because I mean these big grand adventures and even some of the, you know, the crash comes for a lot of people after it and it's, you know, managing that and it seems like you've got your head screwed on with that and 

Yeah.

Well my brother said to me, he said, you know, people have the holiday blues. He said, what are you gonna have? I said, I really dunno. But, uh, yeah, but it's, um, I feel, I mean, I Square has give me is gra too, you know, to be where we are from. I've seen people, you know, doing what I was doing in reverse with their families, walking out to their country, like with, with a plastic bag, with all their stuff.

Yeah. 

And it was a bit like, you know, come off your io a little bit like, 'cause at the end of the day, I can go back to Wales, I can pick up a job and I, I can go back and live with my parents. Do you know what I mean? And it doesn't sound like much, but people don't have that. They're walking away from everything they got because they can't, they can't stay.

Yeah. 

You know, talk about gratitude, have my family, friends being Welsh, you know, be from the uk It's just, uh, it's, it's an absolute privilege and I, I wanna make the most of every second of it. 

Yeah. Yes. Attitude is the biggest gift and I love it when some, when someone says that in the show, because you know, you're doing it for the right, the right reasons and you're being sincere and honest, so thank you.

Yeah. 

No thanks Chris. 

Only that this has been, I've not scratch the surface. It feels like that there's, that there needs to be a follow up at some point. 'cause I've got like so many topics I haven't even touched on. And we've been over for about, what, an hour and 25. Right? So let's move into the closing traditions.

So there are three Yeah. In this season. For those that are listening, I hope you are still listening. This has been phenomenal. Right? So the first one's pay forward suggestion, which is the opportunity to raise, uh, awareness for some worthy causes and projects touched on. Yeah, a fantastic one already. And then a call to adventure opportunity to, you know, encourage people or inspire people to go and do something adventurous.

And then to round out, I've got 10 questions, actual questions, quick fire for a bit of a laugh 

days. I'll try and be quick. I'm not promising anything, 

right? No, and you can pass, right? So pay it forward. Ollie, what would you say for a pay it forward recommendation? 

So that's the charity now, isn't it? Yeah.

The organization. Yeah. Well, obviously I'm raising funds and awareness for Minders Sugar and LA that's a mental health charity in the valleys who have the, that area has the highest suicide rate per capita. They're on a brink of closing down and I'm desperate to help 'em out. They do amazing work. Like I said, I am gonna go and see them myself for a chat.

That's how comfortable I feel around them. And they're always trying to improve and help. Again, they just got big hearts. I, I, I wouldn't want do their job like, you know what I mean? Do it, you know, just take some character to, to do what they do. So mindness are gonna like script. Exactly. 

Excellent. Right.

And we'll get that listed as well. 'cause I did try to pronounce that earlier and butchered it, so I apologize, but we'll make sure that that is linked and spelled properly. Right. So call to adventure. Ollie, what would you say? Yeah. 

I think touching back on what we did earlier, a quick fix for me and something I think we can all do is go out and get a wild camp in for one night.

Take what you need, whether it's on the Welsh coastal path or in the hills, if there's a sign there to say, don't camp there, still do it. I reckon I believe that everybody listening to this respects the outdoors. Don't need to go into that, but just a wild camp. Get away from everything without signal and, uh, get a coffee going in the morning.

Yes. Yeah. Uh, excellent. Uh, I, yeah, I, I thoroughly, uh, encourage that. It's, it is phenomenal. Excellent. Right, right. So final closing segment. 10 questions. So, Ollie Trivio, question number one, dinner party. You can invite two guests, dead and alive. Who would they be? 

Oh, ran finds. 

Ah, 

excellent. And I got shackled in as well as soon as I, 

yeah, yeah.

A brief funny story on that. I, I got tickets to see Ronald and Edinburgh a few months back. Oh, have you? It was a, it was a few months back, and then I, sorry. I was sitting, I was sitting on a Monday morning and I got a, an email from Eventbrite asking me how I enjoyed the show. Completely forgot to, forgot to go to it on a Sunday, Sunday night.

Oh, no way. Yeah, what I did, 

ah, making, should I given you a ticket, 

man? I know. I would've 

flown on for that. 

Right. Question two, do you have a hidden talent? No. 

No, I don't think I do, to be honest. You, I'm just really good at walking. 

Walking. Number three, what is the best thing you ate on your travels? 

It probably, it would've been.

This steak in Argentina, I suppose. No Lomo, Sodo in Peru. I'm gonna go with that. Something different. Okay. Uhhuh for the first time. 

Excellent. Number four. What is the first album you bought or listened to? 

Great question. It was, uh, red Out Chili Peppers. I forget the name of the album, but it's when the, is the photo of the woman on it.

I can't remember. 

Excellent. Great 

album. 

What's your favorite movie? 

Forrest Gump. 

Excellent. Favorite book? 

It was Shandra because that was the foot coming, the reading. 

Excellent. Number seven. If you could snap your fingers and be anywhere doing anything, what would it be? 

Now we would be back home with my grandparents, to be honest.

You. Yes. Swansea market, having the coffee and the worst cake. That's the way I do now. 

Excellent. Number eight, what scares you? 

Everything. To be honest, I, I, I'm not certainly petrified of anything, but I don't like kits. I don't like snakes. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. All of 'em. But yeah. All of 'em mate to us.

All the classics. Yeah. I I 

didn't even ask you about wildlife during the, the show, but that's for another day. Yeah. Number nine, what makes you happy? 

I think is sharing, sharing simple things with people I care about. I think that's really bringing me a lot of joy. I'm you with salt on the coast? 

Yeah. I 

just feel great, feel great, and I can't wait to do roast dinner with the family when I get back and talk.

Some talk about the weather. 

Yeah. Excellent. And lastly, finally, what is the best advice that you have ever had? 

When I was on, when I was on the coastal path in Wales in Angle Sea, I, I wanted to ask this woman for a walk. They outside the house and she wa she couldn't, well she couldn't walk. I asked the family and she just told me, never, never stop walking.

And what actually meant by that was never stop making the most of life. I'll never stop moving forward. It sounds random, but that why that that just jumped up. I, I remember just think walking away feeling, wow, I know you know, she, do you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. Sorry, I'm But just keep making the horse sick.

'cause one day you're gonna get old, basically you're gonna say you're gonna be dead. 

Exactly. Keep don't be complacent. Keep moving forward. 

Yeah, exactly. 

And that's it. This has been fantastic. 

Happy days, mate. Wow. It flew, it flew by. I just, 

yeah. I 

feel like I've just been blabbing on about 

No, 

not the answers to the question.

No, 

not, not at all. It's, it's not a q and a. It's a conversation. And we navigated, eh, most of it. I mean, you know, you've walked the Andy's, congratulations. 

Thank you, man. 

Only person to do it. 14,000 kilometers, seven countries. Some spicy, spicy scenarios. Yeah. But a lot of real human connection, a lot of hospitality, which is, you know, which just, which I just love and I love kinda hearing you talk about it and sharing with it.

Yeah. I can't wait to see what comes next as well. Some of the stuff that you're doing with the charity and stuff, it's, yeah. Thanks, mate. It's, it's, it is wonderful. 

Yeah, no, I appreciate it. And I say any, like I said, as much as, uh, endurance Fe there was, but for me it was all about those moments of just people being great.

Do you know what I mean? And I'd say I earlier that if you ever want to go and try something new, give it a go and I know that there'll be someone there to help you out. Perfect. 

Do you fancy guiding at all in Future? Has that ever came into your mind? 

Yeah, I think I'm actually gonna be linking up with a few of the guides in Venezuela looking to bring people over because there's a lot of, um, negativity about the country, but it's actually a really safe country now.

Yeah. You can travel very well there and it is very accessible apart from what's being said online. So I'm gonna be working with them 'cause this country's unbelievable mate. And I, I've barely seen any of it. Do you know what I mean? It's 'cause they've got the grand savanna, the rainforest, the des at the coastline is just pristine.

All the different cultures, you know what I mean? And instead of waiting for people to, with the right attitude to go and see. But yeah, like I said, after the fall, I'm really keen now to get back to my first aid course. Mm-hmm. Do the, uh, mountaineering courses and see what else is, is possible, mate. Do you know what I mean?

This is all the things now, if anybody's listening with these community projects, they wanna show people how easy it is to go and try new things and share with people. That's the mission now. So I'm buzzing for it. Yeah. And it's gonna help me selfishly, but you know, it's, that's what it's all about, doesn't it?

Do you know what I mean? And I know there's thing's gone on up there. I just gotta go and find them. So, well, 

someone once said to me, you need to be selfish with a more or less to help yourself. Help others. 

Yeah. That's the idea. M it. Yeah. I love that. Yeah. 

Excellent. So actually, finally, where can people find out more about, uh, Ollie Trivio and catch up and everything that you are doing?

So, I mainly use Instagram, to be honest. It is linked at the TikTok and Facebook, but all of us trivio on Instagram, you'll find me there. I'm still got a month's worth of content to post about Venezuela. It's absolutely action packed, to be honest with you. So I, I've gotta get him out there. I'm just taking a few days here to spend some time away from the phone.

And just, just be healthy mate, to be honest, you know what I mean? Just us to focus now, but next week I'm gonna start pumping up the videos. Yeah, yeah. So keep an eye out. 

Excellent. Right? I love it. Looking forward to it. And it, this has been an absolute pleasure, Ollie. And with that, 

thanks Chris. Same for you.

We, we finally made it happen. 

We did, we did. Yeah. It is been wonderful. Thanks buddy. And with that, I'll, I'll bring it to close. 

Thanks for tuning in to today's episode. For the show notes and further information, please visit adventure diaries.com/podcast. And finally. We hope to have inspired you to take action and plan your next adventure, big or small, because sometimes we all need a little adventure to cleanse that bitter taste of life from the soul.

Until next time, have fun and keep paying it forward.

Head Shot

Chris Watson

Host
Head Shot

Ollie Treviso

Guest

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