Flashback

Recently i have been looking back at some of my old posts and i came across a couple that stand out but one really jumped at me and made me think .... 10 Countries I Would Love To Play In : http://travellinggoalie.blogspot.ca/2011/06/10-countries-i-would-love-to-play-in.html as i was reading it i realized i have reached a few goals in the couple years since i wrote this . I can take Brazil & Morocco off the list and then i realized South Africa & Namibia was on there . Unfortunately to my knowledge there is no rink in Namibia any more . Seeing this on my list pretty much sealed my travel plans for this next big trip . I have to go to South Africa .

This "flashback" of sorts has really made me focus on this trip . Going back to Morocco is a key as i have promised to go back to help their kids program and hopefully this time i will get the chance to play with the adults ... apparently there are way more kids playing then adults , which is totally amazing as some countries are suffering due to the opposite results of not having enough kids . My good friend Adil has put me in touch with a fellow in South Africa named Gary Bock who has been super helpful and somehow along the way in my research of countries on the African continent i have bumped into opportunities to visit Kenya , Egypt and even the Canary Islands .... the latter works better then the others but i would more then love to combine a trip to both countries on a Eastern African trip (someday probably on my next list ) .

So the plan is to start in Johannesburg after an approximate 26 hour flight :( hang down there for roughly 10 days , head up to Casablanca and spend 7-10 days around there possibly hopping to Canary Islands then flying to Barcelona to meet the Rainman Allstars for a tournament there .... if all goes well here in Toronto work wise i should have this all paid for in the next couple months LOL . As usual it won't be cheap but it will be worth it . I am really hoping to someday see another African Ice Hockey Tournament ... our friends in Brazil and Argentina are currently enjoying the experience they are all having at the 1st Pan American Tournament : http://www.nationalteamsoficehockey.com/1st_Pan_American_Ice_Hockey_Tournament.html and just recently Macao won their Challenge Cup of Asia Div. 1 Tournament . There are enough countries with rinks on the African continent to continue growth for the game .


Hopefully my travels down there will bring some contacts together ! Together we can all learn how to play the game better :P