Time’s running out for me in Boston – My return is imminent and I only have 10 days left to enjoy here
* VERMONT *
Every L.E.K. office has a Summer event and having missed my London one, I had the chance to go to Boston’s outing to Manchester, VT. It is, however, hardly like Manchester, England, a picturesque town at the base of a very tall hill (can’t really call it a mountain). It does, however, have lots of shops like Manchester, as it’s an outlet city as well.
Our stay was in the Equinox, one of the ‘resorts’ in Manchester. A large luxurious hotel, it had every activity you could imagine, and as soon as I arrived, I had pretty much made the decision that I was going to mountain bike around for an hour.
It had been some four years now since I mountain biked off-road, and probably even then, it’s once or twice in six years since I was in Brittany with Nick Folkard and SPS. It therefore turned into a bit of a challenge. After the first 10 minutes, I had obviously outpaced myself on the uphill stretch and was completely exhausted and breathless. Fortunately, I had stumbled upon a gorgeous lake, and a few minutes rest was definitely worthwhile. The remainder of the ride, though, was still very tricky, but I managed it. And I had still the sore bottom yesterday to prove it.
The evening was a dinner at the hotel in a big tent they called the Taconic. Now, I’d managed to survive without mosquito bites in my 10 days in Hong Kong, but I wasn’t so lucky this night. I have been bitten although they’re not as nasty as I’ve experienced. But ooh, the itch!
* DRIVING NOT A CHELSEA TRACTOR *
Monday was activity day, and mine was an off-road driving experience. I didn’t get one of the Hummers, but I did get a Land Rover Discovery to tackle one a fairly fun course. I’d never driven a Chelsea Tractor before (so called in London because 4x4s are more common in the posh Chelsea part of the city than off road!), but at least I can claim my first time really was off-road. I managed to learn some tricks (left foot braking for example), and I have to say, it all did feel natural to me!
* FEW DAYS LEFT *
There are only a few days left and one weekend to go. And I’ve probably saved the best to last as I plan to go to Cape Cod. I’ve certainly been waiting to go for a very long time. I’m very much looking forward to it.