LAOUC 2025 Tour - The Extras

 

I said at the start of this tour that it was my sixth visit to LAOUC and what a privilege.

I like stats so here are mine for LAOUC:

That's 30 events in 17 cities, spanning 14 countries over 6 tours. Thankyou Oracle ACE Program for giving me these amazing opportunities.

The tours are full on, and very little time to see a lot but we try. If there is a spare day we will attempt a tourist day. Personally I try to add things to the trips, often diving, like Panama 9 years and this year in Mexico before the tour starts. I went to Machu Picu with Tim Hall in 2015 after that tour. Spent a lovely weekend in Cartagena on my first visit and great hosting from local user group leaders in many of the cities.

Deiby Gomez who I met many years ago from Guatemala and was their first ACE Director,  who's taken a break from speaking at conferences whilst he completed a degree in law, joined us for the Guatemala dinner and then hosted myself, Emmanuel Guzmán Rojas and his girlfriend for a day to Atitlan lake. I have been before to the top tourist place Antigua so this was a fantastic opportunity to see more of this beautiful country.

We started early in the morning as it is a long drive through the mountains but worth the journey. We arrived in time for breakfast overlooking the lake. There are several villages around the lake with the only realistic travel being by boat. Deiby had us a private boat and it was an amazing day, the villagers are used to tourists and have set up co-operatives to share their skills in coffee, bee keeping, cotton weaving and chocolate. We got to experience several of these as well as climbing to the viewing platform. I was even persuaded to do a couple of tuk tuk journeys, I am getting much braver in my old age.

I couldn't do the whole tour, just the first 4 countries but I did stay a night in Heathrow on the way back so I could meet up with Ronald Bradford and his family, Ronald who was a MYSQL ACE Director who I had previously travelled with on LAOUC tours and even attended his wedding and his family have visited me in N. Ireland.

I have made amazing friends over the years with the LAOUC tours and the wider ACE program and many are still friends today. With such a break since my last visit it was great to catch up with those I have not seen since, although most welcomes went "Welcome back to .........., it's great to see you again and where is Tim (Hall)?"

I don't intend to leave it so long next time and fit in perhaps one more tour before retirement and I promise I will try to take Tim with me but I can't guarantee it.

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