{"id":17004,"date":"2020-08-27T13:57:27","date_gmt":"2020-08-27T12:57:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/?p=17004"},"modified":"2020-10-20T10:33:25","modified_gmt":"2020-10-20T09:33:25","slug":"that-time-i-played-football-in-bhutan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/that-time-i-played-football-in-bhutan\/","title":{"rendered":"That time I played football in Bhutan"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces”][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”17010″ img_size=”full”][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]I don\u2019t like football. Not in an indifferent kind of way, I mean, I really dislike it and to be honest, just don’t get it.\u00a0<\/em>The number of times I’ve had to exit stage left when the conversation turns to the inevitable at a party…more than I’m willing to admit.<\/p>\n

You need to know that before I tell you this story about that time I played football in Bhutan.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re driving along towards the capital, Thimphu and Jamyang asks me what size shoe I am? I cautiously reply \u201ca 10\u201d. \u201cGood good\u201d he replies. I look over to James and mouth \u201coh my god\u201d. It\u2019s happening.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_single_image image=”17012″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]Let\u2019s rewind slightly here. I met Jamyang (JC) in 2018 when I completed the lifelong dream of the Snowman Trek up in the very remote northern Himalayas in Bhutan. It was magical. An insane experience and you can get a feel for my journey here<\/a>. JC was one of our guides on the 25-day trek. We developed this incredible friendship, and we just laughed every day. We were cheeky chappies, and people joked we were brothers from another mother.<\/p>\n

We kept in touch and ETG launched Bhutan in early 2019. I couldn\u2019t wait to go back. I let Jamyang in on the news over WhatsApp and told him I was going to be coming for two weeks to explore the east and central region with my colleague James in Dec 2019. Straightaway he asked what James liked, and I said he\u2019s obsessed with football\u2026[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/6″][vc_single_image image=”17016″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/6″][vc_single_image image=”17015″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]Cut to James and I at breakfast in Thimphu. I look at him straight up. \u201cI need you to teach me the rules of football\u201d. He looks back at me. I don\u2019t drop the stare for even a second. He picks up the salt and pepper. I know I\u2019m making this sound like the movies, but it actually happened. I\u2019m a 35-year-old guy and honestly, I really don\u2019t like football, and I don\u2019t know the rules.<\/p>\n

There is an obsession with football in Bhutan. A pattern emerges. You\u2019re jumping in the car, meeting a guide, going to a local restaurant, you get asked where you are from, you say London, they say Chelsea with a slight smile and a raise at the end as if it\u2019s a question (I still don\u2019t know what the answer is, but I can confirm they aren\u2019t talking about the King\u2019s Road). So here I find myself with James in a sports shop in the capital trying on football boots ready for the impending doom, I mean, fun football match that Jamyang has organised for us later that evening.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image image=”17018″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]Now let\u2019s get clear here; this isn\u2019t a causal knockabout. I\u2019m starting to realise that this is a full-on, actual game on a full-sized pitch with goalposts, a referee and everything…in Bhutan!\u00a0 The CEO of our local partner company is flying in to play, our rival team is a scratch group of athletes from a lovely hotel group, and there is A LOT of excitement that two British football-mad guys (they didn\u2019t get the memo) are going to be playing later. I don\u2019t want to spoil the fun here, but this isn\u2019t a story about some profound life-changing experience, and you can just scroll to the bottom and see me coaching a five-a-side football team at home. No, this is a story about letting go.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/6″][vc_single_image image=”17022″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/6″][vc_single_image image=”17026″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]I like to keep people on their toes about how long I was on the pitch. I\u2019m sure it\u2019s a bit of a legend somewhere. Did I enjoy the \u2018actual\u2019 football? No. Did I run away from the ball? Argh, it\u2019s coming towards me. Am I terrible? Yes. Did I have fun? Of course. It will be etched in my mind forever. James played the full 90 mins, and I\u2019m not even sure who won. It was one of those experiences that\u2019s hard to put into words. My team\u2019s sudden realisation that I was crap at football, the sunset over the mountains, the other teams coming over to watch, James passing me the ball to see the fear, the after game picnic. The kit. The personalised Kit\u2026.how could I forget! James La and Matt La.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image image=”17021″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]If you want an in-depth match analysis, you\u2019ll be disappointed. I wanted to write this because it resonates strongly with why we exist as a company and why I get out of the bed every morning and love my job. I\u2019ve spent 12 years travelling, exploring different ideas, and questioning why I\/we travel and one thing I\u2019ve learnt at ETG is about allowing yourself to push your comfort zone. I was so out of my depth in this, but I did it for Jamyang, and for James and ultimately to have a laugh and do something I never dreamed of doing. A football game wasn\u2019t in our itinerary \u2013 \u201ctoday at 3.15 you will go to a football shop and buy some boots, etc etc\u201d..you get the picture. I just had to let go and let things happen. I\u2019m not naturally good at this, but working in travel and understanding when you need space for discovery is everything.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”17023″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes”][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]So, will there be a football game on your next holiday itinerary? Probably not. But, we hope there will be an equivalent, your own \u2018football game\u2019, a surprise moment or serendipity which pushes you past your comfort zone and creates an unforgettable memory. Making your own story is the magic of travel. At ETG, we have set out to challenge the norms of the tailor-made travel industry. I know it sounds cliche, but some guided travel has become a bit prescriptive and forced, and although we\u2019ve done as much as we can to push away from this, the market dictates a certain way to \u2018travel\u2019 and we got guilty of falling into this trap. If you google things to do in Bhutan, it\u2019s going to tell you about the Tigers Nest Monastery and \u2018Gross National Happiness\u2019. Not their love of football, or even that they basically can’t taste food unless it has chilli in it. But that\u2019s another story\u2026<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not going to go into the Covid-19 situation right now, but it has naturally put a lens over everything we do. Out of all of the bad stuff, I\u2019m happy we\u2019ve had a chance to reflect. We\u2019ve had some time to step back and look inwardly. We\u2019ve built a range of holidays called The Revitalise Collection<\/em>. They are about connecting to a destination, but with space for discovery. They are bold and not formulaic. They have the opportunity for chance encounters and happy accidents (football anyone?!). They will push your comfort zone but will allow time for yourself. They are stripped back and include our signature experiences where we see fit. They aren\u2019t box-ticking holidays. They miss key sites deliberately. They include our fabulous guides who can\u2019t wait to start meeting our guests again. I am so excited to have been part of creating this collection, and we can\u2019t wait to share the trips with you\u2026. watch this space for lots more to come.<\/p>\n

So you\u2019ll be wondering where the football boots are? They’re still in Bhutan – I gave them to Jamyang\u2019s oldest son as a present. They looked brand new. Funny that. And me? I\u2019m still not too fond of football but perhaps I can understand a little more how it can bring people together.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/6″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]