americas, mexico, overseas Chris Shirley MA FRGS americas, mexico, overseas Chris Shirley MA FRGS

Seeing Mexico city as a solo traveller

I fly from London to Mexico City international airport (that’s generally referred to as Benito Juárez International Airport) and take an Uber from the airport to my apartment in the Roma Sur district.

Being a visual designer, the first thing that stands out on the taxi ride to my apartment, is how much and the quality of the street art and how vibrant it is! The ride is utterly eye opening as I’ve never seen this combination of culture and art outside of East London – and I love it, it’s like travelling through an open-air art museum.

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Personal experiences during Hurricane Irma relief efforts, British Virgin Islands after Hurricane Irma, Triple Ironman-distance triathlon training in the Caribbean, Vodafone foundation's role in Caribbean disaster response, CDEMA meetings during Hurricane Irma response, Barbuda post-Hurricane Irma damage assessment, Team Rubicon UK humanitarian efforts in the Caribbean, Role of British military in Hurricane Irma response, Impact of Hurricane Irma on the Caribbean islands, Hurricane Irma aftermath response in the Caribbean Chris Shirley MA FRGS Personal experiences during Hurricane Irma relief efforts, British Virgin Islands after Hurricane Irma, Triple Ironman-distance triathlon training in the Caribbean, Vodafone foundation's role in Caribbean disaster response, CDEMA meetings during Hurricane Irma response, Barbuda post-Hurricane Irma damage assessment, Team Rubicon UK humanitarian efforts in the Caribbean, Role of British military in Hurricane Irma response, Impact of Hurricane Irma on the Caribbean islands, Hurricane Irma aftermath response in the Caribbean Chris Shirley MA FRGS

Landfall: My experiences of responding to Hurricane Irma in the Caribbean with Team Rubicon

In September 2017 and only just back from 2 weeks volunteering in the Philippines with Team Rubicon, I flew out to the Caribbean at short notice to respond to the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane that struck the Caribbean and south-eastern United States.

It was one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded, with sustained winds of up to 185 mph (295 km/h) that caused widespread damage and devastation. This is what I saw and experienced:

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US Marines, Skydiving malfunctions, Parachute deployment, Accelerated free fall (AFF), Kennedy Space Centre, Titusville, Cape Canaveral, Florida, Virginia, Road trip, Skydiving, americas, usa Chris Shirley MA FRGS US Marines, Skydiving malfunctions, Parachute deployment, Accelerated free fall (AFF), Kennedy Space Centre, Titusville, Cape Canaveral, Florida, Virginia, Road trip, Skydiving, americas, usa Chris Shirley MA FRGS

Learning to fly: A 1000-mile road trip down the US coast to learn skydiving

Working alongside the US Marines in Quantico, Virginia, near Washington DC in 2010, I had a chance to participate in an accelerated free fall (AFF) skydiving course that overlooked the awe-inspiring Cape Canaveral space centre. The catch? It was a thousand-mile roadtrip to Titusville, Florida.

Beginning with ground school, the dramatic journey to becoming a licensed skydiver would see me jumping out of a twin-turboprop Super King Air aircraft at 17,500 ft with the iconic Kennedy Space Centre in the background, and see me experiencing a parachute malfunction at 3,000 ft!

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