A Bethnal Green man has gone on the adventure of a lifetime travelling through the United States to South America, ending up in Brazil by “accident” just in time for the World Cup.
Dennis Moss, 47, of Bonner Road, originally set off to go watch his favourite American Football team, the Dallas Cowboys.
Now, 31,000 miles and seven months later he is in Sao Paolo – where England suffered a bitter defeat against Uruguay. .
He said: “The people I’ve met are the reason I am still travelling. It’s the best thing about this trip”
He continued: “I met this guy in Berlin in ’92 and we kept in touch, first by letters as there wasn’t email then.
“We met up in Los Angeles. To see him 23 years later with a family was brilliant, a really touching moment.”
From spending Christmas Day outside the White House to recording songs in Nashville which are now on UK radio, the intrepid explorer has encountered life-changing experiences and made new friends.
Dennis added: “I was supposed to be in Cancun, Mexico, for six days. I met really nice people and it ended up being six weeks.”
Dennis has also seen the Iguazu Falls in Uruguay, the Machu Picchu Inca Temple in Peru and made a football pilgrimage.
He said: “I’ve been going to all the big football stadiums. I went to the Azteca in Mexico where Maradona scored the “Hand of God” goal and in Buenos Ares I met the Argentinian goalkeeper from the 1978 World Cup.”
He saved money for the trip from his golf caddy job and was left some funds in the will of his late uncle Arthur Newman.
In Brazil he said he has not experienced the widely-reported tension among Brazilians angry that so much has been spent on the World Cup when millions are living in poverty in shanty towns.
“You know what? I heard all about that but since I’ve arrived I’ve seen absolutely none of it.
“You just feel utterly safe. There are so many football fans – it’s not what I expected. It may change after the tournament ends but from the moment I arrived it’s just been one big party.”
Dennis has also been interviewed by several international television channels and attended England’s last group match against Costa Rica.
He now plans to stay until the end of the tournament and return home on July 18. He has documented his trip with spoof videos on his Facebook page.
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