Our adventure through Latin America begins tomorrow, January 4th 2010. I’ve repeated this date to friends and family countless times with increasing anxiety and excitement, never fully believing the day would come.

Like a monster straight out of an episode of Scooby-Doo, our departure date would stand perfectly still when I thought about it, camouflaged amongst the mundane events of everyday life. Then, just as I was about to take a big bite out of a ridiculously over-sized sandwich, an innocent tap on my shoulder brings to my attention a menacing creature gnashing his teeth at me.

Whenever Shaggy found himself in this situation, there was always a moment of hesitation before the inevitable chase sequence. ‘Zoinks!’ he’d say, hovering in mid-air, as his legs desperately tried to find the traction to propel himself in the direction of safety.

While preparing for the trip I have developed a deeper understanding of what Shaggy is trying to communicate with his famous catch-phrase.

It is not often that one encounters a menacing creature whilst eating a bologna sandwich so it is perfectly normal to want to get the hell outta’ there. But once Shaggy has shaken his pursuer, he always seems to find the courage to stick around until the case is solved. There are two reasons why this nervous wreck of an adolescent, goes against his better judgement and stays put.

First, is a nagging sense of déja vu where the strange monster tormenting him ends up being some dude behind a curtain with some blankets and a smoke machine.

But more importantly, a perfectly good, exorbitantly prepared, uneaten sandwich is waiting for him back in the kitchen. And the pleasure of sinking his teeth into that delicious hogie far outweighs his disdain for any creature of the night.