The Dangers of Kilimanjaro

Grough has an interesting article up on the dangers of climbing Kilimanjaro, which are detailed thanks to a new study that calls it one of the most dangerous mountains in the world.

The study was conducted by British doctor Jeremy Windsor and American Dr George Rodway. Windsor, who is an advisor to the Union Internationale des Associations d’Alpinisme, is quoted as saying "Despite reliable weather and straightforward access, illness and injury are commonplace" on Kili. The report cites the fact that guide fees and services put an emphasis on getting up and down quickly, not allowing for many climbers to acclimatize properly.

While I obviously respect the mountain, and think that it is far more challenging than the average trekker realizes before they go, I have to disagree with the good doctors that it's one of the most dangerous mountains in the world. Sure, any time you're dealing with high altitudes there can be issues. Throw in the fact that you're in a remote place, with challenging terrain, and you've added a layer of complexity to the problem. But thousands of people go up and down Kilimanjaro each year, mostly without incident, and there are relatively few deaths on the mountain when you look at the amount of traffic there. It's non-technical nature also insulates it to some degree, although unprepared and inexperienced climbers probably are the biggest cause for concern.

To illustrate my point, the article goes on to talk about the dangers of making the climb, but references many issues that are not even a concern on the mountain. For instance, Windsor says that there are an alarming number of electrocutions with visitors to Tanzania due to substandard wiring in hotels. While obviously a concern, how is that related to Kili exactly? They go on to discuss HIV/AIDS, as well as other diseases, and even the risk of a fatal car accident, which is the number one killer of visitors to the country.

They do eventually talk more in detail about the actual issues on the mountain itself, touching on altitude sickness, and all the issues that can bring along with it. They also talk about exposure and the colder temperatures up near the summit, but that isn't nearly as much of a concern as it is on a lot of other mountains.

All in all, an interesting article, even if I don't necessarily agree with everything they are saying. Certainly it's a good read for those planning a trip to Africa to make the climb. My word of advice is respect the altitude, give yourself plenty of time, and enjoy the scenery along the way. Oh! And careful when plugging things into the electrical outlets apparently. ;)

The Hitchhiking Movie: Hitching Across the U.S.

I'm still cleaning out my mailbox after being gone, and trying to catch up on a few things, and here is one that I thought might be of interest. It is a bit of a different adventure, but certainly one none the less. 11Visions has put together an interesting film called The Hitchhiking Movie, in which two men set out to see if they could cross the United States without a car of their own or any money. Oh yeah, and they wanted to do it in under a week.

There was a time when hitchhiking was fairly popular in the U.S. and you would often see men and women stand alongside the road with their thumb out. But times have changed fairly dramatically since that era, and now you see hitchhikers much more infrequently. As drivers, it has been ingrained in our brains that we shouldn't pick them up, and that that it could be very dangerous. It is in that climate that filmmakers Ryan Jeanes and Phillip Hullquist set out on their cross country odyssey.

The two men set out from New York, with Los Angeles as their ultimate goal. 3000 miles to cover in seven days. It would require the kindness of strangers to complete the trip, and it is questionable if that kindness actually exists any more. Did they make it? You'll have to watch the movie to find out for sure, but you can view a bunch of clips on the films website, and you can pick it up on DVD or watch it online as well.

Pretty cool concept, and proof that adventure travel doesn't necessarily have to include flying off to some far flung location. This seemed like a great adventure too. Setting off on a long distance trek, without ever knowing if you'd make it, and relying completely on others. Crazy! :)

Check out the trailer below.

Hanoi | Report Two: The People of Tay Bac

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

The humidity is just staggering in Hanoi, and it's certainly affecting the group and I. Timing the photo shoots in the early morning, as we did today, doesn't really make a measurable difference.

That said, the dawn-early morning walk about on the Hoàn Kiếm Lake shore was interesting, both culturally and photographically. Apart from the placid tai chi being performed by Hanoi's senior citizenry, the group and I came across a more energetic display of the form using large fans, couples dancing to the tune of Delilah probably performed by a Vietnamese Tom Jones, groups of women of all ages doing aerobics to the bear of disco music...and school children waiting for their buses.

Later, we went for another walk about on Hang Ma...the epicenter of the Tết Trung Thu festival; the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is the country's second most important holiday, after Tet, the Vietnamese New Year.

It's a combination of Christmas, Halloween and a block party of sorts during which young women (known as 'the pretty young things' in my parlance) wear Minnie Mouse ears and huge eyeglasses (fake), and flash the ubiquitous Asian 'V' sign at whoever looks at them.

It's a surfeit of sensory overload, with incredibly colorful decorations and lanterns...as well as incessant traffic noise caused by an endless stream of motorbikes and scooters.

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

I anticipate that Hang Ma will really be incredibly crowded this evening when we return for another dose of the Mid-Autumn Festival...hopefully this time, there'll be dragon dances!

By the way, the technological improvement of the X-T1 over the X Pro-1 are really staggering. The latter is really showing its age...however, I'm still using both.

Legacies of War: Agent Orange - Travel VietNam

Vietnamese, Agent Orange was among a few herbicides dropped on enormous swathes of Vietnam amid the War. Its destructive fixing, dioxin, has been found to cause a scope of wellbeing issues, from hydrocephalus and a few sorts of diseases to diabetes and skin ailments to physical distortions, for example, missing appendages. Assessments of the extent to which Agent Orange was spread on the nation somewhere around 1961 and 1971 change, however extend as high as 75 million liters. Vietnam has assessed that 400,000 individuals were executed or injured by the defoliants, that 500,000 youngsters have been conceived with conception surrenders thus, and two million increasingly have experienced specifically or in a roundabout way its belongings.

Impact on nature 

Notwithstanding bringing about substantial mischief to eras of Vietnamese, Agent Orange has had a lethal impact on nature's domain, staying in the dirt and harming the natural pecking order. Lakes in vigorously spread territories still exist today where the fish are perilous to consume - tainted an era after the war finished - and there is still talk of emptying the absolute most influenced zones.

Related post: Vietnam travel deals

Remuneration for those influenced 

In May 2009, the International People's Tribunal of Conscience, assembled in Paris, issued a judgment that the utilization of this toxin by the US military amid the War was an atrocity, and that payment ought to be given to the exploited people, and also exertions made to clean up influenced area. This choice emulated many years of fizzled exertions by Vietnamese gatherings to effectively sue the US government and compound makers for harms, in spite of the way that American veterans of the Vietnam War have been remunerated by the administration to the tune of Us$1.52 billion. As of late as February 2009, the most recent bid by AO exploited people suing the substance makers was rejected by a US court. Be that as it may, claims will probably proceed, in any event the length of the impacts of AO are so noticeable in Vietnam.

Most as of late (29 May 2009), President Obama multiplied US financing for managing the outcomes of Agent Orange in Vietnam from Us$3 to Us$6 million – insufficient to have a noteworthy effect, maybe, yet an imperative signal all the same.

A Night At The Explorers Club

The Explorers Club recently held their 105th annual dinner, and National Geographic Adventure was on hand to capture all the festivities
for those of us not lucky enough to be in attendance. It was an evening filled with interesting dining choices (think insects and worse), colorful characters, and kangaroo boxing. Check out the video below to see how the Explorers party!

Virgin Global Row Update: Progress at Last!

It's been a couple of weeks since I checked in on Olly Hicks and his Virgin Global Row. At that time, he was struggling each day to just hold on to his position, and for a number of days in row, that's about all he could do. The young British adventurer was rowing for several hours each day, just to attempt to hold his ground against the savage winds and waters of the Southern Ocean.

Loading up the map on the Global Row website today though shows that he has indeed made solid progress over the past week or so. Olly has actually had a couple of calm days and has made the most of them, rowing with renewed vigor. He's now more than 40 days into his attempt to circumnavigate Antarctica by rowboat, with an estimated 450+ to go, and by his regular blog posts, I'd say he's still in good spirits, despite his early struggles. I can't say I'd feel the same way all things considered.

The entries in his blog tell of his daily struggles with things that seem hard to comprehend for those of us who have never attempted to row across an ocean. In one recent post he mentions the "cross seas" that send waves at him from different directions, making it nearly impossible to keep a rowing rhythm and requiring constant concentration to keep on course. He also talks about how his custom made rowboat, lovingly dubbed the Flying Carrot, will roll in the water, pulling the oars from his hands, and smacking him in the knees in the process.

Checkout the photo attached to this post to get an idea of the kind of seas that Olly is dealing with here. Now imagine facing that day in, and day out, alone for weeks at a time. Seems like a grim prospect, but Olly can look forward to making landfall for a short break from all of that in about six months time. Hang in there Olly we're pulling for you.

Paddling The Length of the Columbia River

The always excellent Wend Blog has a great post this morning about the Columbia Experience, an expedition that got underway two days ago that will paddle nearly the entire length of the Columbia River all the way to the Pacific Ocean, covering a distance of roughly 1000 miles in the process.

The three man team consists of Keel Brightman, Paul Gamache, and Ryan Scott, who came up with the idea of making this journey to raise awareness of the environmental effects of dams on the river. The Columbia has more than 400 dams along its length, and that has changed the landscape through which it runs dramatically. The expedition is expected to take roughly two months to complete, after all it does take a long time to portage around all those dams.

Cool adventure for a good cause. Check out their video below, and watch their blog for updates from the field.


The Columbia Experience from ColumbiaRiver on Vimeo

Visit HoTram Beach in tour VietNam Travel

Likewise spotted in the Vung Tau territory, Ho Tram shoreline is potentially one of the best shorelines inside close nearness of Saigon. The territory where Ho Tram is placed was initially known as a sanatorium where the unhealthy would be taken for all encompassing treatment. These days, it is basically a little angling and tourism town with immaculate shorelines and not very many lodgings. With arrangements to create this right now immature territory, numerous estimate that the Ho Tram zone will turn into the following Nha Trang. As of late, a Canadian advancement organization fabricated the eminent lodging The Grand Ho Tram Strip, a Vegas-style resort and gambling club, the one and only of its kind in Vietnam.

Presently, Ho Tram is gone to generally by well off Vietnamese as a calm retreat and by vacationers searching for a departure from the clamoring urban areas. Thus, the Ho Tram shoreline and adjacent Ho Coc shoreline are flawlessly clean. Indeed, The Grand Ho Tram resort has straightened their proximate shoreline zone far out so is the water clean as well as moderately sheltered as you can go truly a routes into the water and still just be waist profound. On the off chance that you are going with children, this resort on Ho Tram shoreline is a more secure decision since the shorelines in Vietnam are for the most part unmanned.

See more: travel Vietnam

Points of interest:  Ho Tram shoreline is more remote than Vung Tau, so getting there can be strenuous by open transportation – truth be told, you would need to go to Vung Tau first and after that find your approach to Ho Tram from that point, however it is still a 45-moment excursion from Vung Tau. The simplest approach to go to Ho Tram shoreline is by private auto or shuttle. The lodgings in Ho Tram can organize a shuttle or auto for you from Ho Chi Minh City. In the event that you have a room busy, the shuttle is complimentary. Without a booking, the costs shift relying upon which mode of transport you favor. The Grand lodging even offers a helicopter get if that is your style!! By street, Ho Tram shoreline is 1.5-2 hours far from Ho Chi Minh Cit

Bob Newman | Holi 2014

Bob Newman was a member of my The Sacred Cities Photo Expedition-Workshop last March which saw us photographing in the ancient city of Varanasi, and in the sacred city of Vrindavan during the festival of Holi. He is a first time participant in my expeditions-workshops.

Bob just published his first multimedia project of the photo expedition-workshop, and titled it Holi 2014. The multimedia package features photographs made during the week-plus long festival of Holi in Vrindavan. The sound tracks accompanying the slideshow were also recorded on site by Bob.

The project was completed whilst we were in Vrindavan; a task that was especially difficult in view of the intensity of the photo shoots. Bob earned the award of being the trip's most diligent participant, in having completed in record time two multimedia assignments required from the participants. 

He joined our photo-expedition after attending another workshop in Venice, and then went on to Gujarat for a few days.

Bob is a surgeon with 34 years of experience and practices in urology and surgery.