Blue Nile Falls — also known as Tis Issat or Tissasat Falls. (Ethiopia)
The flow has been greatly reduced since a hydro-electric station started diverting the river in 2003.
all-terrain hiking chair?
Chang Tang, Tibetan Plateau
Have you heard of the Chang Tang?
A part of the world half the size of the continental USA?
Me neither.
George Schaller made 11 trips between 1985 and 2001. I read a couple of his books so perhaps I did hear of the region.
The photographer is Galen Rowell, who’s work was admired by Ansel Adams. This was Rowell’s last adventure. He and his wife were killed in a plane crash in California.
National Geographic sponsored expedition to Chang Tang
Bruce Kirby pitched the idea to National Geographic and worked a year on the Chang Tang project. But NG went ahead without him.
book – The Dolphin’s Tooth, Bruce Kirkby
Inspired by Chris Bonnington’s Quest for Adventure, a regular Canadian kid became an Adventurer.
Kirkby hooked up with Jamie Clarke, Calgary’s most famous adventurer for:
His greatest claim to fame (or greatest sufferfest) was what he called The Grande Cirque — the first circumnavigation of British Columbia’s southern Coast Range.
His best destination so far — the Mergui Archipelago of Burma, off-limits to everyone for the past 50 years.
rainbow photos
top 10 travellers
1. CAPTAIN JAMES COOK
2. XUANZANG
3. SIR RICHARD BURTON
4. IBN BATTUTA
5. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
6. CHARLES DARWIN
7. FRIDTJOF NANSEN
8. YURI GAGARIN
9. MICHAEL PALIN
10. APHRA BEHN
There is no doubt Cook is the greatest of them all. His 3 voyages of discovery are unmatched.
The rest of the top 10 can be argued.
Certainly Michael had it a little easier than the rest.
weird world maps
In 2003, 665 million international tourist trips were made. … Western Europe is the most popular destination for international tourists: 46% of world tourist trips. At the other extreme 0.1% of world tourist trips are made to Central African territories.
Size shows proportion of world international tourist trips to that territory.
wikitravel.org
I am a big fan of wikipedia. There is no better example of what can happen if you simply get out of the way. Let people do what they want.
The much publicized problems with the site? I’ve never had a glitch. The few minor mistakes that irked me, I corrected.
Wikipedia is the encyclopedia that anyone can edit.
Now I stumbled on to Wikitravel.org
Interesting. But why not simply include all this travel content in wikipedia?
hiking – Abbot Pass hut, Rockies
Alpine Club of Canada – Abbot Pass Hut
At 9,598 feet, it is the second highest permanent structure in Canada. Built in 1922, how is it that I still haven’t been there. It’s just up the hill from Lake O’Hara.
Might be the extreme scree gully / avalanche shoot approach.
TV – Globe Trekker, Pilot Guides
Globe Trekker (also called Pilot Guides outside the United States and originally broadcast as Lonely Planet) is adventure tourism TV. This British series was inspired by Australian Lonely Planet travelbooks and has been in production for over 10-years. It is broadcast in over 40 countries across 6 continents.
Commercial TV generally depresses me. If I had a gun I’d shoot the TV, or myself.
A great exception to the rule is this program which I love. A huge success, it is phenomenally accurate at showing what it is like to travel the backpacker circuit. No need to go yourself, actually.
Now when will we have decent hiking television?
besthike.com 