Redesigned "Outlier" Magazine

01/August/2015

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Dear Readers, Welcome to the first issue of Outlier. This magazine features a wide array of articles, stories, advice, tips, and ideas for living the most unique and adventurous lifestyle.

An outlier describes a person that stands apart from others of his or her group, living a life outside of the box. They dare to take chances, explore, reach higher limits, open their minds to above and beyond experiences, and overall, are not afraid to be different. This magazine provides new things to try, new places to travel, new ways to be more involved in the world, and new ways to know what it is truly like to live. The Outlier team is here help you reach your full potential to become the person who can look back on their life in the future and say, ‘I did it all’. We are here to take you out of your comfort zone and prove that: Life is a choice, choose it.

Life is a challenge, meet it.

Life is an opportunity, recognize it.

Life is possibility, create it.

Life is a risk, take it.

Life is adventure, dare it.

Join on us on this journey, and together we can live a creative life no one else has ever been.

LIFE IS EITHER A DARING

ADVENTURE OR NOTHING AT ALL

-Helen Keller

FE ATURES A DARING ADVENTURER

Aaron Ralston’s Story of Survival

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T H E L I F E L I S T 19

Presenting 50 dream trips, daring quests, essential skills, & exalted states of body & mind

by Stephanie Pearson

TABLE

of

by Alex Hannaford

COLUMNS 1

7 of the World’s T op

Adventurous Surf Spots

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CONTENTS

by Jeff Mull

14 11

13 People Who embarked on

Epic Adventures

by Luis Dafos

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10 12 20

12 Foods Worth Traveling the World For

by William Maddux & Adam Galinsky

29 10 Unique Volunteer

Opportunities Abroad

by Zahara Heckscher

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of the

WORLD’S TOP ADV EN T U R O U S SURF SPOTS Written By: Jeff Mull Hawaii Editor, SURFER Magazine

best for: all surfers, from children getting their first taste of Pacific power to grizzled surf veterans tripping through Latin America in camper vans.

In a wave-rich country, Nosara stands out as the surf town par excellence. Warm water, friendly locals, endless beaches, powerful river mouths, long point breaks, and virtually year-round high swells make it a veritable surfing Disneyland—without all the lines and overzealous parents. Located on the coast of a Blue Zone (a place where a large percentage of local people live to a hundred years old or more), Nosara offers the kind of lifestyle that most surfers only dream about. It is a perennial favorite among traveling surfers of all levels for both its waves and relaxed pace of life.

when: Costa Rica has two seasons, the dry (December to April) and the rainy (May to November). Surf-wise, the only differences during the dry season are larger crowds and smaller waves on average.

NOSARA, COSTA RICA

learn: Safari Surf School offers lessons

at Playa Guiones, a beach ideally suited to beginners, according to co-owner Tim Marsh.

“The waves at Playa Guiones break about a hundred yards offshore and ‘roll’ all the way to the sand’s edge,” he says. “This is ideal so novices can feel comfy knowing we can take them waist-deep and get them on oncoming whitewater waves that roll to the beach.”

eat/drink

Just three minutes from the beach, the Casa Tucan offers great local specialties like fish and meat casados and doubles as a social hub for this small town. Stay around for a drink or two, then move to the KayaSol Surf Hotel for another round.

stay: The Harmony Hotel offers a full spa experience while also being dedicated to sustainable development. local tip: If you get tired of gentle rollers, head north to Playa Pelada for some volcanic reef action or to the Bocas del Nosara for heavy tubes. But don’t take the power of the waves for granted.

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when

South Africa receives year-round swell.

learn

The Lifestyle Surf Shop has everything a surfer needs.

MUIZNBERG, SOUTH AFRICA

eat/drink

Kalk Bay is known for its nightlife and food, especially Olympia Café, which Conibear describes as “a must.”

best for: beginner surfers looking for a safe and inviting environment to get their toes wet in the world of surfing Located in a country known for cold water, heavy waves, and sharks, Muizenberg, South Africa, is an oasis of gentle rollers, friendly locals, and beachside cafes. And don’t forget about the local wine. “Muizenberg is the best ‘learn to surf’ beach in the world,” says Tim Conibear, founder of Isiqalo, a Cape Town organization that teaches kids from low-income neighborhoods to surf.

“The attitude in the water is also super-mellow, with a general acceptance of all watercrafts and abilities. For heavier waves, take a walk toward Kalk Bay, where there’s a serious reef. Danger Reef is also a little left-breaking wave

SANTA CRUZ, CA, U.S

learn

Surf School Santa Cruz: Owner and pro surfer Bud Freitas is part of the current generation of world-renowned Santa Cruz surfers.

eat

when

September to May

stay

She West Cliff Inn has ocean-view rooms within spitting distance of Pleasure Point.

After a long surf session at Pleasure Point, Freitas says there is nothing better than a slice or two from Pleasure Pizza, a Santa Cruz institution since 1975.

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stay

The Chartfield Guesthouse in neighboring Kalk Bay has great ocean views and is a short walk to restaurants and bars.

local tip

The air temperatures may be hotter in the South African summer, but the water temperatures can be colder.

Make sure to bring or rent the right wetsuit before you get in the water.

best for: santa cruz is the field trip that all students of surfing, young and old, should take once in their lives.

Santa Cruz is a little town with a long surfing history.

Its marquee spot, Steamer Lane, was a proving ground for aspiring West Coast big-wave riders in the 1950s. Men like Peter Cole, Ricky Grigg, and the Van Dyke brothers rode giant winter swells here on wooden longboards—sans leashes and wetsuits—in order to practice for the even more powerful waves of Hawaii. It was this penchant for wintertime surfing that lead Jack O’Neill, who lost an eye in an accident at the Lane, to develop the modern surfing wetsuit.

You don’t have to brave ship-capsizing surf or risk either of your eyes to enjoy Santa Cruz. Tucked between sea cliffs and redwood forests, this NorCal gem boasts a fantastic surfing museum and 11 surf spots, including the Californian classic, Pleasure Point.

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best for: the discerning surfer who insists that the wine be just as good as the waves.

Biarritz is the only surf town in the world with a royal history. In 1854, Empress Eugénie convinced her husband, Napoleon III, to visit the area. They then bought the land and built a palace on the beach, which made Biarritz one of the hottest resort towns in Europe. Screenwriter Peter Viertel brought France its first surfboard in 1956, when he came to shoot location shots for The Sun Also Rises.

Still considered the birthplace of European surfing, Biarritz is a nice combination of French high culture and SoCal surf culture, putting a decidedly surfy spin on the notion of joie de vivre.

stay

eat/drink

Les 100 Marches, a chic café where you can have champagne with your post-surf baguette

when

The Hôtel du Palais is Empress Eugénie’s old palace retrofitted as a hotel. If you come to Biarritz, you might as well get the royal treatment.

local tip

Many of the surf shops only sell clothes. Make sure to come prepared.

September to November.

learn

Bidart Surf Academy

Start surfing on La Grande Plage (the Big Beach) in front of the town center. If it gets too crowded, local Cape Breton transplant David Hanguehard recommends checking out surrounding beaches such as La Côtes des Basques, Anglet, and Guethary.

BUNDORAN, IRELAND

BIARRITZ, FRANCE

when

local tip

Go September to November, when the water is warm(ish), the tourists have gone home, and the Atlantic is pumping.

If you buy a round for the locals, which you should, expect to be drinking for the rest of the night.

through the North Atlantic and onto a smattering of beaches and reefs that suit different levels of surfers.

best for: the salty surf traveler who doesn’t mind surfing in cold water or rain Ireland, known among surfers as “Europe’s cold-water Indonesia” should be on the bucket list of every surfer. And Bundoran should be the start of any surfing adventure on the Emerald Isle. This centuriesold fishing village catches just about any swell that steamrolls

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The water may be cold, but the pubs and locals are always warm, serving up national specialties such as Guinness and oysters to the tune of traditional Irish music.

“Bundoran is a town with many sides and the real Bundoran can only be found with the help of the locals,” says Pete Craig, surfer and owner of the outfitter Bundoran Surf Co. The main surfing beach is Tullan Strand, but if you want to venture out, ask locals about the surrounding reefs and beaches, which work on a variety of swells.

eat/drink

“The Bridge Bar is a rite of passage for most surfers,” says Craig. Situated overlooking the Peak— Ireland’s most favorite reef break—the Bridge is a unique mix of old-school Ireland and surf culture, always with a warm welcome and cold beer.

“It’s a great place to meet locals, surfers, and musicians.

If you feel like hearing a live band, go to the Chasing Bull.”

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play

Head in to Agadir’s central market, Souk El Had, to pick up bottles of argan oil, a locally grown panacea that is said to be good for everything from cooking to hair conditioning. Or treat yourself to a hammam, a local tradition of Turkishstyle steam bathing.

TAGHAZOUT, MOROCCO

best for: Couples and serious surf adventurers who wanc to wander through the labyrinthine corridors of some of the world’s oldest cities and also catch the waves of their lives.

Taghazout, Moroc co, is a surfing oasis in the middle of a long, rugged coastline that is inundated with waves.

This ancient Berber encampment became an outpost for European adventurers trekking into southern Moroc co in the 1960s. And throughout that same period, surfers “discovered” the region and set up shop in Taghazout.

Today, there are a lot of French and Spanish Surfers

mingling with the native Moroc cans and Berbers in what still feels like a frontier town on the edge of the desert. The waves are almost always longperiod ground swells—which means great shape and plenty of power—and the winds consistently blow offshore.

Beginners should start at beaches like Panoramas or Crocodiles and work their way up to the point breaks, which are considered among the best in the world. To sample the crème de la crème, go for a surf at Anchor Point or Killer Point and learn why surfers often describe the waves there as “freight trains.”

LA PALOMA,

URUGUAY

Restaurante Punto Sur is located on the sand and has a great mix of seafood and local meat fresh off the parilla (grill).

play

Cabo Polonio is a beach community with fewer than 100 residents, not counting the sea lion colony. Head over for a day trip and you may not want to leave.

Ireland, known among surfers as “Europe’s cold-water Indonesia” should be on the bucket list of every surfer. And Bundoran should be the start of any surfing adventure on the Emerald Isle. This centuriesstay old fishing villagebeach catches just Locals prefer about any swell that steamrolls cabanas or cabins, but luxury ac commodation for less, like the Zen Boutique Apart Hotel, local tip are also great options.

Southerly storms can turn the Something to suit any water temperature from warm taste can be found at: http://www.reservas.net/ to frigid overnight. Bring a wetsuit, just in case. Also, there alojamiento_hoteles/ are some 80 surf spots in a lapaloma_hotels_ scant 125 miles of coastline. If uruguay.htm. you can’t find surf in La Paloma, head north to La Pedrera or Punta del Diablo.

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Year-round

learn

Surf Rider Camp is run by one of Moroc co’s best surfers, Yassine Ramdani. All ages are welcome in private and group lessons (Telephone: +34 679 070 327).

eat/drink

Don’t leave without trying a tagine, a traditional stew cooked in a large clay pot,” says Ramdani. “You can get great traditional food at Cafe Florida.”

stay

Located on the water’s edge, Surf Maroc’s Taghazout Villa is a surfing clubhouse and outfitter for anything you might want to do in Taghazout and the surrounding environs.

local tip

If you go exploring for waves, which you should, 4WD and plenty of water are necessary.

eat/drink

best for: the salty surf traveler who doesn’t mind surfing in cold water or rain

when

best for: the surf traveler looking to step off the beaten track and experience a new culture. The waves may or may not be epic, but you will never forget Uruguay.

Uruguayos prefer to fly below the radar, which is why you probably didn’t know that their Atlantic coastline is one of the most pristine and beautiful in the Americas.

Although famous resort towns such as Punta del Este have long been a haven for Argentine and European travelers, the rest of the coastline is reserved for locals. La Paloma is a dusty little beach town where Uruguayans go to surf, drink maté tea, and grill large hunks of grass-fed beef over open flames. “It’s an enchanting little town where everyone is friendly,” says Uruguay’s best professional surfer Marco Giorgi. “One of the best parts is that it has surf spots for all levels of rider. And regardless of which way the wind is blowing, it’s almost always surfable somewhere.”

when

The Southern Hemisphere summer (November to February) sees smaller waves, but La Paloma buzzes with Uruguayan beachgoers and live music shows.

learn

Visit the Peteco surf shop and ask about the Escuela de Surfing.

It’s run by the Vázques family, a father-son duo who take care of visiting surfers.

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A DARING ADVENTURER RALSTON’S STORY OF SURVIVAL

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When the sun starts to go down on the canyonlands of south-eastern Utah in the American west, it bathes the vast rock formations and caverns in a deep red glow. It’s beautiful.

But at night, if you’re alone, it can be a cold and frightening place.

Particularly if you find yourself trapped in one of the deep ravines that split the sandstone monoliths in two. It would be difficult for anyone to hear you during the day – but in the dark, a cry for help would be met with only silence.

No one knows that more than 35-year-old Aron Ralston. In 2003, he had gone hiking, alone, near Robbers Roost – an old outlaw hideout used in the dying days of the wild west

by Butch Cassidy. But while Ralston For was climbing down a narrow slot five in Bluejohn Canyon, a boulder and a became dislodged, half days, crushing Ralston’s he struggled right forearm to get free until and pinning it he was forced to do against the the unthinkable.

Using a wall. blunt knife from his multitool, he began amputating his arm. This month Ralston’s incredible tale of survival comes to the big screen courtesy of film-maker Danny Boyle, in his new movie, 127 Hours.

Ralston was raised in the suburbs of Indianapolis, Indiana, but moved with his parents to Denver, Colorado when he was 11. He was a bright student and after university he moved to Arizona to work for Intel. But the lure of the great outdoors was too strong and he eventually left his job and moved to Aspen, in the Colorado Rockies. There he would hike, ski and cycle. He also set out to become the first person to climb all 55 of the state’s mountains over 14,000ft, alone in winter.

By the spring of 2003, Ralston still hadn’t quite completed the challenge. And now the snows were starting to melt, he’d have to wait until the following winter to pick up where he left off.

‘Those mountains contain some of the deadliest snowpack in the world,’ Ralston says. ‘And I don’t say that for self-aggrandisement but just to say that’s where I was at in my life when I walked into that Utah canyon back in 2003.’

On Saturday, April 26, without telling anyone his plans, Ralston packed his hiking boots, a hydration system, his backpack, climbing

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equipment, and, notably, a pocket-sized utility tool, put his mountain bike in the back of his truck and drove almost five hours to a remote part of Utah.

According to retired National Parks Service ranger Steve Swanke, people call the tiny town of Moab the ‘end of the world’. ‘Well, imagine going to the end of the world and then travelling for two and a half hours more. That takes you to the Horseshoe Canyon trailhead where Aron Ralston began his journey. It’s in the middle of nowhere.’

Ralston was only planning to go day hiking and maybe do some rappelling so he could explore the slot canyons. He’d taken a gallon of water with him – plenty for such a short trip. He’d be back in Aspen by nightfall.

In Boyle’s characteristically slick and fast-paced film, we see Ralston, played by James Franco, cycling through the breathtaking landscape of red sand and shadows. He meets up with two girls out hiking and takes them swimming in an idyllic, tranquil pool hidden in one of the canyons.

But it is after he leaves the girls to continue his hike that disaster strikes. Ralston had left his bike and continued on foot into Bluejohn Canyon. According to online climbing discussion forum summitpost. org, the canyon requires technical rock and canyoneering skills to negotiate. But Ralston was more than capable.

‘I was accustomed to being in far, far riskier environments,’ he says. ‘So I thought going into that canyon was a walk in the park – there were no avalanches, it was a beautiful day and I was essentially just walking.’

But suddenly, Ralston slipped and fell down the chasm, dislodging an 800lb (360kg) chockstone boulder, which is much harder than sandstone. It crushed his arm and left Ralston pinned against the canyon wall.

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He made several futile attempts to chip away at the boulder with his utility knife – but it was already fairly blunt and this just made it worse. That first night, as darkness descended on the Utah canyonlands, Ralston realised just how alone he was.

‘If you want someone to show up and help you if something bad happens, you’d better tell someone where you’re going.

And of course I wanted someone to know – but I’d made a choice and it was a choice I was going to have to live with.’

But living through this was going to be far from easy. Ralston says the boulder was crushing his wrist so tightly that everything up to his fingertips was numb. ‘It’s called compartment syndrome – when the nerves and blood vessels are pinched, so that the tissue goes into necrosis and dies,’ he explains.

Photo: Aaron Ralston

He began stabbing the blade of his knife into the dead skin of his thumb.

Hisssssss. He could hear the air escaping from the decomposing digit.

‘I realised early on that I was going to have to cut my arm off to get free but there was also resistance: I didn’t want to do it,’ he says. ‘But by the second day I was already figuring out how I could do it, so in the film you see that progression: trying to cut into the arm like a saw, finding the tourniquet, then the realisation that the knife was too dull to get through the bone. That despair was followed by a kind of peace; a realisation that I was going to die there and there was nothing I could do. It was no longer up to me. All I could do was see it through to the end.’

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After five and a half days inside the canyon, out of water, delirious and hallucinating, Ralston had an epiphany. ‘I felt my bone bend and I realised I could use the boulder to break it. It was like fireworks going off – I was going to get out of there.’

Ralston managed to use his body weight to violently bend his arm until the boulder snapped his forearm. He then ingeniously used the attachment from his hydration pack – a bendy rubber hose that you use to suck water out of the pack – as a makeshift tourniquet, and began sawing and cutting through the remaining cartilage, skin and tendons with his multitool.

If reading about it is making you feel queasy you may find Boyle’s movie too much to stomach. Each time Ralston’s character attempts to sever a nerve, Boyle uses a loud metallic sound to emphasise the excruciating pain he feels. It fills the cinema and you’re forced to look away.

But Ralston says Boyle has handled it perfectly. ‘Severing the nerve severed a direct line to my brain.

The central nervous system is right there. It’s graphic, but I think it’s appropriate,’ he says. ‘You couldn’t show any less of it and still understand what I went though.

Without having to belabour it, the actual amputation lasted over an hour. So I think three minutes on

film is just right. It was actually very euphoric for me and audiences have cheered and clapped.

‘In the film, Franco laughs maniacally because he’s broken his bone and that’s how it was. I had this huge grin on my face as I picked up that knife to start this horrific thing. It was traumatic but it was a blessing to be able to get out of there.’

Ralston says the process of amputating his arm meant he endured both the extremes of pain and absolute elation, because, he says, he knew that he was closer than he ever had been during his ordeal to being free. He describes the moment when he walked out of the canyon as being reborn, ‘because I’d already accepted I was going to die’.

Ralston used the small pointand-shoot camera he had with him to take a picture of the rock and his severed hand ‘as a kind of “screw you, I’m outta here”,’ he says.

He then made a makeshift sling, and incredibly managed to rappel down a 60ft cliff face to the floor of the canyon. Ironically, this

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would have been the one and only technical aspect of his entire trip. And Ralston managed it after amputating his arm and being deprived of sleep for five days. Covered in blood, he began marching out of the canyon. A family out hiking found him and called the emergency services.

Captain Kyle Ekker of the Emery County Sheriff’s Department said Ralston’s family and friends had reported him missing the previous day. Although he hadn’t told them where he was going, they were convinced he had gone hiking in that county. ‘We started checking the southeast corner of the county and we were just lucky that we came across his truck at the trail head of Horseshoe Canyon.’

Steve Swanke was at work early that morning when he got a call saying a hiker was missing. ‘We sensed a great deal of urgency. We threw resources at it real quickly.

By 3pm that afternoon we had him located, accessed, and in the helicopter, down into the hospital and stabilised. I wasn’t surprised he survived – he had a strong body, a strong mind, he was in his element and he was technically savvy. He

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also had a very strong will to live.’

Rescuers tried to keep Ralston awake for the 12-minute flight to the hospital in Moab. When they got there he stunned them by walking into the emergency room on his own.

Since the accident, Ralston has been back to Bluejohn Canyon 10 times – with friends, news crews and with the producers of 127 Hours. They even shot some of the film there.

Understandably, the road to recovery hasn’t been easy. At first, Ralston was determined to carry on challenging himself. Using a special prosthetic arm, he tried ultrarunning (ridiculously long running races) extreme mountaineering and whitewater rafting. And he was finally able to complete the challenge he’d set himself before his accident.

But, Ralston claims, he began to adopt a sense of invincibility; that if the accident in Utah hadn’t killed him, nothing could. ‘I realised somewhere along the way that I was just headed back to that same spot in the canyon where my life was on the line,’ he says.

In 2006, Ralston lost three friends to suicide and he says it was a wake-up call; he felt he’d been given a second chance. He wanted to put more time into the non-profit work he’d started, taking disabled veterans climbing; helping troubled youngsters; preserving Colorado’s national forests and wilderness areas. But he also realised it was time to settle down.

‘I’d fallen in love with a woman but she broke up with me and I was devastated. Six months later, I went into a suicidal depression from the break-up of the relationship, but I resolved to not do what my friends had done. And so I reached out for help,’ he says.

‘Then, in the early winter of 2007, I was at a pub in Aspen watching a friend’s band play and I met this woman, Jessica. She bought me a beer, we started talking and the next day we went hiking.’

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They married in August, 2009 and now live in Boulder, Colorado, with their young son, Leo. Ralston says his wife played a huge role in his healing. ‘And that’s where I’m finally at today – my life is about being with my family,’ he says. ‘This is what’s important.’

At the end of the film, you see the real Aron Ralston together with Jessica and Leo, sitting on a sofa, with the canyon behind them.

Ralston says it’s funny, but even though he didn’t know them at the time, they’re the reason he was able to get out of that canyon alive. ‘We have these very fundamental desires for freedom, for love and for connection. And that’s what got me out.’

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PEOPLE WHO EMBARKED

On

EPIC

ADVENTURES

by Luis Dafos

many people dream of going on big adventures; only a few ever do it. For this article, I found 13 individuals, couples and families who had the guts to embark on epic adventures. You may envy them, or you may think they’re crazy. But I guarantee that their stories will inspire you.

ted simon

karl bushby

Walking Around the World

Karl Bushby is attempting to break world records by walking around the world. He set off from South America in 1998, walked north to Alaska and walked across the frozen Bering Straits (the first man to do so) into Russia. That alone took 8 years, and Karl has been delayed in Russia with visa problems for the last two years. Ultimately, his aim is to end up in London. By that time, he expects to have been walking for 14 years, with over 36,000 miles covered. Visit his website: Goliath Expedition.

Motorcycled around the world, twice Back in 1977, Ted Simon set off on a 4-year motorcycle journey through Africa, the Americas, New Zealand, Australia and across Asia into Europe. He covered 78,000 miles on a 500c c Trumph. 25 years later, at the age of 70, he did it all again. He’s written books about both his journeys, which you can order from his website, Jupitalia.

the vogels

Cycling from Alaska to Argentina The Vogels are a family of four (mom, dad and ten-year old twin boys) cycling the full length of the American continent over 2 and 1/2 years.

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christoph rehage Walking from China to Germany

the world by road

Driving from New Zealand to New York OK, so they’re not driving all of that, but The World By Road expedition crew are on one very big road trip. So far, they’ve driven through Australia, Asia, Russia, Europe (including far north Scandinavia), Africa and South America. After over 50,000 miles and a year and eight months, they’re on the home stretch.

amy and wim

Cycled from Belgium to China for their honeymoon

Christoph Rehage is walking from China to Germany, a journey that will take at least two years. After almost a year, he’s still making his way through China. He writes about his trip on his website, The Longest Way.

tim cope

Traveled by horse from Mongolia to Hungary Tim Cope followed in the footsteps of Ghengis Khan and travelled 10,000 kilometres by horse from Mongolia to Hungary. The journey took him over three years.

Now isn’t that romantic? After tying the knot, Amy and Wim rode from Belgium to China, covering almost 11,000 kilometres.

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manon ossevoort

Traveling by tractor from the Netherlands to South Africa and onto the South Pole Manon Ossevoort is a theatre maker and actor from the Netherlands who is travelling from the Netherlands to South Africa by tractor. Along the way, she is collecting the dreams of people she meets (on pieces of paper). From South Africa, she will travel by boat to Antarctica, where she will continue on foot or by tractor to the South Pole.

Here, she plans to build a snowman and place the pieces of paper containing people’s dreams in the belly of the snowman. She is also raising money for War Child

becky sampson

Travelling by horse from London to Tokyo.

From London to Tokyo, by horse. Becky Sampson and her piebald pony, Bertie’s Quest, are setting out on a 15,000 kilometre, four-year quest through Western and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, China and Japan. Becky is aiming to raise £15,000 for SOS Children, an organization that works to provide safe places for orphan children to live and grow. Her journey is slated to begin in February 2009.

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rory stewart

Walked across Afghanistan in 2002 Rory Stewart may not have covered as much distance as some of the other people mentioned here, but consider where he was walking and when. He wrote a book about his adventure called The Places in Between, which you can order from his website: Rory Stewart Books.

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colin and julie angus

Completed the first human-powered circumnavigation of the globe In 2004, Colin Angus, his fiancée Julie Wafaei and someone else (the website doesn’t say who) took off from Vancouver and began a two-year cycling, skiing, canooing, hiking and rowing trip that became the first human-powered circumnavigation of the globe.

They’ve done other similar adventures, which you can read about on their website: Angus Adventures.

frank muldowney

Pushed an empty wheelchair across Australia Frank Muldowney pushed a wheelchair containing his invisible friend “Harvey” from Perth to Sydney, a 4,000 mile journey undertaken to achieve world peace.

kinga freespirit

Hitchhiked around the world In 1998, Kinga Choszcz and her husband Chopin set off with $600USD and hitchhiked around the world for five years. Their amazing journey took them through the Americas, New Zealand, Australia, Asia and Russia before culminating in Europe. She wrote a book about the experience called Led

By Destiny. In 2005, Kinga again set out, this time to Africa. Sadly, she died from malaria in Ghana in 2006. Read about her earlier adventures on her GeoCities website, or her more recent ones here..

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“He that has never traveled thinks that his mother is the only good cook in the world”

– Kenyan proverb

and while mother is the best cook, how many mothers exist in this world?

FOODS WORTH

TRAVELING THE WORLD FOR

By Mark Wiens

after returning from any trip I’ll often reflect, browse through my photos, and realize that by far the most memorable experiences I had all revolved around food. and that’s no surprise… n ot just because I’m a food obsessed individual, but because food is an essential ingredient of human life – survival, culture, tradition, lifestyle, festivals, relationships, comforts – food plays a part in everything. to tackle this meaty list of 12 foods worth trekking the globe to hunt down, I decided there was no better way than to ask other jet-setting food passionate bloggers to share their thoughts.

dolsot bibimbap (south korea) Dolsot Bibimbap is a special variation of bibimbap (Korean mixed rice) that is prepared in a sizzling stone pot where the rice nestles with various mixed vegetables, raw egg and spicy red pepper paste. The stone pot is so hot that the raw egg is cooked against the side of the bowl while the bottom section of rice is coated with sesame oil rendering it a lovely crispy golden brown.

It’s by far my favourite my meal in South Korea.

Not only is it equally amounts delicious and healthy but more important it is a budget conscious meal. A bowl should cost no more than $4-6 USD and comes with a generous serving a side dishes and soup that can be refilled frequently upon request.

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poke (hawaii, USA) My pick Freshly cut cubes of raw Yellowfin Tuna (Ahi) combined with soy sauce, sesame oil, sea salt, chili pepper, sweet onions, and limu seaweed is one of the great culinary creations of this world.

The fish (which should be caught locally and never frozen) is the texture of ripe papaya – so smooth and tender I sometimes can’t help myself from chewing with my lips instead of my teeth.

A chilled piece of poke combined with a proportional amount of steamed rice in the same bite is a sensation that’s so divine, it’s hard to believe you’re still on earth.

eggplant satsivi (georgia) It’s a simple Georgian dish of pureed walnuts, eggplant, and spices eaten chilled. An appetizer so simple yet satisfying, my only regret is not having known it existed sooner.

nasi lemak (malaysia)) One of the dishes that I would travel across the world just to eat, is the Nasi Lemak. Somehow, this combination of rice cooked in coconut milk, chili sambal anchovies, half a hard boiled egg, deep fried chicken, sambal squid, peanuts and cucumbers really gives me the shivers just thinking about it.

No other meal quite cuts it, like the Nasi Lemak does.

The best way to serve Nasi Lemak is wrapped in or served on a banana leaf, as it lends an aromatic fragrance to the rice. When used to pack the steaming hot coconut milk rice, you just need to unravel the green, conical package and let your nostrils be assaulted by the most heavenly aroma on earth.

bibim guksu (south korea) Bibim Guksu is a popular Korean noodle dish that perfect for hot Summer days. The noodles are cold and mixed with a spicy and sweet gochujang (Korean red pepper paste) sauce.

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panang curry with chicken (thailand) A thick, coconut cream-based Thai curry with a peanut flavor.

Red peppers add spice, however the heat level will depend greatly on whose preparing it (and whose eating it). Chicken can be substituted for beef, tofu, or vegetables, and it’s typically served with jasmine rice.

turkish hamsi (turkey) As the hamsi (anchovies) swarm the Black Sea towards the Bosphorus Strait each winter, Turkish fishermen drop their nets.

On any winter arrival in Istanbul, the first thing we do is head for Karaköy fish market for the perfect street food, Hamsi Ekmek. The anchovies are deep fried and served with rocket leaves and thinly sliced onion in a fresh, crusty bread.

jalebi (india)

Indians love their food and they love their sweets! Amongst the hordes that they have on their platter, one that I personally am madly in love with is the round and round, Jalebi!

Jalebis are made up of flour dough and are crisp, soft and plump at the same time. The dough is rolled out into hot ghee in a specific round shape/ pattern and then deep fried till they become crusty and crunchy. These are then finally dipped in a special kind of sugary syrup called the chashni to give it the desired sweetness and taste. Served either hot or cold, are best had as a breakfast snack with hot milk or as a dessert after completing the full course of a meal.

So the next time you are in India, do not forget to stop by the streets of India and grab this Indian flavor! Because, yes… it’s totally worth it!

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kobe beef (shin kobe, japan) Melt-in-your-mouth, mouth-watering-goodness is how we’d describe Kobe beef! Unlike regular beef, if prepared past medium rare, like steak, the fat would liquefy – that’s how melt-in-yourmouth it is. Read more about the dish we’d travel all the way to Japan for here.

num banh chok (cambodia) This is my comfort food: lemongrass fish curry over tiny rice vermicelli and shaved banana flower, rich with coconut and slightly sweet, balanced with a sour twist of lime and the pungent saltiness of prahok (fermented fish).

Every dish is slightly different, topped with available vegetables and herbs—long beans, cilantro, chile, basil and a variety of local leaves that run a full range of flavors, from light and minty to mouth-puckering bitter or sour.

This is the dish I crave in Cambodia.

tagine (traditionally from morocco) The tagine is both the name of the dish and the name of the conical clay pot that houses it. I chose this dish because of the sheer volume of possibilities that it offers: chicken and vegetables, beef, prunes and sesame, an omelette steamed to perfection and more, all simmered in the earthenware tagine.

Each option is different in taste because of the spices and condiments used to build it.

There are many other meals I’d travel to eat, but tagine is permanently connected to the history and food culture of Moroc co as a whole. From the Atlas Mountains, where I saw hundreds of clay cones in a line, bubbling up toward the sky, to cooking tagines under the sky in the Sahara, it’s a dish that can be found and enjoyed from all walks of life in the country. It also just happens to be absolutely delicious.

And just because your mouth is still watering…

mahaberawi (ethiopia) Although it may be a cuisine you have never heard of, that does not change the fact that Ethiopians have some of the best food on this earth.

Using a slightly sour, soft flatbread made from the Teff grain as a base, everything is eaten by hand. A communal dish is served with healthy sections of roasted meat, earthy spiced curries, and plenty of vegetables both raw and cooked. For a single evening-time feast, I find this meal impossible to beat.

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Daring Trips, Daring quests, Essential Skills, & Exalted States of Body & Mind By: Stephanie Pearson

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GET A PASSPORT Only 28 percent of Americans have one. Next: Fill it

SEE A TORNADO Silver Lining T ours (silverliningtours.com) and Tempest T ours (tempesttours.com), both based in Texas, offer multi-day storm-chasing expeditions during May and early June: peak funnel-cloud season on the Great Plains.

SELF-GUIDE THE GRAND CANYON It’s like winning the lottery—literally. While anyone can drop $5,000 to sign up for a commercial raft trip down these 277 miles of the legendary Colorado River, running your own requires a Park Service permit awarded in an annual lottery ($25 to enter, $100 per person for up to 16 people if you draw; nps.gov/grca). Odds are it’ll take five years for your number to come up, which means you have time to prepare. You’ll want to develop good oar-boat technique (consider a class with OARS; oars.com) and run some practice expeditions on big Class III rivers like Utah’s Cataract Canyon and Idaho’s Hells Canyon. When it’s your turn on the Grand, make sure you have at least one ringer in your group, such as a former professional guide, and use a provisioner like Professional River Outfitters (proriver.com) to supply boats and pack them full of food. Then it’s 25 days of utter glory.

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LEARN A CONSTELLATION Sagitta and Delphinus are visible almost everywhere in North America summer through fall

TAKE A RISK But understand the terrain. Like these visitors at the Grand Canyon’s 100-foot Havasu Falls, who were hucking from ledges 30 feet up when Bennett Barthelemy photographed them. “All it takes is one person to go higher or flip and then everyone gets psyched and goes,” says the Ojai, California–based lensman.

The Havasupai Indian Reservation, which controls access to the land, stipulates that climbing on the rocks is illegal. “They don’t monitor the jumping,” says Barthelemy, “so you have to be smart about it.” THE TOOLS: Nikon D700, 70–300mm f/4.5 lens, ISO 640, f/5.6, 1/1,250 second.

GO TO NEW ZEALAND This is what the earth looked like before we got here: strands of waterfalls, snowy peaks, surf-stringed coastline, and deep fjords.

Kiwi-owned Active New Zealand will show you the country as the locals see it: in motion. Biking, sea kayaking, hiking, and drinking sauvignon blanc are just a handful of the options on the 14-day Rimu trip ($3,800 per person; activenewzea­land.com). Prefer to go on your own? Launch from Christchurch and head north around the South Island, stopping at Hapuku Lodge and Tree Houses (from $468; hapukulodge.com)—just wait until you see the view from the shower.

Next, ride rainforest singletrack and farmland overlooking Golden Bay on Abel Tasman Mountain Biking’s multisport trips (from $144; abeltasmanmountainbiking.co.nz). Down south, raft the Shotover with Queenstown Rafting (from $134; queenstownrafting.co.nz). Ask for the Maori guide (and old salt) “Chief.” He’ll make sure you don’t disappear when the Class V Mother-in-Law rapid completely submerges you.

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TAKE TWO WEEKS OFF. No phone. No computer. No watch.

WIN YOUR AGE GROUP IN A RACE Start small. A short mountain-bike race on your after-work loop, with only a few hardcore guys in your “division,” is much more winnable than, say, the Leadville Trail 100. If you can’t find something local at your level, look farther afield. Runners, check out runningintheusa.com. which lists some 13,000 races. If you’re dead-set on winning a sanctioned marathon, head over to active.com, which, among other things, lists less popular exotic events, such as the Northwest Passage Marathon, on Nuna­vut’s Somerset Island. This year’s event had 13 runners—total.

LEARN TO KAYAK Paddling down a lonely stretch of whitewater grants you access to the places that most people don’t think exist anymore—wild, untrammeled, off-limits. Start your education slowly. “The biggest mistake,” says Peter Sturges, owner of California’s Otter Bar Lodge Kayak School, “is letting your buddy convince you that you’re good enough to go on the river the first day.” Learn to roll in flatwater first. Then learn how to execute turns by carving your edge. Hook up with an experienced paddler when you do decide to tackle moving water, both for safety and smart pointers.

Or go with Sturges himself. His weeklong courses on the Salmon River ($2,190; otterbar.com) have introduced thousands of newbie paddlers to the sport—all without the prospect of downing a PBR from a wet booty.

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WATCH THE WORLD CUP Live. In Brazil. You have four years to plan.

GET BENT When the North Shore’s Waimea Bay breaks, usually only a few times each winter, surfers head to its outer reef, where waves can reach more than 20 feet. Which leaves the crushing beach break free for a handful of fearless boogie boarders. “They take off hoping to get barreled,” says Carlsbad, California-based photographer Robert Beck, “and that maybe someone takes a photo of them. Then they just wait for the rinse cycle to end.

Where that guy is going to land is no more than three feet deep.

I don’t know if you’d really call it ‘riding the wave,’ but you have to give him credit for something.” THE TOOLS: Nikon D3, 400mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 200, f/4, 1/2,000 second.

STEP ON ANTARCTICA Until Virgin Galactic starts offering bargain fares on its space flights, the continent fondly referred to as “the Ice” is the closest we’ll get to visiting another planet. More tour operators are voyaging south, but go with a responsible outfitter like Intrepid Travel. On its new ten-day Antarctic Peninsula trip, you’ll make a two-day crossing from Argentina on the 100-passenger, icebreaker-class M/V Polar Star, spend three days on the continent, walking with penguins and watching whales from Zodiacs, and then catch the South Shetland Islands on the return (from $5,260; five trips from November to March; intrepidtravel.com). Wanna sweat a little? Try summiting Antarctica’s highest peak, 16,067-foot Vinson Massif, with RMI mountain guide Dave Hahn.

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GET IN THE BEST SHAPE OF YOUR LIFE ‘Choose a plan and stick to it.’

TALK TO A WILD PANDA Only an estimated 2,500 giant pandas still live in the wild, most of them spread around China’s 50 or so panda reserves. Seeing one is best done with an outfitter. Terra Incognita leads groups into the heart of panda habitat and has a new nine-day trip to Foping Nature Reserve, in the Qinling Mountains, which has one of the highest densities of the animals anywhere. ($6,000; ecotours.com)

CLIMB THE GRAND TETON This iconic, 13,770-foot fang of granite is tough and technical, but still a reasonable goal. You’ll breathe hard. You’ll be scared. It’ll take two days. That’s the appeal: This iconic, 13,770-foot fang of granite is tough and technical--but still a reasonable goal, even if you’re a rock rookie.

Especially if you join a trip with Exum Mountain Guides, the most elite mountain-guiding service in North America. They’ll make you prove you’re up to it with two days of classes--or, if you’re relatively experienced, a one-day “check-out” climb. The ascent itself begins with a seven-mile approach to Exum’s gear-stocked hut, on the lower saddle of the Grand Teton. Your team will rise before dawn the next morning to begin a series of roped-up pitches that are moderately difficult (from 5.4 to 5.7) and stunningly exposed. Chances are you’ll tag the summit before noon and savor some 360-degree views over Wyoming and Idaho, then it’s down, down, down to Exum HQ and the best beer of your life.

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SWIM NAKED Somewhere you shouldn’t. On a whim. With friends.

SAIL ACROSS AN OCEAN Make it the Pacific. From May to September, it’s downwind all the way from California to Hawaii. It’ll get warmer every day, phosphorescent plankton will light up the rolling seas at night, and the hula music keeps getting louder on the radio. Before you cash in the house to buy your own boat, go with some pros.

Joining a crew isn’t easy—it’s every sailor’s dream trip—but J World Sailing School offers up to six spots a year for either the Transpac (L.A.–Hawaii) or the Pacific Cup (San Francisco– Hawaii) on a Santa Cruz 50, a boat designed for offshore racing.

You won’t sleep much over the eight to ten days, but isn’t that the point? (Approximately $10,000; sailing-jworld.com)

VOLUNTEER AFTER A DISASTER But do your homework. Parachuting into a disaster zone like Haiti or New Orleans, with no specific skills or mission, will have less impact than texting $10 to the Red Cross. First, get some medical training beyond first aid and CPR (training.fema.gov). Then visit the World Volunteer Web (www.worldvolunteerweb.org), a UN-sponsored clearinghouse listing opportunities for boots-on-the-ground involvement. And then: Wait. Most regions hit hard by tragedy get plenty of aid in the first few months (Haiti right now) but desperately need help a few years removed from the tragedy .

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START A GROUP RIDE Pick a good time (mornings are always better) and a sweet route. Invite friends and co-workers. Soon you’ll be buying custom jerseys (mtborahcustom.com).

GO ON A WALKING SAFARI Because anyone can watch a lion feast on a wildebeest carcass from the backseat of an open Land Rover. But witness these magnificent beasts on foot--allowed in just a few spots in Africa, including Botswana’s Okavango Delta--and you’ll fully appreciate the heart-thumping, primal threat our ancestors once lived with. Arrange a trip with Africa specialists Uncharted Outposts (unchartedoutposts.com), and be sure to request guide Ralph Bousfield in Botswana.

BUILD A CABIN IN THE MOUNTAINS If you haven’t yet zeroed in on a specific region, start by checking out United Country Real Estate (unitedcountry.com) or Rural Property (ruralproperty.net), which will give you a general lay of the land and direct you to local realtors. Now grab a Delorme Atlas and Gazetteer map and start driving and stopping and walking and driving... And don’t forget about wintertime access or water sources. Then the cabin.

Building one yourself requires at least six months, a garageful of tools, and serious skills. Hesitating? Increase your chances of success by taking a course at the Great Lakes School of Log Building (schooloflogbuilding. com). Or there’s Shelter Kit (from $30 per square foot; shelter-kit.com), which sells spartan, sturdy, pre-cut cabins that can be assembled in as little as a week by two people with no special skills or equipment.

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LEARN AN INSTRUMENT Your voice counts.

SKI POWDER …on some ridiculously fat skis. Read more about skiing from top gear picks to the best places to ski to fitness and workout advice for skiers and snowboarders.

CHASE DOWN YOUR HERO I’m not a Buddhist. But of anyone on earth, the person I’d most wanted to see was the Dalai Lama. He’d been at the top of my list for more than a decade. A few of my other heroes died before I got a chance: Edmund Hillary, Evel Knievel, James Brown. But they’re not the Lama. This past May, I decided to stop waiting. I checked his schedule, redeemed some frequent-flier miles, and took an inconvenient late-night flight to Indianapolis to hear the 75-year-old spiritual leader speak for an hour to a crowd of more than 9,000 people in a pin-drop-quiet basketball arena.

I watched most of the talk on the JumboTron. Then I flew home. Sure, I could have just watched the Internet feed, but it wouldn’t have been the same. There was something else at work in that arena, something personal that doesn’t translate in any medium. I can’t begin to say what.

You just had to be there.

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UNIQUE

VOLUNTEER

OPPORTUNITIES ABROAD

By Zahara Heckscher

assist the kenya wildlife service: kenya Whether you want to monitor cheetah behavior in the Masai Mara, fight illegal bush meat trading in Tsavo National Park, or build a community-run elephant sanctuary on the Kenyan coast, Tembeza Kenya (TK)—a travel company with offices in Kenya, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States— can set you up with a monthlong volunteer gig. Unlike many operators who book trips all over the globe, Tembeza Kenya arranges volunteer projects in Kenya. Period.

By specializing in one destination, they’ve been able to develop extensive collaborations with not only the Kenya Wildlife Service, Africa’s oldest conservancy, but with Kenya’s Ministry of Education and other government organizations.

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track leopards: south africa In another Earthwatch Institute project, Conserving South Africa’s Mammals, scientists and volunteers work together to track endangered populations in the spectacularly beautiful Soutpansberg Mountains, an area of “breathtaking mountain vistas, pristine wilderness, and a remarkable diversity of plants and animals.” The project involves collecting data, analyzing GPS tracking information and studying the behavior of leopards, baboons, monkeys and other mammals under threat.

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research the great white shark: gansbaai, south africa Between 150 and 200 million sharks are destroyed each year, targeted by fisherman for their jaws, teeth, and fins, which can fetch tens of thousands of dollars. In 2004, the great white shark was added to the list of endangered species. Because they grow slowly, mature late, and have low fecundity, they’ve been unable to keep up with humans’ exploitation. In South Africa, the first country to protect the great white, researchers working in what’s known as Shark Alley use volunteers in their ongoing efforts to better understand and correct the misperceptions of the littlestudied beasts.

blaze a new trail: new mexico, colorado, wyoming, idaho, and montana Most volunteer vacations charge participants for the chance to do grunt work without pay. Not the Continental Divide Trail Alliance (CDTA), which runs two-to seven-day trips for absolutely nothing. So what’s the catch? CDTA is a bit behind schedule in building this trail (it was originally slated to be complete by 2008, the trail’s 30th anniversary) and needs all the help it can get.

monitor humpback whales: Australia Pender Bay, on the Western coast of Australia, is an important resting, breeding, stagging and calving ground for migrating humpback whales. Volunteers monitor, count and record whale populations and behaviors from the cliffs overlooking the bay, assist with raw data entry, site maintenance and kitchen and gardening duties. The Pender Bay Whale Research project, supported

by Conservation Volunteers of Australia was founded by aboriginal leaders and continues to provide invaluable and updated information to researchers.

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excavate stone tools: cortez, colorado

restore a buddhist monastery: mustang valley, nepal Mark Hintzke’s started the Cultural Restoration Tourism Project (CRTP), a small nonprofit that uses volunteers to restore cultural heritage sites around the world, when he decided to use the world’s largest industry (tourism) to fund his restoration work by asking volunteers to pay for the chance to work alongside local architects and artists who are bringing precious cultural sites back to life. On CRTP’s current project, a 300-year-old monastery in Nepal’s apple-growing Mustang Valley, Hintzke’s volunteers are working alongside Lama Sashi Doj, a world-renowned painter and Buddhist monk who is not only supervising the renovation of Chairro Gompa (Chiarro Buddhist monastery), but is offering training in monastic art. Doj comes from a long line (five generations) of artists who specialize in monastic sculpture and wall paintings.

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Get out your trowel and whisk broom. On the campus of the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, a 170-acre paradise outside Cortez, Colorado, students live in Navajo hogans, spend all their time outdoors, and consider themselves dressed up if they happen to be wearing a pair of clean jeans. That’s because the students at this unique facility set in a canyon between the 13,000-foot peaks of the La Plata Mountains are learning about archaeology not by reading about it, but by getting down into the dirt and actually digging.

This unique school dedicated to exploring the ancestral Puebloan culture of the Mesa Verde region has always had the same mission: Get people interested in an ancient culture by letting them see it for themselves, letting them experience the thrill you can only get from, for example, uncovering a 1,400-year-old pot.

save stray dogs: bali Despite being only 2,000 square miles in size, the Indonesian island of Bali has a population of over 600,000 unwanted, and often abused, stray dogs.

Ac cording the Change.org, the dogs are often rabid and such a problem that Indonesian governmental authorities have resorted to brutal methods such as strychnine poisoning and shooting to cull the dog population. Bali Animal Welfare Association (BAWA), a non-profit animal welfare organization, promotes volunteer vacations to help manage the problem in a more humane way through a program of sterilization and vac cines. The group’s goal is to “relieve the suffering, control the population, and improve the health of Bali‘s street dogs through medical care, spay/ neutering, street-feeding, puppy adoption, and education of school children.” BAWA Volunteers are asked to help by walking dogs, assisting in the veterinary clinic, cleaning, feeding the dogs and socializing puppies and kittens.

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preserve loggerhead turtle nesting areas: greece Global Vision International, an organization dedicated to supporting international charities through volunteer programs, internships and raising funds, sponsors numerous opportunities for travelers to help stop the decimation of endangered animals. The Turtle Conservation Volunteer Program, located in the turtle nesting area of Lakonikos Bay in the Mediterranean Sea, asks volunteers to record the nesting activity of loggerhead turtles, protect the turtles’ nests and provide information on the importance of maintaining the turtle population to both locals and visiting tourists. The project is located near the charming fishing town of Gythio, in the southern Peloponnese.

bottle-feed orphaned lion cubs: victoria falls, zambia In 1972, when Living Free—the sequel to the influential, Oscar-winning 1966 movie Born Free—was released, more than 200,000 lions roamed the African continent.

Between feline tuberculosis, poaching, and diminishing habitat, that number today has dwindled to fewer than 15,000. If something isn’t done soon, this icon of Africa could well be extinct. That’s why Amanzi Travel, a Britishbased travel company, offers volunteers the chance to work with, and hopefully save the “king of beasts.”

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