I came across the Outdoor Weblog some months back and added it to my list of regular websites. At the time there were several good articles posted and it seemed to offer an alternative source of news and info on the activities that we all enjoy. However, as time passed, I noticed that it was updated very infrequently, and sometimes weeks would go by with out an update at all. I very nearly dropped it from list of favorites altogether, as in activity is a quick way off my browser.

Fortunately, the site has a new editor in the form of Terah Shelton who brings an impressive resume to the job. Terah is a freelance travel writer who has traveled extensively, a self confessed "outdoor enthusiast", and a professor who teaches a class on how to travel on a budget.

She can now add "highly paid blogger" to her resume as well. She's only been on the job a few days, but already it's clear that she intends to make some changes around the site. For one thing, there are now daily updates with some good articles, such as this one about a woman solo hiking the Appalachian Trail. It's good to see the Outdoor Weblog alive and well and offering fresh content again. Welcome aboard Terah!

At Clonca in the far north of the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal you can find a small 17th Century church. The church itself is rather plain, but it stands on the foundations of an earlier church that was part of an early-medieval monastic site founded by Saint Buodan. You can still see traces of this earlier monastery in the large lintel that has been reused in the church, and the remarkable two high crosses. 

Only one of the high crosses still stands today, it is around 4m tall and probably dates to around the 11–12th century. However around three-quarters of the cross head appears to have been replaced. Like most high crosses this example at Clonca displays biblical scenes like a depiction of the two apostles Peter and Paul, above them you can see strange looking beasts (maybe lions?), on the other side of the cross you can see the
miracle of the loaves and fishes but much of the cross is taken up with intricate geometric patterns. The second cross is a little more difficult to find as it has long since collapsed, to find it walk through the field from the standing cross, walking near the fence back towards the road, keeping the hedge  boundary of the field with the church in it on your right hand side. You’ll soon find the large fragments of the high cross lying on the ground. It looks to have been a large ringed cross, decorated with curving shapes.




 

Back inside the church, you can see the rather ornately decorated fifteenth or sixteenth century graveslab. It has a large cross in the centre and to the right you can see a depiction of a sword and a hurley stick and sliotar. The slab is inscribed with ‘Fergus Mak Allan Do Rini in Clach Sa Magnus Mec Orristin Ia Fo Trl Seo‘  (Fergus MacAllan made this stone; Magnus Mac Orristin under this). 

Clonca Church is certainly worth a visit, just for an excuse to drive around the beautiful Inishowen Peninsula! It is relatively straight forward to find, from Carndonagh take the R244 east for roughly 5km heading for Gorey. When you’re in Gorey take a left turn at the crossroads, drive through the next set of crossroads and you’ll see a sign pointing in a field just after the crossroads. There is space to pull the car in just before the site, and there is a solid path leading to the church from the road.

I hope you enjoy our blog posts. One of our posts has made the longlist for the prestigious Best Blog Post award in the Blog Awards Ireland. If you could take a second to visit http://www.blogawardsireland.com/category/best-blog-post-2/ and vote for Time Travel Ireland - Rindoon Deserted Medieval Town, County Roscommon I’d be really grateful! There's no registration or anything necessary, it is simply two clicks and you're done. 


If you would like to see daily updates with pictures and information on Irish heritage sites, archaeology and history please consider following Abarta Audioguides on Facebook, Google+ or Twitter. You can now also follow us on Instagram, just search for Abarta Audioguides.

If you would like to support us please download an audioguide from www.abartaaudioguides.com. There are currently fourteen guides available with four free of charge and the rest costing just €1.99. They are full of original music and sound effects and are a fun and immersive way of hearing the story of some of Ireland’s most iconic heritage sites and places. They are as enjoyable at the site as they are from the comfort of your favourite armchair at home, so why not try our guide to Viking and Medieval Dublin to hear the story of the birth of a city? Or try our FREE guide to the wonderful heritage town of Kells in County Meath or the Rock of Dunamase in County Laois. Follow the links for a free preview or to access your guide.  

So we finally made it down to another outlet of Platypus on the expectation that they offered handmade pasta at reasonable prices (200 Victoria Street #03-29/29A, 6333-4434). And they generally delivered on that promise, with that plate above featuring nicely textured noodles, all at only S$15.50 (US$12.40), which is a bargain price considering how unnecessarily expensive pasta can be in Singapore.

Too bad that they totally over-sauced the pastas here though; I struggled to try to find something on the menu that was as minimalist as possible, and even then, they could have done the dish with only half of the sauce that they gave me. I'd come back here again for the quality of the noodles, but hopefully they can take a request from me to minimize the sauce next time.

With all the options in gear these days, it's easy to see how someone can get confused with the different choices, terminology, and technology that goes into any good outdoor product. TrailSpace.com, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite sites, has posted this great article, entitled Soft Shells 101, to help take the mystery out of buying a soft shell.

They start off by defining what falls into the "soft shell" category, and then proceed to discuss when and how they are used, what options to look for, and how to select the proper soft shell for your own adventures. They even have some good examples of different types of soft shells, and links to reviews on them, just to add a little more information.

Over the years, I've found that the proper gear is important, and the proper clothing is essential. When the weather is nice and you just need something cool and comfortable, you don't really think about your options much. However, when the weather turns bad, you really want to make sure you've invested wisely in your gear. It's good to shop for bargains, but not at the expense of quality. When it comes to staying warm and dry, you definitely don't want to scrimp. Articles like this one help to take some of the guess work out of buying and help us all to make good choices.

While teams move up Everest towards the summit, you can get a peak at what life has been like for them the past few days and weeks as they waited for their turn. Check out The Rest of Everest for just such an inside look. This week's epsidode is Episode 44: Predicting The Future.

In this week's episode you'll actually see the teams, still in Base Camp, reading the latest weather reports and waiting for that coveted weather window to open up. You can see the concentraion and worry on the faces of team leaders as they discuss strategy on when it would be safe to let their climbers go up. Watching this footage, you can get a sense that these same kinds of discussions were taking place not very many days ago on the mountain itself, as all the teams that have reached the top in the last day or two, or are still moving up now, waited for their window to open.

This is another episode that takes place in ABC and you can tell that the time spent there is starting to wear on the teams. They've gone through all the work to acclimatize, the camps up the mountain are established, and now they are ready to go, but the weather just hasn't cooperated yet. Soon though, that window will open, and it will be time to climb.

It's also interesting to hear Jon mention that the footage that we're watching today was shot on May 16th in 2003, and is being released today, May 16th 2007. It really is a great look into what is happen right now on Everest. Great work as always Jon, and thanks for the plug at the beginning of the episode. Always appreciated!

With temperatures dropping – and even colder weather on the way – a good hiking boot designed to handle rain and snow is a must for any gear closet. After all, we have excellent gear to keep our other body parts warm, and we definitely don't want to neglect our feet either.

Arriving just in time for winter, Keen has just started shipping their new Revel II hiking boots, which have some innovative new features to help keep our feet warm on cold weather hikes. They also manage to maintain Keen's typical high level of durability and comfort while also managing to look good in the process.

Keen has designed the Revel II to have a more traditional look when compared to some of the other footwear in their line-up. These boots have a more understated appearance that makes them feel right at home on the trail, and the high ankle support is a welcome addition to what may be the most sturdy dedicated hiking boots in the Keen catalog.
One of the features of this boot that helps them to stand out from the crowd and makes them a good choice for winter hiking is what Keen calls their Heat Trapolator Insulation System. This patent pending design includes three layers of insulation for the foot that helps keep warmth inside the shoe. This extends under the foot as well, helping to keep the bottoms of our feet toast warm. This approach makes a lot of sense considering that when hiking on snow and ice, much of the cold temperatures emanate from the ground itself.

Keeping our feet comfortable doesn't end with simply staying warm however. The Revel II boots are also waterproof to keep excess moisture out, while a breathable, wicking liner helps to pull moisture away from the foot too. The result is a boot that keeps your feet dry in all but the worst of conditions. When paired with a good pair of socks, most hikers will be ready to face the elements with a smile on their face.

As mentioned, these boots are very comfortable, which is a Keen trademark for sure. I did find that the break-in period for these shoes was a bit longer than some of the other Keen boots that I've worn, but once they did loosen up, they felt as good on my feet as I had expected. For a full-size, rugged boot, they are also lighter in weight than they would appear at first glance, although it doesn't seem that Keen has had to sacrifice any durability in achieving this svelte design.

The Revel II's aggressive outsole does a good job of holding their grip on both dry and wet surfaces, although once again there was a short break-in period before this happened. Out of the box, the bottom of the shoes felt smooth and slick but after wearing them for a bit, they seemed to improve. I'm not sure if my pair of boots shipped from the factory with a slick coating on the bottom, but traction certainly improved after putting a bit of mileage on them.

If you're in the market for a pair of hiking boots that are suitable for cool, or even cold weather hikes, than Keen's new offering may be exactly what you're looking for. They are comfortable, durable and perform well on snow and ice. They also happen to have traditional good looks and sturdy construction that should make them last for years to come. Available for $160, these aren't the least expensive shoes available from Keen, but they just might be the most capable hiking boots the company currently makes.

Here's a feature by photographer Ryan Pyle on Chinese Turkestan, which touches on the Uyghur people and their efforts to preserve their cultural and religious practices in China.

Chinese Turkestan is now known as Xinjiang, and is an autonomous region of mainland China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and borders Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, has abundant oil reserves and is China's largest natural gas-producing region.

Its major ethnic groups include Uyghur, Han, Kazakh, Hui, Kyrgyz and Mongol.It also has a documented history of at least 2,500 years, and a succession of different peoples and empires vying for control over the territory.

Ryan Pyle obtained a degree in International Politics from the University of Toronto, moved to China permanently in 2002 and began taking freelance assignments in 2003. He became a regular contributor to The New York Times covering China, where he documented issues such as rural health care, illegal land seizures, bird flu and environmental degradation. He also has published magazine work, such as the Sunday Times Magazine, Der Spiegel, Fortune, TIME, Outside, Forbes and Newsweek.

Normally, the Muslim call to prayer is melodious but the one chosen for this piece's soundtrack is not, so perhaps you may want to turn the audio off.

I can't remember where I read about this place, but I think some famous chef said how it was his favorite hot pot place in Taipei, as it was apparently devoid of tourists and was difficult to get a reservation at. Somehow, our local office managed to secure a table for us at one of its outlets tonight, so we went right after we finished a big meeting of ours this afternoon.

I'm not sure what the big deal was. Actually, I'll just go out and say it straight: I didn't like it. Everything was so darned sweet, from the soup base to the condiments to even the tofu and fish cakes inside. It kinda reminded me of the food from last night, especially since they couldn't make it spicy no matter how much extra red oil they added. OK, I suppose that it was a lot more elegant than other spots around town, but puzzlingly, this place was owned by the guys behind Ding Wang, and the taste there is completely different.

Well, there was one interesting thing here, and that was those "ice cream tofu" things sliding into the broth above. It took me a while to figure out what the heck "ice cream tofu" was; it turned out not to have any ice cream in it at all, but rather was named as such in reference to the smooth texture. But it was...again, sweet. I'm not coming back, especially since it made all of my clothes smell like B.O. afterwards. Ugh.

When I announced to my friends that I was going to Morocco for a few weeks in December and January, almost all of them were wary. Everyone knows I have a penchant for the kind of exotic travel that leaves most Americanos flat, but to march voluntarily into the maw of the beast??? Well, first off Morocco's pro-Western monarchy is much-loathed by primitivist and fundamentalist backers of groups like Al Qaeda and, indeed, Casablanca suffered a suicide bomb attack in May, 2003. It wasn't as damaging as the ones in New York, Bali, Madrid or London but something like 40 people died and 100 were injured. Over 2,000 people have been arrested. Velvet gloves and smiley faces or not, Morocco is a police state and a dictatorship; you don't want to run afoul of the Man in that country. Is it safe? Is New York? Is London? Is anywhere?

As for the Moroccans, they seem extremely pro-American, at least as far as I could tell. Virtually everyone I met had nothing but disdain for the Bush Regime, of course (I mean name a place that doesn't other than, perhaps, Israel, Utah and the Old Confederacy) but in terms of American culture, American ideals, and, more to the point, American people, the Moroccans are all thumbs up.

Unlike the French, British, Spanish, Portuguese and (almost) the Germans, Morocco never had a colonial problem with the Americans. Morocco was actually the first country in the world to officially recognize U.S. independence and official relations have always been good. There's a natural affinity between Moroccans and Americans. And, a little bonus, of all the Arabs anywhere, the Moroccans seem by far the least hostile towards Jews. (One Moroccan I met on this trip told me, with more pride than accuracy I think, that the first government of independent Israel was comprised mostly of Moroccan Jews.) When we first got there and people would ask where we are from I would always say "California in America." At first Roland would grimace and ask me if I was trying to get us killed-- since there are relatively few Americans traveling in Morocco and people assume when they hear English that you're a Brit-- but after a couple of days worth of huge, sincere smiles at my answer, even Roland admitted that, despite what they feel about Bush, Moroccans like Americans.

A friend of mine in the Bali tourist industry told me last year that an average American on vacation in Bali will spend five times what an average European, Japanese or Australian will spend there! I have no reason to believe the figure is substantially different for Morocco. And that kind of spending makes a lot of friends. The owner of a fancy restaurant in Marrakech told me that Americans were the only consistently good tippers, and this in one of the most esteemed restaurants in the city. (When we ate there it was full of French tourists. When the owner asked me how I liked the salads, I was extremely enthusiastic and before I could readjust myself in my seat, a complete encore of the dozen little plates of salad arrived at the table. I didn't notice that on any of the French-occupied tables around us.)

I'll tell you why I rate Morocco as a relatively safe place for tourists. It's the exponential growth of the middle class there. Morocco is a pretty rich country. Unfortunately all the wealth has been concentrated in a very few hands. Under Hassan II things started loosening up and now under his son Mohammed VI, things have really taken off. A Moroccan friend of mine told me it's because of the relaxation in once prohibitive rules about mortgages and borrowing. But whatever the reason, there appears to be a Moroccan middle class that is a lot bigger and a lot more influential than there was on any of my previous 9 trips to the country.

Marrakech might have once been scary for a typical tourist. Today Marrakech is a pretty cosmopolitan city that is very much part of the "international scene." I heard a report on the BBC about the fastest growing real estate markets in the world. I don't recall them mentioning London or Paris or Los Angeles. It was all about Shanghai and Singapore and... Marrakech! Fes still has a way to go, but even Fes, once the scariest and most forbidding city in the country, is pretty tame. Tangier has been tame far longer, but it seems very much a user-friendly blend of East-Meets-West these days.

I've been to every remote region in the country, from the kif "badlands" up in the Rif Mountains to Sidi Ifni, Ouarzazate, M'hamid and all through the High Atlas. I've always felt pretty secure and an easy-going. Exotic, yes; dangerous, nah.


UPDATE: U.S. BUILDING TORTURE PRISON IN MOROCCO; COULD SPELL BIG TROUBLE

I'll stand by what I've said about the natural affinity between Moroccans and Americans and what a safe environment I've found on my trips to Morocco. However, I found some cause for alarm in today's SUNDAY TIMES (London). "The United States is helping Morocco to build a new interrogation and detention facility for Al-Qaeda suspects near its capital, Rabat, according to western intelligence sources. The sources confirmed last week that building was under way at Ain Aouda, above a wooded gorge south of Rabat’s diplomatic district. The construction of the new compound, run by the Direction de la Securité du Territoire (DST), the Moroccan secret police, adds to a substantial body of evidence that Morocco is one of America’s principal partners in the secret 'rendition' programme in which the CIA flies prisoners to third countries for interrogation."

This isn't good news for Americans thinking about visiting Morocco because it could make tourists into targets in the minds of extremists and radicals. Non-official media in Morocco have accused the government of turning Morocco into "the CIA's dustbin."


UPDATE: APRIL, 2007-- SOME SAY THE THREAT OF TERRORISM IN MOROCCO IS VERY REAL

Morocco is not immune from a general terrorist threat in the Islamic world. And some say intricate political considerations have kept Morocco from effectively protecting itself from the scourge. Sadly, it might be something for you to take into consideration when making travel plans. Today a couple of suicide bombers blew themselves up in an attack on the U.S. consulate in Casablanca. This was hot on the heels of lethal bombings in neighbouring Algeria in which 33 people were killed by a group claiming affiliation to al-Qaeda.

One day after the latest attacks the U.S. government warned of a high risk of violence against U.S. citizens in Casablanca and advised Americans to stay at home. "The potential for violence against American interests and citizens and other Western targets remains high in Morocco," is how the State Department put it. The Khaleej Times warns that "Establishments which are readily identifiable with the United States are potential targets for attacks." Today's L.A. Times seems most concerned about the coordination of attacks in Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco with al-Qaeda. On the other hand, my friend Alisse just got back from a week in Fes-- which she loved-- and she didn't pick up on anything that seemed remotely threatening.

Photo © REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi-All Rights Reserved
The Boston Globe's The Big Picture features photographs of the Holy Week, which starts on Good Friday, when Christians observe Jesus' crucifixion. Holy Week commemorates the last week of Jesus' life.

Many of the photographs show what Christian penitents do to commemorate the crucifixion, either by reenacting it or be causing bodily harm to themselves. It reminds me of the Muslim Shi'as self flagellation during the day of Ashura, in mourning of Hussein ibn Ali's death, which is equally gruesome.

In the above photograph, the caption reads:

"The blood-covered leg of a penitent, resting on a bloodied step during a procession through the streets in the town of Verbicaro, southern Italy on April 2, 2010. The penitents, called "battenti", or beaters, hit their legs with a "cardillo" (a cork with attached pieces of glass) and walk, bleeding, in groups of three through the streets, stopping in front of all the churches and chapels in the town. The tradition began in the thirteenth century and serves as penitence for Christ's death."

Penitence for Christ's death? The mind boggles.

It's mango season again, and Durian Lingers was carrying some Burmese mangoes, which we of course had to get. And they were super sweet, making them still one of my all time favorites. They were also selling some Malaysian mangoes, which the man assured me were ripe despite being green. I didn't like these at all though: they were very fibrous and almost kinda stanky in taste. I didn't bother finishing them.

Especially not in remote places that don't warrant frequent updates. For this trip, I'm using a Lonely Planet for Senegal and a Bradt for Mali. They're both out of date... in terms of everything. One made the extremely sensible suggestion that travelers to this part of the world change currency at Charles de Gaulle since flights inevitably arrive after the airport money changer is gone. The good news is that the countries around here-- particularly Senegal and Mali-- use the same currency: CFA which is fixed to the Euro. The bad news is that you haven't been able to buy CFA at the Parisian airport in at least 7 years. If you arrive after midnight and you're lucky, a friendly resident you meet on the plane will drive you to town. Otherwise you can always ask the taxi driver to wait while you get the front desk to change money, which, of course, is a terrible place to change money since the hotels see changing money as a big profit center for themselves.

Also in these rapidly changing, even explosive, countries, guide books can't possibly keep up with all the new hotels and restaurants opening. The Sokhamon isn't mentioned in any guide books I've seen. I suspect when it is, the price will go up. As for restaurants, I tried the Lonely Planet's most highly recommended Senegalese restaurant, Keur N'Deye, and it was nothing to write home about-- just a simple adequate meal. This afternoon I went to another of their banner recommendations, La Forchette, which they insist has the best lunch deal in town. It may but it's being renovated so I'll have to take their word for it. Another traveler told me about Le Sarraut a few blocks away and it was unbelievable. I had a local fish, thiof, prepared in a Senegalese vegetable and herb sauce with some kind of amazing potato soufle. I want to go back and eat more there!

Meanwhile, I'm certain the 6 Dutch women I mentioned in my last post planned everything according to the book and they got all their paperwork in order and all, of course, and then accompanied their three 4WD fixed up vehicles to Dakar on a freighter from Antwerp. They've been trying to get the authorities to let them have their vehicles-- and all their possessions-- ever since. It's such a bummer and if their didn't have such abundant inner resources, I'm sure this would ruin their whole trip. But I see them everyday and they are still keeping their spirits up as they work their way through a Kafkaesque bureaucracy which is determined to relieve them of as much as can possibly be extorted.

Dusk is falling and I just noticed my first malarial mosquitos buzzing around the business center so I'm going to have to finish this another time while I seek shelter.

Pulpit Rock in Norway is a 604 meter (1982 ft) cliff that overlooks Lysefjord fjord. It is a popular landmark that draws hikers from all over to take in its sweeping views. Today, you can visit the rock through this beautiful timelapse video, which is likely to inspire you to want to go and see it for yourself. It seems like a fitting way to end the week.

The Pulpit Rock - Norway from Kjetil kaasa on Vimeo.

The GoBlog has posted three very cool videos of famed rock climber Tommy Caldwell in Yosemite.

The videos are from back in 2005 when Caldwell put up an amazing double climb of both Freerider and El Capitan's The Nose in the same day. The videos are interesting and fun to watch not only because you can watch a master climber at work, but you can see him as he prepares for the climb, going through his gear, and mentally getting ready as well. He's also cheered on and encouraged by wife Beth Rodden, who is quite an accomplished climber in her own right.

Very cool videos for anyone into the rock climbing and some of the big, classic walls. Also very impressive to think that Tommy was able to put up both routes in one day, even a few years after the fact. Some days I have problems climbing two flights of stairs! ;)