One of the things Roland loves doing when we go to Bangkok, something that basically makes no sense to me at all, is to buy fake Rolex watches and other brand name tokens to the excesses of consumerism. I like buying jade Buddha heads and traditional art. Last night we were pouring over tour books and planning out our trip to Burma and Roland blurted out, "Oh, I bet they have some cheap Rolexes at the Bogyoke Aung San Market or at the Theingyi Zei" (which is even cheaper and offers another Roland specialty that goes right over my head: a snake section that features the fresh blood and organs of various snakes; some live ones are disemboweled on the spot for medicinal consumption). Let a psychiatrist deal with the snake thing. I want to talk about the fake Rolexes. Actually, what I really want to talk about is a story in today's NY Times by Dana Thomas, author of Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster.

Ms Thomas deals with luxury items made in China and other places that are neither Italy nor France, but not the illegal counterfeits Roland craves, the super-expensive, authorized ones that have become a mainstay of the "democratized," newly middle class, luxury industry. "For more than a century, the luxury fashion business was made up of small family companies that produced beautiful items of the finest materials. It was a niche business for a niche clientele. But in the late 1980s, business tycoons began to buy up these companies and turn them into billion-dollar global brands producing millions of logo-covered items for the middle market. The executives labeled this rollout the 'democratization' of luxury, which is now a $157-billion-a-year industry."
Maybe this is where Bush gets his ideas about democratizing Iraq and the Middle east and any country he doesn't like. This is mostly bait-and-switch production, with the newly corporatized-- rather than democratized-- name brands outright lying, or just deceiving, about where and how their overpriced consumer garbage is made. Example: "To please customers looking for the 'Made in Italy' label, several luxury companies now have their goods made in Italy by illegal Chinese laborers. Today, the Tuscan town of Prato, just outside of Florence and long the center for leather-goods production for brands like Gucci and Prada, has the second-largest population of Chinese in Europe, after Paris. More than half of the 4,200 factories in Prato are owned by Chinese entrepreneurs, some of whom pay their Chinese workers as little as two Euros ($3) an hour."

Luxury brand executives who declare that their items can be made only in Western Europe because Western European artisans are the only people who know what true luxury is are being not only hypocritical but also xenophobic. They are not selling “dreams,” as they like to suggest; they are hawking low-cost, high-profit items wrapped in logos. Consumers should keep in mind that luxury brands are capable of producing real quality at a reasonable price. They know better, and so should we.

I avoid that stuff. Two days ago I noticed my Levys were precariously hanging together in a few sensitive areas by some threads so I braved Roland's scorn, drove over to a K-Mart and plunked down $15 for a new pair of Levys, which I intend to wear 'til they get drafty. And today, like I said earlier, is a Buy Nothing Day at my pad.

Outdoor Weblog brings us another edition of their "Outdoor Enthusiast Next Door" interviews this week, with Wade Heflin going under the microscope. Wade is the co-founder of Outdoorzy.com an excellent online community for anyone interested in any manner of outdoor activities.

You can read part one of the interview here and part two here. Wade discusses such topics as his favorite outdoor activity, his next big adventure, his favorite gear, and the inspiration behind starting Outdoorzy. He even touches on his Kili climb from a year ago, and he gave me plenty of good advice before I went to Africa.

As a personal note, if you haven't checked out Outdoorzy, you should definitely drop by. Wade and the others are building a very cool community there with great interaction between the members, lots of ideas being swapped around, and fun stories being shared. It's sort of like social networking for outdoor enthusiasts like us. Speaking of which, I think I still owe them a Kili report... *slinks away slowly*

Update: I totally forgot to mention Wade's Outdoorzy Blog which always has some good stuff, including a new feature called Montain of the Week which I wished I would have thought of. The aim of this feature is to spotlight lesser known mountains to help all of us learn a little more. Good stuff!

Loher Fort in County Kerry is an early medieval defensive farmstead that is beautifully positioned overlooking Ballinaskelligs Bay in County Kerry. It was probably the home of a local chieftain some time from the ninth – eleventh century.


The reconstructed circular drystone wall that surrounds the fort stands around two metres high with steps that lead to a wide rampart. In the interior of the enclosure you can find the foundations of two structures – one rectangular and one circular, presumably houses. When the site was excavated it was discovered that these stone buildings were later additions to the site, and replaced earlier wooden houses. 

 Within the circular structure archaeologists discovered the remains of a souterrain. These underground passageways typically date to the tenth or eleventh century, and there are a number of theories about what they were used for. Often people believe that they were used as refuges during raids, with the narrow passageway being difficult to assault and forcing any attackers to advance one at a time, alternatively they have been interpreted as an early form of a refrigerator or cellar, as they would maintain a constant cool temperature ideal for keeping the all important dairy products fresh. Unfortunately the souterrain at Loher Fort is now covered over and inaccessible, but the site itself is well worth a trip for its stunning views and atmosphere.  

It is easy to find, follow the Ring of Kerry road N70 south of Waterville for about 5mins or so and you’ll see it signposted to the right. This is a narrow road and it goes on for around 10 mins, stick with it and you’ll see a decent carpark on your right and the fort below you. The co-ordinates are 51.78605509 -10.165658


The Ring of Kerry is a beautiful place with a number of fantastic historical sites to visit, particularly the spectacular Skellig Michael, be sure to add Loher to your list of stops if you plan to visit the area!

If you’d like to keep up with daily images and information about Ireland’s fantastic heritage sites please consider following Neil’s company Abarta Audioguides on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Google+.

If you’d like to support Neil please consider downloading an audioguide from abartaaudioguides.com: they are packed with great facts, information, stories and legends from Ireland’s iconic sites. They are designed to be fun and informative whether you are visiting the sites or from the comfort of your own home, so if you are looking to escape to the Court of Brian Boru the next time you are doing household chores, download one of our guides and let Abarta whisk you off to ancient Ireland!


All images © Neil Jackman/Abarta Audio Guides

I haven't seen a good article on Canyoneering in awhile, but The Backcountry Blog more than makes up for it today with this cool article on technical canyonneering in Utah.

Like the article says, most people think of canyonneering as rappelling down a canyon wall, then hiking along the floor, but some canyons require a little more skill than that. Such is the case with the canyon in this article, lovingly dubbed "Sandthrax", which was first explored in 2001. At the time, the climbers thought it would be just another basic canyon to explore, but soon found out that it was challenging, tight, and unlike anything else they had ever seen.

The following year the same team returned, better equipped to more fully explore the canyon, but since then few have ventured down into it, and it has become a bit of a legend in the canyonneering community. The pictures, taken by Hank Moon and Shane Burrows, that accompany the article should certainly help in telling the tale.

This place is apparently one of the most highly rated places in Austin (400 West 2nd Street, 499-0300). Yet somehow I seem to have ignored it every time that I was in town, perhaps because I assumed that any "Mexican" place in Texas was going to be Tex-Mex instead. So it was to my surprise tonight to find that this place was much more traditional than I had thought it would be, and in fact was a bit reminiscent of Rick Bayless. Nice.

Granted, the cocktails here probably skewed my opinion a bit (the alma bianca was my favorite with its corn and habanero-infused tequila), but nonetheless, I was happy to be gobbling down snacks like the elote above as well as some kind of mini crab tostadas that had just the right spike of salt on them to keep me interested. I think I'll have to make another run here next time.

The New York Times Sunday Magazine has featured The Shrine Down The Hall: Bedrooms of America's Young War Dead, a powerful photo essay in slideshow format by photographer Ashey Gilbertson (VII Network), which looks at some of the empty bedrooms of the over 5000 U.S. military personnel killed in the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Dexter Filkins starts his accompanying article with the words "Just kids". The ages of these military fallen range from 19 to 25...indeed, just kids.

George McGovern in 1969 speaking about Vietnam said:

"I'm fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in".

Now of course, it's also women who die in combat, as indeed Karina Lau did. Her bedroom still has a stuffed teddy bear and floppy-eared rabbit on top of her floral bedspread. She was killed seven years ago when insurgents shot down her helicopter in Falluja, Iraq. She was 20 years old.

In my view, this slideshow should be mandatory viewing by every politician who supported our senseless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I just read that George W. Bush is visiting Haiti. How about visiting these bedrooms first?

Yesterday's Antarctic update focused mainly on the new arrivals to the frozen continent and their early progress towards the South Pole. Today, I have news from some of the other expeditions that have been underway for awhile, and continue to face their own struggles with the challenges brought on with traveling in one of the most extreme environments on the planet.

Ben Saunders and Tarka L'Herpiniere, the two members of the Scott Expedition, reached a major milestone on their round trip journey from the Scott Hut to the South Pole and back. Now 40 days into their adventure, the two men have reached the Beardmore Glacier and are continuing to work their way up to the Antarctic Plateau. Weather conditions have been mostly acceptable over the past few days but surface conditions continue to be a challenge. The ice where they are currently traveling is more uneven than in other areas, which has presented some challenges to their progress. Still, they're clocking in at about 20 miles (32 km) per day, which is a solid pace. The finish line is still a long ways off however, with more than 1345 miles (2164 km) to go before they are done.

Australian kite skier Geoff Wilson is hoping the wind will return soon to actually assist him in his quest to reach the South Pole. He has had a few frustrating days going from too much wind to too little. A couple of days back conditions were so bad that Wilson nearly lost control of his kite. He had limited time to train with it before leaving his home country for the Antarctic, and as a result he is learning on the job. When high winds struck on Monday, he was violently tossed about and sent sprawling on the ice on more than one occasion. Fortunately, the kite, nor the man, was damaged badly and the expedition can continue. The problem now is that there has been very little wind and Geoff has been forced to move forward under his own power, dragging his sled behind him as he goes. This has greatly slowed his progress of course, but puts him on par with the other skiers heading to the South Pole.

The three teams competing in the 2013 South Pole Allied Challenge are now off and running. Team UK, Team USA and Team Commonwealth are all racing across the last three degrees to the South Pole after launching the friendly competition over the weekend. The teams consist of experienced polar guides to help lead the way, and some support vehicles to help lend a hand as needed. But the bulk of the explorers skiing to the Pole are servicemen who were wounded in the line of duty. The high profile event, which happens to include Prince Harry skiing for the UK team, is being conducted by the Walking with the Wounded program, an organization that helps those injured in the line of duty get back on the road to recovery. So far, the teams have faced strong winds and lots of sastrugi, which are hard ridges on the ice that make it difficult to ski. They'll be covering a total of about 335 km (208 miles) with an expected arrival at 90ºS around December 17 or 18.

Finally, there is no word yet on when Richard Parks will relaunch his attempt at the speed record for skiing to the South Pole via the Hercules Inlet route. As of yesterday, he was still en route back to his starting point, where he'll wait for more favorable weather conditions. Once he gets back underway, he hopes to go solo and unsupported to the South Pole in just 23 days. That will be a remarkable achievement if he can pull it off.

More news to come soon. Now that there are so many teams on the ice, I expect there will be something to report nearly everyday. The Antarctic season is in full swing now and the Vinson climbing season will soon follow. Good luck to everyone.

Last week I shared a video of some very playful seal pups interacting with scuba dives near the Farne Islands of the coast of England. Today we have another video from the same location courtesy of reader Keith Savill who found this on video. It seems the seal pups there really love to follow the divers around and as is evident in this latest clip. The Farne Islands look like a fun place for a dive.

Perfect Day - Seals of The Farne Islands from UncleAlbert on Vimeo.

No, this wasn't meant to be a beef noodle soup day. But I special ordered a salad for the return flight home, and I knew that a bunch of rabbit food wasn't going to keep me full. So I had to get some food at the airport before getting onto the plane.

And yet, I knew that the airside selection of food vendors at Taipei Taoyuan airport was pretty nasty, so I tried to find something landside before clearing security. Many of the vendors didn't look great either (interestingly, there was a TKK Chicken outlet here), and so I ended up at a beef noodle shop from the Regent Hotel that seemed to boast of some awards or something. Apparently a clear broth was one of their specialties, and so that's what I ordered.

Yeah, I guess I liked the clear broth, and it was interesting to eat the small cuts of beef with fresh slices of ginger. But I didn't care too much for those noodles, and basically just left it uneaten. I'll probably come back to try the red one next time though...not because I suspect it will be any better than Chingzhen from lunch today, but simply because it seems to be the best choice out of anything else in Terminal 2, especially if I pre-order that salad again.

As last Monday was such a beautiful clear day we took a trip out to see Fore Abbey. Located in the small village of Fore in rural Westmeath, Fore Abbey is one of the true wonders of Hidden Ireland, a site that should be on every must-see list for those interested in Irish history and archaeology.

Interior of the 10/11th Century St. Féichín's Church

The site was founded by St. Féichín in around AD 630, and the small monastic site quickly grew in size and importance, and received many mentions in the Annals of Ireland. Although there are no visible remains of this initial seventh century monastery (indeed the exact location of the earliest foundation has still not been conclusively proven) there is still a fine 10–11th Century church located on the slopes directly above the main part of Fore Abbey. This is St. Féichín's Church, the main part probably dates to the 10th Century, with a later chancel added in the 13th Century to extend the church. In the background of the photo above you can make out the huge lintel above the doorway, said to be one of the Seven Wonders of Fore (see below).

Most of structures forming the main part of Fore Abbey date to the period following the Norman invasion of Ireland. Hugh De Lacey ruled the Lordship of Meath (roughly speaking it incorporated today's Meath and Westmeath) from his fortress at Trim Castle. De Lacey would have appreciated the value of the monastery and the population growing around it. He had a priory established in around 1180 and gave the site to the Benedictine Order.

The Benedictine movement was extremely popular across the Continent, but there were not many Benedictine monasteries established in Ireland, and I can't think of another example as well preserved as Fore. It was constructed around a central cloister (a beautiful courtyard), with a church to the north, the dormitory for the monks to the east, the refectory to the south with its adjacent kitchen to the south-west.  

The cloister area

By the fifteenth century Fore Abbey had become vulnerable to attack by the Gaelic chieftains as it was located outside of the area of The Pale. It was attacked in 1423 and 1428, and remained vulnerable enough that there were gates and walls built to surround the monastic settlement. I didn't see any remains of the walls, but two stone gates can still be seen near the site.

Despite these raids Fore Abbey was still a wealthy place and new towers and a revamped cloister area was added in the fifteenth century.








Fore is also known for the Seven Wonders of Fore. These are:
The Anchorite in a stone
The water that will not boil
The monastery built on a bog
The mill without a millstream
The water that flows uphill
The tree which will not burn
The stone lintel raised by the saints prayers

Fore Abbey is a wonderful place, the area is steeped in history and stunning ruins that you can easily spend an afternoon wandering around, especially if you are lucky enough to be there on a fine day too. The site is well signposted (see our map for its exact location) and provisioned with a large carpark, I highly recommend a visit!

I really hope that you enjoy our blog, if you like any of our images you might be interested to learn that you can now purchase prints from http://www.12greengiraffes.com/, take a look around the site to see what we have available and to see some sensational images of Connemara by the talented photographer Muireann Ní Cheallacháin, if there is an image from our blog that you'd like as a print please let me know by leaving a comment.

Is there a historical or cultural site in your area that you'd like us to cover? Or perhaps you might like to contribute a site to our blog? I'd love to hear from you, please send me a message at info@abartaaudioguides.com

Yesterday I shared a video from the Red Bull X Alps race, which is a very unique event it in its own right. Today I have a video from the Red Bull Elements relay race, during which competitors complete in one of four multi-sport legs. In the first leg the racers row across a lake and then carry their boat to the finish line. That kicks off the second leg, which is a running stage with a mountain top finish. The next athlete in the even then paraglides off the summit to try to hit a target area below, which in turn starts the fourth and final leg, which is mountain biking up a tough trail. This looks like a really fun and demanding event. It can't be easy putting together a team as it would be difficult to find others with all of these skills. Still, great stuff from Red Bull.

  

Usually when we visit historical sites we have done a little bit of homework and researched the basic information in advance, this is usually the best way of finding out not only the details of the site, but also any particular feature that we should look out for to ensure we don't miss anything. However our visit to Oughterard Round Tower was an occasion that proved that sometimes it's great to just pick a site off the Ordnance Survey Discovery Series Maps and turn up without any expectations as you may get a nice surprise! 

Oughterard Round Tower and Church is located between Straffen and Kill in County Kildare. The site is accessed by a set of steps and stile in the tall wall that surrounds the site. The name Oughterard derives from the Gaelic Uachtar Ard - which translates to 'High Place', the name is very apt as one of the first things you notice about this site are the stunning views of the countryside of County Dublin and Kildare that surround you. 

A monastery was said to have been founded here some time in the early 6th Century by Saint Briga. The site was recorded in the Annals as being burned by the Dublin Vikings led by Sihtric Silkenbeard in 995 AD. Later during the Norman invasions of Ireland, Oughterard was included in the vast estates given to the Norman leader of the invasions, Richard de Clare (Strongbow), by Diarmuid MacMurrough King of Leinster as part of the dowry when Strongbow married MacMurrough's daughter Aoife. Today you can see the well preserved remains of a medieval church (looks to date to around the fourteenth century) with a barrel-vaulted roof, it's adjoining rectangular tower is in a slightly precarious position and is held up by large concrete supports. The round tower now only stands approximately 9 metres high, but what is left is in good condition. It is constructed of limestone, with large granite blocks used to frame the doorway. 

The site itself is well worth a visit, with it's beautiful views and peaceful air you can really get a sense of history and tranquility. The site also holds a nice surprise that I alluded to in the opening paragraph. Before you enter the church, take a look at the gravestone marking a tomb in the wall on the right hand side. This marks the resting place of none other than the famous Arthur Guinness himself, founder of the Guinness Brewery and the creator of countless sore heads. The slab reads: In the adjoining Vault are deposited the mortal remains of ARTHUR GUINNESS late of JAMES'S GATE IN THE CITY and of BEAUMONT IN THE COUNTY OF DUBLIN ESQUIRE who departed this life on the 23rd of January A.D 1803 aged 78 years and also those of OLIVIA HIS WIFE who died in the month of March 1814 aged 72 years. They lived universally beloved & respected and their memory will long be cherished by a numerous circle of friends relations and descendants.

So if you are ever inclined to go on a pilgrimage to thank the man who created the brand synonymous with Ireland then you may find yourself in a quiet and peaceful ancient burial ground in County Kildare.

If anyone would like more information on Irish history, or if you are interested in enjoying the amazing tale of some of Ireland's superb historical sites then take a look at www.abartaaudioguides.com we provide audioguides packed with sound effects and original music to really help immerse you in history in a fun way, the guides can be enjoyed at home or at the sites and are also available from iTunes, Eircom Music Hub, Sony Music Unlimited, Amazon and Spotify. 

Thank you all for taking the time to read this blog, we really hope you find some of the suggestions for great places to visit useful. If anyone has any suggestions or comments please do get in touch by commenting below or send us an email at info@abartaaudioguides.com

It hasn't quieted down on Everest just yet, as more climbers continue to summit, and the weather remains good enought to climb, meanwhile, over on Annapurna, the teams are moving up, getting ready for their own summit pushes.

Alan is reporting that more than 70 people topped out on Evereest over the weekend, with a few notable climbs to mention. Dave Hahn from GreatOutdoors.com managed to summit, along with his Sherpa guide Punjo Dorje, as did Canadian Meagan McGrath. Word from the HiMex Team that they managed to put eight climbers on the summit and six Sherpas as well. Amongst those climbers was Tim Medvetz, the biker and fan favorite, from last season's Everest: Beyond The Limit television show.

The scariest story of the day comes from Gavin Bates, an experienced and strong climber who was attempting a traverse from the North side without Oxygen. As he got higher on the mountain however, Gavin decided to use the O2, only to have his mask malfunction. Gavin began to suffer the effects of pulmonary edema at about 8700m and was forced to abandon his climb to return to ABC before his lungs filled with fluid. We can now report that he is safely back to ABC, thanks to the help of the Sherpas accompanying him, despite taking a fall on the descent.

On Annapurna teams have moved up to C4 according to a report on MountEverest.net. All the climbers on the North Face giong up the German Route have decided to climb together in one massive push.

Word is that Spaniard Iñaki Ochoa and Romanian Horia Colibasanu are moving up from C2 to join the others at C4, and have volunteered to break trail above that camp. The two climbers were on Dhaulagiri while fixed lines were set down, and camps were established, but now feel rested enough to contribute to cause on the upper slopes. Summit attempts should come in the next day or two.

Good luck boys. Climb safe. Annapurna can be a harsh mistress.

I'm finally finished unpacking and guess what I found! 3 pages of notes that I took when I decided to start this blog while I was in Tangier. Well, it's not the first post like I planned on it being, but, hopefully you'll get an idea where I'm coming from and an idea about Tangier too. The day before I started thinking about a blog, Roland and I were wandering around the Tangier medina and kasbah. It was my 10th trip to Morocco, probably my 6th or 7th to Tangier and I didn't recognize much-- a flicker or a glimmer here, a flicker there. And not because it's all changed or something; the memory ain't what it used to be (even though I take this great holistic memory stuff my friend Lou recommended, Juvenon.) Anyway, Roland has a great memory and he navigated us up hills and through passageways. "Don't you remember this (mega hill)"? he demanded.

"Uh... no. Are you sure we went this way last time?" He was-- and we had. (Eventually I recalled; it just takes longer these days.) The hill leads right up into the Place du Kasbah, the place where the kasbah begins with the police station and my friend Absalaam's  little cafe (which I've only seen open exactly one time. It was closed.) Now how the hell are we gonna find Absalaam's house? Roland was undaunted. He even remembered the awesome ancient door. We both had a memory of a small, pastel mosque Matisse had painted a block from Absalaam's. (That's it with me in the photo.)

The first time I came to Tangier it was 1969. I had heard lurid things about the city-- it had a bad reputation back then, a holdover from the International City days-- and I avoided it on the way in by entering via an Algeciras ferry to Ceuta, the bit of Spain that is still left in Morocco. Dull, sleepy place, but we headed south from there and by-passed Tangier. A month later, we did enter the city of sin on the way back to Spain. It didn't impress me but I didn't give it a chance. It wasn't for years that I grew to really like Tangier. But not remembering much is what gave me the idea for starting the blog. I told Roland and he loved the idea-- and he never thinks anything is a good idea.

Allow me a quick detour from Tangier-- as though this really were the first piece in a brand new blog (instead of the seventh in a 5 day old blog)-- and I'll give you a few details about my traveler background. I hit the road for the first time in the mid-60s when I was just a kid. I think I had just turned 15 when I hitchhiked from Brooklyn to Miami Beach to visit my grandparents for Easter-- or tried to hitchhike. I got picked up by the New Jersey Highway Patrol and they made my pissed off father come and pick me up at the police station. In Bumfuck, NJ (which was like Georgia or Virginia as far as I was concerned). I figured I was gonna get a beating but instead he or my mom gave me the busfare to go down to Miami in style the next day; maybe even the same day. I lost my virginity behind the Jacksonville Greyhound terminal. I don't remember much-- a lot of black: big black tires, big black face... and I kind of blacked out when I um... you know (this isn't a porn site, so we'll leave it at that). She was so sweet and cool and friendly and I was such a nerd. I don't know if she told me her name. If I had this blog then, I'd know now.

I only spent 2 nights in Tangier this time. The ferry was like 6 hours late but we were lucky because it hadn't crossed in 3 days because of stormy weather. It only took 90 minutes once we left Algeciras. I always used to love the gradual approach from Europe to Africa, the sights, the sounds, the smells, the feeling of excitement. I didn't really feel it this time. It was drizzly and overcast. We stayed at the place I always stay there, the only decent place, the El Minzah Hotel. Some Scottish aristocrat got it going in 1930, Lord Bute. It's actually gotten quite a bit better since the last time I was there. There's even a business center on the second floor with 2 super-fast Dells ($5/hour, which is really expensive for Morocco but I didn't know that yet). It's a 5-star hotel in a country where stars are very relative; the hotel owner is probably married to a relative of the Minister of Stars. But it is the best hotel in Tangier, which is, after all, a slowly improving but still shabby port at the Northwest tip of Africa, a place of intrigue and desperation where people from Africa (all over the world, actually) come to try to smuggle themselves into Spain and the EU, where the streets are paved in gold (relatively). Some people say it reminds them of Tijuana. I'm sure it seems to some like the whole continent of Africa would like to come in order to cross over to the good life in Europe. And it's a place where the livers of that good life can cross over and have a quick look-see how the other 90% of the world lives. Someone once told me most visitors to Morocco just come for a day and never get beyond Tangier. That's a shame.

The concierge at the El Minzah told me that almost all their guests stay for one night. There hadn't been any for 3 days because of the ferry. Tangier's not really a destination any more-- at least not for more than a night-- which must be frustrating for the people running the hotel, although they seem to be trying to make the best of it. There's still an underlying seediness about it that you won't find in a real 5-star hotel but at least I don't think they'd steal a $100 travellers check left in the safe behind the reception (the way they did about 20 years ago when I stayed there once). Now they don't even have a safe behind the reception-- and I don't bother with travelers checks anymore anyway. I feel confident enough now, after almost 4 decades of travel, to keep my cash in the pockets of my relatively tight jeans.

A couple months ago when I tried booking our room on the net, the hotel was anything but receptive. Not only did my correspondent have no interest in agreeing on a decent discount, he also said we would have to participate in an extravagant Christmas Eve dinner if we booked a room. I pointed out that Expedia.com was offering much cheaper rates and he claimed they don't honor Expedia's bookings. The El Minzah, 5 stars and all, ain't much, but the drop down to the next level hotel is a far drop indeed. I booked through Expedia-- 1,125 dirhams (like $120) for a double room, breakfast included. They honored the booking and the price.

The pleasant surprise in Tangier was the restaurant scene. It's one of the few cities where there is a Moroccan middle class accustomed to going out to eat enough to support real restaurants that don't just cater to tourists. Tourist restaurants are always horrible-- bland, over-priced, pathetic... all decor and show and never anyone striving for excellence in the kitchen. The guide books all claim that the El Korsan in the El Minzah is the best restaurant in town. It's exactly the kind of place I do my best to avoid. We managed to find two really excellent restaurants we ate in. One was somewhat touristy, but reasonable and definitely oriented towards ala carte ordering, rather than forcing you into a gigantic feast, Raihani's. A little further from the tourist area we found a fish restaurant which catered 100% to Moroccans, the Andalus. It was so delicious-- real salt of the earth kind of place, very friendly and unpretentious and ridiculously cheap. Harira for 5 dirhams, not 60 or 80, for example. Hmmm... I'm drooling just thinking about the fish tagine I had!

Shira Camp (3840m) to Barranco Camp (3950m)

Day 3 on Kilimanjaro is all about acclimatization. You'll get a full taste of the old adage "climb high, sleep low" as you first gain 690 meters, and then descend 580 meters at the end of the day.

Much of Day 3 is spent in the alpine desert of Kilimanjaro. You'll leave the colorful bushes, scrub grasses, and interesting plant life behind, at least for the time being, for the rocky, barren, and dry expanses of the high desert areas. You'll continue to have amazing views throughout the day as well, and the summit will loom over you as you hike, as long as the mists clear long enough for you to see it.

You'll reach the high point of the climb around mid-day, as you approach the Lava Tower, a 300 foot tall formation jutting out of the mountain that ws created by cooling lava at some point in Kili's past. The morning is a steady climb up to this point, and you'll likely have lunch in the shadow of the Tower. After that, you'll turn down hill to make your way towards Barranco Camp. But make no mistake, just because you're going down doesn't mean that the trek is easy. On the contrary, you'll be scrambling over rocks and hiking through loose rock scree that will have you watching your step at every moment. On top of that, you're likely to have tired legs from the previous days climb and the exertion of the morning, making the descent more challenging than you'd like.

There is a reward for the day however, and that's the beautiful scenery as you descend. The alpine desert will once again fall away, and you'll return to the colorful moorlands. More beautiful plants will spring up around you, and as you hike down the valley to Barranco Camp, there are a number of beautiful waterfalls. Definitely take time to look around on this stage of the climb.

Barranco Camp is easily the most scenic on the Machame Route. You'll have some amazing views of Mount Meru, Heim Glacier, and Kibo's south face. When the mist clears at night, you'll also be able to see all the way down theh valley into Moshi Town. Of course, it's not all fun and games, as you won't be able to avoid eyeing up the Barranco Wall, a 1000+ foot rock face you'll be tackling first thing in the morning.

For me, this was a good day on the trail. The morning hike up was definitely challenging and I was ready for a break when we stopped for lunch at the lava tower. The descent was certainly more challenging than I expected, and you had to watch your footing constantly, as the scree was very loose in spots and if you weren't careful, you could easily twist an ankle, or trip and fall. But the views in Shira Garden, as the valley leading to Barranco Camp is known, are quite stunning. Certainly some of the best you'll see on the whole trek.

The night before this stage I probably slept a total of 20-30 minutes. Very light dozing at best, but I still felt good on the trail. My legs were feeling a bit of the strain, but generally still felt good. I remained hopeful that a good night's sleep was just around the corner, and that the acclimatization process was going according to plan. I hadn't suffered any head-aches or nausea, although other groups we encountered certainly were. I remained optimistic.

(Photo courtesy of Colm Donohoe. It's a shot of myself, and our guides, Peter and Zawadi, at the Lava Tower.

I first reported on Dodo Kopold's Double-Double a while back when it was still just a plan, but word has come in that he has completed his quest to summit both Cho Oyu and Shisha Pangma in the Spring Season.

However, there is grim news to go along with Dodo's triumph. MountEverest.net is reporting that Dodo's climbing partner, Marek Hudák, is missing, and has been missing since Tuesday. Dodo and Marek were climbing on Shisha Pangma, making their summit bid, when the parted ways. Dodo continued to the top, but Marek retreated down the mountain. When Dodo returned to C2 he found that the camp had been buried in ice and that his friend was missing. The only signs of Marek were an ice axe and a glove. He hasn't been seen since the two separated on four days ago.

Dodo and the Korean team on the South face of Shisha have searched for the missing climber, but so far to no avail. The loss of his friend has put a dark veil over Dodo's accomplishments, as he has claimed the first two 8000m summits of the year. He's not stopping there either, as he plans to travel to Pakistan to summit Nanga Parbat and K2 this Summer. We'll have to wait to see if those plans change following this tragedy.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Marek's friends and family at this time.

Italian adventurer Alex Bellini has accomplished some pretty impressive things in the course of his career. He estimates that he has run more than 23,000 km (14,290 miles), competing in such races as the legendary Marathon des Sables and Alaska Ultra. He has also rowed across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, amongst other challenging journeys. But his next adventure may be his most demanding yet. Bellini plans to spend a year living on an iceberg as it shrinks in size and eventually disappears altogether. He hopes that these efforts will help raise awareness of climate change.

The Adventure Journal had the opportunity to sit down with Alex and ask him about this venture. He says that for the most part, he'll be completely alone on the ice, although he does plan to meet with journalists and bloggers for a time. He also says that he doesn't want to be labeled as an environmentalist, but he remains an explorer instead. Bellini hopes that this adventure will allow him to share the urgent need for us to address climate change as he documents the death of an iceberg first hand.

In the interview, Alex also talks about his inspirations for this adventure, what it was like to row across the Pacific, but run into trouble just 65 miles from the finish line and how he'll select his iceberg. In regards to that last point, he says that the iceberg is still being formed, but that it will exist northwest of Greenland "between 70°N and 74°N."

It will certainly be interesting to see how this plays out. Living alone on an iceberg for a year should provide some unique challenges, particularly as the space begins to grow smaller and smaller. You can find out more in the video below and on Alex's website. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter for more updates as well.


Alex Bellini . Adrift. LongVersion ENG from BigRock on Vimeo.

Here was breakfast this morning. No, it wasn't anything special, but I sorely needed to get some food in my belly and I guess that this did it. Note to self: the Legal Sea Foods at Logan Airport features a breakfast menu in the morning, so I guess I can forget about trying out some Boston scrod when I have an early flight.

As much as I try to keep my distance from McDonald's, I was very curious about this Fiery Mala burger that they've been promoting lately, especially given Burger King's attempt at a mala burger many years ago. Frankly, I can hardly remember what BK's version tasted like, but this one turned out to be much spicier than I thought it would be, including a bit of huajiao numbingness. Still, it was also much saltier than I was expecting, and it's not exactly something that I'll want to get again, especially with that chicken patty inside. But at least my curiosity has been satiated with this quick taster today (I only took one bite).

Most outdoor enthusiasts know who The Gear Junkie is, even if they don't know his real name is Stephen Regenold. His columns are syndicated in a number of newspapers and magazines across the country and he has written a number of adventure travel articles for a wide array of publications. As it turns out, the first Gear Junkie article went into the Minneapolis Star Tribune five years ago this month, and to celebrate, Stephen is counting down his favorite gear from the past five years.

Each day this week we'll get two very cool gear items that impressed the Gear Junkie. Today we have, coming in at number 10, ALOKSAK bags from Watchful Eye Designs. In a nutshell, these are water proof, highly durable, ziplock bags for all of our gear that shouldn't get wet. They're great for holding maps during adventure races or for keeping you essential items dry during your next paddling excursion.

Also on the list today, at the number 9 spot, DMG BUGrip EXTREME from Icebug. The Gear Junkie sums this item quite well when he describes it as "a winter boot with a running shoe, add carbide spikes on the sole for traction". It's a trail running shoe for extreme snow and ice conditions, with built in gaiters no less.

It should be fun this week to watch the list unfold. I can't wait to see what cool gear, that I probably can't afford, occupy the higher positions on the list. :)