Machame Gate (1,800m) to Machame Camp (3,000m)

The first day of the climb on Kilimanjaro via the Machame route begins at the Machme Gate at about 1800m. The area just inside the gate is a staging area for everyone preparing for the climb. You'll see backpacks, boxes, and duffel bags for each group all over the parking lot. All climbers have to check in at the ranger station by signing in with their name, age, country, passport number, etc. After signing in, each guide checks their climbing permit, and you're off, at long last.

Throughout Day 1 you hike along a well developed and easy to follow trail surrounded by Kili's cloud forest. The path starts out as a gentle slope and it's easy to make good time, even though the guides will implore you to go "Pole! Pole!" (Slowly! Slowly!) even at this relatively low altitude. Reaching the summit is a marathon, not a sprint, and it's a good idea to pace yourself each day.

After about two hours of hiking, the trail changes from a gentle slope to a number of long, and steep, inclines. You'll find that the leisurely walk you started out on has now become a challenging cardio workout. The first day's hike takes about five to six hours in total, and by the time you reach Machame Camp, the cloud forest begins to give way to grasslands and wildflowers. You'll camp that night on the edge of the moorlands.

My experience with Day 1 is that it was far more vertical than I had expected. You do gain 1200 meters of altitude throughout the day, which is nothing to sneeze at to be sure. Still, I expected the gain to be a little more gradual, with more switchbacks, but honestly the trail is, for the most part, straight and true. And up!! While I was expecting a challenge, I have to admit, Day 1 was harder than what I thought it would be.

I chose the Machame route for my climb because it's considered one of the more scenic of the routes. Our guides also told us that it is considered one of the more challenging routes as well. By the time we signed in at the ranger station at Machame Camp that afternoon, I had a new respect for the adventure I had undertaken.

(The photo above is me with our assistant guide Peter. Courtesy of my climbing partner Colm Donohoe.)

Photo © Dede Pickering-All Rights Reserved
Dede Pickering has just returned from Bhutan with a collection of new photographs, which she posted on her Bhutan Gallery. She traveled in that Himalayan country from its west to its east and trekked in the rarely visited Sakten Valley.

I chose Dede's lovely photograph of the unfurling of a thongdrel for this post. The thongdrel is a large tapestry typically depicting a seated Guru Rinpoche surrounded by holy beings, the mere viewing of which is said to cleanse the viewer of sin. During tsechus, it's unrolled before dawn and rolled up by morning.

Having retired from the corporate world, Dede became a world traveler and photographer. She has traveled to Antarctica, Mongolia, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, China, Cambodia, Peru, Patagonia, Kosovo, Albania, Rwanda, New Zealand, Guatemala, South East Asia and has made multiple trips to Africa and India, but her passion is the Himalayan Region.

All through the nightmare of Bush's illegitimate regime I have continued to travel. I have written about how uncomfortable people I've met have felt about Bush in Spain, in Turkey, in Indonesia, VietNam, Morocco, Thailand, Canada, Mexico, England, Holland... And every year, the discomfiture has grown. After he re-stole the White House in 2004, the hatred started getting less subtle.

Today the big news in Argentina is how Bush's puppet in Mexico, Felipe Calderón, inaugurated himself as president of Mexico at a slap-dash secret midnight ceremony in the wee hours of the night/morning with the connivance of the outgoing PAN (Partido Acción Nacional) president, Vicente Fox. Calderón stole the Mexican election from the rightful president, Andrés López Obrador, much the same way Bush was able to steal the 2000 election from Al Gore and the 2004 election from John Kerry-- and with the help of some of the very same crooked companies and treasonous methods of vote tampering.

I spent last night with some young Argentines who I met through my friend Tómas, a guy I've been in touch with via the Internet. Although Tómas' interest in politics is minimal, his friends are extremely interested. One, Maria, told me that American democracy, through thick and thin, has been a beacon of democracy for generations of Latin Americans. "Now tyrants all over the world are learning something else than democracy from Bush. They learn to steal elections and undermine democracy."

Did Tony Blair use Bush's methods in the last U.K. election? Does anyone doubt Putin will in the next Russian election? The very legitimacy of democracy itself has been undermined by Bush, not just in our country, but around the world.

Meanwhile in Mexico, Obrador has also declared himself the legitimate, elected President of Mexico. His supporters seem very determined to defend the democracy so many of their forefathers have given their lives for. Maybe Americans have something to learn from passionate democrats in Latin America. Al Gore and John Kerry certainly do.

I ate in a great new restaurant last night and I actually took notes and will do a review soon. Right now I'm too pissed off about Bush and democracy.

A very long time ago I used to work for ARTA, a non-profit corporation dedicated to preserving wild rivers, a goal they work towards by bringing people on whitewater rafting trips. I used to love it and I had wild, raucous trips on the Rogue River in Oregon, the Salmon in Idaho, and the Tuolumne and American Rivers in California. Oh, but that was a long, long time ago. I wasn't looking for wild, raucous times when I decided to go to peaceful, groovey Bali. And my companions, Rebecca and Brad, were even more determinably dedicated to peace and harmony and then I was. Brad's so full of peace and harmony that he'll pretty much agree to anything good. And Rebecca... well, she was less sure about whitewater but liked the idea of the pretty, peaceful jungle the river went through. And, besides, she was looking forward to a quid pro quo elephant safari later in the week.

Our trusty driver, the aforementioned Anwar, made all the arrangements with a rafting company called Sobek. (That's not a detail I'd usually remember but a few years earlier Roland and I had spent a month on a Nile cruise and we kept going to temples dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god and I'm afraid of crocodiles so I remembered.) Anyway, Anwar had drove us way up the Ayung for a couple hours to where the rafting company had their headquarters in Begawan. We got all geared up and then climbed down and down and down through the incredibly beautiful rain forest to the rver bank. I kept thinking about what a drag it was gonna be walking back up from the river bank when we got to Kedewatan, about 7-8 miles down the river.

Once we got to the boats, the guides divided us into crews of about 8 people. Of course, at first everyone was all stiff and kind of hoping to not get too wet. That lasted about 5 minutes. They give you some quick dos and don'ts and safety tips and pretty soon we're floating through some gentle, easy water looking at the exquisite scenery. When the rapids come-- there were about 2 dozen in all-- they never get beyond Class III but most people manage to fall overboard at least once or twice; well maybe not most, just the ones who like wild, raucous fun. Eventually everyone is loose as a goose and huge naval battles ensue. So much for peace and harmony. I was all for ramming and drowning. (I think that side of me scared Rebecca a little.)

There were some nice waterfalls and the environment never went below "incredible." The Ayung is the longest river in Bali and the part we were on-- remember a couple hours away our house was also on the Ayung-- runs through an otherwise inaccessible tropical rain forest, which is basically untouched by modern civilization. The guides were great, very professional and fun. It's the kind of thing that can work for anyone too-- I mean small kids or old people do fine (and no one goes overboard who doesn't kind of want to). They serve a lunch afterwards but we knew we had a feast made by the best chef in Bali waiting for us back at our villa so we climbed back up to the road and someone was waiting to take us back home. It's a great way to spend half a day; I think it cost us around $50 each.

One doesn't exactly come across Costa Rican food in Singapore very often. But that's what I saw on a random stroll through Amoy Street Food Centre sometime ago (7 Maxwell Road #01-50). They were closed for a month or so, but when I finally came back in the new year, they had opened again, and today I decided to come here for lunch.

Now, I don't know anything about Costa Rican food, so I don't know if this casado is anything like it is supposed to be. And frankly, it kinda tasted like it looked, with a bit of a ketchup-y flavor in there. Still, I liked this greasy plate enough that I cleared it all and nearly went back for more if self-restraint hadn't kicked in. I'll be back to try out some of the other stuff on the menu.

Adventure Racer Danelle Ballengee returned to action over the weekend, winning a 12 hour race held in Buena Vista, CO, in the solo women's category. Check Point Zero notes that her time was fast enough to beat the fifth place male competior of the race as well.

This marks a remarkable comeback for one of the top female racers in the sport. You might recall that last fall Danelle fell sixty feet while training near moab, and broke her pelvis in four places. She was stranded out on the trail for more than two days. In the end, it was her faithful dog Taz who went for, and returned with, help.

At the time, it was estimated that it could take up to six months before she would walk again, and at least a year for a full recovery, but obviously Nelly had other ideas in mind. This is some amazing rehab to say the least, and it's a testament to her abilities as an athlete that she can return so quickly and start winning races.

Congrats on the win Danelle, it's good to see you back!

Throughout the 2007 Everest Climbing Season I have often recommended that you head over to Alan Arnette's Everest 2007 Page for the latest news, information, and insights. Alan has been on a number of high altitude climbs all over the World, including Everest, and he always has an interesting perspective to share and knowledge of what's happening on the mountain.

Today Alan has made a big annoucement, and he want's to share it with all of us. He intends to return to Everest and go for the summit once more, but this time he's climbing for a cause. You can read all about Alan's Road Back To Everest by clicking here. This is going to be a very personal climb for Alan, as he will be going back to raise money and awareness for Alzheimer's Disease, a devastating condition that his 81 year old mother suffers from.

Alan is still working out the details of how he will conduct fund raising, and he's still looking for someone to donate his proceeds too. He says he is looking for a "promising research project or Doctor and target the funding in a specific and measurable manner" which seems like a perfect apporach for this kind of project. If you know some project or doctor that might fit the description, be sure to send Alan a note as to your suggestions. I'm sure he would appreciate it.

He has set an ambitious climbing schedule to get himself ready for his Everest climb that's for sure. He'll be looking to bag 14 Colorado 14'ers, along with heading to Denali in June, Shisha Pangma later in the year, and Orizaba, an 18,880 foot volcano in Mexico in January of 2008, before heading to Everest next Spring season.

On a personal note, I lost my grandfather to this horrible disease, and it is not something that is easy to watch happen to someone you love. I would follow Alan's preparations for Everest over the coming months with interest anyway, but with this cause, it is certainly something that I'll follow even more closely. This is a personal issue for many of us, and it's something that hits close to home when you've experienced it first hand.

So, Alan, you have nothing but the best of wishes from me. The Adventure Blog will be following your preparations over the coming months and I'll be with you in spirit as you go up Denali, those 14'ers, Shisha, and off to Mexico for Orizaba. And when Everest comes around next year, we'll all be with you. You'll carry the hopes of many people with you. You had better buy a bigger pack.

I'm on my way back to New York from teaching a multimedia class at the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop in Istanbul, and thought it opportune to announce that my first photo~expedition in 2011 will be to Gujarat, India. I have yet to pinpoint the dates, but I am leaning towards January 23 to February 6, 2011.

The Travel Photographer's In Search of Sufis photo~expedition will focus on the visual exploration of the syncretism which exists between Islam (especially Sufism) and Hinduism. Syncretism is the combination of disparate or contrary beliefs, often fusing practices of various traditional philosophies.

This expedition will travel in the southern peninsula of Gujarat, and photograph at the various Sufi shrines/darghas as well as Hindu temples, where a multitude of pilgrims arrive to supplicate. It will also include a foray in the tribal belt of Kutch to document the unaltered ways of life of the area, to include religious rituals exclusive to Gujarat.

The maximum number of participants is 5 (excluding myself), and participation will be based on a brief portfolio review. This photo~expedition is not for first-timers to India, is for self-starters and requires an interest in Indian religious traditions. It will include coaching in multimedia techniques and story-telling.

The photo~expedition will commence and end in Ahmedabad, which is well served by flights from Delhi and Mumbai. Hotel accommodations will range from 4-star hotels in the larger cities/towns to whatever is available in the more remote areas.

Details of the photo~expedition and its itinerary will initially be announced to my newsletter recipients in a few days, and then to the general public via this blog.

This photo~expedition is inspired by the remarkable work of my friend Asim Rafiqui as per his The Idea of India project.

I needed a quick bite before heading into the office today, and figured that this bowl from stall #02-21 would be a bit more guilt free. It worked, in part simply because she used a lot of basil in her potion.

The funny thing is that it was only when I looked it up now did I realize that I've eaten at this lady's stall before. I still don't know if I've found my favorite lei cha fan place in town yet though.

Man, what's up with the weak-tasting broths that I've been having today? The soup at this shop along the street-facing wall of Clarke Quay's carpark (3E River Valley Road #01-08, 6336-0939) wasn't anywhere near peppery enough, and ultimately just tasted watered down. Fortunately, I still ate most of what they brought out, but this was also the first bak kut teh place that didn't really seem to encourage the whole Chinese tea ritual; I had to settle for a tea bag instead.

Then again, at this kind of location, it's clear that they are catering toward tourists and party goers from next door. Indeed, they even had signs indicating a S$50 (US$39) cleanup charge for vomiting, which I can only assume they meant as a result of alcohol rather than consumption of their own food. Well, the lady serving us was super bubbly, and the retro-looking decor was nicely done. But if I had wanted bak kut teh after drinking, I'd just go down to Havelock Road instead.

There is no question that Ueli Steck's solo ascent of Annapurna is the boldest climb of the year. News of his amazing feat has captivated the mountaineering community for the past few weeks as we've all waited to hear more about the expedition. Now that he is back home, Ueli sat down with the folks from EpicTV for an interview to discuss his latest adventure in the Himalaya. Part 1 of that interview can be found below, where you'll learn – amongst other things – that Steck feels a bit "empty" following his return from Annapurna.

I'd noticed this chain on pretty much every single trip I'd made to Japan in the past, but never bothered to waste stomach space on it given the millions of other delicious things available over there. I finally had the chance to try them now that they are at Asia Square (12 Marina View #02-05, 6844-9639).

Despite the Western appearance, it really was Japanese at the end of the day, witnessed in the form of say the Hokkaido crab bisque, dried scallop porridge, and corn potage with sweet potato (verrrry Japanese!!). In some ways, these kinda reminded me of those instant packets of dehydrated soup that you might buy at Muji...in a good way.

I'll pass on that chicken soup of theirs though. And the borsch was a bit odd, tasting more like French onion soup to me. But that curry looks like it might be worth a try someday. So yes, I generally I liked them...maybe not as much as Saybons or that new guy at Tanjong Pagar, but much more than Souperlicious or the Soup Spoon.

I travel with my pal Roland a lot and he loves going to strange and exotic places, as I do. He also likes checking out weird scenes like synagogues in bizarre countries. Recently I wrote a post about the remnants of the Jewish community in Cochin in Kerala, India. In 1991 we were traipsing around Egypt and Roland talked me into getting on a Sinai bus for a dusty drive to see the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem and the Church of the Nativity on Christmas Eve in Bethlehem. A few years later he even managed to find an Iraqi synagogue in Singapore and 3 days before it was blown up, a synagogue in Istanbul. He's an atheist whose distant ancestors he thinks were Catholic (he's unsure).

Anyway, now we're in Yangon (formerly Rangoon), Myanmar (formerly Burma) and a less "Jewish place" you could never imagine. I thought about looking into it and thought, "Nah; not a chance." I was wrong. We were wandering around in a squalid Muslim neighborhood this morning when all of a sudden we see a star of David and Hebrew writing on a building.

It isn't "officially" a synagogue any longer. There are only 8 Jewish families left in town, most of them having fled when the Japanese took over in 1942 and the rest when the nationalistic socialists got control in the early 50s. The last rabbi left in 1963. So officially the synagogue is a museum and community center. There's a trustee instead of a rabbi, Moses Samuels, who helps keep the joint going and he has a son in NYC, Sammy who graduated from Yeshiva University and says he plans to return to Yangon and run it after his father. The official name is Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue and it' on 26th Street, not that far from the Bogyoke Market.

There weren't any Jews around, just a Burmese caretaker. Later a Canadian Jewish tourist from Thunder Bay wandered by. We saw pictures of Sammy Samuels and he looks Burmese. Outside I asked a couple of guys lounging on the street who looked like Al-Qaeda recruits if they were Jews and they giggled.

As I mentioned a few times last week, we're on the verge of the start of the 2013 Antarctic expedition season and soon numerous teams will be heading to the bottom of the world to ski to the South Pole, climb Mt. Vinson or explore some other location on the frozen continent. But one team got an early start to the season by setting off last week, and while they're just a few days into their epic journey, they are now moving south at last.

Last Monday, Ben Saunders and Tarka L'Herpiniere of the Scott Expedition flew from Punta Arenas, Chile to the McMurdo Station in Antarctica. They spent a few days there getting their gear and supplies organized before they caught another flight out to the Ross Ice Shelf, where they spent another day and a half skiing to their official starting point at the Scott Terra Nova Hut. Since they will be skiing in the footsteps of polar legend Robert Falcon Scott, and hoping to complete the route he couldn't, it seemed only fitting that Ben and Tarka set out from the same place that he did more than a century ago.

The boys have begun posting dispatches from the ice and so far it seems that conditions are good but the work is hard. Their sleds are at full capacity at the moment, which means they are pulling 200 kg (440 pounds) of gear and supplies behind them as they begin their 1800 mile (2896 km) journey to the South Pole and back again. Those sleds will get easier to pull as the food supplies start to dwindle, but for now it is tough going, especially since the snow is soft and powdery.


As a result of these heavy loads, Ben says they are covering about 2 km (1.2 miles) per hour, which doesn't sound very fast but is actually quite good for so early in the expedition. It usually takes a week or two for Antarctic explorers to acclimate to the temperatures and altitudes there and the body must adapt to the work load of skiing all day while puling a heavy sled behind them.

The weather has been great for the lads so far although as expected the temperatures are a bit brutal. This morning they are dealing with -30ºC/-22ºF with wind chills taking those temps down to -40ºC/F. It is a bit unusual to have such good weather at this point in the season, but I'm sure Ben and Tarka are happy to have it. It is not uncommon for Antarctic adventurers to encounter high winds, blowing snows and whiteout conditions as they get underway. In recent years, there have even been delays  to the start of the season due to poor weather at the traditional drop off point at Union Glacier.

With the first of November now just a few days away, we should start to see a few more teams making their way to Punta Arenas and preparing to head out on the ice. Because of the extreme distances involved with their expedition, Ben and Tarka set off as early as they could, but most won't be making a return trip from the Pole, so they'll have more to complete their expeditions. It'll also give them more time to allow the weather to be more conducive for travel.

Stay tuned for more soon. The season is just getting started.

Last week my friend Dave wrote a guest blog while he was staying at the Riyad el Cadi in Marrakesh, where Roland and I stayed last December. I was so happy that the proprietors made them feel welcome and treated them extra nice when they used my name. Whenever I find a really great place-- especially one a bit off-the-beaten track-- I love to recommend it to my friends. Then I'm always a little anxious about how they'll find it. (I mean you never want to be responsible for sending someone someplace that they hate, like when I told Ken and Tony about Bangkok and they called whining about what a dump the Oriental Hotel was.

The place I probably recommend the most-- and hopefully we'll soon see a guest blog from my pal Tim from there-- is the Esbelli in Cappadocia. I started traveling to Turkey in 1969 when I was driving to India. I was struck by the natural and manmade beauty of the country and by the friendliness and culture of the people. I lingered longer than I planned-- especially once I had figured out that Istanbul's Blue Mosque District was no more representative of Turkey than Times Square is representative of the U.S. And I keep going back. A real crossroads, Turkey is easy to tack on to other trips-- like to Greece, Italy, Egypt, Israel, Spain, anywhere in Eastern Europe... And I've been to just about every nook and cranny-- from the Black Sea Coast to Anatlya to the Aegean to Lake Van and all through the central Anatolian highlands. Cappadocia is relatively new for me. What a mistake I almost made! "Too touristy," I used to think. (I almost missed the Taj Mahal with the same stupid thoughts.)

In September 2004 we had spent some time in good old Istanbul-- one of my favorite cities in the world-- and I'll write about that another time. It's an hour flight from Istanbul to Kayseri. It was painless enough and cost around $75. Suha, the proprietor of Esbelli Evi had arranged for a pick-up at the airport for the 30 mile drive to Urgup. Urgup is an uninteresting town incredibly well-located in the midst of one of the most fascinating places on earth. And the hotel, just a short walk north of town is amazing. And hard to think of as a hotel. It's Suha and his mother's home, a conglomeration of homes carved into the soft tufa stone. It's partially above ground with terraces and stunning views and partially kind of cave-like. There are 10 guest rooms and some cozy, charming common rooms (with a computer or two and a library's worth of books) beautifully decorated with hardwood floors, local textiles. The best part is Suha's genuine old world hospitality; you feel like you're a guest in someone's very comfortable, very welcoming home. People get there and don't want to leave. He gave Roland and I an amazing and very large 2 bedroom suite and I think it was less than $100 a night and included a sumptuous breakfast. (A comparison: in Istanbul we stayed at the 4 Seasons, which had just been voted the Best Hotel in Europe. We loved it; but we loved the Esbelli more.)

There aren't any special restaurants in Urgup but Suha turned us on to an old Greek farm in Mustafapasha (fka Sinassos), about 20 minutes south of Urgup, called, appropriately enough, the Old Greek House. It's a large family home with lots of rooms for guest to eat in. Let me just say that in the dozen times I've been to Turkey-- a country whose cuisine I absolutely love-- the Old Greek House served the best food I ever ate in the country. And we ate there almost every day. It is so off the beaten path that God only knows how anyone finds it. We drove around looking for quite a while before we found it down a dirt road. Suha had called ahead and ordered our food each time we ate there. Everything is prepared specially for the guests. This is beyond homemade and if you eat everything on your plate, they instantly fill the plate up again. We had course after course of the most delicious fresh food and I don't think it ever cost us $10 (for both of us!)

OK, so I told you about the most incredible hotel and the most wonderful restaurant, both pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Why would anyone go to Cappodocia? The 2 main reasons: history and geography and the way they interacted. You can feel you're in the Bible one minute and in a fairy land that beats anything Hollywood has ever created the next. People flip out the first time they see Cappadocia's "fairy chimneys," which are caps of hard rock on a cone-shaped shaft of the softer tufa stone. It looks like something you'd expect at Disneyland.

In every direction from Urgup we found unique and fascinating things to see-- from underground cities, several stories deep, where people sought safety from the aggressive Hittites, to ancient churches the earliest Christians built into the sides of steep, inaccessible mountains. No matter how long you stay, there's never enough time. We rented a car, which made it a lot easier-- and made complete sense since we planned to drive south from Cappadocia to the Mediterranean Coast. It isn't easy to pick a few sites to see because everything is so unique and special. I totally recommend the ancient long-abandoned monasteries built into the sides of the Zelve Valley, the tiny churches built into what is now called the Goreme Open Air Museum, and either the Kaymakli or Derinkuyu underground cities. We would drive to our destination early every morning and then hike all day. I love all parts of Turkey but if you can only visit one place outside of Istanbul, it should probably be Cappadocia.

My reports on the 2013 Antarctic expedition season are starting to get very repetitive. It seems the more things change, the more they stay the same. I'm sure by now most of the teams in Punta Arenas thought that they'd be out on the ice and working their way south, but the weather continues to be uncooperative, so they continue to sit and wait. To make things worse, the schedule for supply planes to the Union Glacier camp is now way behind schedule as well, which means the adventurers will have to wait their turn. There are some indications that flights could resume in the next few days, although that has been the story for more than a week now. 

Still sitting in Punta are Chris and Marty Fagan, Lewis Clarke, Daniel Burton, Antony Jinman and several others. Each plans to make the journey to the South Pole, but the first step is to actually get to the Antarctic continent. Daniel has also started to express some concern about the effect the weather will have on his attempt to ride his bike to the Pole. In a recent blog post he indicated that while his fat tire bike does well on hard snow and ice, it doesn't work so well in powder. The bad weather is dumping all kind of powder on his intended route, which could slow him down or cause him to not be able to ride at all. Only time will tell if this will become a major factor. 

Also still waiting to get started is Richard Parks. He is the man who hopes to set a new speed record for skiing from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole, and he to has been watching for a weather window to open. It has been more than a week since we heard anything out of him, but earlier today he posted a brief update saying that he was packed and ready to fly from Union Glacier to his starting point, but bad weather has once again grounded the plane. He hopes to get out tomorrow instead. 

Three teams that are now in position to begin their expedition are the members of the South Pole Allied Challenge. Team U.K., Team USA and Team Commonwealth all flew out to their starting points at 87ºS yesterday and they should begin their treks to the South Pole today. This race of sorts is part of he Walking With The Wounded organization and several servicemen and women who were injured while on active duty are with each of the teams. Despite starting much closer to the Pole than most of the other teams, it will still take them two weeks or so to complete the journey. 

Aussie Geoff Wilson has been caught out in the bad weather again and as a result, he has spent the past two days stuck in his tent. Raging winds, extremely cold temperatures and whiteout conditions have conspired against him, leaving him stranded. Geoff is attempt to kite ski to the South Pole but has only had a couple of good days so far. Hopefully this period of bad weather will lift soon and he'll get the opportunity to make some good time. 

Finally, Ben Saunders and Tarka L'Herpiniere are now more than a month into their expedition and continue to knock off the mileage in workmen like fashion each day. The boys have found their stride it seems and are consistently covering 13-14 miles (20-22 km ) on a daily basis. That might not seem like much, but in the frozen Antarctic it is a full days work. As a result of those efforts, they have now covered approximately 300 miles (482 km) on their journey, which is a there and back again trip to the Pole and their starting point at Scott's Hut. While they still have a very long way to go, all is well and they are progressing as expected. 

With the Thanksgiving holiday upon us here in the U.S., it is likely that I won't be able to update again until next week. Hopefully by then the weather will have cleared and more teams will be on their way to the South Pole. Stay tuned. 

The Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge wrapped up a week ago, and at the time I mentioned how it has become a staple on the adventure racing calendar each fall. Turns out I spoke a bit too quickly, although the future does continue to look bright for the event.

Late last week I received word that the Challenge will go on hiatus for 2014 as race organizers prepare for the future. Details are a bit light right now, but I'm told that they are preparing for a "significant step up" when the race returns in 2015. The press release accompanying the note that I received indicated that the race has positioned itself nicely to move into a premium position moving forward. It also indicated that Webber, who has now retired from F1 racing (although not automobile racing completely), will have a bit more free time that he'll use to grow the Tasmania Challenge further.

It seems that there is something big in the works and the race will return with a vengeance in 2015. Until then, we'll have to wait to hear more once the details emerge. Considering the Tasmania Challenge has now been around for ten years, finding out where it is headed next should prove very interesting.

Now that Spring is finally here, I'm sure many of you are turning to the outdoors once more, and heading out to trails that were covered in snow not all that long ago. Of course, that means you might need some new gear, and Outside Online has you covered.

Check out their Spring Gear Review with a few cool new items that'll surely be useful as the weather warms up. There is a new environmentally friendly PFD for the kayakers out there and a new Ultra-light rain jacket to fight off those April Showers. You'll find a few other cool items as well, like moisture wicking shirts, biking gloves, and a big duffle bag to store everything in.

So if you're looking for something new to add to the gear closet, you can start here. As for me, I'm now on a first name basis with most of the staff at my local REI, so I think I'm done buying gear for now. We'll see in a few though. ;)

I noticed that my list of Google Followers have now grown to over 600 people! This list is distinct from my Twitter and Facebook followers and/or friends, Feed subscribers* or from my subscribers to my newsletters.

To commemorate this milestone, I've chosen to feature the 602nd Google Follower whose name is Christina Saull, a photographer from Washington, DC based photographer who works on media relations for a health non-profit organization. She also authors another blog Life Through The Lens.

I'll be featuring the 700th (or so) Google Follower as well...so keep following The Travel Photographer!

*I've checked...I've got twice the number of feed subscribers of PDN...go figure!

If you’d like to receive daily updates about great heritage sites to visit in Ireland then please consider following us on Facebook, Twitter  and Google+.

Derrynaflan, also known as Gobán Saor’s Island, is situated in the middle of Littleton bog in County Tipperary. The name derives from the Oak Wood of the Two Flanns, a reference to two prominent clerics who lived here during the ninth century. It has over a thousand years of history as an ecclesiastical settlement – from as far back as the early medieval period to the 1700s.

The site first appears in our historical records when a monastery was said to have been founded here by Saint Ruadhan of Lorrha in the sixth century. Derrynaflan reached its zenith in the eighth and ninth century, when it became home to the Celi Dé (or Culdee) movement. This Christian sect were noted for their very austere way of life.

Derrynaflan is reputed to be the burial place of An Gobán Saor (Gobán the builder), a famed architect, stonemason and builder of churches in Ireland in the decades around 600 AD. He is said to have been born near Malahide, Co Dublin in 560 AD. A wealth of folklore abounds concerning the life of An Gobán.

One tale tells how on one occasion he was building a monastery, and as he neared completion, the monks decided to lower his wages and cheat him of his dues. Gobán refused to negotiate, so the monks took away all his ladders and scaffolding until he agreed, leaving him trapped high on the building. This did not deter Gobán though, he simply began to throw down stone after stone of the building, saying it was an easy way as any to descend, the monks reluctantly relented and paid him the agreed fee.

The interior of the church

Another story concerns his shrewd wife Ruaidhseach. Gobán and his son were labouring for seven years to build a fine castle for a king. The wily king planned to have them killed when they finished it so they could not build as fine a fortress for any of his rivals. Gobán heard of his wicked plans and sent word to the king that he couldn’t finish the castle without a particular tool called a “crooked and straight”.

Bullaun Stone inside the church

The King, fearing treachery, would not allow Gobán and his son to leave to fetch the tool, so he sent his own son in their place. What the king did not guess, was that the ‘crooked and straight’ was actually a warning code for his wife, Ruaidhseach. When the Prince came demanding the ‘crooked and straight’ she told him it was at the bottom of a deep casket. When the Prince bent over to find it she quickly threw him in and sealed the casket, sending word to the King that if he wished to see his son again then he should release Gobán and her son which he promptly did. Three graveslabs on the eastern side of the island are said to mark the burial place of the Gobán and his family.

The land for Derrynaflan was probably granted by the powerful Eoganacht dynasty from their base in Cashel, however when the Eoganacht’s power began to wane by the end of the ninth century, the monastic community at Derrynaflan also went into decline.

The site was reinvigorated during the twelfth century, and the ruined church at Derrynaflan represents these two different periods. The small single-roomed church of the early medieval period was incorporated into a larger nave-and-chancel church in the twelfth century. This was a traditional layout during the medieval period, the chancel was the part of the church which housed the altar and where the priests, monks or clergy would have sat during mass, while the nave was for the common people. Outside the church you can see one wall of an enclosure nearby. A small Franciscan community continued largely unnoticed on the island between 1676 and 1717. This was during a period of suppression of the Catholic Church in Ireland, when the harsh Penal Laws held sway, following the Cromwellian Conquest and Williamite Wars.

In 1980 an incredible hoard of ecclesiastical metalwork was discovered nearby, including a beautiful silver chalice accompanied by a patten and wine strainer. These objects were thought to have been hidden for safekeeping sometime in the 9th or early 10th century, but never recovered. Perhaps the person who hid them was killed or captured in a raid by Vikings or Irish warriors from a rival tribe. These magnificent artefacts are now on display in the National Museum of Ireland on Kildare Street. 

The magnificent silver chalice of Derrynaflan

In recent years, life has begun to return to the old church site of Derrynaflan, as dawn mass on Easter Sunday morning on the island has become an annual event. To hear more of the story of Derrynaflan try our free MP3 audioguide, available from here. 

To get to Derrynaflan from the Laffansbridge direction, take the R691 at Laffansbridge. Turn left here (signposted for Cashel). After approx. 1.5 km turn right off this road onto the road signed L5402, which is a narrow third-class road. Follow this road for 2 km and then turn right (no signpost) on a laneway into the old village of Lurgoe, about 1km from Derrynaflan. It is possible to drive further from this point, but the laneways are narrow and unpaved and you will need to open and close several gates, so proceeding from here on foot is recommended. If you are at Horse & Jockey, just after the Hotel, turn left (signpost for Ballinure) and 200m down this road, take the second left junction. Continue along this road for 2.5 km. A laneway to the right leads towards Derrynaflan. It is recommended that you park here and proceed on foot southwards to Derrynaflan Island. 

Thank you for taking the time to read our blog, if you’d like to support us please consider downloading one of our acclaimed series of audioguides to Ireland’s heritage sites, they are packed with original music and sound effects and a really fun and immersive way of exploring Ireland’s past. They are available from abartaheritage.ie.

If you’d like to receive daily updates about great heritage sites then please consider following us on Facebook, Twitter  and Google+.