Here were a few interesting things that we came across over the past few days, the first of which was this appalling plastic mold that allows one to create a bowl made from bacon...and then serve such healthy things like macaroni and cheese out of it. [facepalm] Yes, it was from the As Seen On TV section of a late night drug store.



This olive oil, on the other hand, was surprisingly good. See, I'm a bit finicky when it comes to olive oil, as I prefer the sharp grassy taste of a Sicilian (or perhaps Spanish) oil over anything else. So I was a bit surprised to find how much I liked this Californian bottle at Trader Joe's. It still wasn't as punchy as the deep green Sicilian stuff that I'm inclined to, but if I were living near a Trader Joe's, I'd be buying a lot of this stuff as a much more affordable - if slightly milder - alternative.



Finally, with today's being St. Patrick's Day, I was happy to have some corned beef and cabbage at home, especially since I haven't had it in a very long time. We opted for a house-brined version from Whole Foods, which turned out better than I thought it would be, especially compared to the salty factory-sealed kind that we'd had in the past. I gobbled up the tender stuff in seconds, asking for more.

All Photos © Neal Jackson-All Rights Reserved
I just stumbled on this collage of photographs made by Neal Jackson during the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop (FPW) in Manali last June.

It appears that some the FPW instructors are fond of using their hands whilst conducting their classes....virtually the same gestures and mannerisms!

From the top left is Michael Robinson Chavez, top right is Ron Haviv, bottom right (in red) is Ami Vitale, and bottom left is Tewfic El-Sawy (The Travel Photographer). Click on it for a larger version.

The 2010 Foundry Photojournalism Workshop is scheduled for 20 – 26 June in Istanbul.

Wow, I'm surprised that SQ still has these old school seats in operation. Sure, that might make sense for a short hop to KL or something, but this was a five or six hour run to Beijing, and there was no in-seat power, no video on demand, and definitely no Wi-Fi. Yes, I'll admit that I'm a bit spoiled, but even United Economy has in-seat power (and VOD and sometimes Wi-Fi) in Asia. I'm not sure why SQ's website wouldn't let me pre-order an Indian meal either.

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

The exceptionally well-preserved mid-15th century friary of Rosserk is beautifully positioned on an estuary of the River Moy. It was founded in around 1441 for the Third Order of Franciscans. These were married men and women who wanted to lead a life according to the ideals of St Francis, but because of their married status, they were unable to join the First Order of Franciscans (friars) or the Second Order (nuns).

There are suggestions that the site takes its name from ‘Ros Searc’, or ‘Searc’s Wood’. Searc appears to have been a little known female saint, who is said to have founded an early monastery on the site, though no early remains have yet been identified.

Most of the buildings you can explore today date to the 15th century, and include the church with a slender bell tower; and a small cloister along with a number of other buildings, some domestic, to the north. Upstairs in the buildings you can find dormitories, a kitchen and a refectory.

Rosserk contains some fascinating examples of medieval craftsmanship, including the eastern window with its delicate and elaborate stone tracery, and the piscina where the holy vessels were washed during the mass. The piscina is a wonderful example, and has a sculpture of a pair of angels in the top right hand corner, and a unique carving of a round tower on one of the jambs.

This may represent the round tower at nearby Killala – a site that would have been in ruins for centuries before the construction of the friary at Rosserk – potentially showing an intriguing suggestion of regard of ancient monuments by the medieval sculptor.

Rosserk was burned in 1590 by Sir Richard Bingham, Governor of Connacht. Bingham appears to have been a formidable and ruthless military leader, infamously stating that ‘…the Irish were never tamed with words but with swords’. He attempted to destroy the power of the MacWilliam Burkes of Co Mayo in a relentless and bloody campaign.

It was also Bingham who ordered that any Spanish survivors of the Armada who landed in Connacht should be brought to Galway and put to death there, leading to an estimated 1,000 executions. His brutal and punitive rule led to a number of insurrections and uprisings, and he came into constant conflict with the famous ‘Pirate Queen’ Gráinne Mhaol. Rosserk was possibly burned as part of reprisal measures to forcefully subdue the Burkes.

However today Rosserk is a peaceful and tranquil spot, and along with a visit to nearby Moyne Abbey (just 4km to the north), it really does make for a great day out. Rosserk is free to enter all year round. You’ll find it approximately 7km north of Ballina signposted off the R314, at co-ordinates: 54.171255, -9.143696.

I really hope you enjoy our blog. If you'd like to discover more stories about Irish history, archaeology and culture and if you'd like to support us you can download audioguides from my website abartaheritage.ie, where we have 25 guides that tell the story of Irish heritage and the majority are absolutely free to download. 

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

I came across this article from the New York Times while browsing The Goat Blog over at BackCountry.com.

It's the first review I've seen on that fance new Skywalk that the Hualapai Indians built over the Grand Canyon. The $30 million structure projects 70 feet out over the canyon, and is transparent, allowing visitors to seemingly walk out into space. Customers have been lining up to pay $75 a pop to stroll out onto the Skywalk, and to experience an intense form of vertigo.

The reviewer isn't all that impressed however, as he felt that there were just as stunning of views not that far away that would cost you nothing, and wouldn't have the natural setting destroyed by a man made mounument to consumerism. He went on to say that the Tribe's near by resort does nothing for the setting either, and that you're better served spending your time, and money, on the North or South Rims.

Personally, I thought paying $25 for the experience was a bit much when it was reported that that would be the cost to walk out on to the Skywalk. However, I figured at that price, you could still cough up the dough and not feel completely ripped off. But $75? Forget it! I'm sure the experience is one that has to be seen to be enjoyed completely, but I'll take my 75 clams and go elsewhere. Like, you know, down into the Canyon itself.

Ancient Art is the name of one of the Fishers Towers, a rock column located not far from Moab, Utah. The face is about 400 feet in height, and as you'll see in the video below, a challenging climb. Recently Hayley Ashburn and Marshall Miller made the ascent and then BASE jumped from the top. The entire adventure is chronicled in this video and shot on GoPro of course.

Ok, now this list is getting very intresting. We're talking some super cool stuff here, and I'm not just saying that because one of the times is a pack! I love packs! ;)

If you're joining us late, in celebration of is fifth year as a gear reviewer, The Gear Junkie, aka Stephen Regenold is counting down his Top Ten Gear of the Past Five Years! Today were down to numbers 4 and 3.

Holding down the number 4 spot is the Virga Pack from Granite Gear. This pack basically consists of one large compartment and some padded straps to throw it on your back with. As the Gear Junkie notes ,there is no frame at all, and you create a rigid pack by placing a sleeping pad inside of it and letting it uncoil against the sides of the bag. Stuff the rest of your gear in, and off you go. The whole pack weighs a mear 1 pound 3 ounces while still providing 3200 cubic inches of space. All for about $110. *drool*

The "bronze metal" of this list, making the podium at number 3, is the Kona Jake The Snake. This bike is designed for both on and off road adventures and is built for speed in all kinds of conditions. It's light, fast, and doesn't have a suspension, but will handle just about anything you throw at it. That thing looks like a blast to ride and it's relatively affordable at $1350.

Tomorrow will bring us the top two spots on the list. Can't wait to see what they are.

According to this article Outside magazine has announced it's Gear of the Year for 2007. Starting with over 400 products to test, they narrowed it down to 15 winners for their annual awards.

This years winners are:

• ROAD RUNNER: New Balance 902
• TRAIL RUNNER: Adidas J S3
• ROAD BIKE: Kestrel RT700
• MOUNTAIN BIKE: Felt Virtue Two
• SHELL: The North Face Cipher Windstopper
• LIGHT HIKER: La Sportiva Sandstone GTX-XCR
• BACKPACK: Granite Gear Nimbus Meridian
• TENT: Big Agnes Emerald Mountain SL 2
• SLEEPING BAG: Mountain Hardwear UltraLamina 32
• SURFBOARD: MR 1979 Retro Single-Fin
• KAYAK: Jackson Kayak Fun
• SUNGLASSES: Oakley Radar
• DIGITAL CAMERA: Panasonic DMC-LX2
• LUGGAGE: REI Stratocruiser 25
• GPS: Magellan CrossoverGPS

Apparently the full article is in the current news stand edition, and I'm sure it'll be on the online edition soon. So what items on the list are going to make it into your gear box? I'm digging that Big Agnes tent, the Felt Mountain Bike, and of course the Granite Gear Pack. :)

Reports from Everest are that the weather is holding out and that the forcast for the weekend looks great. That means we can expect more teams to summit in the next few days. All the activity this week has seen a lot of climbers reach the top, but there are still plenty of teams waiting for their chance.

MountEverest.net has posted an update this morning with all kinds of news. The Super Sherpas are reporting that the bodies of the two Korean climbers who died on the South West Face have been recovered. It seems the pair were sleeping in their tend when an avalanche hit, although the full details haven't been released yet. They also note that a number of climbers, such as Mike Haugen, who is up at C1, and the Alpine Ascents Team, currently at C2, are still moving into position to make their bids.

Meanwhile, Tim Warren was suppose to top out today, but has turned back. His latest dispatch says that a prolonged cough, common on the mountain, has left him with a throat infection, and kept him from reaching the top. The Cracking Days Team also turned back after witnessing the death of the Japanese climber a few days ago. That's enough to rattle anyone, and it's good judgement not to continue up the mountain when you see something like that. Coming with 125 meters of the summit and turning back isn't easy, but it's a clear sign of a good mountaineer when he knows the proper time to head down.

Be sure to check out Alan Arnette's Everest 2007 Page for updates though out the day. The chart he has at the top of the page is most useful in keeping track of where everyone is on the mountain. I'm sure Jason, over at The Adventurist will also be updating with news as it breaks as well.

Wednesday marks the start of the 10th annual Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge, a 341 km (211 miles) adventure race held in the remote Tasmanian wilderness. The event is hosted each year by F1 star Mark Webber, who happens to be a huge fan of endurance sports and adventure racing in particular. Webber ended his long racing career last Sunday after competing in the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The course for this year's Tasmania Challenge runs along the West Coast of the Australian island. The five-day race features coed teams with some incredible athletes mixed into the field. While Webber himself is unable to compete this year, fellow F1 driver Mitch Evans is giving the Challenge a go for the first time. He's joined by Olympians Emma Snowsill, who competed in the triathlon, and Kenny Wallace who is a world class kayaker. As is usual with an adventure race of this kind, the stages will include mountain biking, trail running, paddling and various other disciplines.

The elite teams will be competing for a piece of the $30,000 purse, while others will be taking part in the charity fundraiser. Most of the proceeds generated from the Tasmania Challenge goes to Whielion, an organization which provides a number of service for at-risk youth in Australia. Additionally, some of the funds also go to the Save The Tasmanian Devil fun as well.

Once the race gets underway you'll be able to follow the progress of the teams and get updates on daily standings from the official website.

Photo © Asim Rafiqui-All Rights Reserved
It's always a pleasure to start off the month with a super interesting post.

Here's a religious event/festival that not only fires up my adrenaline and imagination, but whose descriptive details I savor with relish, particularly as these are written by one of my favorite writers, William Dalrymple, and photographed by one of my favorite photojournalists, Asim Rafiqui.

And naturally, this event (as one of the largest pilgrimage festival in southern India) will be added to my list of possible destinations for a photo~expedition in 2011 or beyond. Not as overhyped as the Kumbh melas, it's the sort of authentic event I would love to photograph and attend...and then produce photo-essays and audio slideshows. It is this kind of destination that I seek for my photo~expeditions, which are destination/event-driven rather than just hopscotching from one tourist spot to the other. The trek up to the temple takes a minimum of five hours on a crowded path and unfortunately, women aged 10-60 are excluded from the pilgrimage.

The festival is the Sabarimala pilgrimage, and it brings Hindus and Muslims together in a fashion that is seldom witnessed. It would be redundant for me to re-post what Dalrymple describes, so here is his article as published in The Guardian.

Here's Asim's post in his opus; The Idea of India, and in which he writes:

"Here, in this small town in Western Kerala, members of two communities have managed, through legend, lore and ritual, to create a shared spiritual and social space and bridged what many claim is an insurmountable divide. The Sabarimala pilgrimage, in the course of about forty days, will bring nearly 50 million pilgrims through this town, and to the Vavar mosque. The seventy kilometer trek from Erumeli to the mountain top shrine of the god Ayyappa at Sabarimala cannot be completed without first paying respects to his friend the Muslim pirate/saint Vavar and asking his permission to proceed."

Asim meets a guruswami who invites him to join his group to Sabarimala and, being of a different persuasion, assumes wrongly that the invitation was only rhetorical. As the guru leads his group towards the mountain shrine of Ayyappa, he waves and tells Asim that perhaps Ayyappan did not call him yet, but that when he was ready he'd ask him to come.

I hope Ayyapan includes me as well.

Photo © Jehad Nga-All Rights Reserved

"I respond more to fashion and fine-art, carrying these fields and variables in photojournalism." -Jehad Nga

The British Journal of Photography (which revamped its website) published an interview with Jehad Nga, one of my favorite photographers. This blog featured many posts on Nga, and his distinctive chiaroscuro style.

Titled From Kansas To Nairobi, the recent interview sheds a light on Nga's decision to join the Institute for Artist Management instead of VII and Magnum.

Nga first visited the Middle East in 2001 spending months in different medical volunteering positions in Gaza. When he interned at Magnum Photos in 2002, he was also training to become an Emergency Medical Technician. But since 2004, when he moved to East Africa, he's been dedicating most of his time to photography, working regularly for the New York Times.

Via photojournalism links

Photo © Jamie Williams-All Rights Reserved
Here's some really terrific imagery of Tibet by photographer Jamie Williams, who's based in Sydney, Australia.

His biography is unfortunately sparse, and apart from dividing his time between photographing editorial and commercial imagery, and pursuing his own personal projects, we know that he won quite a impressive awards to include Honorable Mentions in Prix De La Photographie (Paris), and that he worked with many publications to include Australian Airlines Magazine, In Style, World Expeditions, etc.

There are quite a few of photographs in Jamie's Tibet gallery that I ought to mention; the juxtaposition of the prayer scrolls and the Mani stones images, the Tibetan woman with the prayer wheel in silhouette (above), the woman cradling a baby near a pile of Mani stones, and the woman walking underneath prayer flags in a village...just to mention a few. The gallery consists of 47 images, so you'll need a few minutes to enjoy them. And the photographs are big...really big! The size that photo editors want and like.

His travel galleries also include imagery from Nepal, India, Kashgar, Kyrgyzstan, his native Australia and Papua New Guinea.

To be sure, they didn't actually call this phở on the menu. Instead, it was simply their "beef noodle soup," and it was only after I took a few bites did I realize why. Sure, this bowl had the requisite ingredients, including rice noodles, bean sprouts, and cilantro. But the onions were grilled, giving it a lovely depth (think: In-N-Out grilled onions) that I'm surprised I hadn't seen other places do before. Mmm...it looked like I was going to like this thing a lot.

That was, until I ate the beef, which, while very tender, was marinated so sweetly that I flinched when I tasted it. It was basically a tare-marinated piece of yakiniku, which was fine on its own merits, but just wasn't what I wanted in that clear broth. Well, these guys claim to be inspired by both Vietnamese and Japanese cuisines, which explains the approach to that bowl (a modern approach to a traditional bowl of Asian noodles, I suppose).

I'll come for that grilled onion broth again, but I'll probably pluck out the meat and eat it with a bowl of rice on the side instead. It might also be interesting to go to the proper restaurant itself rather than this shared space inside of a clothing store, but I guess this location is a bit more convenient (181 Orchard Road #02-16, 6884-7560). Note that this item is only available on weekends.

The Outdoor Weblog has posted the second of their new weekly feature entitled "The Outdoor Enthusiast Next Door", and it just happens to be an interview with yours truly.

New Blog Queen Terah Shelton read about my recent trip to Africa and asked if I'd mind answering a few questions on the trip. What you see published on her blog is ther result, along with a few pictures from my safari gallery.

A big thanks to Terah for giving me the opportunity to write about my trip and sharing it with her readers. She did a great job of making me look good and selecting some of my favorite pics to accompany the article. I fully intend to continue my summary of the Kili climb here as well, once I get a little time to catch up, and more detailed thoughts on the safari as well.

Update: Part 2 of the interview has been posted on the website if you're interested in more.

I'm not even sure if that's really the name of this place; the Farmart website says that this place is called the 228 Coffee Stall instead (67 Sungei Tengah Road #43A). But when I tried to write the Chinese characters in Google Translate, it returned "Arnold," or anou in pinyin.

Anyway, this shockingly cheap S$4 (US$3.10) plate of fresh blood cockles paired with Tiger beer on ice was just the refreshing snack that we needed on such a scorching hot day. I kinda liked the otak-otak that the lady nearby was selling too...again at a shockingly cheap price of four pieces for only S$2 (US$1.60). I think the beer was more expensive than the food!

And this little Farmart village was kinda cool too. It seriously felt like being at some random village in Malaysia yet without requiring us to bring any passports. The prawn fishing area looked a bit run down though.

The title of this post pretty much says it all. Safari guide Matthew Copham set his GoPro camera down while out in the field and he managed to capture a once in a lifetime shot. A curious cheetah wandered up to take a look at the strange device and then gave it a lick. Fortunately, the big cat didn't find the camera tasty enough to eat. Still, pretty cool footage none the less.

According to this report over at Yahoo Sports Floyd Landis' "B" sample turned up traces of synthetic testosterone when follow-up tests were conducted on seven urine samples submitted by the Tour de France Champion. The article quotes from the French newspaper L'Equipe, where the report orginated.

Landis, who has continually maintained his innocence, claim that the tests should not have been conducted at all since his primary, or "A", sample tested negative for any banned substances. To further complicate matters, Landis' own "expert" was suppose to be allowed to witness the latest round of testing, but was barred from the room while the tests were conducted, despite an agreement that would have had him observe the testing process.

This latest twist in the story comes after a report a few months back that Landis' samples may have been mislabled, and someone else's samples were the ones actually being tested. Over the past ten months, there certainly has been a lot of back and fourths to this story. At this point, it's difficult to figure out who to believe. Clearly the French labs have issues with their testing process, that much is evident from other cases as well. But these samples testing positive doesn't bode well for Landis either. So, at this point, we either have a plot by the French to discredit another American cyclist, or Landis is guilty of using performance enhancing drugs. I'm not sure I'd rule out either option at the moment.

Thanks GoBlog!

While I was away last week National Geographic announced the 2014 Adventurers of the Year, a distinction that goes to 13 individuals who achieved extraordinary accomplishments in exploration, adventure sports, conservation or activism. As usual, this year's list includes climbers, skiers, endurance athletes and a host of other amazing individuals who pushed boundaries in some unique ways.

Amongst those who have earned a place of honor on the 2014 list are Dave and Amy Freeman, who traveled across North America on foot, in kayaks and on dogsleds, covering some 11, 647 miles (18,744 km) in the process. They're joined by Raphael Slawinski and Ian Welsted who put up the first ascent of the tricky K6 in Pakistan, and Sarah Marquis, who traveled on foot from Siberia to Australia over a three-year period. Unsurprisingly, Diana Nyad makes the list for her amazing swim from Cuba to the U.S., and ultra-runner Kilian Jornet is honored for his amazing feats of speed and athleticism in the mountains. See the full list by clicking here.

As has been the norm the past few years, Nat Geo is also letting us cast our vote on who we think should be the top adventurer. The winner of the vote will be named the People's Choice Adventurer of the Year in early 2014. Vote early and vote often by clicking here.

As usual, there are some very good choices on this list and some people that I've written about regularly. It's great to see some of the folks that we admire get recognition beyond just a niche following on the Internet. Congratulations to all of the winners. These honors are much deserved all around .

I posted a programming not a few days ago for a televisions how airing on The Discovery Channel called Adventure Bhutan. The two hour program aired last night, but in case you missed it, remember, it was on the Discovery Channel, I'm sure it will get played over. And over. And over...again.

Judging from the traffic logs for my blog, there seems to be a lot of interest in the show, so I thought that I'd share my thoughts on it while it's still fairly fresh in my mind. First off, I'll lament the fact that the show wasn't in HD, nor was it aired on the Discovery HD Channel. It would have looked amazing seeing Bhutan and it's stunning scenery in full HD. The show was letterboxed and seemed to be in the 16:9 aspect ratio, which leads me to believe that it was filmed in HD, just not aired in that format. But that's neither here nor there.

The show followed a team of adventurers and explorers as they traveled down the Mangde Chu River by whitewater raft and kayak. This area of the World has never been seen by Westerners before, and it's safe to say that it's likely not been visited by many (if any) humans before. There were points on the river where the rapids were rated as Class VI, which one of the members of the team explained meant that there was about a fifty percent chance of survival. Not only would you have to be a world class kayaker to survive this river, you would need excellent gear and boats to navigate the area, which probably points to the fact this was indeed the first group of people to explore the region.

The team certainly met with their hardships along the way. The river was more challenging than they expected in spots, and the narrow canyons made it difficult for them to run the rapids. They had to portage around some rather nasty areas, and those portages, over rocks and through jungle were not easy at all. When team leader Gerry Moffatt fell and gashed open his leg, there was a serious threat to his health and quite possibly his life. (I couldnt' have been the only one who winced in pain when they showed that gash!)

But of course, in the end, they were able to make the first descent on the Mangde Chu, and reach their destination at the border of Bhutan and India. I have to admit, it looked like quite the adventure, and there was some amazing white water to run. However, the show turned into more of an kayaking adventure and less of an exploration of the territory to me. As someone who enjoys kayaking very much, I was thrilled to watch them tackle some crazy rapids, but I really wanted to see more of this "Unexplored World" they kept telling us about. Yes, we did get some shots of the canyons and this new area that man was seeing for the first time, but often times we would get a shot of one of the team members telling us how amazing it was there, when what I really wanted to see was the things that made it amazing. The camera work wasn't exceptional while in the canyon, and there was little to distinguish the area from any other canyon on Earth. I was hoping for more of a mix of the white water kayaking and exploration elements at times. It also didn't help that it took the first hour of the show for the team to just arrive at the unexplored area.

That said, I was entertained by the program. It was great to see, and learn more, about Bhutan and the people there. It's a part of the World that many people don't even know exists, and few Westerners will ever travel to. The team setting off into an unknown region, by kayak no less, was fun to watch, and I did get into their struggle to reach their goal. All in all, I would say it was well worth the two hour investment, even if I would have liked to have seen more of a focus on what they found in the region they were exploring. The overall quality was what you would expect out of the Discovery Channel, which is to say very good, it just left me wanting a little more. I guess that just means I'll have to plan my own Bhutan Adventure. :)