The world's new culinary capital?

Tomorrow's NY Times will publish an interactive feature called The 44 Places To Go In 2009. You can vote on each and you can order them by filters such as "luxury," "foodie," "culture," "party," "eco," etc. I've been to 23 of their recommendations, from Reykavik, Buffalo and Washington, DC to Dakar, India, Phuket and Marrakesh. They call Marrakesh, which I've visited a dozen times since 1969, "the culinary destination of the year." I like Moroccan food-- ate at Chameau on Fairfax last night and rejoiced when I stumbled upon La Rose des Sables, Bamako's only Moroccan restaurant, a few weeks ago. And in 2006 I had even posted a story here called Eating in Marrakesh. But I never thought I'd see this:

As the fascination with Moroccan cuisine has taken off-- both in the United States and around the globe-- epicures and chowhounds are flocking to the ancient ochre-hued city of Marrakech. Foreign-led food tours are sprouting. Homegrown cooking classes are multiplying. And high-end restaurants run by European hotshots are opening alongside the city's nonpareil street food and old, homestyle establishments.

Wow! Quite a leap from the communal tables of the Djemaa el Fna! But if you think that's odd, the Time's top destination for "culture" is Doha, Qatar. They contrast it with Dubai, the Las Vegas of the Middle East, and point to the just opened Museum of Islamic Art, I.M. Pei's "ziggurat-like structure of white stone... far off the art-world grid, in a corner of a globe known more for its religious fundamentalism than its embrace of cutting-edge art." Doha also has a "raft" of new contemporary art galleries in the historic souk, a cobbled together national symphony orchestra, and-- coming soon-- their own Tribeca Film Festival. All brought to you by the emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, and his 26-year-old daughter, Sheikha al Mayassa (the lucky purchaser of $160 million worth of Mark Rothko, Francis Bacon and Damien Hirst at a recent Sotheby's auction; we have the same taste!) Still... the #1 cultural destination in the world? Is Qatar a big Times advertiser?

Party central is Florianópolis, Brazil, and it sounds like the kind of place to avoid at all costs. Other party towns include Berlin (well... duh!), the Aegean Sea, Cuba and... Kazakhstan.

On most Friday nights in Almaty, the Uzbek-themed night spot known as the Car Wash-- an ornately decorated rooftop restaurant with enviable mountain views-- is packed with well-heeled Kazakhs smoking water pipes, drinking, dancing and eating extravagantly. Sandwiched between a residential district scheduled for rapid development and Almaty’s business district, the Car Wash is not the only center of hyperactive nocturnal activity.

Infused with newly flowing oil money, Kazakhstan’s largest city is flush with nightclubs and exotic restaurants. The city’s main boulevards are lined with English-language signs; boutiques sell everything from Armani to gem-encrusted Vertu cellphones, and cafes serve the latest in overpriced coffee concoctions.

Sacha Baron Cohen’s comic Borat character may have imprinted in the minds of many people a sense of ridiculousness about Kazakhstan, but there is little that is ridiculous about this sprawling business hub. Half a dozen luxury hotels are planned or under construction, including an ambitious JW Marriott Hotel opening next summer. The country’s flagship carrier, Air Astana, has added international flights to cities like Hanover, Germany; Dubai; and Bangkok. Wide-bodied Airbus and Boeing jets have joined its fleet.

In short, Almaty is no longer a hardship outpost for the diplomats and the oil industry executives who still dominate the city’s visitor logs.

Still... sounds like quite a stretch to call this a party destination-- even more than calling Doha a world cultural capital. Could be I'm so jaded about Kazakhstan because I just finished reading Ken Silverstein's brilliant new book, Turkmeniscam about the evils of Inside-the-Beltway lobbying, to which that monstrous and grotesque country is no stranger.

And although Kazakhstan ranks up there in this category too, the Times' top destination for luxury is Phuket, an island off the west coast of Thailand. I haven't been there since the 2004 tsunami wiped out the villa I used to rent on the beach, but the Times says Phuket is back-- and better than ever. And the top destination for the frugal traveler? Vegas, the Times apparently mixing up the concepts "frugal" and "cheap."

Since I've just returned from a brief stay in Dakar, I decided to see how my experience jibed with the Times' write-up. I liked Dakar primarily because it was an easy way to acclimate myself to Africa and get ready for the real thing: Mali. I had a great time because of the people I met there and the music scene. Dakar I found pretty nice but not amazing; Roland said it was a waste of time. The Times touts Gorée Island, which is pleasant enough but... nothing to write home about. They also point to the music scene, which I also loved, although I found it in second place behind Mali's.

They may not be Billboard chart-toppers, but Senegalese acts like the rollicking Orchestra Baobab, the soulful pop vocalist Baaba Maal and the poetic lyricist and harmonica virtuoso Ismael Lo-- to say nothing of the international star Youssou N'Dour-- have helped turn the colorful French-speaking city of Dakar into a world-music hotbed.

Their overall #1 destination for 2009? Beirut. OK. And the place on their list I'm thinking of visiting this year? Madagascar, "nature's laboratory," (at #38).

Upper class Brits in the 18th and 19th century used to round out their education with The Grand Tour, a way of learning about the culture of the rest of the world that usually lasted for at least a year and sometimes far longer. People who couldn't quite afford that, used to run away to sea. When I was 15 I hitchhiked from NYC to L.A. and tried stowing away on a ship to get to Tonga. It didn't quite work out for me but at least I discovered drugs and was soon taking LSD trips which were an acceptable substitute for international travel-- for a time. Travel allowed me to break free of all the definitions that bound me up to the dull conformity that endeavored to tell me who I was and what I could and couldn't do. I mean a 2 year trip through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Nepal can't help but change one's outlook pretty fundamentally; it was far more edifying than the public education system which has little choice but to cater to the lowest common denominators and try to make junior citizens into good law-abiding stepfordites. None of that for me, gracias. Fortunately teachers of mine like Isabel Golinsky and Chet Fulmer encouraged a love of literature that banished any semblance of a craving for conformity that may ever have existed in me. Acid trips-- before I could figure out how to travel around the world and immerse myself in other cultures-- pushed me along even further-- and faster.

My last acid trip was on New Year's Eve, 1969. I never drank a beer in my life and I haven't used drugs for three and a half decades. But I still revel in travel, the geographic kind. Last year I was letting my cup runneth over with the joy of all these amazing new restaurants in Bangkok. (I was only there for a week, on the way back to America from a more extended-- and relaxing-- visit to Bali, and there wasn't enough time for my culinary tour of one of my all-time favorite cities.) I said to myself, "Self, why don't you write a guide book to Bangkok restaurants?" I used to be the restaurant critic for a weekly business newspaper in San Francisco (when I was poor and in need of free meals) and I was one of the original correspondents for the now very popular Zagat's Guide. But a restaurant guide to Bangkok never quite got off the drawing board-- nor even onto it. Instead I started blogging about the criminality of George W. Bush, Randy "Duke" Cunningham, Tom DeLay, etc at Down With Tyranny. Oh I love that and occasionally I throw in something about a film or music or a restaurant.

A few months ago, when I was just figuring out how to blog, an old friend from my days in San Francisco (hers too), Jane Hamshire of FireDogLake invited me to a leftie bloggers get together in Mullet, California. One of the people I met there was Pat Saperstein who does a not-leftie-at-all blog called Eating L.A.. I think restaurant reviews go over better there than on Down With Tyranny (alas). This year I spent a month in Spain and Morocco-- having returned last night-- and a month in Bali and Thailand. Whenever I try writing about stuff like this-- or about music or food or health... topics that interest me as much as Bush-bashing-- I get a load of letters complaining and demanding I go back to Bush-bashing. Fine, fine. This will be the only time I write something for both Down With Tyranny and for my brand new child, Around the World Blog. Welcome. (How long do you think it will take before I get letters from people complaining about the travel blog being too political?)

That may sound and look a bit weird, but it was the lunch special at Shinjuku today. It was literally as you see it in the photo: a bowl of plain white rice topped with two eggs sunny side up, a slice of ham, and a touch of soy sauce. I'm not sure if this is very Japanese (sounds rather Hawaiian to me instead), but it was surprisingly good, maybe just because it was so darned simple. And the best part about it was that it was still the usual S$10 (US$8) tax inclusive price. I swear, if our office were closer to here, I'd be here nearly every day for a healthy and affordable meal.

Photo © Deepak Sharma/AP-All Rights Reserved
The WSJ's Photo Journal has featured the above photograph by Deepak Sharma (AP) of Pakistani pilgrims carrying an offering of embroidered cloth (which I believe is called kiswa) to cover the tomb of Sufi saint Khawaja Moinuddin Chisti on the anniversary of his birth in Ajmer, India.

I should have been there!!! My kind of event!

Shaikh Khawaja Syed Muhammad Moinuddin Chisti was the most famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order of the Indian Subcontinent. He introduced and established the order in South Asia, and was succeeded by various notable saints such as Nizzam Uddin Auliya.

I've never checked on this, but Khawaja in Egyptian Arabic means "foreigner", and was used as a title for all Greek and Italian residents (as an example) in Egypt, so I'm not sure if there's a connection or not. Wikipedia defines Khawaja as a title used by South Asians, which is possibly related to Khoja as well.

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy -All Rights Reserved
Our "almost-a-week-long" Oaxaca Mini Photo-Expedition™ was replete with daily serendipitous photo opportunities. Lynn Padwe, Carl Meisel, Li Lu-Porter, Maria Dikeos and I roamed the streets of this wonderful town in search of photographic scenes, and we weren't disappointed.

Naturally, it was the Zocalo...the throbbing heart of Oaxaca, that offered the most in terms of photo ops, and we made the most of it. It's always a wonderment that Oaxaca (and certainly other similar towns in Mexico) always has something going on in its main square. During our 5 days there, every evening saw some sort of cultural event; a classical performance by the Oaxaca orchestra, a performance by a wide-throated Mariachi singer, a Guelaguetza festival for young children (above) and the weekly dance event.

After photographing the events, we would invariably make a beeline towards the various cafes and restaurants that line the square for drinks and/or dinner.

Note: I've recently noticed that a number of travel photographers have now started to appropriate the Photo-Expedition moniker that I've used for years. I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

A couple of months ago my old friend Kristin and her husband Nick were thinking about going to Turkey and Kristin checked out what I has to say about Cappadocia after I got back last year. After a quickly arranged lunch she went home and booked her flights and reserved a suite at the Esbelli. This morning I got an e-mail from her and Nick-- from the cave.

Turkey is amazing.  This will have to rank as the best trip we have ever taken....Rein Daddy and Howie you were dead on and we are grateful for your education and advice...We had no idea how beautiful this country was, as well as how fantastic the people are.

We are in Cappadocia right now in the interior of the country. It is snowing outside, but we are toasty warm in a cave where we are sending this email (high speed DSL I might add) resting from a long hike into some deserted caves, valleys, villages, etc...

We have not encountered a single tourist here, let alone an American. We are truly living among the Turkish people, and they seem so fascinated with the site of an American.  On countless occasions, we will be walking into a tiny shop (like 40 sq') to buy a water or something when the owner rushes to grab some old chairs from the back for us to sit in while he serves us apple tea and then just sort of stands there smiling and looking at us.  It may sound strange, but their warmth and hospitality transcends all language barriers. Today, we were in a shop and this older woman (covered as most of them are here) comes up to Kristin like she just found her long lost daughter with a smile beaming ear to ear and just starts touching her face smiling and laughing and saying "Guzel...guzel" which we have learned means beautiful. The fact that this is a 98% Muslim country should not dissuade anybody from coming here. We have felt safe everywhere we've been, except for a crazy taxi ride in Istanbul a week ago.

So far, we have spent around 4 days in Istanbul, 3 days in Selcuk (Ephesus), and now we are in a small town called Urgup in Cappadocia. We have traveled region to region by airplane due to the size of this country and cheap tickets. Istanbul was a great introduction to Turkey, and the different customs and such. It's pretty crazy as you are walking down the street when you hear the Muslim Call to Prayer echoing from loud speakers throughout the city. This goes on about 5 times a day.  It's pretty cool, except at 5 am when you are trying to sleep. So, we went to the massive and impressive Blue Mosque, the Aya Sophia, Topkapi Palace, as well as shopped at the Grand Bazaar.  Of course, we did a lot of eating too. The food here is pretty damn good. Sort of a East meets West...The spices remind me of sort of a mix between Moroccan, Greek, and Indian, and Kapabs are the big thing here. I must have had a couple dozen by now. Turkish pancakes (like quesadillas) and Pide (like pizza) are also favorites of ours.

In Selcuk, we felt like personal guests of the hotel owner -- Erdal. We just couldn't believe he had other hotel guests, because he was our personal guide throughout the region. He drove us to all of the major sights, restaurants, and even to run our errands.  Anything we wanted, Erdal was there to provide.

Ephesus was, bar none, the best ruins that we've ever experienced. You are in an ancient city with tons of history-- Alexander the Great was here, Jesus's disciples Paul and John were here, the Virgin Mary was here, multiple Emperors were here. It's so easy to imagine what life was like 2000 years ago and what a bright and vibrant time the 200,000 citizens must have experienced. The frescoes, mosaic floors, fountains with multiple statues, and terrace houses were amazing and well preserved. The houses even had hot and cold water running in them!

If you come to Turkey, you are nearly required to purchase a carpet, and we've met our quota. We are thrilled with the 9x6 and 4x6 carpets that are on their way to California as we speak. Any carpet salesman is delighted to give you an education of Turkish carpet making (only women make the carpets), but we decided to buy from Erdal and his partner, Nazmi and we think we got a pretty good deal. 

We're on our first day in Cappadocia and we are in one of the greatest hotels that ever existed. We feel like we've landed in a parallel universe that is featuring "Cave Hotels of the Rich and Famous."  It's called Esbelli Evi (look it up online) and much like our experience in Selcuk, our host Ramazan has taken us under his wing and is directing our tour of the region. For the next three days we are hiring a driver to take us to see sights throughout the region. This costs nearly the same as renting a car and doing it by ourselves. We just can't wait!

Cappadocia's terrain is frequently compared to being on the moon with incredible rock formations, mountains, and valleys that are one of a kind. We were prepared for it to be a bit cooler in this region, but didn't expect snow. Don't worry too much about us too much though, 
today we bought 2 pairs of wool socks, 2 pairs of wool gloves, and 2 hats for about $15.00 and lunch consisting of 2 pizzas and 2 drinks set us back a cool $4.80 with tip.

Well, just as we were sending this a couple from Toronto just checked in to the "cave" and agreed to explore and hike Cappadocia with us and our driver making this even more affordable. I think $15 a head for an entire day with a private car and driver. As they say in Turkey, Hoshchacal for now.  We know about 7 words including two numbers (Bir, Ichi) but we're always learning more.

It appears that the general strike that hit Kathmandu a few days back has been lifted. According to this article (via The Advenurist) the businesses in Nepal decided to lift the strike after the eight ruling parties in the Nepalese government vowed to work towards meeting some of the demands of businesses in the city. This comes as a major relief for all the climbers currently in the city who feared being able to actually fly out to the various regions they'll be climbing in this Spring.

Meanwhile, MountEverest.net has published a new update from the region as well, and indicate that teams acclimatizing in the Khumbu Valley are begging to get their first look at Everest as they trek closer to the mountain. Other teams are arriving for Spring climbs on Cho Oyu and Dhaulagiri as well.

Activity in the Himalaya is picking up with more teams arriving this weekend as well. It wont be long until "Tent City" is alive with activity and the Sherpa guides will go to work on fixing ropes and setting up camps. That's whent he fun begins. Stay tuned!

We still needed a bit more food after that doujiang, so we walked further up the street and just happened to come across the Geylang outlet of No Signboard (412 Geylang Road, 6842-3415). We were actually just looking for some simple noodles, but then when we saw them doing some kind of crab bee hoon, we figured that we'd get that since it included some noodles as well.

I can only assume that this was partially inspired by Sin Huat Eating House, although it's been so long since I was last there that I can't really remember enough about it to make a proper comparison. Nonetheless, this was pretty good, thanks not only to the richness of the shellfish, but also the depth provided by what I believe was some kind of Chinese rice wine.

If I heard the lady correctly, she gave us the lighter and more modern rendition of this dish rather than the darker and more traditional option that was available. Note to self: if you come here again with only two people, make sure you upsize the noodles to a medium portion even if you keep the crab size to a small 1 kg (2.2 lbs). That pot alone was plenty to fill our bellies for the night.

I've added another outlet to the sites that I am contributing for and for the past few weeks, I've been posting to the Let's Roll Blog over at FlightNetwork.com. My postings to the site are more travel related with a slant towards adventure travel and a mix of a few gear reviews as well. The site is still relatively new but it is ramping up quickly and the editors have big plans for where they would like to go.

Here is a sampling of some of the posts that I, and others, have written to the blog recently:

• Kilimanjaro Guide Prepares for 50th Summit
• 7 Reasons Iceland is Quirky and Awesome
• Antarctic Travel Season Begins
• Polar Bear Attacks In Popular Canadian Tourist Town
• Airlines Being Allowing Passengers To Use Electronics Gate To Gate

Just a few articles to give readers an idea of what the blog is all about. If you're a traveler, you'll probably find a lot to like over there. Add it to your list of favorites and give it a go every once in awhile. 

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.