Exploration and Africa are two of his great passions - they drive him on and motivate his inquisitiveness and resolution not to fail, yet the challenges of the terrain, the climate, the animals, the people and his own psychological resolution will throw at him are immense.The dangers are very real, but so is the motivation for this ex-army officer. If he can overcome the mental and physical challenges, he will be walking into history...

    As he teetered on a narrow rock ledge a yak's bellow short of the stratosphere, with a rubber mask strapped to his face, a pair of mittens the size of a sealion's flippers, and a drop of two kilometres below him, it's fair to say Mark Horrell wasn't entirely happy with the situation he found himself in.He was an ordinary hiker who had only read books about mountaineering, and little did he know when he signed up for an organised trek in Nepal with a group of elderly ladies that ten years later he would be attempting to climb the world's highest mountain.But as he travelled across the Himalayas, Andes, Alps and East Africa, following in the footsteps of the pioneers, he dreamed up a seven-point plan to gain the skills and experience which could turn a wild idea into reality.Funny, incisive and heartfelt, his journey provides a refreshingly honest portrait of the joys and torments of a modern-day Everest climber.

    This is where 927 Days of Summer picks up the trail. After shipping Nacho from Argentina to Malaysia on a container ship, Brad and Sheena resume their journey, this time with the ambitious goal of driving all the way around the world. When they roll out of the shipping container onto Malaysian soil, their odometer turns over 300,000 miles. Is Nacho really up for the brutal journey ahead?This hilarious, and often harrowing tale follows them through the sweltering jungles of Southeast Asia, the buzzing hornet's nest of India, into the remote Nepalese Himalayas, through the stony hills of Anatolia to the Sahara Desert in Africa, through Europe and beyond. Whether dodging rickshaws on crater-filled roads, defying Maoist rebels on cliff-hanging Himalayan tracks, getting hopelessly stuck in the desert on the Pakistani border, or becoming the subjects of an international missing persons case in the remote mountains of Laos, there is never a dull moment in 927 Days of Summer. Come along as a diverse cast of characters guides our subjects through a world of unfolding landscapes and cultures on the road trip to end all road trips, and then ask yourself: can you really just go home, unpack, and eat a sandwich?

    . . and more. The instructional travel guide for aspiring backpackers: learn how to bribe police, avoid malaria, and find employment abroad -- and what to do (and not to do) when armed mercenaries detain your charter bus. Awaken your inner explorer with Walter Rhein's Reckless Traveler, expat tales from a decade of discovery.

    Welcomed into a family of nomadic water buffalo herders, he joins them on their annual spring migration into the Himalayas. More than a glimpse into an endangered culture, this superb adventure explores the relationship between humankind and wild lands, and the dubious effect of environmental conservation on peoples whose lives are inseparably intertwined with the natural world.The migration Benanav embarked upon was plagued with problems, as government officials threatened to ban this nomadic family—and others in the Van Gujjar tribe—from the high alpine meadows where they had summered for centuries. Faced with the possibility that their beloved buffaloes would starve to death, and that their age-old way of life was doomed, the family charted a risky new course, which would culminating in an astonishing mountain rescue. And Benanav was arrested for documenting the story of their plight.Intimate and enthralling, Himalaya Bound paints a sublime picture of a rarely-seen world, revealing the hopes and fears, hardships and joys, of a people who wonder if there is still a place for them on this planet.Laced with stories of tribal cultures from India to Yellowstone, from Jordan to Kenya, Benanav deftly wends through the controversial terrain where Western ways of protecting the environment clash with indigenous understandings of nature. Himalaya Bound celebrates and mourns an ancient way of life, while revealing an unlikely battleground in the fight to save the earth.

    Through the decades, his articles have been published in magazines, newspapers, and websites around the globe and have won more awards than almost any other travel writer alive, yet his pieces have never been collected into one volume. The Way of Wanderlust: The Best Travel Writing of Don George fills this void with a moving and inspiring collection of tales and reflections from one of America’s most acclaimed and beloved travel writers.From his high-spirited account of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro on a whim when he was 22 years old to his heart-plucking description of a home-stay in a muddy compound in Cambodia as a 61-year-old, this collection ranges widely. As renowned for his insightful observations as for his poetic prose, George always absorbs the essence of the places he’s visiting.Other stories here include a moving encounter with Australia’s sacred red rock monolith, Uluru; an immersion in country kindness on the Japanese island of Shikoku; the trials and triumphs of ascending Yosemite’s Half Dome with his wife and children; and a magical morning at Machu Picchu.

    They were both predators looking for easy prey.” Poe Ballantine visits his dying Grandfather Bing, receives free rent in return for evicting difficult tenants from the Totalitarian Hotel, models nude for budding artists, reconnects with his parents, befriends a lonely Austrian tourist on the Greyhound bus, cooks and gambles in Vegas, falls in love, returns to his wife’s homeland of Mexico to baptize his son, and discovers the true meaning of Guidelines for Mountain Lion Safety. In this new collection of essays, Ballantine is at his soulful and penetrating best. At once hilarious and heart wrenching, the author recounts the trajectory of his own journey from reckless adolescence to the responsibilities of parenthood with disarming honesty, always fearlessly confronting those bullies and demons that threaten to blow us all off course.

    Industry, toil and grime. Its manufacturing roots mean we still see the North of England as a hardworking place. But, more than possibly anywhere else, the North has always known how to get dressed up, take itself out on the town and have a good time. After all, working and playing hard is its specialty, and Stuart Maconie is in search of what, exactly, this entails what it tells us about the North today.Following tip offs and rumour, Stuart takes trip to forgotten corners and locals’ haunts. From the tapas bars of Halifax to the caravan parks of Berwick Upon Tweed, from a Westhoughton bowling green to Manchester’s curry mile, via dog tracks and art galleries, dance floors and high fells, Stuart compares the new and old North, with some surprising results.The Pie at Night could be seen as a companion to the bestselling Pies and Prejudice, but it is not a sequel. After all, this is a new decade and the North is changing faster than ever. This is a revealing and digressive journey and a State of the North address, delivered from barstool, terrace, dress circle and hillside.

    Many places featured were once populated and now sit unoccupied, modern day ruins, sitting in decay.Stories, facts and photographs of 60 beautiful and eerie abandoned places from throughout the world. Time has stopped and nature is taking resident in these places mainly due to natural disasters, war or economic reasons.Places include:Severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina, Six Flags Jazzland has been abandoned since. Several of the rides still stand, a testimony to the resilience of New Orleans.Shicheng in China has been under water for 53 years since the Xin'an River Hydro Plant flooded the area. The city was founded 1,300 years ago.Chernobyl was totally abandoned after the nearby nuclear disaster in 1986. Due to radiation, it has been left untouched ever since the incident and will be for many thousands of years into the future. Nature now rules the city in what resembles an apocalyptic movie.Poveglia is an island in the Venetian Lagoon which under the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte became a dumping ground for plague victims and later an asylum for the mentally ill.Plymouth was the capital of the island of Montserrat. The town was overwhelmed by volcanic eruptions starting in 1995 and was abandoned.St Kilda a remote Scottish Island may have been permanently inhabited for at least two millennia, the population probably never exceeding 180. The entire population was evacuated in 1930.

    They offer a fascinating glimpse into our past and an inspiring vision for the future. They are the last Pristine Seas, and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala takes readers on an unforgettable journey to 10 of these astounding locations.   From the shark-rich waters surrounding Coco Island, Costa Rica, to the iceberg-studded sea off Franz Josef Land, Russia, this incredible photographic collection showcases the thriving marine ecosystems that Sala is working to protect. Offering a rare glimpse into the world's underwater Edens, more than 200 images take you to the frontier of the Pristine Seas expeditions, where Sala's teams explore the breathtaking wildlife and habitats from the depths to the surface—thriving ecosystems with healthy corals and a kaleidoscopic variety of colorful fish and stunning creatures that have been protected from human interference. With this dazzling array of photographs that capture the beauty of the water and the incredible wildlife within it, this book shows us the brilliance of the sea in its natural state. It is a beautiful reminder of what we have to gain by protecting our seas.

    Written from a social perspective, it presents a fresh appraisal of this world-famous site and sets it apart from any other available book. It offers a comprehensive history of the fortress, from its Roman origins right up to the present day. With over 200 colour illustrations and a comprehensive and chronological narrative divided into thematic chapters, it conveys brilliantly the many and varied stories which make up the Tower’s history – from the menagerie and royal mint to the roll call of its famous prisoners.The story of the Tower of London is, in many respects, the story of England. When building work began on the fortress, the capital was little more than a small town with no more than 10,000 inhabitants. Almost 1,000 years later, the fortress still stands as a symbol of royal power, pomp and ceremony, tradition, heritage, military might, treachery and torture. Its myriad roles are reflected in the complex series of buildings that make up this formidable, magnificent fortress – an iconic site that still attracts millions of visitors from across the world each year.

    But at first glance Yellowknife, NWT is actually a somewhat disappointing modern capital city. There are tall buildings, yoga pants, a Walmart and a lot of government jobs. None the less, if you dig a little deeper, you do find that alternative off-grid reality. Barely five minutes from the downtown core, wedged between million dollar houses, you find little shacks where people exist without running water and use honey buckets for toilets.'When Alison McCreesh moved from Quebec to Yellowknife she quickly fell in love with the quirky ways in which it seemed possible to live up North. Part travelogue, part comic book, part love story and part guide to the North and its quirky inhabitants Ramshackle spans her first summer north of 60.

    From arid land to verdantfields, from jungles with glimpses of elephants and tigersto tea gardens…Along the way, he meets a yogi and his singing goat, exploresancient caves, is frightened in a wild life sanctuary, sees aschizophrenic bicycle and helps a police inspector overcomehis stammering problem. A variety of experiences later, heis finally in Thimpu where a Buddhist monk reveals theroad-map to being happy.A funny, honest and entertaining real-life adventure storythat promises to surprise, shock and perhaps even liberate!

    Upon his return to Michigan, Bobby decides to follow his heart and take a leap of faith--traveling from comfortable "have-a-nice day ... and have-a-warm-shower" suburban Detroit to the former center of Cold War Soviet missile production--the industrial city of Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine. And unbeknownst to anyone but himself, he's bringing an engagement ring!Throughout the course of the book, the reader will experience life in a city that, until the mid-1980s, was closed to foreign visitors. This humorous, memorable expedition is punctuated by a colorful cast of characters, adventures, and cultural mishaps and misunderstandings--from irate babushka women to hard-drinking uncles."Love & Vodka" is a unique hybrid of travel memoir and love story that seamlessly blends outlandish humor, cultural insight and a steady stream of romance. It will appeal to male and female readers of multiple age groups. It is a faithful reminder that there is someone out there for everyone. The world is large and rife with potential; one just needs to be willing to take a gamble and explore the possibilities that exist.

    But if you are going there, it is the second.” —Wendy Trusler and Carol DevineThe Antarctic Book of Cooking and Cleaning is a unique journey through an austral summer, when a group of dedicated individuals—fifty-four people from five countries—picked up nearly three decades’ worth of garbage during a three-month period in Antarctica.In this visually captivating polar journal, Wendy Trusler and Carol Devine transport readers back twenty years and thousands of miles to Bellinghausen, the Russian research station that became their temporary home. Devine, a humanitarian who piloted the project, and Trusler, a visual artist and cook, use journal entries, letters, provision lists, recipes, and menus to document their voyage. They share pithy, insightful observations on life, food, science, politics, and the environment. Showcased throughout are modern and vintage photos and vignettes from Antarctica’s short history—all of which add delightful color and warm detail to this unique book.Trusler reveals the challenges of cooking in a makeshift kitchen during long, white nights at the bottom of the world. While the dozens of eco-tourists strive to help preserve the continent, she must figure out how to cook for all of them in the small camp kitchen, using limited ingredients. The Antarctic Book of Cooking and Cleaning includes forty-two eclectic, tasty, and hearty recipes tinged with Russian, Chinese, and South American influences, such as Honey Oatmeal Bread, Cheese Fondue, Great Wall Dumplings, Roasted Pepper Goulash with Smoked Paprika, Roast Leg of Pork, and Frozen Chocolate Cream. All beautifully photographed, these dishes reflect the expedition’s colorful cultural fabric and the astonishing raw beauty of their surroundings—a continent uniquely devoted to peace, cooperation, and science.

    It is ranked 27th highest in the world and 12th highest in Pakistan, but it is more popular for its beauty than its rank might suggest. Rakaposhi has an uninterrupted vertical rise of approximately 6000 m (19,685 feet), making it the tallest mountain on land when measured from the base to peak.