Clutching my throat, I asked my guide Hans, “Do you know what plant this is?” “That’s not a good plant. It’s poisonous, and you shouldn’t touch it. You need to wash your hands thoroughly.” “But, I put it in my mouth.” Blank stare, followed by Hans’s eyes growing wider. “I took a bite of it and now my mouth is burning. Really burning. It’s like I’m gargling with carbolic acid,” I managed to explain in a hoarse voice, as my throat … [Read more...]
Left Beyond the Horizon by Christopher Many
Most books we receive to review are quickly consumed - easy travel reads. This book is different. It reads at a snail's pace providing insights and food for the reader to digest slowly. It is written as it was traveled - to be absorbed over time rather than finished in a day. Author Many is no stranger to long road trips; at the time this book was first published in Germany in 2011 he had been on the road for nearly 15 years. Taking him on … [Read more...]
Land Rover Launches Competition: Win Trip to Space
Four aspiring adventurers will win a trip to space with launch of Land Rover’s ‘Galactic Discovery’ competition Adventurers Sir Richard Branson, Bear Grylls, Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Virginia McKenna help launch Land Rover’s trip of a lifetime to celebrate debut of New Discovery Sport New compact SUV is premiered through online video, filmed at Spaceport America, the home of Virgin Galactic Global competition expected to … [Read more...]
The Dangerous First Descent of the Zambezi
It was Valentine’s Day when I first saw the river; it was love at first sight. Along with a party of tour operators, I had been shuttled between game parks and hotel lobbies for days, all leading up to this: Victoria Falls. While the other occupants of the Land Rover pressed for a glimpse of the great falls upstream, I looked the other way, out of habit. Some 350 feet below the bridge we were driving over, a mighty river coiled and cursed through … [Read more...]
British Polar Explorers Planning to Reach South Pole Between Christmas and New Year
British polar explorers Ben Saunders and Tarka L’Herpiniere are hoping for a unique belated Christmas present this year – to reach their half-way mark at the South Pole (900 miles or 1,450km into their 1800 mile or 2,900km journey) between Christmas and New Year. The duo set out from Scott’s historic Terra Nova Hut in Antarctica on 25 October 2013 on a world-record breaking unsupported return journey from the coast of Antarctica to the South … [Read more...]
Pretty Lake Como
We arrived at Lake Como after some stressful driving along the Autostrada's - we hit some heavy rain for kilometers which didn't help things. We arrived at Como and headed for Bellagio. The road around the lake is extremely narrow and which is challenging in our Land Rover. Cars like to race around the corners and there just isn't much room for mistakes. We almost ran into the wall several times to avoid oncoming traffic - but luckily we had … [Read more...]
Enjoying the quaint towns along the Italian and Southern French Riviera
We are driving a large Land Rover that my brother's friend let him borrow indefinitely. While this car is great for off roading - I've heard Land Rovers seem especially prone to break downs. This vehicle is less then 10 years old - not that many kilometers on it and already its showing problems. The power randomly stops when you are driving down the highway - we are having problems with the brakes - the maintenance parking brake light is on ... … [Read more...]
Southern Mozambique
We arrived in Kosi Bay after about 10 hours of at times stressful driving - from near the Lesotho Border in the Free State of South Africa. We arrived here in the dark of night and promptly made a beeline for the beach on the sandy roads in our 2wd Honda Jaz- looking for lodging - big mistake. There were no lights - and signs indicating hotels located just down the road were misleading as we later found out we were many kilometers from the beach. … [Read more...]
The appearance of the gun
Today we drove to the northern part of the country, passing small villages, rural fields and many sheep and cow herders. Walking seems to be the preferred form of transportation and one always has to keep an eye open for people on the side of the road. Driving can be challening yet fun. Some of the roads were full of pot holes - or perhaps potholes is not the appropriate word - craters might be more sufficive! So you come up on a crater in your … [Read more...]
Rolf Potts: Travel Writer & Journalist
Rolf has built up an impressive resume during his travel writing career. He is the author of two critically acclaimed books and numerous travel related essays. Late last year he set out on a "No Baggage Challenge" Round the World Trip in which the only items he carried were what fit in his pockets. Recently we had a chance to ask Rolf about both his career, travel writing and recent projects. Q. For those interested in pursuing travel … [Read more...]