Write For Us!: Share Your Adventure Contest and Book Giveaway

By awayblog
11/10/2008

Comments (125)

For one week in December, Away.com will be turning over the keys to this blog to five adventure-loving readers. Tell us in the comments section, in 100 words or less, about an adventurous travel experience you've had (or an extraordinary destination that you've discovered). The world's your oyster, though bear in mind that the operative word here is "adventure."

We'll select the five best entries and ask each winner to write an expanded post for this blog, to be published next month. Need more incentive to enter? We will also send our five intrepid bloggers a copy of Riding the Hulahula to the Arctic Ocean: A Guide to 50 Extraordinary Adventures for the Seasoned Traveler, the latest world-roving adventure tome from National Geographic Books (check out an exclusive photo preview on Away.com here). What are you waiting for? Start telling your story now!

Entries must be submitted no later than Friday, December 5, 2008. Please be sure to include your email contact details as part of the Typekey submission profile required for submitting your entry in the comments section (this will not be displayed alongside comment, but will allow us to contact winning finalists accordingly). Click here to download the official contest rules.

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Comments

[Staci Soloway]

I can't believe I closed my eyes. Who closes her eyes while bungi jumping over Victoria Falls? Luckily I realized what I was doing halfway down, at which point I actually looked. That's when the screaming started. If I think about it today, two years later, I still get a huge rush of adrenaline. After bobbing up and down a few times, I remember looking up and seeing a nun watching from the bridge above. I'm not a religious person but I can't lie; it was nice to see her there.

[annebadger]

The Quaalup Homestead on the edge of the Fitzgerald National Park in southwestern Australia is arguably the farthest I’ve been from home, literally and figuratively. After driving three hours on rutted red dirt roads, we pull into Quaalup, where a half dozen kangaroos and their joeys graze on the lawn. Our rustic room has solar power and plumbing that utilizes rainwater. Karin, our hostess, serves dinner on antique dishes in the candlelit dining room of the 19th Century stone ranch house. The next day we hike into the park, where every few feet we see a different, utterly unique wildflower.

[Brian Megaw]

Four day Rangitikei River Headwaters Rafting Trip – New Zealand

A 20 minute helicopter ride, pump up of the boats, and we were on our way, the first of four beautiful days on the river.

Experiencing our wild places has a touch of magic. Where it is not all about the effort required, but more about the Blue Duck, that fearless, that it seemed tame. Where it is about the water being so clear that it appears as glass. Where enormous Rainbow trout patrol each pool, showing absolute contempt to those who would try and catch them.

[Matthew S.]

Drifting in our canoe a mile down river from our Brazilian rainforest eco-lodge, we could already hear their whooping. Just as our canoe beached on the loamy shore of a jungle clearing, four brown wooly monkeys were quickly approaching. Being in the front, I was the first to greet them and to be greeted. Although the size of a large housecat, they were surprisingly strong. My favorite monkey clamped tightly around my neck while he playfully bit my face and pulled my hair. His musky smell was repellant, yet somehow comfortably familiar - perhaps a primordial tickling of my genetic memory.

[Maggi Lunde]

I flew into Denpasar, Bali, arriving as usual at 22:25 to tropical heat and good friends. Driving through the torrential rains, surrounded by untold numbers of poncho-clad motorbikes was both exciting and terrifying! I awoke at dawn to a view of the volcano in the morning haze, the smell of cooking fires, gambalan temple music, the sound tiny ducks make as they swim through the flooded rice fields, and local farmers walking to the river to bathe or to their fields to work, as they had every morning for their entire lives. I was smiling, because I was home.

[Grace Winslow]

Rays and Whales and Sharks, oh my!
“Um, something just bumped me pretty hard. It didn’t clink like a turtle shell… I think I’m going to kneel so I’ll be more stable.” My board hadn’t been lifted out of the water, but I was knocked off-balance.
Suddenly I heard Rachel in a low trembling voice: “There’s a shark… And it has stripes!!”
Stripes meant a tiger shark. There are many kinds of sharks around Maui, but only the tiger sharks are reputed to attack people. I looked over to see 10 inches of dorsal fin sticking out of the water…

[Sy Stadtmauer]

On a recent trip to Bhutan, I was determined to hike the trail to the "Tigers Nest" Monestary. Landing in Paro, Bhutan, altitude over 4,000 feet, the day before, I scheduled the climb the next day without time to acclimate for the altitude change. My mistake.
The climb takes place on a steep and barely improved trail to an altitude of about 11,000 feet. Gasping for every breath, it took me eight hours to complete this wonderful and beautiful hike to one of the most unusual buildings in the world.
I recommend that anyone going to Bhutan attempt this hike, but to schedule it at the end of your trip. By that time, you will be more adjusted to the altitude change.

[carl leonhardsr]

THe atlantic City Casinos have a comp system. You can get free top grade rooms, free buffets, show tickets,Free slot money and gifts. You do not have to be a so called high roller. They have penny slots that you can be comp for playing
Las Vegas no longer gives comps as generous as Atlantic City. There shows cost at least $150.00 a person there food is more expensive and there rooms are over priced. Air travel to Vegas is very expensice. The only flights avaiable is the red eye or the many stops that take at least 8 hours of traveling..

[Steve Hoffman]

After a long dusty trek through the western Grand Canyon, I stood several stories above the canyon floor, at the edge of a cascading turquoise waterfall, Havasu Falls. The churning creek water fell hundreds of feet into a pristine swimming hole in a roar. Below, the creek meandered futher west toward the Colorado River. The air smelled clean and warm. I carefully picked my way down the steep canyon trail, seeing rainbows from the sunlight in the waterfall mist. At the bottom of the falls, I dropped my pack and dove into the Grand Canyon magic.

[Bayberry L Shah]

I joined a group of students on a trip through the Tunisian Sahara back in 1995. We made our way to Tozeur, a fertile city of date palms on the edge of the desert. Here we negotiated with some local guys to be taken across in their Land Cruiser. For hours we were jostled around as we traversed rocky paths with a homogenous landscape of tan. A couple of us had picked up a stomach bug so along with riding the dunes, we were sailing the peaks and valleys of hot flashes and stomach cramps. After the seemingly endless nothingness, it was with delight that we saw a compound ahead with a simple sign outside, “Café.” We stumbled out to find a chest with iced-cold Coca-Cola. Believe me, a Coke never tasted so good. Our journey continued and became more varied. We made a few stops to take pictures of salt fields, a herd of wild camels and the round topped houses like in Star Wars. Then out of nowhere, like a classic mirage, was an island of green. We had reached our oasis camp where we would sleep under countless bright stars hearing the eerie baying of donkeys.

[ALYSON WALSH]

MY MOST INCREDIBLE ADVENTURE WAS IN SAUDI ARABIA, WHERE I LIVED AND WORKED AS A FLIGHT ATTENDANT.WE LIVED IN ARMED COMPOUNDS, SURROUNDED BY A 20 FOOT WALL.
I WAS OUT ONE NIGHT WITH A FRIEND, OUR CURFEW WAS MIDNIGHT, OR I WOULD BE DEPORTED
WE WERE VISITING A CAMEL FARM, AND OUR CAR WOULD NOT START. WHILE MY FRIEND TRYED TO GET HELP, I HID UNDER A BLANKET,IN THE HOT DESERT. WHEN MY FRIEND RETURNED, I HAD ALREADY MISSED CURFEW, SO WE DEVISED A PLAN TO SNEAK ME IN. MY PARTNER GOT THE ATTENTION OF THE ARMED GUARD AT THE GATE WITH A MAP, PRETENDING TO ASK DIRECTIONS.I CRAWLED ON MY HANDS AND KNEES INTO THE GATE WITH MY HEART POUNDING. I MADE IT AND NEVER GOT DEPORTED. THAT LEFT ME SHAKING FOR DAYS

[Bob]

A few years ago a friend and I had the good fortune to wind up at Grand Lido Braco, a glorious, tropical wonderland in Jamaica. Now this wasn't my first trip to the island but it started off so differently. I joined in the pool games the first day and the second I entered the resort Olympics. We won actually and this gave me a great deal of notoriety within the resort. Later on we were to learn how a toga was made for a toga party that night. Mine didn't come out so good so I made my own. That night at the dance I was begged by my new fan club to enter some kind of dance competition and as the winner was selected by applause and most of the room knew me I won. The prize was a title, "Sexiest man alive" Now this in itself meant nothing but after that every time I entered an event or a party my name would be announced over the loud speakers and I was given a seat of importance until by the end of the vacation I was the most famous man in the entire resort. It was like being back in highschool and being the quarterback who threw the winning pass. I have never had an experience like that in my life and as I am almost 60 I doubt I will ever get the chance to do it again. Oh, did I forget to mention the resort was nude?

[Mary E. Graham]

It is Day 2 of our ‘run’ around the Torres del Paine mountains. We start trudging through a bog, jumping from one grass hummock to the next, trying desperately to keep our feet dry. We fail, leaving the bog with soaked shoes as we start up the pass into a snow storm. Over the pass we plunge into a steep, muddy forest, swinging like monkeys from one tree to the next, continuing on over streams on log 'bridges', up ledges on rope ladders, then finally - our refugio! Our husbands rush to salvage us - but we have had a blast!

[John Worth]

Kamakshi Amman is a large temple in Southern India. We walked in, barefoot as is the custom. Two elephants fully decorated elephants were handing out blessings. It looked like an interesting experience. I chose the smaller one because I‘ve seen too many Internet videos of elephants going crazy in Indian temples. I figured the smaller elephant couldn’t toss me as far as the big one. As I approached, I realized small is relative; even a juvenile elephant is huge. I handed it my coin and in return the animal laid its trunk across my head in blessing.

[Ian]

Our wives took the commercial boat to Catalina Island, my friend and I set out to sail over that night. We had their bags. Gas dock was closed so after 2 trips with 2 gas cans to the gas station and we set out 2 hours late. First hour was perfect, great wind and sunset. 2nd hour the wind slowed, 3rd hour the wind all but stopped. We tried to start the motor but the battery was near dead (we foolishly had all our lights on). We turned around, narrowly avoiding a tanker. Picked up channel wind for a little while which stopped completely around 11pm. We were drifting toward the many tankers (longshoreman's strike) about 10 miles offshore. Called Coast Guard... "Put on your life vests, we're sending a cutter". We saw a small light on the horizon, flagged it down with a flashlight. It was Vessel Assist looking for another boat. He asked for $20 to jump our battery, we would have given him $100. We called off the Coast Guard, made it back to the marina and with great shame brought our wives their bags the next day on the commercial boat.

[Brad]

Uno Lodge, Copper Canyon:
I took my family of two teenage daughters, my wife, and myself on a Copper Canyon tour. We booked two nights in the lodge. We got off the train at a small villiage and no one was there to meet us. A farmer with an ancient pick-up truck offered to give us a ride. Reluctanctly we agreed. As we left the villiage, the words "and they were never seen again" echoed in my mind. After a two hour spine readjusting ride, we arrived. We stayed two days, and vowed to return as soon as possible.

[Tina Christian]

Fire Mountain is the perfect description of the hills surrounding the fertile valley of Tulufan. Escape from the sweltering heat can be found among the grape trellised gathering spots.

After two years in Beijing, China no longer seemed exotic. A Journey to the West changed that. Beijing to Xinjiang province is a week's journey by train. Uygurs, the ethnic minority of the region are Muslim with broad faces and Caucasian features.

To the north is Kazakhstan, to the west Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan. The terrain is hot, dry and tinged with excitement and danger reminiscent of the American Wild West.

[Kyle Hendricks]

I've had some amazing trips but when I really think about it some of my best adventures have been here in Colorado with my buddies on many a winter day at Berthoud Pass enjoying a day of backcountry skiing in knee deep virgin powder. After an hour hiking up the mountain, skis strapped to our backs, we take a moment to breathe in our surroundings, deep blue skies, imposing snow covered mountains in an endless expanse of raw nature. Then we carve down wide open bowls and into steep tree covered chutes. Exuberant, we do it all over again!

[Jason van Doren]

Thunderous waves blend with the crackle of our driftwood fire and the sounds of the nighttime jungle. The driftwood, like me, has traveled across thousands of miles to reach Montezuma’s curving beaches. The Pacific surf aglow against the pitch black of the moonless night is accented by the flickering of distant stars strewn from horizon to horizon.
My memories of that night are great friends, wine, and laughter, caught in the flashes of that warm firelight. Each one is better than any photographs of my Costarican adventure; brilliant, full of life and indelibly burned into my mind’s eye.

[Steve McCall]

Our tropical village enjoyed only a few hours of electricity each day, so a pile of warm stones provided a solar-powered way to dry clothing between frequent dips in the warm surf. One afternoon I plucked my trunks from the rocks to dress for the beach.

At some point in the act of pulling on my shorts, I became aware of pain. In the characteristic manner of certain exquisitely painful incidents, time slowed to a funereal crawl. The pain was substantial, paralyzing, and worse, it wasn’t stopping. A dreadful moment of realization arrived:

I had a scorpion in my pants.

[Sid Rosenberg]

Imagine, sitting cold, and wet as your ultimate wildlife experience has just been realized and you are within 15 feet of beautiful, powerful and the most intimidating animals on the planet, the giant coastal grizzly bears of McNeil River Alaska.. You’ll fly by float plane bringing a storm proof tent and food for your 4 day stay. If you are an intrepid traveler you will see up to 75 bears, and sit entranced as they catch migrating salmon, fight with each other, and bring their 200 pound cubs to have a close up look at you- how fantastic.

[Donn Ahearn]

I try not to let it happen too often, but sometimes I’m asked to do something stupid, and enthusiastically say yes. Like, for example, to combine the possibility of the following intriguing exits from this teary vale: drowning; hypothermia; a fatal fall; AND dying of thirst. Hey, someone says, let's go canyoneering in Utah! And I say yes. And then I spend quite a few beers wondering why the hell I did that. This is what happened to me when my friend Jon proposed that we go drop The Subway and Orderville Canyon in Zion National Park. Yes. Boom. Gulp.

[BoydAD]

On a South African trip, I rented a car in Durban for a drive north to the coastal St. Lucia Wetlands. Arriving late in the afternoon, I bypassed the town where I was spending the night and stopped along the roadside for a sunset view of the Indian Ocean. I gazed out at the pristine marsh and distant roiling waves. Swept away by the natural beauty, I was surprised by what I thought was a slow-moving truck coming up from behind. Instead, I was startled back to reality by a hippopotamus lumbering past the car. I froze. After the massive beast ambled away into the brush, I caught my breath and sped back to town.

[Andrew]

Walking the English Path on the Way of St. James provided many blessings; a religious experience, a physical and mental test, and the opportunity to explore sleepy countryside pueblos while unearthing the secrets of the Spanish countryside. After setting off from Madrid on an overnight train I didn’t have a ticket for, I woke up in La Coruña on the coast of Galicia. Two full days of walking and 65 kilometers later I sat exhausted in one of the most famous gothic cathedrals in the world a changed man.

[Aidan Walsh]

The most memorable sunrise I've ever seen started at five a.m. an hour before the sun was up. I was headed to the top of Massada, an ancient plateau fortress, in Israel.
I trekked up a thin winding path that snaked up the side of the plateau. I'd been hiking all the terrain Israel had to offer so I was bounding up the path as the sky started to brighten.
I got to the top, stretched and watched as the sun rose up over the mountains beyond the Dead Sea and reflected off of the water. It was absolutely breathtaking.

[Lily Yazdi]

We walked along the cobbled streets of old Istanbul, trying to take in as many of the ancient buildings and scenic views of the Bosphorus as we could. The four of us, and our daughter's two guests, were also keeping our eyes open for another vision - a place to EAT! We passed fantastic museums, 2000 year old churches, and the Grand Bazaar, but too hungry to explore, we trod on. Kebab? Too heavy. Donar? Not again!
Finally, the girls found what they had been looking for... the authentic food in the center of Turkey: El Torito!!!

[solarcholo]

Real adventure is as humbling as it is surprising. Canoeing the Everglades’ lush southern coast, your most revealing encounter might not involve the turtles, birds, or hissing alligators at paddle’s length, but rather a renegade band of raccoons. Witness night one in our camp: every edible stolen save one variety of vegetable despised, apparently, even by burgling marsupials. (Turns out, zippered doors and opposable thumbs are both overrated). Sometimes, only running amok with a belt—wearing nothing but Fruit of the Looms and a Charles Bronson scowl—will restore proper Darwinian order. Final score? Raccoons: 11. Humans: Brussels sprouts for breakfast.

[note to ed: OK, true, raccoons are not marsupials, but we weren't so sure at the time--who's ever heard of a 'procyonid'?]

[simon ramsden]

People who climb such crags without permission will find themselves in very, very deep trouble, as rifles and exploding booby traps are used to guard these crags.

..

Prior to collecting, birds’ nest climbers pray and brush their hair. They are forbidden to eat island animals, such as snake, iguana and birds, because these animals belong to the island. In addition they are supposed to remain celibate (that’s the collectors, not the animals).

..

I was more fearful for the life of my leader than I had ever been before, or have been since. I was possibly about to become an involuntary landing pad for 80kg of hard-as-limestone Antiguan/Bristolian meat and gristle.

[Michelle Conley]

Our bike/barge trip during the height of tulip season was a true adventure. Living on a converted river barge was an adventure in itself, cruising the canals and glimpsing into the Dutch culture. However, the most memorable part of our trip was the bicycling through the countryside and polders of Holland and their many tulip fields. The sight of the first fields from the barge was spectacular and we were anxious to disembark with our bikes and travel through the colors of red, pick, yellow and white. There's nothing quite like sitting among acres of colorful tulips.

[william chaney]

Spring 2005.Tired of hauling asphalt in the ozark mountains near Branson.Three tanks of gas later looking up at the Statue of Liberty.Beautiful statue in a beautiful place.Not as magestic as on tv though.Anthony Bourdain says its not the destination.Its the journey.Down I-95 Washington D.C. is a history buffs dream.The Washington,Lincoln,Jefforson memorials.J.F.K and Tomb of Unknowns at Arlington.Robert DuVall said in the movie Broken Trail-From the sweet grass to the packing house were all just TRAVELERS in this world. Think about it!!

[Jen Davis]

Australia was the most magical and primitive places that I have experienced.

Arriving alone in Perth, I was touched by the Aussies' hospitality and friendly demeanor. However, I soon left the city-dwellers for more unpredictable residents of the Australian Bush. Hiking the 600-mile Bibbulmun Track, I survived the arid desert and passed through a land of towering and primordial trees before finishing my journey along untouched coastline and a turquoise ocean. I had more encounters with Kangaroos than people, but the emus, boars, tiger snakes, and dolphins kept me company and provided many lessons and memories along the way.

[Erin]

February in Costa Rica = the "dry" season, though today we were in for a weather annomally. Awaiting our flight to Tambor, the fog rolled in and the torrential rains began. Our flight cancelled, stranding 8 of us hours from our final destinations, we banded together, hopped in a taxi, drove HOURS to the ferry to cross to the Nicoya Peninsula, only to arrive on the other side to hear driver after driver refuse to take us any further for the roads ahead were awash with mudslides.

Thankfully ten days of restful yoga followed the adventureous journey to my final destination . . .

[Makram Samaan]

The East, Where everything is a Relationship

As soon as we arrived in our hotel,in Hanoi. We stood on the balconey for fresh air and relax after along flight.
Holly ghost? As we looked on the traffic in the square, our first impression is Cheos, and complicated one!
As I was concentrating with astonishment, there were no accident. God, what is the secret of the Vietnamese drivers?. More astonishing is that the traffic was compsed of 90% motorcycles amd 10% vehicles. The traffic in the Square looks like an intrecet fising net.

I went down to make sense of what may be senseless.
As I stood on the corner, observing the traffic pattern and concentrating on the Drivers, the traffic signals and how they cross crossing each other path, safely and no one accident?

I thought I formed a theory. "The vietnamese drivers look like that they give lip service to the traffic signals. But I found that they concentrate on the other driver and the front wheel progress or direction, while there is a smile, a wink, a hand wave or a head nod or shake, body language communication.

What seems from the Balcony as a complicated total Cheos, from my observation point was apperently a courtesy system of people in continuous passionate communication with each other.

I decided to put my observational theory in practice. On one of the Main and heavy traffic streets, While the traffic light was red for pedestrians, I began to cautiously cross the street. For my delight, the cars slowed down and stopped almlost a foot from my body. As I was looking at the Drivers to see their wrath on me. They were smiling winking and waving their hands for me to continue, while taking their hands off the wheel to give me the assurance of non driving and complete stop.

Three weeks I roamed Vietnam and similar time in Thailand.I roamef these countries N,S W and East, I never seen nor heard a broadcast of any Auto Accident or Injury.

My Theory was Confirmed, Vietnamese drivers watch for each other, and their principal concern is each other safety, sharing the road and facilitating each other driving to their destination, may be late few seconds, but all will arrive safe.

The theory." Every thing in Vietnam is relationship" was confirmed in the restaurants.No one almost sit alone. When a customer comes , he/she do not chose the empty table, but they share a table where some one else is sitting. They start as strangers, at the end of their meal, they depart friends.

with all the technological progress to increase safety in America and the West, we have the highest per capita vehicle injuries and most serious to death.

My theory," The west lost its human relationships, and technology becmae the new master. Further, Competition not cooperation is the core of our culture. Then traffic became a war to become first." In Competition, one is the winner and the other is a loser.
In rrelationship, every one is a WINNER.

[Debolin Sen]

Dateline Everest Base Camp was the biggest & the grandest adventure for its scale and magnitude – a journey which was full of excitement, expectations, apprehensions, nervousness, ambitions and guilt. Excitement of catching a glimpse of the mighty goddess, expectations of what all I would encounter, apprehensions of successfully completing the 18 Day trek (some unforgiving memories which needed desperate deletion), ambitions of setting a goal, achieving a dream & returning home victorious & guilt because I had forced it on myself at a time which was critical and sensitive (my wife was pregnant with our first child).

[Rob]

At 4am I staggered out of the Tashkent airport where I was swarmed by Uzbek cabbies grabbing at my bags. Minutes earlier, the customs agent had circled the substantial amount of dollars I declared on my entry form and yelled unknown Uzbek phrases to his colleagues. Had I been made a target? All I knew is that I had a 24 hour visa to get to the border of Tajikistan. I found a trustworthy face and followed him to the battered Lada. Puttering into the darkness, I fumbled for my seatbelt and pondered my fate.

[Mephistopheles]

I have many, but I think the most satisfying one was opera at the Lyceu in Barcelona. So here we are, me and as my tennis buddies call him, Dr. Demento (they call me Maestro) at the Ramblas, where the Lyceu exists and they are about to have Macbeth by Verdi (I have sung the Banquo aria, Studio Passo mio Figlio, in the shower many times). I desperately want in but they don't have tickets, and then even the ones that I would have been able to get from scalpers are 150 euros....I have NO cash. While I am willing to pay whatever, Dr. Demento is very cheap (he even objects to paying .50 euros for a visit to the bathroom), so he is objecting to go in. While I am meandering, and trying to get myself into the performance, this VERY polished Catalan woman, with her equaly polished husband, hand me two tickets, seating next to them for the performance; six rows from the stage, smack in the center. In Spanish, I profusely apologize that I have no cash, she just shrugs it off and proceeds to enter the theater. This performance ranks amongst the best opera performances I have seen!!!!!!!

[Teresa]

Sailing the southern Dalmation Coast from Dubrovnik to Split, Croatia in a small boat capable of squeezing into Adriatic nooks and crannies and island hopping along the way is a remarkable journey. The scenery is breathtaking; just like walking through a post card. The Croatian people are gracious, warm, welcoming and keep their country clean. You feel enveloped by life's goodness and one with nature. One of the most beautiful places on Earth - a must see/do at least once in a lifetime.

[Carol Davis-Khatri]

Hi. I'm from Brisbane, Australia.The last 10 years my life has been one exciting adventure after another. It started almost accidentally with a return visit to Nepal after a long 7 years break. I had loved trekking there and thought I would go back and take a few friends and go trekking with a nepali guide I had continued to correspond with over the years. I can hardly believe what has happened since. We have had many exciting adventures since- trekking to many exciting places like Everest Base Camp, Gokyo Lakes, the Annapurnas and many more.This year we had excitement plus in our first adventure in Tibet. We have been through blizzards, bushfires, high altitude passes, monsoonal rain,knee-deep snow,weathered illnesses and all sorts of mental and physical challenges and still have come out of it all with supreme exhaultation and love of life. We've seen a sunset over Everest and cradled nepali babies in our arms. I now have family there having married my nepali guide 3 years ago and am now able to show people an incredibly personal and rarely experienced part of the real Nepal and its people and culture.Together we formed a family trekking business called High Spirits Adventures and have been lucky enough to now have shown many friends this exciting and adventurous country.

[Sam]

Nepal, the summit to heaven, one majestically stands atop the world. Up here, follow in the footsteps of the Great Buddha, from where he was born, to where he first found reason to question existence. With views so vivid, seeming that this is where God must have laid on his back to paint the sky, one may find the same enlightenment alongside stone giants, touching the celestial. Raft down majestic valleys, ride elephants tracking rhinos, or attain an understanding of your soul as you learn that there are no limitations as you summit the world’s greatest Titans, the Himalayas.

[Jerrye Lail]

Just off the Florida West coast lies a treasure! Sanibel Island has history, beautiful shell laden beaches, great restaurants, breathtaking sunsets, miles of bike trails, and the Ding Darling Bird Sanctuary. No high rise buildings allowed, neither are fast food restaurants with drive thru windows. Just a few miles away in Fort Myers is the Edison Winter Home and the Henry Ford Home. This is where Raymond Burr escaped the Hollywood hoopla. This is the best place in the world to just relax and chill out - plus enjoy nature and history!

[Charli Kerns]

It was such an innocent little trail. Who knew three and a half hours and 1900 vertical feet later, my friend Lisa and I would be standing on top of one of the peaks of Germany's Alps? Definitely not us. She and I were enjoying a day at the Neuschwanstein castle when we happened upon this little trail. We plodded upward until finally, the castle was out of view and before us stood the most majestic example of Nature's creation; land and sky, sea and mountains all joined into one before our eyes. Simply breathtaking.

[Jim Chumbley]

With the moonlight reflecting off of the chalky cliffs like streetlights, we ascended the fossil laden slope of Arroyo Blanco on Isla Carmen in the Sea of Cortez. At 5AM our goal was the east facing promontory, dotted with hollows carved by generations of indigenous worshipers. I nestled perfectly into one, unable to see the rest of the group. I wanted no distraction for the pending spectacle. A yellow-footed gull, a squadron of pelicans, and a trio of leaping mantas all heralded the arrival of our life star. The morning pastels softly escorted the night away. No words were heard.

[John Moffat]

We were finally on the road. The sun was rising in early June, cutting through grey mats of San Diego marine layer, revealing another perfect day in Southern California. But we were turning our backs to the surf and sun for half a week; we were on our way to the modern Mecca of mountain biking: Moab. The Jeep was packed to the brim: our two well-loved mountain bikes, enough water to drown the Sahara, camping gear, clean clothes, and way too many bananas. After rock ‘n’ rolling across the desert, we hit the jackpot - endless mountain bike perfection.

[Morgan Whitehead]

“Have you ever had horse milk?” The question was asked plainly and without pretense by our host in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. “It’s kind of like……beer. It’s a national drink here.” Two hours later, we were sitting in a yurt (replete with linoleum flooring covering the ground and a racy perfume poster as the lone wall art) somewhere in the rolling Mongolian countryside with a local family and a cupful of horse milk strait from the churn by the table. Refrigerator? Not for miles. Scorching July heat? Yep. Two sips (no more) later I could say, “yes, I HAVE had horse milk!”

[Michael Rhodes]

Way back in 1972 I was out in the middle of nowhere in the Yukon Territory working as a geology student prospector.

I had changed partners that day and when the new guy was brought in he brought a box of beer. I need to say, he was brought into our 2 man camp by helicopter and we were at least 200 miles from the nearest road not to mention the nearest town. Needless to say, after a long day of tramping around the hills looking for a mother load of something to make our employer rich, we sat in our tent drinking the beer. After a while he had to do the obvious and ducked out of the tent into our mosquito plagued muskeg.

It seemed he’d been gone a while when I heard “Mike, Mike,….get the gun”. Oh dear, this didn’t sound good. I scrambled to find the gun, the bullets, and where the heck was the bolt? I found all the components and timidly crawled out of the tent. My partner pointed up the hill at the enormous grizzly bear staring down at us from 200 meters up the hill. The sole question that reverberated through the air was “Do we shoot the bear (not likely) or ourselves”.

Fortunately, the bear decided we were too scrawny, or too little challenge to waste his time and wandered off.

[Barbara Fisher]

I arrived at Perth's domestic airport on Christmas day, there was nothing open but a coffee stand and nowhere to change money or buy a phone card to call and warn that my flight had arrived hours early. True to my boyfriend's warning, the traditional Christmas day lightning storm was in progress. The air was hot and humid, and I was fast to learn the "Australian wave", shooing what I THINK were flies away from my face. After 21 hours of flying, it felt good to be on land, although I had misgivings about still being on Planet Earth - the lightning took on shapes and configurations I had never witnessed in Europe or North America, morphing into figure 8's and other patterns ("It's a LIGHTBULB!"). The vegetation, the birds, the quality of the air, all greatly resembled Earth, as if I had landed on a planet going to great pains to mimic Earth while not quite succeeding. I must have stood dumbstruck for an hours checking it all out, when my boyfriend arrived and finally pursuaded me that the airport was not the hightlight of the trip and got me into the car. Jet lag, wildfires, a tsunami, getting used to the local language (ENGLISH? HA!) and customs, and spending a week with my then-to-be in-laws were all taken in stride as I fell in love with Western Australia. Impossible to describe a sunset over the Indian Ocean on New Year's Eve and a beach all to ourselves: there was no sign of the Holidays except the star on the roof of one of our beach-front neighbor's homesand a surreally starlit sky in spite of a full moon, with constellations and a lunar landscape unfamiliar to my northern hemispere-trained eyes. Where Burger King = Hungry Jacks, movies can be watched from a lounge chair while you are served snacks (Jaffas anyone?), the people LIKE Vegemite, Christmas songs involve kangaroos pulling Santa's sled, Kath and Kim is actually funny, people punch sharks in the snout and the sea and sky seem to be cleaner than anywhere on Earth, you will feel like a very grateful visitor to a very friendly alien planet.

[Lynda]

We decided to hire a private taxi driver in
Athens to take us to see the sights; but also to take us to where the locals eat.
Along the drive out of town, we stopped at a
local shop and ordered "pork-on-a-stick". It was very tasty, and was so-called "fast food". Along the way out of town to visit the mountains and seaside, we stopped along the road and our new Greek friend opened his trunk and pulled out some empty liter bottles.
We were introduced to two elderly ladies who
sold home-made wine out of what appeared to be very old and musty wine barrels. We took a drink of the wine which was the nastiest stuff we had ever had. Our taxi driver was very excited that he would have wine with dinner that night when we returned to Athens. Once we reached our destination we invited our new friend to join us for a lunch overlooking the beautiful sea. We tried several wines, and of course the Greeks are very fond of their
Ouzo. After lunch our taxi driver told us to go and look around the beautiful mountainside because "he had to sober up
before driving us back to Athens". I wondered if we were going to make it back in one piece because we had traveled through
some pretty windy roads and crossed over several bridges. We did indeed return safely; only to toast once again the events of the day with our new friend.

[Rob Howell]

Stumbling upon La Pileta Cave in Spain was the highlight of a trip with my wife and one year old daughter. Our guide was a gentleman who only spoke Spanish. No other lights, but the lanterns we held were used to light our way. The lanterns illuminated the awe inspiring sights around each corner and my daughter munched on Cherios and giggled in delight at the sight of stalactites, stalagmites and 10,000 year old paintings. Her sounds conveyed our feelings as well. The tour ended and the guide gave my daughter a postcard signed, "To my amiga." A wonderful memory.

[Werner]

The Bay of Fundy, the highest tides on earth and a sea kayak - could make for a interesting adventure! The guide had us sitting in a kayak, 30 feet from the water. Couldnt quite get it, but soon did as the water came rolling up the beach and within a couple minutes our kayaks were floating. Of course with these huge tides come currents, incredible formations from the massive amount of erosion as the water rises 40 feet in 6 hours and then drops the same amount in another 6 hours. Where was this adventure heading?

[Lori Ceier]

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife were doing sturgeon tagging on the Choctawhatchee River and I got a chance to go along.
After we caught one of the sturgeon, I got to hold it.
I put my arms out, and held the fish.
“Wow, this guy is kind of slimy,” I said.
They told me the slimy feeling was a natural defense mechanism that secretes from its skin.
I was amazed by the biodiversity in my own back yard.
I was in awe of this remarkable, ancient sturgeon creature; the boney plates along its body, sculpted in curved ridges.