"Share Your Adventure" Contest: And the Winners Are...
No doubt, you lot are an adventure-loving crew! Over 120 entries came in for our recent "Share Your Adventure" contest, with globe-trotting tales that featured everything from Moab singletrack to Costa Rican surf to a very close encounter with a scorpion on some unnamed tropical isle.
Thank you, everyone, for taking the time to enter. After much deliberation amongst the editors here (and some winnowing down of entries that, although interesting and well-written, went over our limit of 100 words per entry), we have selected the below five entries as the finalists in our "Share Your Adventure" contest. The winners will each receive a copy Riding the Hulahula to the Arctic Ocean from National Geographic Books, plus they'll be contributing a longer post about their adventures to this blog in the week of January 19-23, 2009. (We had originally planned for a week in December, but we decided that the later January date will give everyone time to get through the festive season!)
2008 "Share Your Adventure" Contest Winners
Horseback Safari in Botswana's Okavango Delta (submitted by Georgia):
It's day 3 of our Okavango Delta horseback safari. Following wildebeest and zebra paths, we come to the edge of a shallow lagoon the size of a football field. Red lechwe drink tentatively from the water's edge. "Up for a run?" our guide asks. "Hold on tight. And stick together, it'll scare away the crocs." We take off, grabbing mane and gripping with our thighs, bounding in rocking-horse motion through cold, knee-deep water that splashes our legs and leaves us breathless and ebullient when we finally reach the far bank.
Cultural Encounters in Mongolia (submitted by Morgan):
"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!"
On the Road to Tajikistan (submitted by 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.
Trekking Through the West Australian Outback (submitted by Jen):
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.
Adventures (and Misadventures) in Costa Rica (submitted by Maurie):
Some friends and I rented a car in Costa Rica. Rafting and zip-lining were on the agenda, but our greatest adventures occurred on the untamed roads along the way. We got lost often and traversed one bridge that was nothing more than wooden planks slapped down on opposing dirt embankments. The highlight of our trip was a visit to Costa Rican traffic court. As we retold our account, in jumbled Spanish, of the taxi driver who sideswiped us and tried to pay us off with a pineapple, we realized that the greatest experiences are the ones you just can't plan.
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