Roadmonkey Combines Adventure with Volunteer Opportunities

by Kraig Becker on

Travel company Roadmonkey has created unique travel experiences that combine the thrill of adventure travel with the satisfaction that comes with making a difference in the places we visit. The goal is to offer phsycially demanding outdoor adventures with deeply gratifyng volunteer opportunities to create what they term as “Adventure Philanthropy”.

Currently the compnay has two expeditions in the works for 2009. The first is a climb of Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa, scheduled to take place this June. Travelers will spend the first seven days of the trip climbing to the summit of Kili before venturing overland to a small village near Dar Es Salaam. Once there, they’ll spend an additional four days building a clean water system and painting classrooms in a school for children orphaned by AIDS.

If climbing a mountain doesn’t sound like much of a vacation, then perhaps Roadmonkey’s other planned expedition is more your speed. This November they’ll take their second cycling trip through Vietnam, leading a team of 11 adventurous travelers as they mountain bike through the rugged hill country to the northwest of Hanoi. In 2008, the team stopped in a village along the way to build a playground at an orphanage, and a similar volunteer opportunity is planned for the 2009 expedition as well.

Volunteer travel is a growing trend in the industry, and when combined with adventure travel, it provides the opportunity for very unique and satifiying experiences on a cultural, physical, and intellectual level. Roadmonkey is offering just those kinds of journeys.

Internet search results show soldiers are thinking of home

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Life in Iraq isn’t necessarily what you think. While there are tough conditions for those outside the gates, life on the large camps that shares some startling similarities with major U.S. military installations at home. On Camp Anaconda, for example, you can visit a library, shove some fast food fare into your mouth and burn your quads at the gym. Of course, the occasional mortar does get through the defense systems … these communities do sit right in the middle of a war, after all.

Among the amenities now available at major camps in Iraq is internet access, and Google Insights shows the interesting search objectives of the 140,000 military personnel and civilian contractors serving over there.

Most searches are linked with special occasions, such as holidays and personal celebrations (e.g., birthdays and anniversaries). “Christmas gifts,” “gift shop,” and “Valentine’s gifts” are among the top search terms for Americans serving in Iraq, according to a recent study. A “regional interest” index calculated by Google Insights pegs these search terms at 100 (based on a maximum value of 100) or English speakers in Iraq, compared to 80 for the United States and 58 for Great Britain.

It’s pretty clear that the internet helps our troops act on concerns they have about what is happening at home (no surprises there). Thanks to fairly plentiful online access, they have an easier time of participating in the normal activities that we take for granted, such as buying birthday presents.

For people stationed on the larger posts (such as Camp Anaconda), it’s possible to gain satellite internet access in the barracks, though this option can be expensive. Free internet access is offered through Military Welfare and Recreation (MWR) centers on these installations.

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A dozen lucky people are going to Afghanistan!

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Bored with the usual travel fare? Get in touch with Poland-based Logos Travel, and you could find yourself in Afghanistan for two weeks. All 12 spots have been purchased – at prices of up to $3,700 each. Poland’s Foreign Ministry doesn’t think this is a bright idea, though, and issued a travel warning … as if one were necessary.

In case you didn’t know, people are fighting over there. With guns and bombs and grenades and everything else they can find. In fact, a shipment of cigars for U.S. soldiers serving in Afghanistan was delayed because of the intensity of the fighting.

Currently, 1,600 Polish troops are among the NATO forces fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.

According to Marek Sliwka, owner of Logos Travel, security measures are being taken, including armed guards. The trip starts on May 2, but it could be scrapped if the fighting becomes too intense. Stops include Kabul, Herat, and the site of the two giant Buddha statues that were destroyed at the turn of the century. The Tora Bora caves were once considered a possibility, but this was cut from the itinerary for safety reasons.

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Satisfy your lust in Baghdad (finally!)

by Tom Johansmeyer on

According to the NY Times, Baghdad is getting safer, and people are looking to have a good time (though, this does stand in stark contrast to the suicide bombing I reported a few weeks ago). So, if you find yourself in Iraq‘s capital, stop by a nightclub, order a drink and nail a prostitute. For the best results, go to Saddoun Street, where you’ll have plenty of choices.

Or, you can dash off to Abu Nawas Park for a sexual liaison in one of its many hiding places. Fortunately, the bang you get won’t attract the U.S. Army‘s attention!

After your romp, hit a café to toke a hookah and gamble on dice and dominos. If you win back what you spent on the prostitute … well, it’s like she really wasn’t a prostitute after all!

But, be careful.

Gambling is illegal … whether it’s dice, dominoes or cockfighting. Prostitution is, too. Fortunately, the police have had their hands full with the truly dangerous, so they aren’t going to go “Serpico” on hookers and booze. In fact, prostitutes are a figurative step from being deputized, as they’re the cops’ best sources.

To get in on the carnality, the sticker price is around $100, but you’ll probably spend at least that in drinks just to broach the issue.

Needless to say, the Iraqis are certainly having more fun than the Americans. Locals can pay for the real thing, while U.S. military personnel and civilian contractors can’t even bring their own substitutes for prostitutes. Damned shame.

Of course, vice doesn’t just bring fun and excitement … not even to a place like Baghdad. There have been reports of inappropriate (i.e., criminal) behavior, even under the loose enforcement of these laws. Human trafficking and drug abuse are among the problems being discovered in Iraq, proving that turmoil is constant … it just changes its face.

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[Photos by Brian Sayler]

Brit cops delete photos, fight terrorism

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Two Austrian tourists ran afoul of local police when they took pictures of the city’s famous double-decker buses. Klaus Matzka and his son, Loris, were clicking away on the streets of London while on vacation. Shots of a bus station in Walthamstow (in east London), however, got the cops interested.

The tourists were told by local police that they were not allowed to photograph anything related to transportation. They were thanked not only with deleted photos but with the collection of their passport numbers, hotel addresses and other personal deals.

After all, taking pictures of buses and bus stations could be a sign of terrorist activity.

London’s Metropolitan Police Authority says it has no knowledge related to a ban on transportation pictures in the city. Matzka observes, “Google Street View is allowed to show details of our cities on the web, but a father and his son are not allowed to take pictures of London landmarks.”