82-year old plans to climb Everest

by Kraig Becker on

82-year old Shailendra Kumar Upadhyaya of Nepal is planning to climb Mt. Everest this spring in an attempt to show that even octogenarians can still be physically fit enough to accomplish such goals. If successful, he’ll become the oldest person to reach the summit of the highest mountain on the planet.

Earlier this week, Upadhayaya set out from Kathmandu on the trek to Everest Base Camp. He is expected to arrive there next week, where he’ll begin the acclimatization process that will prepare him for his high altitude adventure. Once that process is completed, he hopes to make his attempt on the summit sometime in late May or early June, depending on the weather conditions on the mountain. Adding to the challenge is the fact that Upadhayaya, who is a former Nepali Foreign Minister, has little climbing experience

The current record for the oldest person to summit Everest is held by another Nepalese man by the name of Min Bahadur Sherchan. He conquered the mountain back in 2008 at the age of 76. If he is successful, Upadhayaya would best that mark by six years.

Climbing Everest is no easy task at 42, let alone 82. To attempt it with little to no experience seems to be asking for trouble. While it would be a great story to see him make it to the summit, hopefully he will know when to call it quits if things aren’t going well and conditions aren’t right. That said, I hope I’m still as active and adventurous as he is when I reach that age.

National Geographic Traveler announces 2011 Tours of a Lifetime

by Kraig Becker on

National Geographic Traveler magazine has announced its annual list of their picks for Tours of a Lifetime, selecting 50 fantastic journeys to the far flung corners of the globe. For each of the past six years, Traveler has examined thousands of tours in a variety of categories, including volunteer vacations, family friendly trips, small-ship voyages, and adventure travel. From all of those itineraries, they’ve narrow down their choices to this select group, which represent the absolute best in travel, offering amazing cultural experiences, unique activities, and a commitment to sustainability.

On their website, Traveler has broken down the selected tours into six regions of the world, including Africa, Asia, Central and South America, Europe, North America, and Oceania. By clicking on one of those options, readers are presented with the magazine’s recommendations for the very best tours operating in that area, complete with a brief description, links to the tour operator’s website, and price, which can vary wildly depending on the destination and options.

Amongst the selections for this year’s Tours of a Lifetime are Serengeti bush treks, whitewater paddling in Siberia, and a journey deep into the interior of Guyana. There is a journey along the Inca Trail on horseback and cycling tours of Italy and France, as well an expedition to the South Pole on skis. In short, there is a little something for everyone, depending on their interests and budget.

Since all of these trips are researched and vetted by National Geographic, you can rest assured that all of the tour operators are not only legitimate, but also top tier. These trips were specifically selected because they offer something that is a little out of the norm. Something unique that you can’t generally get anywhere else. I’m pretty sure, even if you think you’ve been everywhere and done everything, you’ll still find something to appeal to you on this list.

[Photo credit: Christian Heeb, laif/Redux]

Watch out, obnoxious passengers! Kung fu lessons for Hong Kong Airlines cabin crew

by Sean McLachlan on

Working as part of an airline cabin crew can be a tough job, just ask Gadling’s very own Heather Poole. Passengers get drunk, passengers get rude, sometimes even passengers go on strike. Now the cabin crew of one airline are getting trained to strike back.

Hong Kong Airlines staff are taking kung fu lessons, the Guardian reports. The cabin crew is learning Wing Chun kung fu in order to deal with obnoxious passengers. According to the airline, a female cabin crew member has already used her new-found combat skills to deal with an unruly passenger, who an airline spokesman described only as “a fat guy”.

Maybe getting your add kicked at 33,000 feet should be added to our list of Top 10 Hong Kong Experiences.

[Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons]

Tickets for Richard Branson cross-dressing flight now on sale

by Justin Delaney on

Sometimes we make bets that we that regret. While losing money makes for a hum-drum story, tales of the wealthy gambling away dignity at 38,000 feet provides a new level of intrigue. Virgin’s Richard Branson and AirAsia’s Tony Fernandes made such a bet last year over Formula 1 racing. Since both individuals not only captain airlines but also back F1 teams, the wager pitted Branson’s Virgin Racing against the Fernandes owned Lotus Racing. The loser would have to cross-dress and serve as a flight attendant on the winner’s airline for one flight.

While both teams performed horribly as new entrants into the ultra-competitive Formula 1 field and tied each-other with 0 points, Lotus Racing placed higher than Virgin Racing overall. Since Branson lost, he would be the one to slip on heels and a dress for an AirAsia flight from London to Kuala Lumpur. But that is not all, the strangeness flutters away to a loonier place from there.Before the flight boards, passengers will have the opportunity to bid on shaving Richard Branson’s legs. Since AirAsia has a requirement for its flight attendants to have shaved legs, Branson will be required to make the necessary adjustments to get up to code. The proceeds of the leg shaving auction will benefit Branson’s non-profit organization Virgin Unite.

If witnessing a leg shaving auction and being served beverages by a cross-dressing billionaire is not surreal enough, the flight will also provide in air entertainment in the form of magic shows and a live band.

The flight departs London’s Stansted airport on May 1, and tickets are roughly $7,500 each. All proceeds will go towards Virgin Unite. Tickets for the 13 hour flight to Kuala Lumpur can be purchased online through AirAsia’s website.

Photography by Justin Delaney

657 new islands discovered across the globe

by Kraig Becker on

A new geographic survey, conducted by researchers from Duke University and Meredith College, located in Raleigh, N.C., has discovered more than 650 new barrier islands, spread out across the globe. The team used a collection of satellite images, navigational charts, and topographical maps, all of which are available to the general public, as part of their research. They counted 2149 barrier islands worldwide, up from 1492, the number found following a similar study conducted back in 2001.

Barrier islands are common around the world, and appear along the coasts of every continent except Antarctica. They usually are made up of deposits of sand and other sediment that collects along the coastlines, running parallel to the shore. They can be quite transitory however, coming and going with the change of tides, which may help explain why more were discovered in this recent survey, although it is also likely that many were simply missed in the previous count.

While more than 74% of all barrier islands are located in the Northern Hemisphere, they tend to serve similar purposes where ever they are found. These islands often serve as a protective barrier for shorelines against storms and high tide erosion. They are also quite often a safe haven for wildlife as well.

The study did find a few surprising results. Generally it was believed that barrier islands could only exist in a setting with seasonal tides that did not exceed 13 feet in height. But a chain of 54 islands was discovered stretching along the coast of Brazil in an area where the seasonal tides are often in excess of 23 feet. Scientists say that those islands can exist in that environment thanks to the vast amounts of sand and silt delivered to the region by the Amazon River.

The 657 new islands will obviously be welcomed with open arms by beach combers the world over. I’m sure there are already a number of resort chains that have begun scoping out this prime real estate as well. Maybe we should all launch Google Earth and start looking for a private island of our own. After all, there has to be at least a few more that are still waiting to be found.