GadlingTV’s Travel Talk – Behind the Scenes of BBC’s ‘Life’ with Roger Munns!

by Stephen Greenwood on

GadlingTV’s Travel Talk, episode 19 – Click above to watch video after the jump

For Roger Munns, jumping in the ocean with 100 ton whales while they fight for the female is just another day at work; come with us as we go behind the scenes of BBC’s ‘Life’ series. Roger gives us the inside scoop on what it’s like to dive with whales, all while holding his breath and keeping the camera steady.

Click through to check out the interview and see some of the amazing footage he shot while capturing the never-before-seen Humpback Whale Heat Run for BBC’s ‘Life’.


If you have any questions or comments about Travel Talk, you can email us at talk AT gadling DOT com.

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Links
Read more about Roger right here!
Check out BBC’s ‘Life’ series – just in time for Father’s Day!
Find out more about Humpback Whales & heat runs.
Want to see who else is behind the cameras? Check out award winning filming/photography company ScubaZoo.



Hosts: Aaron Murphy-Crews
Special Guests: Roger Munns

Produced, Edited, and Directed by: Stephen Greenwood, Aaron Murphy-Crews, Drew Mylrea

Himalayan High: Going Down!

by Kraig Becker on

With every journey to Everest, whether it’s going to the summit or simply trekking to Base Camp, the focus is always on the journey up. The news stories trumpet the fact that the climbers have reached the summit, rarely mentioning anything about the descent at all. When they do, it is usually because of some tragic accident that occurs on the way down, resulting in severe injuries or even death. But Ed Viesturs, America’s premiere mountaineer, is fond of saying that “the summit is only half way there”, and you can apply that same logic to a trek to BC as well.

On the way up the Khumbu Valley, trekkers struggle with the altitude gain, thin air, and challenging climbs up the steep slopes. As the days wear on, the hikers generally console themselves with the thought that going down will be so much easier. They tell themselves that on the descent, the air will start to get thicker, they’ll be fully acclimatized, and the trail will actually be going down the mountain. Going down is always easier, right? Turns out that isn’t completely true, and the trek back down the valley can still be quite the struggle.

Before you begin that descent, most of the trekkers who go to Everest Base Camp make one more big climb. One of the little known facts about this trip is that when you are actually in Base Camp itself, you don’t really get great views of Everest. Sure, the mountain is just a stones throw away, but you can’t see the summit, and it is hard to take in the true beauty of the mountain. Instead, you have to climb up Kala Patthar, an 18,192 foot (5545 meters) peak not far from Gorakshep, to get your true photo opportunities. Trekkers will set out as early as 4 AM to get to the top of Kala Patthar before sunrise so they can catch the first golden rays of the sun as they shine across the summit of Everest. The views are spectacular but the climb is killer. After that, it is indeed time to go back down the valley, toward the promise of thicker air. But as I noted already, the way down isn’t quite as easy as you would suspect. After reaching Base Camp there is a bit of a psychological let down, as there is a tremendous sense of accomplishment and a feeling that you’ve reached your goal. But “the summit is only half way there”, and there is still plenty of trekking to be done to get back to Lukla, and eventually Kathmandu. With the visit to Everest over though, it is more difficult to stay focused and motivated.

Following more than a week of hiking in the Himalaya, your legs are tired and the rigors of the trail really begin to take their toll. Those tired legs make going down the larger slopes very challenging, and you’ll find yourself as exhausted at the end of the day as you did when you were going up. Fortunately, you are able to make much better time heading down the Khumbu, and what took eight days to cover while going up, takes just four on the way back down.

As you descend, the air does indeed become thicker and you begin to feel like you can breathe a bit easier. Unfortunately, that can cause an irritation with the delicate bronchi in the lungs, which have already been damaged by the dust and the cold, dry air on the way up. This means that that case of the Khumbu Cough that you picked up on the way up the valley is likely to get worse on the way down. In my trekking group that was certainly the case, as we all hacked and wheezed our way along the trail. In my case, I returned home with a fairly minor cough, only to find that it got dramatically worse. Khumbu cough and severe jet lag are a potent combination.

For the most part, on the return trip down the Khumbu Valley you’ll stop at a number of the same places you did on the way up, although we took a different route, which passed through Pheriche instead of Dingboche, offerng some new and unique views along the way. Of course, all trails lead back to Namche Bazaar and eventually Lukla, where you’ll be ready to bask in the relative comfort there, while sipping a coffee at the fake Starbucks. From there, it is a short flight back to Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, which marks an end to your Himalayan adventure.

It isn’t until after you’ve had some time to reflect on your journey that you can truly appreciate it. Trekking in Nepal is an amazing combination of a physical challenge, cultural immersion, and spiritual discovery. The views are enchanting, the people are warm and friendly, and the Buddhist mountain culture is peaceful and unique. It is unlikely that you’ll go home unchanged from your journey, and before long, you’ll be dreaming of seeing the Himalaya once again.

Next: EBC Trek – Guided vs. Independent

Travel Recommendations for The Office

by Andrew Evans on


Back in the olden days, long before the Internet was born, there was this thing called a travel agent–typically semi-self-aware, middle-aged ladies who helped you pick out a nice vacation destination, find a hotel that was “so you” and then book your plane tickets printed on carbon paper, folded and then stuffed into fancy airline covers. The whole process was about inside relationships, consumerist trust and catering to personal tastes. Sadly, travel agents went out of style along with high-top shoes and dual tape decks, or rather, we all became travel agents and the ones who got paid to do it lost their jobs.

As an empowered, self-proclaimed Internet travel agent, I’m offering my services gratis to the folks that need it the most: those overworked, underpaid, Vitamin-D deficient fun bunch of NBC‘s The Office, If they’re like most Americans out there, the employees of Dunder-Mifflin get only 10-15 days of vacation a year and should be using every bit of it (along with a few sick days) to get the hell out of Scranton, PA. Assuming the medicinal and therapeutic properties of travel, and summoning the travel agents’ lost art of matching personality to destination, I offer the following recommendations:

Michael Scott spent Christmas at a Sandals in Jamaica with girlfriend/boss Jan Levinson. So wrong. This was clearly a blatant case of cheesy product placement and failed to take Michael to that place where he belongs, which is on a safari in Tanzania’s Serengeti. Yes, the boss man would be just as happy at some wildlife park in Florida, but for the full range of Michael antics, you’d need him to actually be in Africa, mimicking African accents and getting a royal kick out of all the massive animals. Fast-forward to the zebra carpet on his office floor, Masai shields hanging on his wall and his new moniker “Chief.”Jim Halpert disappeared himself to Australia to avoid Pam’s pending marriage to another man. OK, we get it–Australia is the farthest place from Pennsylvania and he was nursing a broken heart, but in reality, uh, he would have been nursing some hellish jet lag. We love Australia, but it’s not a weekend getaway, or even a one-week getaway. Methinks Jim needs to go to Dublin, Ireland. Not only because he would appreciate Guinness and look handsome in tweed, but that plucky Irish spirit might counter his nervous nature. Also, as one of the better-paid employees in The Office, Jim might actually be able to afford super-expensive Dublin.

Pamela Beesley doesn’t seem that well-traveled, bizarrely. She’s camped in the Poconos and did a brief stint in artsy New York City but this new wife and mother could definitely expand her horizons. Paris for a week of art and luxury should do the trick. We recommend splurging at Hotel Fouquet’s Barrière on the Champs-Elysées (for the spa) and spending her days floating from one art museum to the next. Take your mom or a friend. Let Jim stay home and take care of the baby.

Dwight Schrute already lives in his own little world, nevertheless, he reveals a penchant for large, open spaces. Russia is such a place. Also, Russians love the martial arts and beets. In fact, in Russia there are entire collective farms that grow nothing but beets, so Dobra Pozhalovat Comrade Schrute. No matter that the new Russia is fiercely capitalist and worships pop culture, Dwight will find his own tribe and come back with some sound ideas on organizational behavior.

Phyllis Vance is a classy woman attached to a rich refrigerator-selling husband to pay for all of her audacious tastes. The Moroccan Christmas party she threw in Season 5 reveals a girlish interest in some fabled, exotic Orient, but she also needs dependable electricity and a lot of good restaurants. Hence my verdict of Istanbul. Turkey’s largest city is also one of the greatest eating cities in the world–an explosion of foreign sights and culinary delights. Also, Phyllis loves to wear shawls, of which there are many to choose from among Istanbul’s crazy bazaars. (Bob, you should stay here.)

Ryan Howard needs a double kick in the pants for his affectation and superiority complex. Yeah, he already took time off to “travel” in Thailand but anyone who’s been to Thailand knows that much of the country is just a playground for the sort of entitled backpacker that is Ryan. That’s why we’re sending short, frail, pale Ryan to sunny, sandy Kuwait and not on vacation, but Kuwait as in, “you’re in the army now, kid.” He never makes it into Iraq (imagine Ryan with war stories), but learns to answer every sentence with, “Sir”.

Kelly Kapoor is Indian-American, yes, but those of who’ve actually been to India knows she would absolutely hate it there. Kelly is a serious girl who loves anything pink and struggles with her shopaholic nature. And where is the best shopping in the whole wide world? Buenos Aires, baby, B.A. We recommend Kelly stay at this boutique hotel in Palermo Soho, surrounded by a bunch of unique clothing and jewelry stores. Also, I’m thinking Kelly is liking the Argentine gelato (and men).

Andy Bernard is the ultimate frat boy who just can’t (or won’t) grow out of it. This Ivy League manboy surely has a few pairs of well-ironed Bermuda shorts, folded nicely in his summer clothes box, and he will need them for his trip to Bermuda. In the end, all of his bros will flake on him so he’ll have to go alone, but the pink beaches, sophisticated rum drinks, and yacht culture will suit him just fine.

Angela Martin is a woman who needs to chill out, big time. I don’t have enough fingers and toes to count the number of uptight career women who’ve found their bliss in Tuscany, so Angela, Italy it is. Please take all that saved-up leave and get lost on some one-lane highway between Florence and Siena, then get found by your future Italian boyfriend. Please come back with flowing skirts and open collars, wearing your hair down and with a new-found penchant for Chianti. Grazie Mille.

Kevin Malone needs to raise hell in New Orleans, obviously. The man has a funky party side that just can’t break free in boring Scranton. As a musician, he’ll dig the jazz and as a fat man, he’ll dig the beignets, po’ boys, muffaletta, and gumbo. He will likely return bearing gifts of hot sauce for all. Go Kevin.

Meredith Palmer is a difficult client for a travel agent to please. The woman is boozy, so the Scotland whiskey tour (with designated driver) seems appropriate, however, this 6-night Carnival Cruise from Charleston, South Carolina would be perfect–if it includes drinks (Meredith, please wear sunblock). And yet, the redhead in Supplier Relations also loves going topless, so the Côte d’Azur would be just perfect.

Creed Bratton has already spent a lot of time in China and even speaks Chinese. He’s also a total whack job and kind of creepy and a schemer. Hmmm . . really old plus Chinese plus funky and scheming equals Macau. Creed will quickly lose track of the days as he gambles his way to oblivion. Once he makes his shady millions, he can go into hiding in the nearby Philipines and never come back, because really, is Creed even necessary?

Stanley Hudson is a no-nonsense kind of guy with predictable, easy-living tastes. We recommend St. Croix, in the US Virgin Islands, where time moves slowly and the fruity drinks are plentiful. Stanley never has to set foot outside his resort, nor will he ever let the Caribbean go past his knees.

Toby Flenderson ran off to his escapist dreamland of Costa Rica but honestly, his skin just isn’t right for it. Really Toby, consider Canada. You’ll never get sunburnt, the people are as nice and respectable as your human-resource mind believes all mankind should be, and it’s so, so safe. I say get your daughter hooked on Anne of Green Gables and then surprise her with a trip to Prince Edward Island.

Oscar Martinez already took a three-month vacation to Europe with his boyfriend Gil in Season 3. Now that he’s single, he should really be more adventurous. You’d think Amsterdam or Sydney’s Mardi Gras but I’m gonna go out on a limb and recommend Tennessee’s Dollywood. What’s better for a gay, Mexican-American accountant than a theme park memorializing an iconic diva, right in the heart of the Smokey Mountains? Dollywood has a huge gay following and yet is so quaint and respectably Appalachian. He’ll love it.

Erin Hannon Somebody in the office doesn’t have a passport and we all know it’s Erin. Coy, naïve, and a little odd, Erin still just doesn’t see the need for a passport. Sending Erin to San Diego, California would be about as far as she could go, plus there are lots of brave Navy guys to show her around. Incidentally, I think she would really love the zoo.

Darryl Philbin represents the blue collar element on the show and yet he’s got way better tastes than most of the office. Urban, hip, and cooler than cool, Daryl would be happiest in Berlin. Germany’s capital-under-construction is the perfect mix of blue collar power, good beats, and good times.

Photo of the Day (6.15.10)

by Stephen Greenwood on
Even when you think the world has been completely mapped and charted, this week’s news that Afghanistan is sitting upon $1 trillion worth of minerals proves otherwise. After decades of war and a crippled economy, this could be a very positive turning point for the country. In light of this, I decided to dig up this photo from uncorneredmarket that shows some of Afghanistan’s underestimated natural beauty.

This picture was taken looking into Afghanistan from Tajikistan on the Pyanj River. The Pamir Mountains, which can be seen here, are formed by a junction in the Himalayas and are among the world’s highest mountains.


Do you have photos of a faraway place that few have seen & shared? Share them with us! Submit to our Flickr Pool and it could be the next Photo of the Day!

Himalayan High: Everest Base Camp

by Kraig Becker on

Standing in Gorakshep, the tiny Nepali village that sits nestled in the Himalaya at 17,000 feet (5184 meters), it is difficult to not feel an air of excitement. The town is the last stop before climbing up to Everest Base Camp, and while it is spartan in its amenities, the view is one of the most spectacular that you’ll find anywhere.

Of course, a major part of that excitement stems from the fact that in order to reach Gorakshep, you have to spend at least six days hiking through the Khumbu Valley. It isn’t exactly an easy walk either, with thin air and major gains in altitude conspiring to sap the energy from your legs and challenge your lungs to take a full breath. But, you are bolstered by the thought that your ultimate goal is very close now, and it won’t be long before you stand in the very shadow of the tallest mountain on the planet.

The trek from Gorakshep to Everest Base Camp isn’t an especially long one in terms of distance. It is, however, a tough scramble through a rock field created from the loose scree being pushed down the valley by the Khumbu Glacier. For the entirety of the hike, you’ll actually be walking on the glacier itself, but for the most part you won’t even notice, as the trail is covered in multiple layers of rock and dirt. Those conditions, combined with the increasingly thinning air, make the last few hours up to BC a tough slog that will leave your already tired legs aching even more.The final leg of the trek puts you right in the heart of the Khumbu Valley, and it is quite a sight to see. Besides the spectacular mountain scenery, which I’ve described multiple times throughout this series, you’ll have plenty of other amazing views. For instance, while the glacier is indeed covered in boulders and dirt, there is still plenty of visible ice, with numerous glacial lakes filled with icy blue water dotting the surface. Ice caves, formed by water running under the ice, offer a glimpse of the world beneath the glacier as well, and it seems there is an extensive network of passages just waiting to be explored. The tent-city that makes up Base Camp is also visible from far down the valley, with the bright yellow and orange tents tantalizingly close, and yet so far away.

Over the course of those final hours on the hike up to Base Camp, I noticed that the winds had started to pick up considerably, and for the first time, I was in need of my warmer clothes. Many members of my trekking group had donned multiple layers a few days back while at lower altitudes, but for the most part, I was fine with my lighter gear even as we climbed. On that day however, I had donned my base layers and wore a heavy fleece for the final approach to BC, which was made all the more challenging thanks to the chilly, constant breezes that kicked up dust, making it even more difficult to breathe.

Not long after departing Gorakshep we caught a glimpse of what makes climbing Everest so potentially dangerous. As we walked, we could hear various rumbling noises, sometimes high on the slopes above us, sometimes coming from somewhere below us, out on the glacier. The noises were a bit unnerving at first and those feeling only got worse once we caught a glimpse of what was making them.

The first avalanche we saw was not far from Base Camp, on the far side of the Khumbu Icefall, and it swept down the mountain with a force and a fury that only nature can muster. We would see no less than three more avalanches over the course of the next few hours, and we heard plenty more on the mountains around us. Meanwhile, down below, out on the glacier, large chunks of ice were collapsing under their own weight, making it abundantly clear to everyone passing by exactly why the icefall is considered the most dangerous place on Everest.

Throughout the afternoon, Base Camp is visible up the valley, and you can see it from a long way off. But for quite awhile, it feels like it isn’t getting any closer, no matter how far you walk. Your lungs gasp for air, your legs burn, you’re exhausted from the climb, and it can be a bit disheartening at times to see how far off the camp remains. But eventually, you top a ridge and it appears at long last, and you find yourself scrambling up the last rocky portion of the trail to stand at your ultimate destination.

Finally reaching BC gives you a sense of relief, satisfaction, and exhilaration all at the same time. For many of us who made the trek, visiting Everest was a dream come true, and while we were “only” at 17,600 feet, it is probably as close to the summit as we’ll ever come. The actual “camp” can be a bit anti-climactic if you see ht location as just a destination to add to your list, but when you take in the whole experience, you’ll understand that an Everest Base Camp trek is more than the sum of its parts.

Sitting there looking up at the mountain, I couldn’t think of any place I’d rather be. Sure, the hike is a challenging one and for a lowlander like me, it was difficult to breathe at times, but the view is definitely worth the walk. If you should ever make the trip for yourself, make sure you take time to sit back and take it all in. There are few places on the planet that can match the view.

Next: The Journey Back Down