Mega, as in the Biggest Ever, African Adventure Trip

by Jamie Rhein on

Suppose you have time-lots of it. Let’s say you have 44 weeks. Perhaps you’d like to go overland from Morocco to South Africa by way of Egypt. Here’s a travel adventure that will take you through 10 game parks, various cultural and historical landmarks, and enough thrills like rafting and tandem sky diving that you’ll have stories to tell for years. Countries not typical as tourist hot spots are included in the mix. Angola, for example, has only allowed tourists in since 2004.

In Angola you’ll see Portuguese influenced architecture and gorgeous beaches besides the 3rd largest statue of Jesus in the world. The other countries in this multi-stop, pack-in-variety approach are: Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, DRCongo Zaire, Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Egypt.

The highlights of this tour calledTrans Africa. Europe–CapeTown-Nairobi-Istanbul read like a cross between an outdoor wilderness experience, a cultural bonanza and a journey through an African history book. Read the itinerary and you might find yourself chomping to take this trip on. I sure am. R&R opportunities and the chance to luxuriate are built in. Africa Travel Center also offers shorter version African adventures where only parts of this trip are included.

* photo taken in Benguela, Angola by zokete.

Paula Constant and Her Trans-Sahara Crossing

by Willy Volk on

In 2004, Paula Constant and her husband slipped on some walking shoes and began walking. Starting at London’s Trafalgar Square, they made their way through England — and continued through France, Spain, Portugal, and into Morocco.

After finishing up in Morocco a year later, the couple began planning the second leg of their trip: a trans-Sahara crossing, where they would live with Bedouin tribes and adhere to the same customs and moral code as the nomads. In September 2005, the couple again bought some camels, slipped on some new shoes, and began walking. Paula’s husband lasted 6 weeks. Paula continued without him for 6 months, until she learned her mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer and Meniere’s disease.

After taking a short break to find sponsors to try to raise money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation, in October 2006, Paula slipped on some new shoes for a third time and started off. Currently outside Timbuktu, when she finishes, she’ll be the first woman to’ve made a solo crossing of the Sahara on foot without backup. If you, like me, feel moved by her adventure, you can read about her experience on her blog, which is updated surprisingly frequently. I was planning on doing a lot of sitting this weekend. Suddenly, that doesn’t seem so awesome any more.

[Via Hobolinks]

Hike with Dogs–or Not

by Jamie Rhein on

I once co-owned a Russian Wolfhound. When hiking with this dog, people noticed. “What kind of dog is that?!” they’d exclaim as we rounded a mountain switchback. This dog looked flat when it lay on the ground. When hiking, he looked downright downtrodden. In retrospect, hiking may not have been his favorite pastime. Or, perhaps it was. Regardless, when we hiked, he came along.

I thought about these hiking days after I came across an article about the mountain climbers who were rescued recently on Mt. Hood. They had a dog to keep them warm. According to the article, some experts think it’s not the best idea to take a dog on hikes up mountains. Who these experts might be, or how many experts there are who feel this way, I have no idea.

There are loads of articles about the joys of hiking with dogs. One website offers a bundle of info. Hiking with Dogs tells about the best places to hike in the U.S. and Canada with your canine buddy. It looks like Canada may have more dog friendly options if you’re talking national parks, but if you like beaches for your dog outings, check out the site’s link to A Bark on the Beach, an e-book you can download.

Photo of the Day (2/18/2007)

by Jamie Rhein on

Whether you just appreciate the majestic beauty of nature or appreciate the science implicit in this photo, you can’t deny it is really cool. I departed today from taking photos out of our Gadling Flickr site because I saw this photo of a young volcano and my jaw dropped.

The photo is apparently from Kamchatka in Russia, and it was obviously shot from a plane or helicopter, although “guy with a jet pack” is an acceptable answer as well. But what I found so interesting about this photo is how much it reveals about how the early earth must have looked, and what one picture says about how land is made.

GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of February 11

by Adrienne Wilson on

It’s Friday which means it’s time to lean back and reflect on some of this week’s goodies. Without delay here they are:

5. New Gadling Writer Bios:
Some of us have been here forever and some are just getting started. Either way check out the new writer bios to get a taste at what makes the writers tick, itch, scratch or where they like to play when they are not blogging for Gadling.

4. Washington’s Caribbean Phase:
Are you a history buff in need of a break away from stuffy and dusty library shelves? Why not head off to Barbados to retrace the steps of President George Washington who spent some time there himself. Read this piece to see what exactly it was old George did on the island and learn about the upcoming museum opening celebrations.

3. Bob Marley’s Legacy Continues:
Here’s one for all Marley fans to unite over and experience a day or two of one love-ness. Jaime points out upcoming Reggae music fests worth looking out for if not attending. Attending is always better in my book.

2. Baseball Travel Guide:
Now that we’ve covered some history and music trips worth a look, let’s move onto sports. If you’re into baseball you may wish to use it as an excuse or real good reason to get away from the office for a few days to see the boys in training. Check out this guide on where to go to get fired up on America’s favorite past time.

1. Fatpacking: Weight-Loss Backpacking:
If you’d rather be losing weight over watching very in shape ball players do what they do best plan a sports like hiking or fatpacking trip of your own and bring sexy back this spring.