Growing up, I was one of those little girls who loved going to school. I never faked sick, and I actually looked forward to everything from history class to science lab. I just loved learning.

As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to realize just how lucky I am to have gotten the education that I did. Around the world, curious, intelligent young girls just like me don’t always have the same opportunities.

While I was learning about the Boston Tea Party, there were young girls taking care of their whole families on the other side of the world. While I was doing algebra equations, they were getting married. While I was busy applying to college, many of them were raising children of their own.

It’s no secret that women around the world often get a raw deal when it comes to opportunities — women have less access to jobs, high salaries, and especially education. Gender inequality is real, and it is present in all parts of the world.

For example, did you know that over 60 million girls around the world won’t even attend primary school? 60 million. That’s a lot of girls with a lot less opportunity than their male counterparts.

But with a number that huge, what can we do to put a dent in it?

Well, we can start small.

Introducing Project SAMA

In conjunction with Plan, one of the world’s oldest and most experienced children’s development organisations, Intrepid Travel is endeavoring to do what it can to help young girls — and all children — get better access to the education that could be crucial to their futures. Through education, Intrepid hopes to help fight the gender inequality that is present throughout the world.

Girls are more likely to be pulled out of school, have less access to health care, be married at an early age and experience more violence — these are just some of the reasons Intrepid has decided to take an active role in supporting gender equality over the long term.

Project SAMA is “a 3-year global gender equality program, aiming to improve the lives of communities and help bridge the gender gap through early education,” according to the SAMA website.

The first stage of the project will begin in rural Laos, where preschools didn’t even exist as recently as 3 years ago. In these areas, young girls are not only held back from education because of their gender, but also often because of their dialect and how difficult it is for them to integrate into school.

It’s Intrepid’s goal to raise $60,000 for this project by June.

How You Can Help

The great thing about SAMA is that the project does not plan to attack the issue by sending in a bunch of Westerners to “restructure” education in Laos.

Instead, SAMA aims to “establish parenting and community learning groups in up to 45 villages, develop low-cost, locally-made play and learning materials, and train preschool teachers for these communities.”

SAMA wants to help these villages help themselves.

By training the communities, the project will be able to sustain itself and grow for years to come.

And, because this project is taking place in a poor area of the world, a little bit of your money can go a long way.

For example:

• $5 can provide a maths bag and slate
• $5 can provide sports equipment for a village
• $15 can provide play and learning materials for a preschool
• $50 can support one playgroup in an ethnic minority community
• $100 can help train one teacher

It’s so easy to make a big difference with this project, and I really hope you’ll consider making a donation, and spreading the world to everyone you know.

Donating is easy and can even be done via Facebook, using everything from credit cards to a Paypal account.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE.

The Importance of Education

And, because you should never take the word of just one person, I asked some other female travelers/bloggers about the importance of education in their own lives.

Their answers, I think, are quite inspiring.

My education has done more than just about anything else to shape the way that I see the world. I use the critical thinking skills I learned in school literally every single day to interpret the world around me. If I hadn’t had the benefit of a great education as a child, I am sure that I would not be the curious, book-loving, adventure-having person I am today.

– Stephanie, Twenty-Something Travel

I’m incredibly grateful that my parents insisted on education as a priority, from reading to me all the time as a kid to paying for my college degree. I always loved school: learning, reading, asking questions. It’s made all the difference in creating my current lifestyle: there’s no way I would be able to travel and write without my education. Earning a journalism degree taught me how to write, but even more importantly, my professors and peers taught me to think critically, challenge status quo and search for creative solutions.

– Christine, C’est Christine

Education is the heart and soul of my life! I was raised by two educators who preached that teaching and learning are the reason we’re on Earth. I’ve now been teaching in Boston for 8 years, and it’s an amazing career to help youth develop their minds, skills, and futures. I applaud the work of Project SAMA because human life without the opportunity for education is tragic.

– Lilie Marshall, Around the World L and Teaching Traveling

Education has been an essential part of my life, not so much for the reading and writing and other skills I learned — although this has also been important. What I’ve gained the most from it is what I have learned about the world around me. This has given me a deeper understanding of others, has opened my mind to new ideas and ways of being, and has helped me to understand myself more. Education for me is a lifelong process. I am always learning, hence always growing.

– Caz, y Travel Blog

I feel very strongly that many of the world’s dilemmas and a lot of the suffering could be resolved if more girls and women were educated and given opportunities and equal rights. My birthday is March 8, International Women’s Day, so perhaps that has made me very interested in girl’s and women’s issues throughout my life. But I have also come to this understanding through my own experiences. I dropped out of school when I was a teenager, and luckily had the chance to go back and obtain a degree in journalism as a young adult. Without my education, I would have been unlikely to fulfill my potential, which I believe is to be a writer.

Education brings with it a higher income, but more importantly, it brings freedom, self-respect, choices and a better life. Every girl and woman should have this chance. Many studies have shown that when girls are educated, in rural areas especially, the family income and quality of life goes way up. Everyone benefits when girls are educated.

– Mariellen Ward, Breathe Dream Go

So now that you’ve heard the call to arms, do something about it! That $60,000 won’t raise itself.

Make a donation. Share this with your friends on Facebook. E-mail it to your former teachers and professors. Please, help spread the word.

Amanda Williams of Dangerous Business is working with Intrepid Travel to raise awareness and money for Project SAMA, which is a 3-year project that seeks to fight gender inequality through education. The project is starting out in rural Laos, where Intrepid and their partner Plan will establish parenting and community learning groups in up to 45 villages and to train preschool teachers in these communities. In rural Laos, few preschools exist, and girls are often left out of the education process. They are hoping to raise $60,000 by June, and if you want to read more about the project, head here: http://www.intrepidtravel.com/sama

It’s hard to believe that we were in Thailand last year at this time. It truly feels like a lifetime ago that we were re-visiting one of our favourite countries.  Since that time we took part in the Mongol Rally where we drove through 13 countries from England to Mongolia, travelled to Jordan, hopped over to Mexico twice, spent six weeks in New Zealand, hung out in Cairo and took a couple of jaunts to the Caribbean. So needless to say, Thailand feels very far away.

Since it is cold outside in many parts of the world and we’re visiting another cold climate at the moment – Antarctica, we thought we’d give you a little escape from winter and share our favourite things to do in Thailand. We’ve been quite a few times and last year we had the chance to add a few new activities to our list thanks to the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Smiling Albino; an original, boutique travel company hosting adventures in Thailand, Nepal, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Tibet.

So sit back and relax and plan your next vacation to Thailand, you won’t regret it.

1. Sea Kayak in Krabi

View of lagoon from a sea cave

Sea Kayaking with the original sea kayak company of Thailand, John Gray Sea Canoe is an amazing experience. John Gray himself pioneered the sea kayaking business in Thailand bringing his expertise and experience from exploring sea caves in Hawaii to South East Asia. Paddling through a cave to come out to a gorgeous lagoon in the middle of an island on the Adamen Sea is a moment you will never forget. An environmental activist, John Gray is extremely careful and adement about keeping his footprint to a minimum and his guides are very aware about the environmental impact that tourism is having on their country.  Make sure to camp overnight on one of the uninhabited islands in the area and have a private evening in complete silence.

2. Motorcycle to the Myanmar Border

The Winding Deserted Roads of Northern Thailand

We have always been wary about driving a motorcycle in Thailand after we had an accident in Kho Samui on our first trip to the country in 2000. However, The Smiling Albino took great care of us, giving us a thorough lesson and test to make sure that we were capable of driving through the winding mountain roads and city traffic. Having the freedom to go off the beaten path and explore the pristine countryside of Thailand’s north was a unique experience. Driving through the winding mountain roads was a thrill and the scenery was outstanding, but the highlight was making our way to the border and looking out over Myanmar. 

3. Mountain Bike, Chiang Rai

Dave Mountain Biking in the Thai Countryside

We took a mountain bike tour from the city streets of Chiang Rai out to the surrounding countryside. Biking up impressive hills and through rice paddy fields was a challenging yet fun ride. It is amazing how quickly you will find yourself out of the bustling streets and into the quiet farmland. We didn’t come across any single track mountain biking, but the trails and paths were a lot of fun and we got to finish off the ride with a longtail boat back to town.

4. Rock Climb, Railay

Deb conquering a route

We do this every time we go to Thailand and never tire of visiting Railay. There are literally hundreds of routes to climb for all levels of climbers. Even if you don’t have any experience, you will find many schools offering introductory classes to full courses that will teach you how to lead your own routes. We climbed with Hot Rocks climbing school and our guide was absolutely fantastic. You won’t find a more beautiful setting in the world in our opinion. The surround karst islands are stunning.

5. Muay Thai Kickboxing

Dave Practicing his kicks

Want a great way to whip yourself in shape? Try enrolling in a Muay Thai Kickboxing course. There are schools all over the country and you can sign up for a few short days or stay for months at a time. You’ll learn from genuine ex-thai boxers how to kick, punch and block. Plus you’ll learn how to perform the wai kru, the ceremony that Muay Thai Boxers do before each match. We trained with Rawai Muay Thai and found them to be outstanding. Located in the quiet part of Phuket, we were close to the beach and the restaurant next door was incredible as it catered to people in training. They server protein shakes, low fat dishes and offered a meal plan to students.

Bonus Activity

Take part in Songkran 

It only happens once a year, but if you find yourself in Thailand when the Songkran festival is going on, you have got to go out an experience it. It’s the world’s largest water fight celebrating the Thai New Year.

We took a day off from Travel Inspiration week yesterday to share a culinary post in China to celebrate Intrepid Travel’s Delicious Discoveries, but we’re back to our regularly scheduled program.  

We had such an amazing turn out for our inspirational travel series and we have been sitting on many stories for a few months. It is just too slow of a process to put them out only once a week so we decided to post a week of inspiration to excite you and inspire to make a change in your life or just head out for that much needed vacation. Enjoy!

Cycling Through the Countryside in Vang Vieng Laos by Dean Wickham

Vang Vieng in Laos is one of those places that you hear mixed reviews about. Some people have the time of their lives while others can’t wait to get out of there. The general apprehension is that if you’re a twenty year old backpacker wanting to get drunk and go tubing down a river, you’ll love it. If you fit into any other category, you’ll hate the place. I wanted to find out for myself.

The View from my Guest House

I awoke on my first morning in Vang Vieng ready to explore the laid back little town and see what it has to offer. I had no interest in getting sloshed and tubing down a river, so after a hearty breakfast I decided to rent a mountain bike from a small shop on the main street. The bike cost me 30,000 kip ($3.80) for the whole day, and the lady gave me a rough map of what I can go and see in the local area. I decided to head across the river and make my way to Poukham cave, which I had heard was interesting to explore and had a nice swimming hole nearby. I hadn’t ridden a bike for quite some time but I soon got the hang of it again (It’s like riding a bike). As I came to the bridge I paid the 5000 kip ($0.60) toll and rode my bike over the wooden bridge, crossing the beautiful Nam Song River that flows through the town.

Rice fields and limestone karsts

Riding down the dirt, potholed road I soon entered the surrounding countryside, dominated by beautiful green rice fields that stretch across the flat areas of land between the huge limestone karsts that rise up above them. Farmers tended to their fields while chickens scratched in the dirt and cows grazed on the side of the road. I stopped often to take photos and just enjoy the stunning scenery. As I continued along the road I passed through several small villages, with their basic bamboo houses sitting amongst bunches of banana trees and little vegetable gardens. It was a Sunday and all of the local kids were out playing, riding their bikes, swimming in streams and chasing dogs and chickens. Women bathed and did their laundry in the small fresh water streams that came down from the mountains, while other people went about their daily chores, chopping wood and preparing food.

A small village

I decided to stop in at a small swimming hole, as I had built up quite a sweat from the bike ride. Some local kids ran beside me as I made my way down to the stream, and soon joined me for a swim in the lovely cool water. They couldn’t speak a word of English but a simple “Sabai dee” was enough to get a smile out of them. As I rode away they ran beside me to show me how fast they could run, and then waved goodbye with a big smile on their faces.

A house and some kids near the swimming hole

I was fascinated by the peacefulness of the typical life in the Laotian countryside. It was so good to be having a true local experience, away from the hordes of tourists that can take away that something special from a certain place. This was a place where I could be on my own, and truly see what life is about in this amazing country. Here, life is simple, people have very little and yet they are so happy. Here kids don’t need video games and brand named clothes to be happy. All they seem to need is their imagination.

Stopped to have a rest next to a stream

When I got to the entrance of Poukham cave I paid the 10,000 kip ($1.20) entrance fee and crossed the bridge where I parked my bike, before climbing up the steep path and exploring the large, dark cave on my own, an adventure in itself. By this time the heat and humidity of the tropical climate had me drenched in sweat, and I was ready to cool off in the Blue Lagoon, located near the cave where I had parked my bike. The cool fresh water was a lovely blue colour, coming from a small mountain stream, with schools of fresh water fish swimming against the current. Some locals were also enjoying a swim in their local swimming hole, floating around on tyre tubes and enjoying the rope swing, while I just floated in the cool clear water, relaxed and enjoying the natural scenery.

Having a swim with the locals in the Blue Lagoon

Once I was cooled off I began to make my way back to Vang Vieng, stopping for some lunch at a little local restaurant in one of the villages. My huge plate of noodles cost just 10,000 kip ($1.20).

Having a swim with the locals in the Blue Lagoon

I had passed only a handful of other tourists throughout the day in the local area, and overall it was an extremely peaceful and rewarding experience. My whole day out only cost me $6.80. It goes to show, you need to explore a place on your own to really experience what the place has to offer. As I found out about Vang Vieng, there is always more to a place than what you may hear or read. For me, this type of experience is exactly what travel is all about. You can learn so much about life from the local people, even without any words being exchanged. From that moment on I would seek out these kinds of experiences everywhere that I travelled.

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Dean Wickham is an intrepid traveller from Australia with a thirst for adventure. He has travelled extensively in Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Nepal and South East Asia, trekked to Mount Everest Base Camp, climbed through ice caves on glaciers and for his next adventure, plans to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. He is always planning his next trip, and writes about his travels on his travel blog: The Road to Anywhere, where he hopes to inspire other people to travel the world through his stories, destination tips and travel photos. You can follow him on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook.

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Inspirational Series 

This is an ongoing series of Inspirational travel. If you have an experience in travel that changed your life, made you look at the world differently or an amazing moment that you want to share, please contact us for more details and we will email you right back.. You can also read more about submitting an article to this series at Calling All Writers, Share your Inspirational Travel Story

Read More Inspirational Stories

• Inspired by Peru
• Real Men Don’t Cry
• Round Trip Ticket, Backpack and Curiosity
• What Happens When You Follow Your Heart
• From Little Englander To Travel Lover 
• Freedom Found
•  The Yoga Retreat That Made Me Quit My Day Job 
• Learning that it’s OK to be a Quitter 
• Zulu Memories in South Africa by Green Global Travel
• What I Would Tell You (If I Had the Words)
•  Charity for the Philippines a Birthday Adventure
• Habitat for Humanity in Alaska
• Inspired at the Summit of Mount Roy 
• Inspirational Travel: Fishing For Friendship 

It wasn’t something we would normally sign up for when traveling. We’ve been all over the word and while we enjoy eating food, we had never thought of learning how to cook it.

When were traveling through China with Intrepid Travel however, one of the activities that was offered during our time in Yangshuo was to take part in a cooking course, so we thought we’d tag along.

The Day Started at the Market

The market was alive with activity. It was exactly what you would expect from a traditional Chinese market. Rows of stalls were lined up in the giant hall displaying fresh fruits and vegetables. We didn’t recognize a lot of the produce and were content to listen as our guide explained the use of each leaf, root and stem on the table.

We thought that we would be prepared when she asked us if we were willing to walk through the live animal market and ignorantly said that we were fine. In Asia, the people don’t try to hide where their food comes from. It isn’t tucked away in windowless factories and packaged in vacuum packed plastic bags to be displayed on our grocery shelves. They don’t use euphemisms like pork and poultry or beef in lieu of pig, chicken and cow. You see your dinner’s eyes while they are alive and well, it can be very traumatizing.

So if you do a cooking course in China, either be prepared for what you are about to see, or tell your guide that you don’t want to walk through the next room. It is a disturbing sight but it is hypocritical for me to have meat as a part of my diet and judge the people who sell animals for my consumption. I just hope that China works on making animal welfare a priority in the future and from what I understand from all our guides, the younger generation isn’t quite as keen on the practices of their elders.

Back at the School….

The Yangshuo cooking school ended up being a fun afternoon and a great way to find our inner chef. With our emotions melting away, we started off with learning how to make an array of stuffed vegetables. It was also nice to start with a vegetarian dish.

The class moved at a feverish pace. We had a lot of dishes to cook and there was excitement in the air. The woks were sizzling and smoking while we chopped our veggies with our Chinese Cleavers.

Book a Delicious Discovery journey before 29^thFebruary and carve 15% off your Mouth Watering Journey with Intrepid Travel 

Dave was a natural cook, so I took my place behind the video camera to capture him slicing and dicing and swirling and twirling.

We had an array of cooking utensils, pots and pans and bamboo dishes in front of our stations. If it weren’t for our instructor I wouldn’t know where to begin!

We learned how to properly heat a wok and when to toss our fresh vegetables into the sizzling oil.

We learned how to stuff veggies and mince garlic and ginger and we learned how to sear fish in a smoking hot pan.

We learned how to properly chop our veggies too! There is a proper time to cut large chunky pieces and another time to thinly slice the vegetable of choice. It is important to think about how each food item will be prepared for each dish.

We learned about produce from the region and how much spice is just the right amount of spice. You want your food to be filled with flavour. Spice should enhance the dish, not overpower it. However, each person has a different tolerance, so we all tasted our instructors dish after watching the amount of spice she added to decide how much we should put in our own.

Our afternoon feast consisted of beer battered fish to stuffed tomatoes, cashew chicken and seared vegetables, we had a feast and we cooked it from scratch. It was a satisfying experience to steam and stuff our own vegetables and display it all in one delicious array!

We learned a lot about Chinese cooking and gained a new appreciation for their fine cuisine. There is a lot of work and preparation involved in preparing the various dishes that were served at our table each day and this in turn made us enjoy our dinners even more during our tour of China.

It was an amazing way to spend an afternoon. We made such great friends on our Intrepid Travel, Grand China tour and our cooking class helped to bring all of us together quickly. It was still early in our three-week joureny through China when we attended class in Yangshuo and as the saying goes, “Those who cook well together, travel well together!” Ok, there is no such saying but it is a good one, because our group definitely travelled well together after spending an afternoon bonding and eating at the Yangshuo Cooking School.

Intrepid Travel is featuring Delicious Discovery destinations around the world and to celebrate their offering a 10% Discount on one of their featured food experiences. Book Before February 29th to take advantage of this offer.

Visit Intrepid Travel’s Global Foods Digital Brochure to book your culinary journey and quote promo code 6584

Want to the recipe for Yangshuo’s staple dish, Beer Fish or PiJiu Yu

Recipe:

100 grams of fish (firm white with skin on )
2 Tablespoons of peanut oi
Half tomato – chopped
Half Green, half red pepper – sliced
1 tablespoon sliced garlic tops or spring onions
1 tablespoon ginger – sliced
2 cloves garlic- crushed
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
Half Teaspoon of salt
Half a glass of beer.

Heat Wok, Add Oil and Heat. Put fish into wok fish side down, put salt on top of fish. Fry on each side for 3 minutes to make sure the skin is brown. Put all geggies, garlic and ginger on top of fish. Pur on soy sauce and beer, cover for 5 minutes.

Book a Delicious Discovery journey before 29^thFebruary and carve 15% off your Mouth Watering Journey with Intrepid Travel.

I am very happy to be guest posting here on The PlanetD. Thanks to Dave and Deb for offering this opportunity to share with you how travel changed our lives. I was asked to provide whatever story I wanted to tell, so here we go with one of my favorite travel destinations: Japan!

If we can make it in Japan, we can make it everywhere!

That was our mantra back in 1996 when we headed to the land of the Rising Sun. Everybody told us Japan was such a strange country. Indeed, Japan was not a very popular travel destination back in 1996, mainly because it was seen as too different and not many people were able to speak English. There were also rumors that cost of living was unbelievable high. Rumors indeed, because we soon discovered that you could still travel on a shoestring in Japan.

We went and discovered Japan as being a fascinating country. We dare to say that Japan changed the way we look at our lives. The cultural differences have an impact, especially when you spend a longer period of time like we did. Our stay in Japan also changed the way we value the act of traveling.

Intriguing culture behind the façade

Emiel and geisha in Gion Kyoto

Geisha’s hide their face behind a mask of white make-up (shiro-nuri). Famous Japanese writer Haruki Murakami describes parallel worlds where cats can talk and a second moon shines its light upon the world. Japanese people by habit don’t show their emotions and it’s not common practice to talk about personal life when you meet for the first time. Japanese TV game shows go to the extreme and readers of manga (violent comics that are very popular in Japan) immerse in another extreme world that allows them to hide from reality.

There’s more to Japan than meets the eye. It’s a fascinating culture, overlooked by many, neglected by some. For most of Westerners, Japan is all about strange people and strange habits, hi-tech, the concrete sky-scraper city of Tokyo and an ever-present threat of earthquakes and tsunamis.

Paper facade walls in Japan

I did speak some words of Japanese after my 3-month stay in the country back in 1996. While we back-packed from north to south we got some glimpses of the world behind the façade. We were staying in smaller fisher towns where hardly any foreigners ever sat foot. To these people, we were their link to the outside world and we were willing to answer all their questions (and so we did!).

Kyoto is a must-visit place in Japan that gives great insights into ancient Japan. Go to the geisha district of Gion, where you can stroll through narrow alleys with historical buildings. This is the Japan of centuries ago! When you’re lucky you can bump into a geisha, quickly walking from one appointment to another. Visit the wide variety of temples and shrines in Kyoto. Sit down and just look at the so-called Zen gardens. Representing the ocean with islands, these gardens offer relaxation and tranquility in the midst of a hectic outside world. The gardens are mostly not understood by foreigners, but see them as some kind of meditation. When you watch them, you will soon discover the true meaning behind the rocks and gravel.

Respect and punctuality

Always when you enter a store in Japan, people greet you. It is an obliged way of politeness, but still I was impressed. In Japanese society, younger people in general show respect to elderly, even in the way they talk! The Japanese language has special words and phrases that young people use when they talk to someone they respect (a teacher or  elderly person).

We were indeed impressed by that level of respect and we compared it to our own lives. When we enter a shop in our country we might need to actively draw the attention of shop personnel. It’s the other way around! In Japan, respect is embedded in the culture, originating from the tenet of Confucianism.

Next to respect we loved the Japanese punctuality! Trains drive for hundreds of miles, arriving on exactly the time planned (you can count the seconds). Japanese people are driven by punctuality because it shows respect to others. For a train driver punctuality is priority no 1 because that’s the way he can show respect to his passengers.

For us, Japan is a different society, a different way of living together. Traveling in such a country makes you aware of differences in how people live together, how customers are approached and how to respect one another. It’s a lesson learned that you take home with you.

The importance of speed versus slow travel

You probably know those high-speed bullet trains in Japan called the Shinkansen. But you probably did not know that these trains were already running in the 1964! It’s all part of the technological leadership position that made Japan famous in the 70s and 80s.

Through the extensive Shinkansen network, we could travel to the other side of the country in only a couple of hours. Traveling high-speed saves a lot of time, but at the same time we skipped thousands of kilometers of people, towns and actual discoveries. We were heading for an important sight-seeing spot so we choose to travel like that. But never will we know what we have missed would we have traveled more slowly.

In another part of the country however, we changed things around. We picked an area that was not in any of the travel guide books (according to these factual guide books nothing interesting was to be found there). But we went anyway. And we had a fab time! We went to Wakajima prefecture, and stayed at a small hotel. The owner of the hotel was so proud of her foreign guests that she took us to the market and showed us to all her friends!

We traveled by local train services to smaller sight-seeing spots and the rocky coastal area. We were the only one around. How different a travel experience can be if you decide to travel slow into an area that is not highlighted in travel guides.

So that is our Japan story. Japan is a fascinating country were you can switch between extremes. It showed us that traveling is far more than going from one famous sight-seeing spot to another. There is nothing wrong with that, but we learned that you have to actively search for the real world (culture) behind the touristic places. There is far more to discover if you actively go out and observe it.

Emiel van den Boomen writes about travel at www.actoftraveling.com. He approaches travel in a poetic and sentimental way avoiding the, according to him, boring itineraries full of must-see highlights. You can follow him on Twitter @vandenboomen and Facebook ActofTraveling.

• Photos:
  Emiel with geisha:
• Zen garden:
• Paper façade wall: 
• Shinkansen bullet train: 

Inspirational Series 

This is an ongoing series of inspiring stories from intrepid travellers around the world. If you have an experience in travel that changed your life, made you look at the world differently or an amazing moment that you want to share, please contact us for more details and we will email you right back.. You can also read more about submitting an article to this series at Calling All Writers, Share your Inspirational Travel Story

Read More Inspirational Stories

• What Happens When You Follow Your Heart
• From Little Englander To Travel Lover 
• Freedom Found
•  The Yoga Retreat That Made Me Quit My Day Job 
• Learning that it’s OK to be a Quitter 
• Zulu Memories in South Africa by Green Global Travel
• What I Would Tell You (If I Had the Words)
•  Charity for the Philippines a Birthday Adventure
• Habitat for Humanity in Alaska
• Inspired at the Summit of Mount Roy 
• Inspirational Travel: Fishing For Friendship 

Four months before I turned 31, I was thinking of something different to do on my birthday. I had a big rock concert party thrown when I turned 30 and this time around I was meaning to do something more than just having fun with my family and friends. My brother, an active mountaineer, told me that one of his fellow mountaineers recently discovered an indigenous tribe in General Nakar in the province of Quezon in the Philippines known as the Agta and Dumagat.

The mere mention of “indigenous tribe” was so appealing so I wasted no time and organized a team of 22 individuals from different backgrounds to jump with me on this adventure. I funded the ocular visit, arranged security and dragged my Swedish friend, Tobby, to travel halfway across the world to help me raise funds and join me in this mission, bringing immediate relief and sustainable help to the tribe.

The preparation and fund raising for the mission wasn’t easy. The Philippines was struck by several typhoons before the mission and made it harder for us to gather monetary donations. In Sweden, my friend worked hard to promote and gather donations as well. The response was slow and unlike our previous fund raising, people were not as responsive.

We were able to gather one third of our targeted fund and went to travel to General Nakar. It was almost 4 hours of bus ride from Manila to Infanta, Quezon. The security group of the team who left a day ahead met us at General Nakar market. They were unable to reach the village where the settlement is located. The recent typhoon made the roads impassable. Luckily, that day, one jeepney with wheels of a 4X4 and engine of a cargo truck agreed to bring us to our destination. Nothing could have prepared me to this ride. The two hour jeepney ride was by far the ride of my life! The roads were extremely rough, muddy and scary. It ran along the side of the mountains cliffs. From one rough path to another – we crossed 5 huge rivers and 7 streams. These rivers are wide, rocky and the waters had unmerciful current. I was holding on to my life and trying so hard not to scream my heart out ( but I did scream a few times – alright, not few, many times). We passed by bushes, tall coconut trees, endless rice fields, dangerous cliffs, small wooden houses, huge banana trees that were destroyed by the recent typhoon. We also passed by people with curious expression and a few motorcycles transporting people and goods in and out of the villages.

We reached our local contact’s little shack before noon. A black rubber pipe in front of his abode provided an endless supply of running water from the mountain – that area also served as his sink, shower and laundry area. The wide jungle around his house served as the garden, playground and more or less, unconventional toilet. We set camp at the beach nearby and went to visit the Dumagat settlement the next day. The hike to the settlement wasn’t a walk in the clouds at all. Three hours of walking through the bushes and climbing the stiff mountainside was almost like climbing a wall.

There was a time I looked up and saw the stiff mountain side and I was almost regretting my birthday whim. I was exhausted beyond description but I had no choice but to go on. We made it to the settlement and they welcomed us whole-heartedly. I gathered the women and the elders to show them our donations ( lamps, sacks of rice, canned goods, sugar, raincoats and rubber boots, assorted seeds and planting tools), we also gave them several pointers on planting the seeds. Some of the mission team members held games for the children. Some of our guys sat down with the Dumagat men and shared shots of their local wine called lambanog  (coconut wine). We spent two hours in the settlement, immersing ourselves to their ways. It turned out to be that our mission was so timely since they just lost their crops from a destructive typhoon and no help had been brought to them yet. There were a lot of sincere exchange of gratitude and appreciation in the air during our entire stay there. We left the settlement that afternoon, though physically spent, we were inspired and accomplished.

The Dumagats lived with the very basic things – food, shelter and clothing. They have no electricity, no luxury and no trace of technology. Though it may seem they have a hard life in the mountains, they are happy and contented. Though they don’t have the same modern life we enjoy in the city, they seem to have more – they have fresh air, they have the best survival skills which will take a lifetime for me to learn, they have the abundance of nature and a life with very little complications. I realized that life is simple and all the things we think we need are mostly unnecessary. The Dumagats think that we gave them so much but little did they realize that they gave us more in return.

As for me, the whole trip was about perseverance, motivation, camaraderie and generally, appreciation of life. At 31, I know for sure that we can’t just give up – just because it gets hard it doesn’t mean we’ll have to throw away our dreams. Life, if we discover the real meaning, is simple. We only need a purpose, the motivation to keep going and learn to appreciate every moment that comes along. We only need to remember the people and things that matter most in our journey and from there, we can get the inspiration, strength and meaning we need to go on. Realizing that life is an adventure full of exhausting challenges and sweet rewards is one of the most meaningful birthday gifts I ever received. I am thankful to my family, friends and people who supported this mission and I will definitely keep creating adventures not only for me but also to those who are willing to spare their time, courage and resources. Charity is an addictive adventure and I am sure I have more to look forward to as long as I am alive.

Pictures provided by www.beforeiam35.com

Leah serves as the primary mission coordinator. Being a Business Development professional in the outsourcing industry, she uses her marketing skills to promote the mission in order to raise funds. She facilitates the group updates and tracks mission fund raising progress. She’s a travel enthusiast and has a drive to organize charity works aiming to provide support to children and minority groups.  Her biggest motivation is to interact and provide sustainable help to the Agta and Dumagat people in order to preserve their culture. She considers this mission to be a realistic glimpse of her roots as a Filipino.
Mission’s website is www.agtacharitymission.info You can also check out our FB page which is http://www.facebook.com/AgtaCharityMission and on Twitter @betinasbed

I learned to change a tire during the Mongol Rally.

I hadn’t changed one before and even though Dave changed all the tires during our drive to Mongolia, I am confident that on our next road trip, I will be the one changing our tires on the car.

Dave finishing off Changing a Tire in Mongolia

It’s easier than I thought it would be. So Easy that we are even going to share how to change a tire for those out of you that count on CAA/AAA for all your auto needs. Never Fear, you will never be stranded again by that nasty flat, your rims are in good hands and here is how.

Changing Tires Made Easy

1. Find a solid place on the frame of the car to place the jack
2. Make sure the jack is on an even surface and then proceed to raise the car
3. Take of the hubcap and use your tire iron to loosen the nuts. (don’t remove them)
4. After all nuts are loosened go back and take them off one at a time
5.When you come to the last nut, make sure to hold onto the tire to take weight off the last one.
6.Put the new tire on making sure to align it
7. hand tighten the bolts
8. Once the tire is on and secure, take the tire iron to tighten the bolts.
9. Lower the car
10.Retighten the nuts to be sure that the tire is secure

Now Back to our Regularly Scheduled Blog Post…

After our return from the Mongol Rally, the first thing our car needed was a new set of tires. We made our way to Parkinson Tire in Woodstock, Ontario to get our tires changed and for the first time in my life, I actually took notice of the process.

Normally I leave the garage to grab a coffee or sit in the waiting room and read a magazine whenever I am having work done on the car. But after spending weeks on the road paying close attention to all of the goings on of our Nissan Almera, I was interested in watching the guys in Woodstock change a tire with their high tech equipment.

Contrasting Countries

In Mongolia, guys used a sledge hammer, some glue and their own spit to fix our punctures. They literally drank some water and spit on our tires to find a leak. In Woodstock they used computers to align the wheels, they used power tools to take the tires off and put our tires through all sorts of fancy equipment to take good care of our wheels.

Using a Sledge Hammer in Mongolia to Loosen the Tire

Using a Sledge Hammer to take tire off the rim in Mongolia

There was definitely a difference in development. Mongolia is still doing things the old fashioned way. It won’t be long until it has caught up to us in technology though and soon this post will be obsolete. It is rapidly developing and in the near future the simplicity of life will give way to the modern world and all the problems that go with it.

But for now, enjoy this photo story of the contrasts of Canada and Mongolia through the ways of the changing tire.

1 – The Garage, Mongolia

A Tire Shop in Mongolia

1 – The Garage, Woodstock

The Tire Shop in Canada

2 – Men Changing Tires in Mongolia

Men Changing a Tire in Mongolia

2 – Man Changing Tires in Canada

Man Changing Tires in Canada

3 – Inside of Tire Shop in Mongolia

Machines in the Shop in Mongolia

3 – Inside of Tire Shop in Canada

The Tire Changing Machinery in Canada

4 – Equipment Used for Tire Alignment

4 – Men Checking Tire Alignment, Mongolia

5 – Friendly Locals Helping us With Our Car in a Pinch in Mongolia

Friendly Locals Helping us Out in Mongolia

5 – Friendly Locals Helping us with our Car in Canada

Who are we kidding, we’ve never had friendly locals help us in a pinch in Canada. Mongolia was a friendly nation where people were willing to stop and give you a hand wherever you would find yourself. If you have ever the chance to go there, you will be overwhelmed by the friendliness and warmth of its people.

To read more about our fun changing tires on the Mongol Rally, check out our posts

I must say that we went through the Mongol Rally with very little problems. Our Nissan Almera bought by AllWaysRentals in New Zealand stood up to the harsh conditions and passed with flying colours.

These roads beat a car down and all in all, we managed to get away with very little damage.

Tire Punctures

One of our tire punctures.

The biggest threat to our car was the rocky terrain. Some of the rocks were as sharp as tacks and when hitting them at the wrong angle, we were bound to get a puncture. Allways put on two new tires for us on the front of the car, but our rear wheels were left in their previous state. It wasn’t long before we had our first puncture.

Time to change the flat!

After 8000 miles of driving on our old tires were wearing down to the point of very little tread. We only carried one spare with us and luckily noticed that it had gone flat in our trunk before we needed it. We pulled into a gas station in Dariv where a local trucker stopped to fill up our tire with air. He gave it a good once over and assured us that we were fine. It turns out that we only had a very slow leak so it stayed full for quite some time.

Getting our first tire fixed in Mongolia

Lucky for us we filled it when we did. It was the next day that we got our first puncture and needed to change the tire! We put on our spare and held our breath in hopes that it would hold up. It turned out that the trucker was right. We only had a slow leak and it lasted for a couple of days until we hit the next town to have it repaired.

We pulled into Bayankhongor to get our first tires repaired. The Mongol Rally has different drop off points and mechanics set up in a few cities along the route and our original plan was to head to their mechanic, but as we pulled into town, we saw a big sign for tire repairs.

We pulled in and emptied out our car to get our flat tire out of the trunk. When we asked him the price to fix it, we couldn’t believe our eyes when he punched 2000 Togrog into the calculator. That is the equivelant of less than $2! We eagerly accepted.

The Master tire fixer in Bayankhongor, Mongolia

He inflated our tire and then took it out back to dip in a pool of water to find the leak. Within a couple of minutes he was back to show us where the hole is and began to get to work on the repair.

He was skilled and used his tools effortlessly as he fixed our tire like he does so many times each day.

He did such a great job, that we took off our spare tire with the very slow leak to have him try to find that puncture as well. Sure enough within minutes we found a tiny hole and was instantly at his machines getting down to business.

The Bayankhongor Tire shop had all the right tools.

He fixed two tires while we waited in the parking lot and ate some lunch in the parking lot.

It cost us 4000 Mongolian Togrog, but we gave him a 1000 Togrog tip for a grand total of $3.95

I can see that he makes his money of volume instead of high prices, while we were there, two mini buses whizzed in to drop off the mangled tires to be fixed, a transport truck popped in for a fix and two other cars were waiting in line to have their tire repairs done.

Time for lunch at the Tire store.

In total, we had 3 flat tires and only had to get our tire repaired one more time in a small village along the route. It doesn’t matter how small a place seems to be, you will always be able to find a professional tire repair place in Mongolia.

In this country, tires take a beating while the garages make a killing!

A view from The Bund of the Shanghai Skyline

Shanghai has the most spectacular skyline in the world and the best view is from the Bund which which runs along the western bank of the Huangpu River. From here you are treated to the view of Pudong, one of the newest cities in the world. It is hard to believe that 20 years ago, this was all farmland.

China decided that it wanted Shanghai to take over as the epicentre of China. I am sure that it will soon take over Hong Kong as the financial centre of the country.

Get there early as the crowds get heavy with photographers scrambling for a spot for the best view. When the sun goes down, the city lights up and it is spectacular.

Check out more photos of China at Night

The Sun sets as we paddle our Sea Canoe out of the Hongs of Thailand

It was a beautiful day.

The weather could not have been any better and either could the scenery. Sea Canoeing in southern Thailand is definitely something not to miss.

We spent the day exploring these tidal caves (or Hongs as they are known as in Thailand) that you can only enter on a Sea Canoe at certain times of the day. There is something peaceful about hearing the dip of the paddle as you look around at something that mother nature so carefully crafted. This shot was taken as the sun was beginning to set. We had spent the day in numerous Hongs that were discovered by our host John Gray on his inflatable sea canoe nearly 25 years ago.

As the light faded it made the cliffs glow just as one of our fellow canoeists passed on the right. I used a slow shutter speed to reflect the motion and a small aperture of f20 to keep the background in focus. You can almost hear the oars dipping into the water as they paddle by.

A perfect end to the day.

Sponsored by Tourism Authority of Thailand and Hosted by Smiling Albino

It is the most fascinating festival you will ever witness. Thaipusam is a Hindu Festival that happens every January or February.  It is celebrated by the Tamil community in Sri Lanka, India, Singapore and Mauritius. But nowhere celebrates it as big as Malaysia.  Celebrated during the full moon of the Tamil month of Thai, Thaipusam draws thousands of devotees paying their respects to the Lord Muruga.  It is a colourful and shocking Hindu festival where devotees pierce themselves with pins and spikes, hang pots and fruit off of their chests with hooks and pull chariots or people hanging onto heavy rope attached to their backs by hooks.

It is a day of celebration as devotees pray to the Lord Muruga for good luck in the coming year.  They thank him for a wish that was granted this past year or as I read in the paper, for the good grades they received in school.

Shocking Asia, Malaysia’s Thaipusam

The ages range from the very young. Babies have their heads shaves and piercings were as young as a 13 year girl to old men well into their 70′s.  They are offering penance to Lord Muruga for their own and various reasons.  We have had the privilege to experience two Thaipusam Festivals.  Our first was at the Batu Caves near Kuala Lumpur in 2004, our second was Penang’s Celebrations in 2011.

There weren’t as many people in Penang as there were in Kuala Lumpur.  Over a million people make their way to the Batu Caves where as 20,000 people visit the waterfall temple in Penang.

The festivals are quite different in each city but each as equally shocking.

For a first time Thaipusam attendee, we would suggest going to the Batu Caves.  It is far more exciting and energetic.  The crowds are bigger and the devotees are far more outlandish and flamboyant.  At the Batu Caves, people seemed to be in a more crazed state of trance. Their eyes were wild and void of recognition.  The energy is more animalistic and frenzied.

In Penang, it is more reserved. The crowds are smaller, the devotees are calm and relaxed.  You feel as if you could walk up and talk to them, to ask them how they are feeling. They are in a trance, but seem to be very aware and present at the same time.

As a second time attendee, we enjoyed watching Thaipusam from Penang.

We could walk right up to devotees and take extreme close ups of their faces and backs.  We didn’t have to fight the crowd of a million people to catch a glimpse of a worshipper.  We enjoyed the quieter energy.  The devotees were just as devoted and impressive, there were just fewer and farther in between.

The pilgrimage route to the temple was shaded by trees and the steps to the top of the temple was shorter and less crowded.

We stood right beside a group from China and watched their handlers take care of their open wounds.  They bathed them with water and guarded the long spikes sticking out of their cheeks.

We felt that we could study Thaipusam and felt more a part of it rather than the far away observer that we were in Kuala Lumpur.

While I would never change my first experience of Thaipusam at the Batu Caves, I was grateful to be a part of the procession, the breaking of coconuts for good luck in the year ahead and an up close and personal observer of Amazing Thaipusam in Penang.

Here is our video from 2004. When we get some time 2011 will come out too.

The ruins of Angkor Wat

It has been six years since we’ve been in South East Asia. We are back in Thailand and it feels as if nothing has changed.  We talk to other travelers and they tell us their stories of visiting Cambodia and Laos for the first time and we see the excitement in their eyes as they list off the places they have seen.  Angkor Wat was a place of distant wonder for us during our first trip to Sout East Asia in 2000.  People told us about these ruins in the jungle, but we never thought we would never get there.   It was 3 years later when we came back to this part of the world and truly explored the countries of the region that we made it to these fabled temples.

The ruins of Angkor Wat are expansive to say the least. Some people spend days exploring them, others weeks. The way the jungle overtook the buildings is one of the things that makes Angkor Wat visually spectacular.  In this photo you can see the roots of the jungle trees growing right through and around the temples.

The beautiful Sand Dunes of Mui-Ne, Vietnam

Vietnam was one of our favourite countries in South East Asia. One of the highlights was going sand boarding on the Sand Dunes in Mui Ne.

After grabbing a jeep from our guesthouse we were taken to these amazing Sand Dunes that looked to be untouched by human feet at least for the past couple of days. I captured this image as one of the people we were traveling with headed up the sand dunes first. We had an amazing day sand boarding and enjoying the beautiful weather.

So if you are ever in Vietnam make sure to make it to Mui Ne and these amazing dunes that are part of the diverse landscape in this awesome country.

The sun rises over Gunung Rinjani on the island of Lombok in Indonesia

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It was about 5am in the morning and we had been climbing for several hours in the dark. We were on our way up the side of Gunung Batur, one of Bali’s active volcanos, when the sun peaked over the horizon to give us this stunning sunrise view of Gunung Rinjani on the island of Lombok.

Gunung Rinjani is the second largest volcano in Indonesia and is still very active. The sky was perfect that morning giving us that almost lava colour  which gives the photo impact.

So sit back and enjoy a cup of “Java” and take in the beauty that is Indonesia.

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The tea feilds on The Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

When we were traveling in Malaysia, probably the last thing we expected to see was Tea plantations. But to our surprise, in central Malaysia, there is a place called The Cameron Highlands, where you can enjoy an afternoon cup of tea and fresh baked scones with cream. Who knew?

Not only does it produce great tea it also produced great colours and scenery. As we hiked through the hills of Central Malasia we were treated to views like this all day. So when you look at this image just imagine breathing in the cool mountain air and sipping a fresh cup of tea. Sounds like a relaxing Sunday to us!

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You’ll Have to Excuse me I’m not at my best, I’ve been gone for 5 months, I need home for a rest. (partially stolen lyrics from Spirit of the Wests “Home for a Rest“)

Our Central Asian Adventure has come to an end for awhile.  We will make it back there one day soon, but we had to come home so that we could go to France.

Air France was kind enough to choose our blog’s post about their New Premium Voyageur Class as the winner of an contest where they invited 20 Canadian Bloggers to introduce it to the world. We won and they gave us a free flight to Paris on their upgraded class.  We can’t wait to sample their fine wine and cuisine.

It turned out to be great timing for us to go to France for the month of May.  Who doesn’t like Paris in the springtime?

We were worried that we should have made the flight later in the summer, or that we should have stayed for the entire summer in Europe.

But our fears were put to rest when we found out from Princess Cruises that we would be joining on their #FollowmeatSea Media trip to Alaska just one week after returning from Europe.

Our summer is going to be jam packed and we couldn’t be more excited. We are even managing to squeeze in the Travel Blog Exchange in New York right after the cruise.

There is one stipulation for flying with Air France on the upgraded class. We have to fly out of Montreal. Poor us. We have to spend the weekend in Canada’s most romantic city before we fly to the most romantic city in the world.

We booked a room at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth downtown thanks to their media discount.  After months roughing it in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal we are certainly making up for the lack of luxuries it now.

The travel God’s were smiling on us when we went to Via Rails website to book our train to Montreal too.  We just made the cut off for the spring seat sale and managed to book our return tickets from Woodstock (the home of my parents) to Montreal for 60% off!

At least we are saving money in Canada. France may be another story.

We have been very nervous about traveling through France.  The last time we were there, the franc was their currency.  After traveling for 5 months in Asia, it is going to be a shock to our pocket books paying for food and site seeing in Euros.

We have planned the best we could however and hopefully have all the bases covered.  We rented a car for an amazing deal at MyCarHire and we are planning on camping our way through the country.  We have packed our tent, our camp stove (minus the fuel canister) our sleeping bags and our camping dishes.  We can live on wine and cheese!

Mary Louise from Paris has sent us excellent information on all the freebies and discounts on sites in the city and she found us a fabulous hotel, Hotel Perfect in Montmarte for the first 3 nights of our trip.

Who knows, we just may come up with some great posts about how to budget travel through France and Spain.  Or we may be blogging about how broke we have become while traveling through France and Spain. Either way, I am sure that we will be able to give a lot of information.

It has been years since we have traveled through Europe.  Like most people from North America, Europe was the first overseas travels.  It was easy and comfortable.  My sister lives in Germany so it was even easier for Dave and I to fly to Frankfurt, have my sister meet us at the airport and have an itinerary planned and mapped out for us.

As we traveled more, we decided that we wanted to visit places that are more of a challenge. Places that would change our lives. Places where we would push ourselves physically and mentally to the limit. Europe, Australia, United States and even Canada could wait until we were older to explore. We needed to go to countries that required the energy of youth.

So, it has been 8 years since we last went snowboarding in Switzerland. How time flies when you are traveling the world seeking out adventures. We can’t wait to change gears and head to France.

It is going to be a wild drive down the southern coast.  Who knows where we will end up.

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Sunrise on the Irrawaddy River, Myanmar.

Back in 2004 during our South East Asia trip we visited the country of Myanmar. It was one of the hardest countries that we traveled on during this trip but the images were well worth the difficulties.  It was still dark when we boarded our boat to sail down the Irrawaddy river from Mandalay to Bagan.   As we pulled away from the dock the sun began to rise bathing the river in a magical deep orange glow.

The river was coming to life and as we passed this fisherman rowing back from a nights work. This offered a magical moment where light and shadow come together to put together a wonderful image.

For more photo’s of the amazing country of Myanmar click here.

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Everyone who has ever heard of Mt. Everest has heard of Tenzing Norgay. The famous Sherpa who was the first, along side Sir Edmund Hillary, to summit the worlds tallest peak. Since then there have countless Sherpa’s who have given their lives carrying food, supplies and even clients on this mountain. During our trek to Everest Base Camp we had our own Sherpa, Shir, that without his help we are not certain we would have made it to EBC with energy to spare. This is a small tribute to the men and women who make everyone’s trek in the Himalaya’s possible. Thank You for helping us all enjoy this beautiful mountain range!

The job description: Heavy loads thru mountain passes.

Loads come in all shapes and sizes!

Some carry loads up to 100kg's. Crazy!!

Both men and women share the duties!

Sherpa's navigate old paths made by their ancestors.

A tribute to Tenzing Norgay and all sherpa's against an Everest Backround

So let’s not forget the job these unsung hero’s of the Himalaya do for us. Without them no one would reach the roof of the world!

Check out the Sherpa Gallery Here!

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In Six Days we will be in India.

This past week has been a whirlwind. While we thought that we were very well prepared, there is still so much to do to get ready for an extended trip.  Many things cannot be done until the last few days and we have been scrambling and out of control busy.  While it is drawing closer with every minute, it doesn’t even feel like in less than we week we will be on the other side of the world.  We are too worried about checking everything off of our long to do list.

So instead of complaining, we want to share with all of you the adventures that we are most looking forward to in our upcoming Asian Adventure.  To daydream about what we will be doing over the next few months is exciting and overwhelming.  We may be starting in India, but we have a lot of countries on our itinerary and we can’t wait to visit all of these destinations.

Our Dream Adaventure in Asia, Riding a Horse in Mongolia

1. Mongolia

Riding a horse through the steps of Genghis Khan

Following the trail of Genghis Khan, we are so excited to ride a horse through his old stomping grounds.  To live as an nomad, riding from Yurt to Yurt is a long time dream of ours.  It is the number 1 adventure in Asia on our list, but you are going to have to wait until the end of the trip to hear all about it.

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High on our list of Adventures in Asia

2. China

Trekking the Great Wall

Trekking the Great Wall of China is on everyone’s bucket list and we are no exception.  We are hoping to visit and trek along some more remote portions of the Great Wall and really explore its history while having a great adventure. .

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3. India

Yoga Instructors Training Course

India is renowned for its yoga and we plan on taking a month long intensive to study and get ourselves back into shape.  What better way to kick off the trip than to put ourselves through an extreme physical workout.  Not only that, by the end of the month of 10 hour days, we will be certified instructors and be centered, at peace and ready to take on the next leg of our Asian Adventure.

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4. Nepal

Trek to Everest Base Camp

In 1996, we read Into Thin Air Into Thin Air by John Krakauer for the first time and we have wanted to visit Mount Everest Ever since.  There is one adventure that we want to make sure that we do while we are in Nepal and that is to trek to it’s Base Camp.  We just love climbing and trekking through mountain ranges.  There is something about pushing ourselves to our limits that makes us feel alive and to witness the beauty of the Annapurna Range is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

An adventure can always happen in the desert

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Safari in the Gobi Desert

There is something about a desert.  In the most barren of places it is where we feel the most alive and find true beauty.  The Gobi Desert in Mongolia is a place of legend and an important stop on the Silk Road.

Can you imagine finding a herd of the rare camels that were featured on National Geographics Planet Earth with your own two eyes.  We hope that we have that chance.

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A camel safari Adventure

6. India

Camel Trek – Rajasthan

My friend Angie was in India a couple of years ago and fell in love with the poor misunderstood camel.  One thing that we are looking forward to is trekking through Rajastan on a camel ourselves.  We love camels too and we are looking forward to stepping back in time and living the life of a true Desert Nomad (for a couple of days anyway)

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Excellent White Water Rafting in Asia

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7. India

White Water Rafting the Ganges

I know what you are thinking.  The Ganges? Why would you want to white water raft that dirty river?  Well up north in the Himalayas the Ganges is pristine and wild.  There is nothing more thrilling than riding rapids down an untamed river and to do it on this legendary body of water is a must for us!

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Mountain Bike in Sri Lanka, High on our List

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Mountain Biking in Sri Lanka

We love to cycle, but we really love to mountain bike.  It is one of our favorite hobbies and when we found out that Sri Lanka has excellent mountain biking, we added it to our list of adventures.  Ride through tea plantations, rubber trees, jungles and mountainous terrains.  This is going to be a blast checking out their trails.

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I know what else you are thinking, there are many other great things to see in Asia, like the Taj Mahal, Varanasi, The Three Gorges… the list can go on and on.  These are the adventures that we are looking forward to the most, but I am sure that we will change our list on a regular basis as we explore more, find out about other great things to do and meet other travelers that have experienced awesome travels.

For now, with the limited research and preparations that we have done for our trip, these are our favorite upcoming activities.

We love to wing it and I am sure that we will end up off the beaten path traveling to a remote destination and taking part in an obscure adventure that we hadn’t even thought of.  Will Dave be wrestling in Mongolia or will we find ourselves taking part in a Pilgrimage?…Most Likely. We just can’t wait to get this Adventure in Asia started!

I always try to support an animal reserve or two when I travel. I love animals and support organizations that work to protect animals from abuse, poaching and habitat destruction.  Something that I always say is that a human can at least ask for help and tell us how sad they are and how much they are suffering. Unfortunately for animals, they suffer in silence and live in confusion as to why they are being treated a certain way or why they are being hunted for no reason.

That is why when I read this post on from Akila of The Road Forks, I just knew that it had to be a part of our Giving Back Series.  Visiting a wildlife preserve is one of the easiest ways that a traveler can contribute to a destination having a very high impact.  By supporting wildlife sanctuaries, local people can learn that they can make money out of protecting their wildlife rather than destroying it, your money goes directly to helping the wildlife and you can easily inform the world about the plight of the endangered animals and what you can do.

I so enjoyed this post. And even though we have a long way to go in this world protecting our endangered species, it is good to know that there are places out there like Ranthambore that are working to make it a better place.

Ranthambore National Preserve in Sawai Madhopur, India

Despite my years watching nature shows on tigers and living in a football town where no animal bests the “Tiger,” nothing prepared me for my experiences seeing two tigers in the wild at Ranthambore National Preserve in Sawai Madhopur, India.  We stayed at Sher Bagh in Sawai Madhopur, a luxury permanent tented campsite managed by two leading tiger conservationists.  At the obscene hour of 6:00 a.m., a server routed out of our warm, comfortable bed, bringing us steaming cups of chai, and we bundled ourselves under thick blankets in our open-air jeep for four people.  For an hour, we drove around the park, watching the sun rise, hearing the birds lift their voices into the air, and glimpsing chital deer frolicking through the fields.  Around 7:30 a.m., two lordly nilgai antelope held themselves erect as our jeep drove by their path in the 390 square kilometer park.

And, then, we saw our first tiger.  I still get chills thinking about that first glimpse.  She lay about 40 feet before our jeep on the dirt path; our guide slowed the vehicle to a halt and then she began walking toward us.  She moved gracefully and elegantly across the path, with the swaying step of a house-cat, but with speed and power behind every step.  Within 30 seconds, she had come within 10 feet and the guide began driving in reverse.

After driving in reverse and watching her for ten minutes, we began to feel complacent and secure in our jeep.  Suddenly, we heard rustling leaves in the forest and the tiger gave a sudden pounce and vanished into the woods.  Only then did we realize the immensity of the strength she had within her; she crossed the dirt road in a matter of three seconds and, within a minute, we saw birds hastily flying away from the forest.

Today, only 2,000 Bengal tigers survive in the wild.  Thirty-eight tigers were recorded in Ranthambore in 2008, making it one of the largest population centers for this endangered species.  The tigers are less threatened today by poaching than they were twenty years ago because demand for tiger skins and bones has decreased.   The more immediate concern of tiger preservationists is the lack of prey.  Sawai Madhopur, like many towns in India, is a poor village in which farmers make their living and provide sustenance for their families by tending cows.  Farmers bring their cattle onto the lush Ranthambore preserve to graze, endangering the eco-system, and leaving less grass and foliage for the chital deer and nilgai antelope that would otherwise be the tigers’ natural prey.

an animal lover, I always wonder whether going on safaris does more harm than good to the wild environment.  In the case of Ranthambore, I think tourism has helped boost the Sawai Madhopur economy and led to an expanded park area.  We were lucky to see two tigers on our safari; most leave without seeing any.  But, even if we had not seen a single tiger, we were happy to help support a park dedicated to the preservation of these majestic animals.

Note: Sher Bagh is expensive but entirely worth the expense and we highly recommend this hotel.  Unlike many of the cheaper hotels in Sawai Madhopur, they guarantee that you can go on as many safaris as you want so we were able to go on one safari each day.  The tents are simply gorgeous; I want one of their granite and sunken stone showers in my own bathroom.

For more great parks to see Tigers in India check out Approach Guides at The Best Parks to See in India

I am Akila, a just-turned-30-year-old who once at a party, where I began the evening discussing cheesecake with one person and ended by proclaiming the best fast food french fry as   Arby’s Curly Fries to another, was asked by a federal judge whether I “talk about anything other than food.”  In fact, I do: I also talk about travel, dogs (especially my own), Lost, literature, and legal miscellanea that puts most people to sleep.  On our site, I am the writer, head cook, food photographer, and compulsive travel planner.

Akila and Patrick are two travelers who are cooking and eating their way around the world. Visit their website The Road Forks to find stories of unique places, delicious food and sub-standard restaurants across the globe. You will also find ramblings on writing, cooking, travel and any other tidbits that their brains churn up.  Currently they are in Sydney Australia exploring and eating their way through the first leg of their round the world trip.

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Previous Articles from our Giving Back, Travel the World and Make a Difference Series;

• Volunteering Global, A Valuable Resource by Sarah Van Auken.
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• This Global Citizen is Making a Difference by Rebecca Sweetman of The Paradigm Shift Project
• Teaching Monks in Nepal by Shannon O’Donnell of ALittleAdrift
• ARCAS Guatemala – a One in an Only by Marina Villatoro of TheTravelExperta
  
• Support Local Art and Help Communities Thrive Keith Jenkins of Velvet Escape
• Giving Back, Travel the World and Make a Difference