Traveling Around Iraq With Wandering Earl
It’s rare that I travel with anyone but last December I met up with Earl Baron, aka. Wandering Earl, in Arbil, Iraq to explore the northern part of that conflicted nation. I first met Earl in between talks at the Travel Blog Exchange (TBEX) conference last summer in New York City. We quickly realized our fondness of adventure travel and both had a desire to visit Iraq for that very reason – 6 months later we did exactly that.
There are few people who tell a travel tale like Earl; his writing is some of the most captivating I’ve ever come across. Of course, having dinner with the Taliban (accidentally), winding up at US Customs with a bullet in your pocket, or having militants steal your car make for compelling content.
Earl’s writing style is personal and there are many of his stories from the trip to Iraq that are well worth reading. I encourage you to take some time, with beer, coffee, or shisha in hand – I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
- The Thrill Of Traveling To Iraq – Quite possibly my favorite travel moment, ever.
- A Chinese Bar, Shisha & Sexy, Sexy In Iraq – A place with signs telling you to leave knives and AK-47s at the door in Iraq, what could go wrong?
Along with those posts, Earl has written a host of others with good information on traveling to Iraq. We’re planning on elaborating on the stories and talking more about this country that took two rather experienced travelers by surprise – in a good way. Those of you who live or will be in Vancouver, Canada during the first part June (right before the next TBEX conference) are welcome to come to a free talk with Earl and I in one of the local hookah cafes (appropriately enough).
The exact date, time, and location isn’t set yet and Earl might not even know I’m writing this. Either way, if you’re interested, feel free to shoot me an email or leave a comment below and we’ll be sure to let you know when things get set.
Talking Near-Future Space Tourism On bloon With zero2infinity CEO Jose Mariano
Jose Mariano is an MIT-trained aerospace engineer from Spain, a father of two children and an avid badminton player. In the year 2002 he authored a paper named “The role of balloons in the future development of space tourism”. He is bringing us that future now.
I had the pleasure of meeting Jose in Sofia, Bulgaria during the Space Tourism & Travel Trends Summit. Talking with him and hearing about bloon was captivating, and the idea of traveling beyond Earth will trigger your imagination as well..a reality in the very-near future.
What is the dream behind bloon?
Seeing with one’s own eyes that the Earth is round, blue and immersed in a black sea of stars.
How does bloon work exactly?
By lifting to the right altitude a closed pod where up to 6 people fit. The altitude is about 36km. To reach it we use the simplest means possible, that is the gas balloon. Then, after 2 hours enjoying the beauty of our blue planet, the pod separates from the balloon and falls back to Earth on a guided parafoil.
You get asked all the time what could go wrong, so, how safe is bloon?
We aim for the same safety as a small airplane or hot air balloon flight. Simpler systems are easier to make safer. Our solution is dramatically simpler than any guided missile modified to carry people. In bloon, there is no rocket, there is no high speed re-entry. We have no catastrophic failure modes. Just like on commercial airplanes, when something goes wrong, there are several redundant systems, for instance we carry 2 back-up parachutes in addition to the nominal parafoil.
How much does a bloon ride cost and when will the first travelers go up?
110,000 Euro for 1 person. We expect the commercial flights to start sometime between 2013 and 2015. I find it more prudent not to provide a specific date.
What motivates you personally to make bloon a success?
I was privileged to have a astronomer father and marvel at the beauty of the universe and our planet since I remember. I want to share that with as many people as possible. And I believe that if most decision makers, role models and other powerful people got to see the Earth from bloon and felt one with the planet, the world would be a better place.
Looking into a crystal ball, where does the technology behind bloon go – what could be next?
We humans have been flying for a very little time. Most of our flying vehicles are modified weapons. I’m sure human creativity, given the right incentives, will out-innovate our current WW2 legacy technology and come up with flying solutions that are cleaner, safer and more capable. To me bloon is just a step in that direction.
Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions Jose, I look forward to the day that we can all look back down at our precious planet. You can learn more about bloon and zero2infinity on their respective websites. I also encourage you to follow zero2infinity on Twitter and on Facebook as well.
The Tree Of Life, Bahrain
April 5, 2011 by Anil P.
Filed under Pictures and Video
To boil it down, the Tree Of Life is essentially a very large mesquite tree growing quite randomly in the middle of Bahrain’s desert, surrounded by endless oilfields. About an hour’s drive south from Manama, it’s extremely difficult to find. As you drive outside Bahrain’s capital city, there’s a single sign pointing you south to the tree (as if there’s any other direction to go); from there you’ll have to wing it by asking any and everyone along the way. Maps of the desert roads aren’t very reliable, even for the navigationally-gifted.
I actually drove right by the Tree Of Life, thinking, “wow, that’s a rather large tree growing in the middle of nowhere.” That was until I ended up perilously close to the military base nearby (which you will too if you don’t make the final right turn). I was quickly turned away by a group of soldiers standing under a large sign warning people not to go near the complex. Let’s just say they didn’t find my poor sense of direction endearing or the least bit amusing.
Nobody really has a good answer as to how the Tree Of Life has grown so large with a severe lack of water, though there are several local legends. Whether it’s water gods or an undiscovered subterranean well, aisde from some graffiti, the Tree Of Life doesn’t seem bothered at all by its lonely surroundings. There is no cost to visit the Tree Of Life, though you’ll pay a hefty fee to visit by taxi (25-40 Bahraini dinar ~$70-110 USD). Like most of the other things to see in Bahrain, you’re much better off renting your own car.
The Tree Of Life is something I had been wanting to visit for a very long time. How I stumbled upon it originally I can’t say, though to enhance the experience I suggest you arrive around 4-7pm. Aside from the benefit to your photos by the light of sunset, you’ll catch the groups of oil workers returning to their camps in the desert. The sands become alive around this hour, with soccer matches between various groups of workers, and makeshift barbecues throughout the outdoor encampments along the oilfields.
The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 Winner Is Porto, Portugal
One month and 6 rounds later, the last city standing in The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 is Porto, Portugal. Congratulations to Portugal’s second largest city – getting by Madrid, Sydney, Bratislava, Jerusalem, Chiang Mai, and runner-up Prague was no simple feat. Originally nominated by Stephen, he’ll receive the contest prize of $150 $200 for being a subscriber later this week.
The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - Championship: Prague vs. Porto
- Porto, Portugal - (Stephen) (75%, 24 Votes)
- Prague, Czech Republic - (Jeruen) (25%, 8 Votes)
Total Voters: 32
Loading ...I’m Going To Porto Before The End Of The Year
I can’t not visit the city all of you nominated as the best one to visit in 2011, so sometime before the end of this year I’ll be going to Porto. Portugal is one of the few western European countries I haven’t been to yet and (relatively) nearby Lisbon is also where I’ll begin The Ultimate Train Challenge in September. That’s where I’ll attempt to break the world record for longest continuous train journey.
The Best City To Visit Contest 2012, A Macbook Air, And Another Trip For You
I plan on running the tournament again next year, with a few modifications – including allowing people to write posts to pitch their city (thanks for the idea Priyank), as well as having a pool alongside the voting. That way, you can still participate when and if the city you nominate is eliminated. The prize pot will also be larger.
- 5 Ultimate Tech Guide For Travelers Readers Will Receive $100 Apple Gift Cards: As I mentioned late this past February, March was a month of contests on foXnoMad. My hope with The Ultimate Tech Guide For Travelers is to make it an ebook that’s alive; so as promised, along with 6 months of included personal tech support, 5 people who purchased a copy in March will have $100 Apple gift cards waiting in their inboxes later today.
This summer I’ll also have a Macbook Air for one of you and later in the year hopefully send one of you anywhere in the world you want to go. I don’t want to inundate you with plans but sometime in the coming months I’ll probably be hanging out in one place, catching up on heaps of writing, along with putting together ideas to help you travel more, for less. The best way to find out about the various contests I run throughout the year is to sign up for my bi-monthly newsletter, that group always finds out first.
You can view the entire tournament bracket in full size or click the image to view in wide-screen.
A Month Of Photos Slowly Catch Up With My Travels
I hope you’ve enjoyed the travel photos from this past month, along with the larger image format and shorter, more personal stories. Although I haven’t quite caught up to my movements (not even mentioned Bulgaria yet), we’re at least a few steps closer. Through Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, and my favorite city in the world, perhaps we’ll finally cross digital paths in Cairo, Tokyo, or somewhere else.
Don’t worry if you missed this contest, I run several throughout the year. You can be the first to find out about the next one by signing up for my email updates, RSS feed, or bi-monthly newsletter.
