Reaffirming My Faith in Humanity, One Pedal at a Time (Part Two): San Francisco to Mexico

~Featured Writer: Patrick Byrne~http://searchingfortheroadlesstravelled.wordpress.com/

What happens if you decide one day to do something ridiculous, like bicycle from Vancouver to Mexico? Well, you’ll probably have a ridiculously good time. And you’ll most certainly come away with a heck of a lot more than leaner muscles and an incredible appetite.  In this second and final installment, Patrick Byrne recounts lessons learned from his latest adventure and tries to convince everyone that bicycle touring is the answer to all of the world’s problems.

MAKE YOUR BUCKET LIST DREAMS A REALITY

Bucket List Publications wants to offer the opportunity for readers from around the world to achieve their dreams and cross off bucket list items. 

Imagine living every day to to the fullest and making your most burning desires come true. From extreme adventures like skydiving and bungee jumping, traveling the world, interacting with exotic animals, and creating a family with the man of my dreams, I’ve followed my bucket list to success. I’ve now broadened my horizons and set my sights on the bucket list goals of others.

Bahamas Party Cruise Makes Getting There All the Fun!

What can be more exciting than a Day Cruise to the Bahamas? During our visit to Florida, Darren and I hopped on Discovery Cruise Line and headed for the pristine sands of the Bahamian beaches that are softly caressed by the aqua waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. Our cruise included two all-you-can-eat buffet meals, a swimming pool and sundecks, entertainment including music and a video disc jockey, cruise bingo, movies, games, bars, clubs, a video arcade, dancing, live music, cruise shows and contests, a casino with slots, Craps, Blackjack &  Roulette, and did I mention all-inclusive drinks? We may have enjoyed the outdoors on the sun decks, took a dip in the pool, and ate a hearty breakfast, but it was the all-inclusive drinks that encouraged me to participate in a limbo contest at 9am, a dance contest with Darren on the main deck at 10am, and a “photo shoot” at 12pm. Our cheap, Discovery Cruise ended up being one of the most memorable days of our lives together.

FRIENDS WITHOUT A BORDER/ANGKOR HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN

~Featured Writer: Lynda Renhamcook~
Read more of Lynda Renhamcook at http://lrcook.wordpress.com/

Having left England on a cold December day, I arrived at Siem Reap in Cambodia on Christmas day late in the evening. The heat hit me immediately. As I was still wearing my warm clothes I was quite relieved to feel the cool breeze on my face as I took my first Tuk Tuk ride to my accommodation. I had never been to Cambodia before and I was struck by the poverty of the country almost straight away. My stepson greeted us and took us back to his apartment where we were shown to our very comfortable bedroom. I decided over the next few days I would see the poverty for myself. I had not imagined, however, the extent of it and was very surprised. What affected me most was seeing the children living in such squalid conditions. I found it difficult to visit the markets where children would beg me to buy their goods. On my third day I walked into the local village to visit the people there and to take photographs. Here the poverty of the people was very apparent. Children were running around barefoot avoiding skinny cockerels that hustled for food and shouting hello to us in loud voices. Everyone we passed smiled at us and asked how we were and some even offered us food despite their poverty. Both my husband I were very touched by this. We passed small huts that looked like they would crumble to the ground should there be one large gust of wind. I saw children being washed under taps while they fought to escape the parent attempting to clean them. How do these children stay well, I wondered and what do they eat? Cambodia is a poverty stricken country, where the average wage is seven dollars a week. Everywhere you look there is poverty and malnutrition. There are also many children. Where there is poverty, there are health problems. I glanced at the small stalls selling food and tried not to grimace at the flies that hovered there.

Crocodile Cruises: Venturing Up the Daintree River, Australia

Crocodile Cruises: Venturing Up the Daintree River, Australia
Featured Writer: Matthew Nunn

Crocodiles epitomize nature’s ability to chomp you up and spit you out in one bite. If you’re faced with a life-ending situation, then the instant death option offered by crocodiles probably isn’t an example of her worst vengeance. But still, they’re big, mean, viscous and deadly. It’s a natural instinct to avoid the habitats of such monsters, therefore the opportunity to pay to seek out said deliverer of doom is, well, a popular one.

The area is heavily populated with crocodiles, something you learn straight away

Combining the Extreme Adventure Sports of Whitewater Rafting, Riverboarding, & Skydiving

What do you get when you combine the extreme adventure sports of whitewater rafting, riverboarding, and skydiving? It’s called the ultimate adrenaline rush and Millinocket, Maine is the only place in North America where you can do it all in the same weekend.

Gone are the days of relaxing on a river, taking in the scenery from a comfy airplane seat, or paddling quietly in a canoe. New trends in travel include adrenaline, extreme adventure sports, and pushing the limits. At the base of Mount Katahdin, Maine’s highest peak, I found Maine Whitewater River Surfing, Three Rivers Jump and Raft, and the experience of a lifetime!

Rafting the Class V Penobscot River, riverboarding the whitewater rapids, and skydiving from 11,000 feet was the most insane, adrenaline-filled weekend of my life. Whitewater rafting is an ultimate experience by anyone’s standards, but the tough Class V Penobscot River has chutes, drops, and large holes that challenge both guide and guest alike. In exciting rapids like Exterminator, Cribworks, and the Nesowdnehunk Falls, I quickly learned that I could easily be in over my head, but the guides are experts and carefully selected to make the ride both safe and exciting. It is 13 miles of pure adrenaline, yet I still found the time to look up and enjoy the breath-taking scenery that surrounded me.

Holy Moments from an Unholy Disaster

Featured Writer: Marilyn Gardner
http://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/

I am the first to admit that given the choice of a 5 star hotel or camping I will pick a 5 star hotel.  I tell friends that anyone who grew up in the developing world with a commode for a toilet and one bath a week would appreciate my love of luxury so it was with some surprise that I found myself so eager to work in flood relief in Pakistan.

When I first heard news of the floods that began to spread their strength and turmoil in various parts of Pakistan in August of 2010, I felt sadness that was somewhat distant and removed.  Raised as an American in Pakistanwith the call to prayer as my alarm clock it was my childhood love and home, but as an adult I have been more connected to the Middle East through work and travel.  My memories of Pakistan are primarily relegated to occasional emails from friends and to those moments on the subway when I close my eyes and the rhythmic movement transports me back to the Pakistani trains of my childhood.   That changed when I saw a picture in the New York Times of the city of Jacobabad under flood waters.