Adrenaline Rush in Taiwan

The Beehive Rocket Festival is two-night event where an estimated six million bottle rockets are fired into the crowd of brave and/or foolhardy participants, Yan Shui, Taiwan. By Judith Fein Photos by Paul Ross It may be the most macho adventure in the world. The running of the bulls in Pamplona is the most famous, but what are the odds of getting gored by a bull? At the Beehive Bottle Rocket Festival in Taiwan, you will definitely get hit….by bottle rockets. It’s guaranteed. The event takes place every year on Taiwan, a thriving East Asian island nation of 26 million people, where passionate democracy is practiced. Lawmakers actually get into fist fights during legislative sessions.  Women even get into the fray. But they don’t launch bottle rockets. That is reserved for l5 days after Chinese New Year, during the Lantern Festival.  The entire small town of Yan Shui, in Tainan County, literally explodes into an extreme sport. Anyone is welcome, but you participate at your own... Read More →

PEPY Introduces New Bike & Boat Tour

PEPY Tours is thrilled to announce a brand new itinerary for Cambodia that will combine PEPY’s usual cycling adventure with a boat expedition across the largest lake in South East Asia, the Tonle Sap, including an overnight stay at a floating village. Two versions of the tour will be offered: a compact 7-day highlights tour (Bike & Boat Highlights) and an extended 12-day adventure traversing all the way to the capital of Phnom Penh by a mixture of bike and boat (Bike & Boat Odyssey). “We are always looking to support community based development programs here in Cambodia, and this option in the Tonle Sap is one we are really excited to introduce!  The biking and boating combination is new to Cambodia and we are looking to attract those people who are seeking both an exciting adventure as well as a chance to learn more about Cambodia and its people,” says Daniela Papi, PEPY Tours Founder. Both tours will commence with a bike and hike visit to the world-famous temples of Angkor,... Read More →

Pozos – An Abandoned Mining Town in Mexico

Three bus rides away from San Miguel De Allende in the central Mexican province of Guanajato, is Pozos, an old mining town.  Pozos is actively promoting an “Art Walk,” and the mysteries of its abandoned silver mines. Over five hundred barely noticeable circular cement markers are scattered around the outskirts of the town, indicating the presence of mine shafts, some over 150 feet deep.  You can walk through the faded red ruins of the mining industry – brick buildings where equipment was stored and accommodations for the workers.  The first ruin up the road from the main square is adjacent to a shaft equipped with a string of light bulbs, and frayed rope.  For twenty pesos, we paid an old woman perched at the entrance of the shaft, to let us climb about 100 feet down and gained vague sense of what it must have been like to be a Mexican mine worker in the 19th century. Wacky artists are trying to put Pozos on the tourist map with eclectic workshops making pre-hispanic... Read More →

Join Americans for UNFPA and Wildland Adventures on a Trip of Discovery to Ethiopia

SEATTLE, Wash – Travel-especially to locations with a distinctly different culture from ones’ own, opens the eyes and hearts of those visiting, and a successful travel experience should include personal interaction with the indigenous people and culture. Wildland Adventures has integrated this into every trip they offer, which is one of the reasons why they are proud to partner with Americans for UNFPA (United Nations Fund for Population Activities; www.americansforunfpa.org) to conduct an educational fundraising tour of Ethiopia. The nine day “Americans for UNFPA & PPGG Leadership Delegation” tour is designed for people who really do make a difference. This small group tour (with no more than 16 participants) will travel into the heart of the close-knit and traditional Ethiopian culture to experience first-hand the challenges – and victories – achieved by the projects and field staff of the UNFPA and Planned Parenthood Golden Gate. The itinerary... Read More →

Visiting “Earth”

Experience species seen in the movie “Earth” up close with 5 amazing ecotours Left, mother and cub stay warm in the Arctic (© Steve Morello); right, elephant family roams in Africa (© Caitlin Lepper). Boulder, Colorado – May 7, 2009 – “Earth,” the acclaimed documentary from the new Disneynature series, brings distant destinations close through such powerful footage as polar bear cubs emerging from their den as their father struggles to survive on a melting ice sheet miles away, or a thirsty herd of elephants finally reaching water after weeks on the parched Kalahari. But no photography – however stunning – can compare with experiencing wildlife firsthand in its natural setting. Award-winning ecotour company Natural Habitat Adventures’ rare, small-group nature encounters follow sustainable travel practices that help ensure the future of wild destinations. The company’s family-friendly tours include 5 real-life adventures with species featured in the movie “Earth”: Remember... Read More →

Make Your Own Adventure Short

October 11th to 17th, join the Outside Serac Adventure Film School, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. During the course of the week you’ll explore the process of making an adventure short and have the opportunity to head into the field for a hiking and camping adventure. Michael Brown, winner of 50 film festival awards and 3 Emmys, who has also reached the Summit of Everest four times with a 25 pount Hi-def camera, is your mentor.  Ryan Ross and David D’Angelo, two accomplished adventure videographers, are your other instructors.  Check out the program here - and if you enroll, be sure to send Off the Radar your adventure short! - Off the Radar  Read More →

Win a Van-Tastic road trip across Australia

Leading online travel insurance company, WorldNomads.com is offering travellers the chance to win an Australian road trip of a lifetime. WorldNomads.com Global Programs Manager, Amanda Byrne, says applications are now open for the ‘Van-Tastic Adventure’, where travellers can win a trip to Australia and spend 6 weeks driving across the country capturing their adventure on video to ultimately win $10,000 cash and flights from Virgin Blue. “We’ll fly a team, of up to 2 people to Australia, and give them the Van-Tastic Van to drive across the country for 6 weeks. They’ll share their adventure online, making videos, stories, and posting photos, and ultimately create a mini-video documentary of their trip.” says Amanda. “The van, supplied by our friends at Travellers Auto Barn, will be loaded with camping gear, video camera, laptop, editing equipment and wireless broadband access, and the Van-Tastic adventurers will get fuel money and a whole range of activities to experience for... Read More →

Ancient Civilization Meets Wildlife Rehabilitation

Maya Key a Showcase for Cultural Preservation on Roatan ROATAN, Honduras – Roatan’s newest and finest cultural attraction will give visitors a little taste of Honduras all in one place. Developed and operated by the iconic Anthony’s Key Resort (AKR), Maya Key is located in the harbor of Coxen Hole, Roatan.  Opened to visitors in the first week in June, 2009, Maya Key boasts reconstructions of Copan’s famous Maya ruins, a native arts & crafts studio, a traditional Maya village, and a wildlife rescue center displaying many of Honduras’ diverse wild animal species. “Honduras is a small but diverse and culturally rich country and we want to pay tribute to that,” says Samir Galindo, General Manager of AKR. “We are very proud of our country and we want the world to get to know us better, and this is a convenient and quick way to do that.” Maya Key will operate on a beautiful 11.5 acre private key conveniently located just three minutes across the bay from the Roatan cruise... Read More →