The hardest thing

Climbing Mt. Meru is not for the faint-hearted. But it is highly rewarding. From the massively deep, moon-like crater in the center of it, to the razor-sharp giant rim that surrounds it, Meru is all about extremes.

6 REASONS WHY CLIMBING Mt. MERU SHOULD BE ON YOUR “BUCKET LIST”, AND 1 REASON WHY IT NEVER WILL

It’s 6am, 3 degrees south of the equator, and the sub-zero winds are beating hard. Tired, broken, and exhausted, I glimpse as the first orange rays of sun wash the peak of the mighty Kilimanjaro. I then slump breathless against a frozen rock crevice and pass out for 10 minutes.

Welcome to Mount Meru, voted as the most rewarding and scenic climb in Africa. While I don’t know much about that research, what I do know is that ascending Mt. Meru is the most beautiful climbing trek I’ve done in my life. Yeah, that simple. I also know that despite the above titles, almost no one will follow. Below are all the reasons why you should (and why you’ll never).

Continue reading “The hardest thing”

Cambodian Delight

BAT IN BAGUETTE, AND OTHER LOCAL DELICACIES

If you thought your office cafeteria sucks, think again. The snacks on display at the afternoon markets of Phnom Penh, Cambodia would – in comparison – make an overcooked Broccoli seem like a juicy Porterhouse. Caramelized Grasshoppers? That’s for the feeble-hearted! Are you brave enough to try a boiled Chicken embryo – beak and feathers included? Or perhaps a deep-fried Tarantula?

Yes, we’ve tried them all, and somehow lived to tell the tale.
(Perhaps because we skipped the raw bats…)

Continue reading “Cambodian Delight”

How high is too high?

Your car might handle it, but can you?

WE DROVE THE WORLD’S TALLEST PAVED ROAD TO FIND OUT

It’s cold, and bright, and dusty, and Beige – so Beige. It’s also flat. Apart from two hills in the distance – one of them smoking, there’s almost nothing to break the endless monotony. I read the plaque with the little Spanish I can still master from my days in Cuba. It says the small smoking hill is actually a 5,976 meter-high mountain called Sabancaya. As it turns out, the modest hill also happens to be the most active volcano in Peru. The one near it is 6,300m, but dormant.

Welcome to the world’s highest highway, where the term “perspective” gets a whole new meaning. Its the tallest place on Earth accessible by a standard road car – that is, if your road car engine can breathe at a height of 4,910 meters above sea level, and of course, if you can as well.

Continue reading “How high is too high?”

You only die twice

THE WEIRD STORY ABOUT THE BIKER THE GOT KILLED ONLY TO BE REBORN

Riding a bike on India’s backcountry highways is a dangerous form of art. Actually, forget it! Riding a motorcycle in India is sheer lunacy, the most dangerous, irresponsible thing I’ve ever done in my life! And I’ve done some crazy s*** on four wheels, on two, with an air tank strap to my back, and on foot – you name it. Nothing, I mean NOTHING matches the stuff you have to cope with while piloting a beat-up 1950s Royale Enfield Bullitt 350cc motorcycle. Just ask Om Singh Rathore. That died as a nobody on this very piece of tarmac between Udaipur and Jodhpur, Rajasthan, in 1991. Now he is a local celebrity complete with a personal shrine, a cult of believers, and is more alive than ever. We stopped by to say hello.

Continue reading “You only die twice”

The road to Zion

WENT TO MEET THREE PATRIARCHS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT

I’m leaving Las Vegas. Driving on an endless, empty stretch of the Interstate 15 highway.  It’s 7am on a bright Sunday morning and I’m pretty much the only car around. My temples are pounding. A few cans of beer from yesterday’s Supercross races are still lodged in my head as I drive north away from Sin City, towards Zion.

Continue reading “The road to Zion”

“Government doesn’t count dead Chinese”

DRIVE FAST ENOUGH AND PERHAPS THEY WON’T COUNT YOU TOO

You can ask yourself many existential questions while navigating the narrow road down Tiger Leaping Gorge in southwest China. Can a river cut through a Himalayan Mountain range? Can a tiger leap across a 20 meter-wide torrential river? Can we survive this ride without being crushed by falling debris?

The answer is: Surprisingly Yes. Unlikely. We did, barely.
Now for the details.

Continue reading ““Government doesn’t count dead Chinese””

Does this king worth the journey?

WITNESSING MARIPOSA MAGIC HIGH UP IN THE MEXICAN HIGHLANDS 

It’s a cool January way up in the rain forests of central Mexico. No. Scrape that. It’s cold. Damn cold, and foggy, and drizzling. This is NOT what I had in mind when Continental Airways (Now United) and the Mexican Ministry of Tourism invited me to visit the secret winter hideaway of the Mariposa. Yet, for countless royalties, this forgotten patch of dark pine grove, 3,300 meters high, is the perfect idea of a winter resort. Some of them flew over 7,000 Kilometers from Southern Canada just to get here. I’m just waiting to get back down and into the relatively warmer van. Go figure.

Continue reading “Does this king worth the journey?”

Scouting Malibu on an Indian

FOR SOME, THIS IS  JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE 

“Damn!” I hit the footwell once-again. “This bike wasn’t meant to lean at tight curves.” Yet, here I am, riding the narrow, beautiful roads on the mountains above Malibu, trying to keep up with two FTR naked bikes just ahead of me. It ain’t easy doing it with as big low cruiser, but it’s Cardo’s honor on the line. I twist the throttle all the way and hope for the best…

Continue reading “Scouting Malibu on an Indian”

X Marks the Spot

7 TIPS FOR A WEEKEND LOST IN DALLAS

There’s an unreal amount of angry lightning all around. Strange, it was sunny just an hour ago. I’m stuck inside a rented Hyundai in this northeastern corner of Texas. Then, the radio broadcast stops abruptly for what must be the single most terrifying public announcement for someone stranded in commute. “Severe weather warning, 100 mph winds, inch, and a quarter hail. Risk to cars, trees, rooftops, and mobile homes. Stay inside concrete or masonry buildings, keep away from windows. Effective until 7:30pm”. Great! A Tornado warning in the middle of a bumper-to-bumper traffic jam. Welcome to Dallas. There’s more to come.

Continue reading “X Marks the Spot”