Wir vergeben am 1. September 2008 ein Stipendium in Höhe von bis zu 5.000 € für die außergewöhnlichsten Reisepläne. Bis zum 28. August können sich alle Reisebegeisterten, die einen Trip mit einer spannenden Route fernab des Massentourismus planen, auf dodo.com bewerben.
Schreibe uns einfach einen Kommentar zu diesem Blogeintrag, in den du den Link zu dem Tagebuch deiner geplanten Reise einfügst und erkläre uns und den anderen Mitgliedern was deine Reise so außergewöhnlich macht, dass sie mit dem Stipendium gefördert werden sollte.
Außerdem möchten wir gerne wissen wie du während deiner Reise über deine Erlebnisse auf dodo.com berichten möchtest. Neben Tagebucheinträgen und Fotos kannst du natürlich auch Videotagebuch führen oder den anderen Mitglieder live im Chat von deinen Abenteuern berichten. Lass deiner Kreativität einfach freien Lauf!
Dieser Eintrag wurde geschrieben von Melanie am 22.07.2008 am 13:37 und ist geführt unter Allgemein. Du kannst alle Antworten auf diesen Beitrag einsehen über den RSS 2.0 Feed. Du kannst hinterlasse eine Antwort, or nachverfolgen von deiner eigenen Seite. .
22.07.2008 at 14:14
Hey guys,
I have created a travelogue as an example of the kind of itinerary/travel plans we are looking for. You can use my hypothetical Vanuatu travelogue as a rough guide, to get ideas and to see how we would like the submissions for the travel grant to be structured. You can access my hypothetical Vanuatu travelogue by following the link below:
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1157_Vanuatu_Vantuatu_Adventure_travel_.html
And remember, this is only an example. We encourage creativity, so have fun and good luck!
Kyle
22.07.2008 at 14:27
Hallo liebe Individualreisende,
wir haben für euch ein Beispiel-Reisetagebuch erstellt, damit ihr euch ein Bild davon machen könnt, was wir uns darunter vorstellen:
http://www.dodo.com/de/reiseberichte/1158_Vanuatu_Port_Vila_Abenteuerreise_.html
Der Kommentar zu diesem Tagebuch könnte wie folgt aussehen:
Meine für September geplante Reise führt mich 2 Wochen in das Insel-Archipel Vanuatu. Auf meiner Route werde ich 8 Inseln mit einmaliger Flora und Fauna beim wandern, klettern, schnorcheln und Kanu fahren erkunden. Dabei lege ich besonderen Wert darauf mit den Melanesiern zusammen zu leben und Ihre Küche, Kultur und Traditionen, wie das Land Diving, kennenlernen. Auf meiner Route befinden sich unter anderem die Mele Cascades Wasserfälle, der Vulkan Mont Yasur und der Vulkankrater Mount Gharat.
Über meine Reise berichte ich regelmäßig in Tagebucheinträgen, Videotagebüchern und Fotos, die ich in einem Internetcafé in der Hauptstadt Porto Vila auf dodo.com online stelle.
31.07.2008 at 15:51
Ein halbes Jahr um die Welt reisen - welches abenteuerlustige Herz schlägt bei dieser Vorstellung nicht gleich ein bisschen höher? Im Herbst 2009, sobald wir das Abitur in der Tasche und der Schule den Rücken gekehrt haben, werden meine beste Freundin Clara und ich uns diesen lang ersehnten Traum erfüllen. Von Frankfurt aus wird es zunächst als Einstieg kurz nach Istanbul und dann für zwei Monate nach Nepal gehen, wo uns die sicher sehr harte aber auch erfüllende Arbeit in einer Hilfsstation erwartet. Weiter geht es nach Tibet in die geheimnisvolle Stadt Lhasa und dann mit dem Zug durch China nach Peking. Von dort aus wird uns ein Flieger nach Australien, ins Land der Kängurus bringen, wo wir vier Wochen lang bei einer australischen Familie hausen werden. Unser letztes Ziel heißt Argentinien; hier bleiben wir nicht nur in der Hauptstadt Buenos Aires sondern erkunden auch weitere spannende Flecken dieses multikulturellen Landes.
Wenn Zeit und vor allem Geldbeutel es uns erlauben, werden zu unserer Reise noch die Länder Süd Korea, die Phillipinen und Neuseeland hinzukommen.
Wir freuen uns auf ein halbes Jahr voller Abenteuer und neuen Herausforderungen - ob Trekking im Hymalaja, Zugfahrten durch China oder Wanderungen durch Patagonien… Dass unsere Route ziemlch außergewöhnlich ist zeigt schon, dass sie auf keinem vorgefertigten round-the-world Ticket zu finden ist und die erste Herausforderung für uns, noch vor Antritt der Reise - ist die Organisation. Doch für einen Traum muss man schließlich kämpfen und das tun wir auch mit Freuden. Wir können es kaum mehr erwarten, fremde Orte, Menschen und Kulturen kennen zu lernen, fernab von allem, was hier in unserem wohlbehüteten zu Hause ist.
Wichtig für mein Reisetagebuch ist noch, dass zu meiner Reiseausrüstung ein kleiner Laptop sowie meine Digitalkamera gehören. So kann ich alle Fernsüchtigen hier auf dodo.com von überall auf der Welt mit Tagebucheinträgen, Fotos und Videos an meiner abenteuerlichen Reise teilhaben lassen.
http://www.dodo.com/de/reiseberichte/1211_T_rkei_Istanbul_Weltreise_.html
01.08.2008 at 16:28
Hello,
My name is Rachel McClymont and I’d like to apply for the travel grant. Here is the link to my travelogue: http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1515_Tanzania_Bagamoyo_.html
I’m planning on a 3 week trip to Tanzania in June 2009. In Tanzania I plan on exploring, learning many new things, and seeing places of interest just like a tourist. However, I will also be volunteering every weekday I’m there. I’m volunteering with Cross Cultural Solutions(http://crossculturalsolutions.org) and will be helping out in the community of Bagamoyo. I will also have free time in the afternoons, evenings, and weekends to immerse myself in the local culture and enjoy fun activities. I will have access to internet at the home base where the Cross Cultural Solutions volunteers stay. If internet is unavailable there for any reason, there is an internet cafe that is only a short walk away. I will update both my blog and Dodo every day with details of my trip, my thoughts, and my pictures. This trip costs $2,885 just to volunteer for three weeks. That does not include airfare, spending money, or free time/weekend excursions. All together the trip will be expensive, but possible if I can raise the needed funds. I am a full time student on a limited budget, so I’m in need of assistance in order to make this trip a reality. Going to Tanzania has been my dream for a very long time. Not only will I be able to tour and stay there for 3 weeks, but I will be able to make a positive impact on Tanzania as a volunteer there. This trip will be a combination of giving my time and helping in any way I can, as well as being able to learn about a place that is vastly different from anywhere I’ve ever been before. I think it is a great learning experience and is somewhere that is usually not visited by tourists. I’m excited to share my experience with the world. I think that many more people may be interested in visiting Tanzania if they can see what an amazing place it is. I hope to inspire other people to visit or at least learn more about this country. As I mentioned before, I will be living like the local Tanzanians, but will still have access to the internet to update on my trip. I feel that this trip is both exciting as well as for a good cause. Thank you for considering me for the travel grant. With your help, this trip could become possible for me.
Rachel McClymont
03.08.2008 at 01:18
Hello fellow travellers.
This is my entry for the 2008 dodo.com travel grant, and it is based on a long time fascination of mine: the cultural exchanges that flowed across Eurasia on the famed Silk Road. This epic trek will follow that exchange starting from Xi’an, China all the way to Istanbul, Turkey. This trip is also partially inspired by the 2004 trans-global motorcycle marathon of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman (The Long Way Round), and Colin Thurbron’s 2006 book In the Shadow of the Silk Road. The proposed route will follow the ancient route of the overland portion of the Silk Road as closely as possible, over a total of six countries.
My personal goal for this trek is to witness first hand the exchange of culture across Eurasia by exploring the history, archaeology, art, architecture, culture, and cuisine of the peoples along the way. Hopefully, assisting me on this trek will be my fluency in Mandarin, academic background in archaeology and history, and a ‘try everything at least once’ attitude towards food.
This trek will be conducted by train, bus, taxi, and if I get a chance, horse, donkey, or camel. Due to the long distance involved, baggage will be light and the budget tight to ensure the maximum amount of distance traveled and places visited for every penny of the grant. The trek is planned for early summer, May to June ideally. The linked travelogue below is only a rough itinerary. The goal is to do the trek in 40 days (with probably a week fallback), but delays, unexpected detours, and new opportunities will be taken into consideration, so nothing will be booked in advance except the plane ticket into Xi’an and the ticket out of Istanbul.
The prospect of reporting the trek as it progresses is exciting. The internet is accessible in major cities, and it will be my main method of sharing my progress. Along with travelogue entries, photos and videos from my digital camera coupled with a written blog will be submitted wherever and whenever I can find internet access.
I thank for your consideration and hope you find this itinerary as fascinating as I do. Oh, and thanks for giving me the motivation to finally research and plan this trip.
Travelogue link: http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1538_China_Kyrgyzstan_Uzbekistan_Turkmenistan_Iran_Turkey_Adventure_travel_.html
09.08.2008 at 21:31
Hallo, Ihr Rastlosen!
Warum immer in der Ferne das Abenteuer suchen?
Wüste? Gern! Berge? Immer! Doch dieses Mal soll alles anders werden, meine Freundin und ich stecken bis über die Ohren in der Planung für eine abgefahrene Kajak-Reise. Wir haben uns bewusst für einen Trip innerhalb Europas entschieden, der an Exklusivität jedoch kaum Wünsche offen lässt: Wir wollen mit zwei Kajaks zunächst komplett die Donau runterpaddeln, dann über das Schwarze Meer nach Istanbul, von dort weiter durch die türkische und griechische Inselwelt der Ägäis. Unser Trip führt uns dann die kroatische Adria-Küste hinauf, in Venedig müssen wir ein einziges Mal für ein kurzes Stück auf die Bahn umsteigen, in Genua werden die Boote wieder zu Wasser gelassen. Wir zuckeln weiter durch das Mittelmeer bis nach Gibraltar, biegen im Atlantik nach Norden ab Richtung Portugal, umschiffen Galizien, setzen im Kanal für eine Stippvisite nach London über, queren schließlich die Elbe-Mündung und umrunden zum Abschluss Dänemark. Endpunkt der Tour wird das schöne Stralsund sein, wir werden dann an die 20.000 Paddelkilometer in den Armen haben. Wir planen derzeit rund zwei Jahre für unser Abenteuer ein, und natürlich gibt es 1000 Unwägbarkeiten. Aber dafür fahren wir ja los, und außerdem sind wir nicht allein: Unser Hund Bobbie wird uns begleiten. Auch wenn es bei dodo mit dem Stipendium nicht klappen sollte: Ein Online-Tagebuch mit aktuellen Texten und Bildern wird es auf jeden Fall geben, passt gut auf Euch auf und kommt gesund von Euren Reisen wieder!
Colette und Philip
http://www.dodo.com/de/reiseberichte/1307_Europa_total_Zwei_Jahre_Kajak_Abenteuerreise_.html
11.08.2008 at 02:33
My travelogues posted for the travel grant can be accessed as follows:
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1308_Italy_Bologna_Aktivurlaub_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1309_Italy_Tuscany_Active_vacation_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1310_Italy_Pescara_Active_vacation_.html
I posted a travelogue for each leg of our trip. This trip will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary, and although it’s quite expensive for European travel right now, we did not want to delay.
I love traveling and I love writing, so the opportunity to post my journals as the trip progresses is a great motivation for me to apply for this grant. Believe it or not, I am a grant writer in real life, but this is the first time I’ve ever written a grant for myself. I must admit, however, I wrote these travelogues in about five minutes, so I’m not really expecting much . . . happy travels to whoever wins!
12.08.2008 at 13:50
Hallo,
wir sind bisher 3-4 Leute die sich das Fotografieren zum Beruf oder Hobby gemacht haben, da uns langsam die Möglichkeiten für Dokumentationen ausgehen haben wir beschlossen einen Abenteuerurlaub als Dokumentationsreise zu machen. Die Reise soll von Berlin Lichtenberg bis Vietnam über Russland und China gehen und das mit dem Zug! Da die Reisebüros keine für uns in Frage kommenden Angebote haben, werden wir das ganze auf eigene Faust unternehmen! Die Dokumentation soll über die Reise gehen, Angefangen von der Kommunikation bis hin zum Erlebten, Land, Leute, Kultur, Tradition, Natur, Technik, Wirtschaft und eigene Emotionen! Wer in dem Stück „My Life“ im Chamäleon Varieté war weiß wie schwer es ist Emotionen darzustellen! Wir wollen sie bildlich festhalten. Genau wie auch alle anderen Themen die wir uns in den Kopf gesetzt haben. Welche Städte wir genau besichtigen wollen wissen wir noch nicht genau das entscheiden wir in den nächsten Wochen! Auf jeden Fall steht fest das wir dahin wollen wo normale Touristen nicht hinfahren!
http://www.dodo.com/de/reiseberichte/1311_Russland_Moskva_Abenteuerreise_.html
Das ganze wird man durch mich bei Dodo.com dann verfolgen können da auf der ganzen Reise tägliche Eintragungen vorgenommen werden, von Bildern bis Text! Die Doku wird mit hoher Wahrscheinlichkeit auch auf einer der Homepages von den Fotografen zu sehen sein.
15.08.2008 at 13:19
Hallo, liebe Reisebegeisterte
Südafrika übt auf viele Menschen eine Faszination aus - die schöne Landschaft, die multikulturelle Gesellschaft, die spezielle Geschichte. Ich wurde auch von dieser Faszination erfasst und möchte deshalb nächstes Jahr dieses Land bereisen.
Meine Reise besteht aus drei Teilen: Zuerst werde ich die ersten drei Monate stationär in Kapstadt verbringen. Dort habe ich die Gelegenheit, die südafrikanische Kultur bei meiner Gastfamilie hautnah zu erleben und mein Englisch aufzubessern.
Der zweite Teil besteht aus einer dreiwöchigen Reisezeit in Südafrika, wo ich den Rest des Landes kennen lernen darf. Dieser Teil ist noch nicht genau geplant, wird mich aber mit Sicherheit in den Osten des Landes führen.
Zum Schluss werde ich noch vier Wochen in Namibia verweilen und das Land mit Auto und Zelt näher unter die Lupe nehmen.
Was meine Reise speziell macht? Ich werde mit der südafrikanischen Kultur hautnah in Berührung kommen und kann während drei Monaten deren Lebensweise mehr oder weniger übernehmen. Genaueres könnt ihr hier nachlesen:
http://www.dodo.com/de/reiseberichte/1323_Das_s_dliche_Afrika_kennen_lernen.html
Die Berichterstattung wird während des ersten Teils meiner Reise kein Problem sein, da die Schule (meine ich) über Internetanschluss verfügt. Auch während meiner Tour durch Südafrika werde ich immer wieder Computer mit Internetanschluss finden. Die Berichterstattungen aus Namibia könnten eventuell nicht mehr so regelmässig ausfallen, da ich die Verfügbarkeit von Internetanschluss aufgrund unserer Reiseart nicht abschätzen kann.
Auf jeden Fall möchte ich euch mit Fotos und spannenden Erlebnissen während meiner Reise versorgen.
Manuela
17.08.2008 at 21:35
6:00 Uhr morgens, irgendwo an der östlichen Atlantikküste Argentiniens, geschätzte Einwohner pro Quadratkilometer: 2. Ein ohrenbetäubender Lärm ist um unser Nachtlager herum ausgebrochen und hat uns zu früher Stunde geweckt. Wie es scheint, hat sich die örtliche Pinguingemeinde um unseren Bully versammelt und wartet darauf, gemeinsam mit uns unter freiem Himmel frühstücken zu können. Gibt es Fisch? In unserem Campingkocher landet er jedenfalls nicht. [...]
So in etwa könnte ein Tagesbeginn auf unserer Tour durch Südamerika aussehen.
Wir, das sind Kay und Karolin aus Hamburg, brechen im Februar 2009 zu einer einjährigen Rundtour durch ganz Südamerika auf. Von Rom aus geht es zunächst nach Buenos Aires, wo unser Abenteuer beginnt. Mit einem Bully (den wir dort erstehen werden) brechen wir auf in Richtung Ushuaia, Feuerland, Kap Hoorn. Der Weg wird uns zunächst entlang der Ostküste Südamerikas führen, durch die Weiten Patagoniens bis hin zu kleinen verschlafenen Estancias.
Aus Feuerland kommend geht es dann auf der Carretera Austral wieder in Richtung Norden mit dem Ziel: Santiago de Chile. Uns erwartet ein Mix aus unglaublichen Naturschauspielen (z. B. dem Nationalpark Torres del Paine und dem Perito-Morreno-Gletscher) und fremdartig anmutenden Kulturen.
Neben den bekannten Großstädten führt uns unsere Reise auch immer wieder durch zahlreiche Anden- und Hochlanddörfer. Sicherlich lernen wir hier ein paar Sätze Quechua.
Inwieweit die auf den Karten eingezeichneten Straßen tatsächlich befahrbar sind, werden wir wohl erst erfahren, wenn wir mittendrauf sind. Es wäre durchaus wünschenswert, dass der Wagen das aushält.
Von Santiago de Chile geht es über Bolivien, Paraguay und einen kurzen Abstecher nach Brasilien, weiter nach Peru. Dort werden wir uns neben den weltberühmten Nazca-Linien auch einige Indio-Hinterlassenschaften ansehen.
Dann führt uns unsere Reise weiter nach Norden, allerdings ohne genauen Fahrplan. Was uns dort erwartet, wird sich direkt vor Ort rausstellen. Ab dort gilt: wir fahren dort hin, wo uns der Wind hinweht. Dennoch wollen wir alle Länder Südamerikas besuchen.
Zum Abschluss wäre ein Ausflug in die Karibik überaus wünschenswert. Ob sich das ermöglichen lässt, werden wir sehen.
Eine kurze Abhandlung findet ihr hier:
http://www.dodo.com/de/reiseberichte/1342_Argentinien_Uruguay_.html
In jeder größeren Stadt Südamerikas gibt es mittlerweile Internetcafés, so dass eine Berichterstattung über dodo.com problemlos möglich ist. Zudem werden wir die Berichte mit unseren Fotos ausschmücken und einen Überblick darüber geben, was das Backpacker-Leben in Südamerika in etwa kostet.
Wir machen diese Tour, um unseren Horizont zu erweitern und über den europäischen Tellerrand zu sehen. Eine Erfahrung wie diese begleitet einen ein Leben lang.
Karolin + Kay
18.08.2008 at 07:40
Hello fellow adventure seekers,
I am posting my comment in order to receive the travel grant.
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1357_south_africa_Adventure_travel_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1356_Namibia_Windhoek_Culture_and_study_trip_.html
There are many destinations to choose from when planning an exotic, unique adventure. As an animal volunteer, what better place to start than the luscious grasslands of South Africa. Hundreds of miles away from city skyscrapers, luxurious resorts, and fine dining is my first stop at the Born to be Wild Lion Project. Every day will be a new experience as I learn to become pals with these strong but misunderstood cats. Not only will I be caring for over 80 lions, but I will be learning important information about these animals and the land they live on that I can share with the world. Not a moment of priceless experiences will be missed because a daily journal will be posted on this website. Internet is available in the restauraunt located right in the park. As an art student, I am able to take those extraordinary pictures that can capture that breathtaking landscape or the brilliant colors of the local plant life. Video footage can be easily transferred from my camera to the computer and loaded onto my journal as well.
After two weeks in the South African sun, I will change my location to a different country that’s not too far away. Namibia is located on the western coast of the African continent. The local farming family that own this park called the Noah’s Ark Project is just as enthusiastic in preserving the precious wildlife as the people in my last location. This 12 million-acre farm dedicated to helping injured or orphaned animals get back on their paws and out into the wild is an animal lover’s dream. Internet is also available in this park. If this grant is given to me, I will write information daily about my experiences and provide brilliant pictures and interesting videos. The world is a big and exciting place where every corner is filled with unique wildlife and plants never seen in our own backyards. It is important to experience as much as you can, whether you travel yourself to new locations or read vivid descriptions about them on blogs similar to this one.
Below are links to the programs that I will book my trip through.
http://www.workingabroad.org/volunteer/south-africa/african-lion-volunteering.html
http://www.workingabroad.org/volunteer/africa/namibia-noahs-ark.html
Thank you for viewing my traveling plans!
22.08.2008 at 19:43
Liebe Reisefreunde,
da ich nun ein Jahr in der Ukraine leben und arbeiten werden, und schon lange darüber nachdenke, eine Tour mit der Transsibirischen Eisenbahn zu unternehmen, habe ich nun beschlossen, dies zu tun und zwar mit dem Ziel möglichst viele neue Erfahrungen zu machen, viel mit Einheimischen ins Gespräch kommen, von Ihnen lernen, sie und Ihre Kultur besser zu verstehen.
Die Transsib fährt von Moskau bis nach Peking, ich werde in der Mongolei aussteigen, einige Tage verbringen, dann nach Peking weiterfahren.
Auch in Peking werde ich einige Zeit bleiben, dann nach Urumqi, und Almaty, Kasachstan aufbrechen. Ganz nah von Almaty ist Bishkek und das steht auch auf meinem Plan. Ich werde in Jugendhergen, günstigen Hotels oder im Zug schlafen. Ganz genau weiß ich das noch nicht.
Taschkent ist mein letzter Halt, dort werde ich ein bisschen in Usbekische Gebräuche und Kulturen hineinschnuppern und von dort aus wieder in die Ukraine fliegen.
Diese Reise soll nicht nur der Erweiterung meines Horizontes dienen, sondern ich möchte auch mit möglichst vielen Einheimischen Kontakt haben, und ihnen Einblick in mein Leben und meine Kultur gewähren.
http://www.dodo.com/de/reiseberichte/1372_Ukraine_Kiev_nach_Moskau.html
Ich werde ein Reisetagebuch führen, und bei jeder Station ein Internet-cafe aufsuchen, meine Eintragungen und Fotos hochladen.
Viele Grüße
Philip
26.08.2008 at 02:09
North Korea. Perhaps the most reclusive, mysterious and isolated country in the world. Certainly one of the least travelled by Westerners. While the world is filled with authoritarian dictatorships, none of these regimes are able to exert the degree of control over all aspects of life as is the case in the world’s only remaining totalitarian state, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea(DPRK). A visit to North Korea is trip back in time to the days of Stalin’s Soviet Union as well as a trip into the pages of George Orwell’s classic novels “Nineteen Eighty Four” and “Animal Farm”.
I am a third year Political Science Honours student at the University of British Columbia. Besides pure personal curiosity, I am interested in going to the DPRK in order to gain a better insight into the country that I’m planning write my senior thesis on. Although my itinerary is by no means final, I am planning to travel North Korea to an extent that few Westerners have before. This generous grant would provide me an opportunity that I would not otherwise be able to afford. If I am fortunate enough to be selected, I will report back to the dodo.com community with a combination of daily travelogues, pictures and video diaries. I may also be able to create a podcast and arrange times for live online chat.
As the North Korea continues to play nuclear blackmail in its confrontation with the West, it is certainly a place that warrants a significant amount of attention. I hope that you all share my interest in learning more about the “Hermit Kingdom”.
Here is the link to my travelogue:
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1394_North_Korea_Adventure_travel_.html
Thanks,
Robert Sroka
26.08.2008 at 07:25
Hello dodo community - here is a copy of our first entry and the travelogue link for our upcoming trip to eastern Tibet for which we are applying for the travel grant:
After flying over the Pacific and the congested cities of eastern China, my close friend Chad Kellogg and I will begin our travel this fall in Chengdu. From there we will travel westward, into the politically volatile - and quake devastated - regions of eastern Tibet.
Our goal is to ascend an unclimbed peak at the head of the Changping Valley known to westerners as Barbarian, and the locals as Yeti. After climbing (hopefully!) Yeti, we will focus on the unclimbed southwest ridge of Siguniang Shan - the highest peak in the region, topping out after 3000 meters of technical rock and ice climbing at 6250 meters.
While our travels are structured around climbing these spectacular natural features, climbing is only the vehicle by which Chad and I continue to explore the rich and varied cultures and landscapes of the world.
We hope to pave the way for travelers into Tibet from the east – bringing adventure travel deep into these struggling communities, crushed by the earthquakes of May 2008. In spite of every other mountaineering expedition into Sichuan for 2008 being canceled due to a combination of the political climate and natural disasters, Chad and I are fortunate to have managed to navigate the bureaucracies and obtain climbing permits and mountaineering visas.
Getting to the Siguniang Mountains is not as straight forward as it once was. The highways have been destroyed by the earthquakes, and what was once drivable in a few days is now only accessible by 4×4 jeeps. The jeeps will bring us to the alpine village of Rilong, where we will switch to horses. The horses will then take us up the Changping valley to near the foot of the southwest ridge of Siguniang Shan.
Our base camp will be high in the Changping valley among the nomadic Tibetan yak herders. We have elected to hire a local cook to provide our food and company for the days spent in the valley. We’ve been promised meal after meal of various yak products, yak meat, yak milk, yak yogurt and yak stew! We are pretty excited….
Climbing will be limited to good weather - so we will be spending day after day exploring the valleys with local mountain tribes. The Siguniang Mountains occupy the eastern edge of the vast Tibetan plateau. The peaks and valleys to the west of our base camp offer an endless expanse of wilderness and genuine Tibetan culture. Remote monasteries and villages hanging from the slopes of unclimbed peaks abound. Although the Chinese have politically controlled the region for decades now, this rugged precinct of the plateau has retained its authentic identity.
Our correspondence with dodo.com will be limited while in the mountains, due to an absolute lack of internet and communication access, but while in the cities and villages traveling to and from the mountains, we will be excited to post on our adventures and read what other travels are up to.
Happy trails dodo community! – looking forward to hearing what adventures are coming your way….
Link to travelogue:
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1429_.html
26.08.2008 at 17:13
Hello fellow travelers,
The proposed itinerary is part of a global round the world trip I am onto. The journey goes through ALL the 192 countries of the world without leaving one apart. In the last 3 years over 150 countries have been visited (see itinerary at the end of the text). In 2008-2009 the last countries will be achieved.
Of course this voyage is with a purpose. It is called Art in All of Us (www.artinallofus.org), inspiring children around the world. Art in All of Us is a not for profit organization dedicated to teaching children from around the world about other cultures through the universal language of Art. Through our schools’ visits, we work with kids in all 192 UN-listed countries creating and sharing drawings, poetry, and photography across borders. The curriculum we teach promotes cultural awareness by exploring topics like geography, art, and ethnicity through interactive activities that foster creativity.
This initiative is supported logistically by the UNICEF and as of August 2008 our itinerary will go through (see detailed itinerary at the end of the text and travelogue entries here http://www.dodo.com/en/travelfriends/Anthony.Asael/travelogues/) whole Central America, Central Asian region and all the Gulf countries. It has been tailored in the last 3 years taking into account mainly local school holidays and low season airfares. Working only with goodwill of volunteers and some donations, we hope dodo grant will help us as well.
Some classic routes are on the 2008 list like the extended Aztec-Maya Route from Mexico towards Panama, through the volcanic areas of El Salvador and Nicaragua. I planned to work on a small Swedish sailing boat going from Panama towards Galapagos Islands. Having received invitation from the governments of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, I will be able to complete the whole Silk Road during two months in a unique way, out of the beaten tracks. Also on the list are more extreme and rarely visited destinations like North Korea and Saudi Arabia. I will most probably spend New Year’s Eve in one of the most beautiful Muslim countries: Oman. I will finish our Asian tour with Sri Lanka, visiting schools in communities affected by the 2004 Tsunami. I will celebrate the end of our tour under the highlights of Brazil, Argentina and Chile where we will spend 3 months. Art in All of Us have set our base in Santiago de Chile to work on a book we have been designing, to present ALL the 192 countries through children art and photographs.
Rich of a 485,084 km long travel experience over the last 3 years, I strongly believe I will make it through this last stretch in the next 8 months. We used mostly public local buses, African taxi-brousse, boats, hitchhiking, bikes, motorbikes, canoe and even ox-carts. I succeeded to keep our travelling (except flights) and accommodation daily budget at a 13 USD on average and hope to keep it that way till the end of the trip. My flight budget for the next 8 months covering 29 countries is of 6200 USD.
Being mostly auto-financed and leaving in very low-profile conditions, I hope that the grant will help us to finance part of our trip and also directly help us in buying art material for our activities with children.
More than 12000 children have participated to our activities in the last 3 years, I hope to continue inspiring children in this last section of the journey thanks to DoDo.com grant.
What can we offer to DODO if I win the grant?
1-Of course travelogues… I have written a lot of them in the last 3 years and will definitely continue to write them. Most will be in English, others in French and Spanish. A mini-preview of Ukraine, Sudan and Papua New Guinea can be seen on.
http://www.dodo.com/fr/travelogues/1428_Republic_of_the_Sudan_Khartoum_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1422_Papua_New_Guinea_Port_Moresby_Round_the_world_trip_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1423_Ukraine_Kiev_Round_the_world_trip_.html
See Art in All of Us site for more travelogues http://www.artinallofus.org/news/travelogue.html .
2-We can upload videos with stories of children of the country we visit. We are used to interview them and we even add questions about the extinct Mauritian Dodo ?
3-We have today a library of 160,000 photos. If we receive the grant, we will be more than happy to share some photos with DoDo, offering visitors nice preview of the countries.
4-we can upload children drawings with the theme “tell me about your country”. We have even some nice Mauritian DoDos in stock as well ;-). This a unique way to travel and discover new cultural perspectives through children’s eyes
5-To cut our costs, we manage to stay mainly at local people houses for free. This gives us a perfect insight to traditional cultures. We will be happy to share it through our travelogues and travel tips.
6-I can offer 2 live chats each month to discuss about the cultural insight of the region I am visiting and give some travel tips
Itinerary August 2008-2009
México 15-20 aug
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1743_Mexico_Mexico_City_.html
Belize 20-25 aug
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1745_Belize_San_Ignacio_.html
Guatemala 25aug-7 sep
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1744_Guatemala_Guatemala_.html
El Salvador 8-12 sep
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1746_El_Salvador_El_Salvador_.html
Honduras 13-15 sep
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1747_Honduras_Choluteca_.html
Nicaragua 16-23 sep
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1748_Nicaragua_Granada_.html
Costa Rica 24-30 sep
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1749_Costa_Rica_Arenal_.html
Panama 1 oct
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1750_Panama_Panama_.html
Ecuador 2-10 oct
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1751_Quito_Provincia_de_Pichincha_Ecuador_Provincia_de_Pichincha_quito_.html
Turkmenistan 11-15 oct
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1713_Turkmenistan_Turkmenistan_.html
Kazakhstan 16-20 oct
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1714_Kazakhstan_Almaty_.html
Kyrgyzstan 21-26 oct
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1715_kyrgyzstan_kyrgyzstan_.html
Tajikistan 27-31 oct
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1716_Tajikistan_Tajikistan_.html
Afghanistan 1-6 nov
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1717_Afghanistan_Afghanistan_.html
Uzbekistan 8-20 nov
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1718_Uzbekistan_Uzbekistan_.html
Thailand 20-30 nov
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1752_Thailand_Bangkok_.html
Mongolia 1-10 dec
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1753_Mongolei_Ulan_Bator_.html
North Korea 10-15 dec
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1754_North_Korea_Anole_.html
UAE 15-20 dec
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1755_United_Arab_Emirates_Dubai_.html
Oman 20-31 dec
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1756_Oman_Muscat_.html
Bahrain 1-5 jan
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1758_State_of_Bahrain_Manama_.html
Qatar 6-10 jan
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1757_State_of_Qatar_Doha_.html
Saudi Arabia 11-15 jan
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1759_Saudi_Arabia_Ar_Riyad_.html
Kuwait 16-20 jan
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1760_Kuwait_Kuwait_.html
Iran 20-30 jan
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1761_Iran_Tehran_.html
Sri Lanka 1-15 feb
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1762_Sri_Lanka_Colombo_.html
Maldives 16-20 feb
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1763_Maldives_Male_.html
Brazil 20 feb-10 mar
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1764_brazil_recife_.html
Argentina 11-15 mar
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1765_Argentina_Buenos_Aires_.html
Chile 15mar-30 may
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1766_Chile_Santiago_.html
27.08.2008 at 05:32
My name is Aubrey Rainbow and I am applying for Dodo’s 2008 Travel Grant.
I have recently returned from living in Ethiopia, Africa for four months as a volunteer. It was during these four months that I both fell in love and became fascinated with Ethiopia’s rich culture. It remains the only African country to never have been colonized by a European counterpart, and also exists as one of the world’s oldest civilizations. Ethiopia was, however, occupied by the Italian’s for ten years spanning from approximately 1935-1945, which is believed by some to be a contributing factor to the beginning of World War II. During my stay there I noticed some remnants the Italian control has left on Ethiopian culture, but was also amazed by how intact their ancient culture has remained. If I am awarded the grant I will be visiting Italy in order to become familiarized with their culture and historical views of the struggles with Ethiopia, and then plan to compare and contrast what I find to the current culture of Ethiopia, identifying what has been adopted into Ethiopian culture as well as what cultural specifics have been maintained throughout the centuries by the Ethiopian people.
Internet access will be readily available in Italy, and although painfully slow, Ethiopia has a variety of internet cafes available in its larger cities. I would, therefore, always be in reachable distance of internet access to keep Dodo up to date on my adventures!
This is the link to my travelogues.
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1689_Italy_Venice_Adventure_travel_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1380_Italy_Florenz_Adventure_travel_.html
http://www.dodo.com/de/reiseberichte/1447_Italy_Venice_Adventure_travel_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1448_Italy_Naples_Adventure_travel_.html
http://www.dodo.com/de/reiseberichte/1449_Italy_Rome_Adventure_travel_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1450_Ethiopia_Addis_Ababa_Adventure_travel_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1451_Ethiopia_Aksum_Adventure_travel_.html
http://www.dodo.com/de/reiseberichte/1452_Ethiopia_Gonder_Adventure_travel_.html
http://www.dodo.com/de/reiseberichte/1453_Ethiopia_Bahir_Dar_Adventure_travel_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1454_Ethiopia_Addis_Ababa_Adventure_travel_.html
Thank you so much!
- Aubrey Rainbow
27.08.2008 at 19:02
Dear Dodo Community,
I have created a plan for a journey that explores the meaning of “home in motion” for people who find themselves constantly in transit. My plan is to travel in Southeast Asia and engage the ways that people relate to (and often decorate) their vehicles to make physical spaces that reflect the many different facets of their lives (work, sleep, religious practice, social space). As I travel, my focus will be the bikes, boats, and buses that carry me, as well as the people that literally inhabit those mobile spaces. My goal is to create a funny and thought provoking window on the journey for everyone on Dodo by conveying the wonder and struggles that I am sure to experience through travelogue entries, photos, live chats, and the other Dodo features.
Please visit my Travelogue at:
http://www.dodo.com/en/travels/1771_Southeast_Asia_Home_in_Motion_Adventure_travel_.html
Please send me questions or comments.
Thank you for sharing my enthusiasm for travel,
Caleb
28.08.2008 at 00:19
INTRO
So before I get into the thick of the travel things, let me give you all a little outline about the situation.
My name is Colin and I’m a 21 year old Canadian university student from Vancouver. Currently I’m majoring in International Development and Mandarin and Japanese languages and I’m really excited to have the opportunity to put my interest in our world into perspective seeing it firsthand!
So my trip: I’m calling it Eurasia Overland (or as much as possible) and I’m planning on being gone approximately 193 days, or 7 months(ish).
I’ll be heading out from Istanbul, Turkey heading by train through Syria, and Jordan and then by car into Israel, before spending a few weeks in Egypt taking in the sights and getting in my first dive of the trip.
From Egypt I’ll be flying to Delhi, India (bypassing volatile Iraq, and Afghanistan). after circling the Indian coasts, i’ll be heading to Kathmandu from Delhi for 3 or so weeks doing the Annapurna Circuit with a few days on either end.
From Nepal, I’ll be flying to China for approximately 2 months of backpacking and visiting friends before embarking on the Trans-Siberian Railway.
From Beijing, I’ll be embarking on the trans-Mongolian route of the Trans-Siberian Railway with stop-offs along the way in Ulan Bator, Mongolia, and in Irkutsk and the Lake Baikal region in Siberia.
After my arrival in Moscow, I’ll spend a few days there taking in the city before heading to St. Petersburg and then back to Vancouver!
With a trip this size, a lot of planning and organizing has been involved and as such, I’m also very excited about documenting it all! I will very likely be taking a laptop with me to update a website and talk with friends and family at home. I am an avid skype user as well, so while away, I’d love to chat with anyone who has any questions, or comments or anything really! I also have a digital SLR that is attached to my hip always and will be coming along with me. As the world gets more and more connected, I’m not anticipating much trouble staying connected while away…I have friends who just trekked Nepal and sent me an email from Muktinath!
So with that said, I’ll get into the details in the next few travelogues. Thanks so much for considering me for this grant, and good luck to everyone on their travels!
//Colin
And here are the links!
TRAVELOGUE:
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1490_.html
Istanbul-Cairo (Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Egypt):
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1489_Istanbul_to_Cairo_Turkey_Syria_Jordan_Israel_Egypt_.html
India:
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1492_India.html
Nepal:
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1493_Nepal.html
China:
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1494_China.html
Trans-Siberian Railway/European Russia:
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1497_Trans_Siberian_Railway_European_Russia.html
28.08.2008 at 00:23
Hallo Welt,
schon Ende November geht es los. Ralph und Stefan werden von Dresden nach Banjul aufbrechen. Ein in die Jahrzehnte gekommener Jeep, der bis dahin hoffentlich vom TÜV sein Ausfuhrkennzeichen erhält, eine Menge Abenteuerlust und das immer wiederkehrende Fernweh sollen uns durch Süd-Europa, entlang der Westküste Afrikas bis nach Gambia tragen.
Der nahezu unumgängliche Spaß und die für uns hoffentlich atemberaubenden Momente „auf Achse“ sollen zumindest teilweise einem guten Zweck dienen. Das Auto wird in Gambia verkauft (wir haben schon Kontakt zu Leuten vor Ort, die damit Erfahrung haben) und der Erlös kommt 100% dem Ausbau einer Krankenstation zu Gute. Außerdem werden wir ca. 800 Brillen, die bereits gesammelt wurden, medizinische Verbauchsmaterialien und Kondome mitnehmen und den Helfern vor Ort übergeben.
Wir hoffen so, das Angenehme mit dem Nützlichen zu verbinden – schaut einfach mal in die Details der Streckenführung.
Link: http://www.dodo.com/de/reisen/1731_Gambia_Banjul_Abenteuerreise_.html
Gute Fahrt und bis bald,
Ralph und Stefan
28.08.2008 at 06:38
Hello!
We are applying for Dodo’s travel grant for our upcoming trip to Japan to celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary!
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1381_Japan_Day_Cultural_Trip_.html
Our goal with this trip is to explore the variety of cultural experiences Japan offers- from the traditional to the futuristic, from the sublime to the kitschy. We want to dive in with both feet instead of remaining on the outside, engaged in the typical superficial methods of tourism. Therefore, we’ve arranged for various unique cultural experiences like Samurai sword lessons and a Maiko performance! And we’ll be visiting areas that are a bit outside the typical tourism hot spots, like Koyasan. We’ll be staying in a variety of lodgings, from traditional Bed and Breakfast-like inns called Ryokans, to a Buddhist Temple to a retro-styled hotel. We hope to explore as many types of cuisine as we can, especially the ones allowing us to be interactive and participate in the actual cooking! We plan on visiting department stores, grocery stores and fish markets for a glimpse into the daily life of a typical Japanese citizen. And although we will be engaging in some activities that can only be described as “touristy” we will also attempt to immerse ourselves in the culture with as much respect and joy as can be imagined!
We are already preparing for our trip by taking an intensive Japanese language and customs course, and our life-long obsession of all things Japanese can only help us once we actually arrive!
As for what we can offer DODO if we win: We will take our laptop with us and report back with gusto every night! I’m an avid photographer so photos will be a no-brainer.
Please consider us for the grant reward!! And thank you very much for inspiring us to plan this thrilling trip!
28.08.2008 at 09:45
Wow, I’m just making the cut off eh? I came across your site yesterday. I was actually looking for a travel site where I could blog my upcoming Round the World adventure for my friends and family to see and I found you Dodo
and your fabulous grant opportunity. So I’ve been frantically trying to finish travelogues in between clients at work and after my travel vaccinations appointment! Crazy, but here it is…..
My trip is definitely extraordinary and encompasses places well traveled, some very remote, but all extremely diverse. I will be volunteering in Ethiopia and Madagascar, working in Australia and backpacking everywhere else. I pretty much cover all adventure tourism could offer including; trekking, diving, snorkeling, volunteering, eating (very important), safari’s, climbing, rafting, kayaking, paragliding, bungee jumping, and surfing.
I am so excited about this adventure I can barely stand it. I have been saving up and fundraising for years and this grant would help me so much. I would be able to eat more then just rice and veggies! (from reading my travelogues you’ll understand my love for food). The grant would mainly be put towards the adventure side of my trip, as it is the most expensive and volunteering contributions.
I plan on reporting through travelogues, photo’s and video’s. My writing is always filled with crazy antics and strange observations which are sure to give a good laugh. As a wanna be pro photographer, I will be taking stunning photo’s with a DSLR camera and recording video’s on it too. I would love to do live chat as I’m all set up on Skype to stay in touch with friends and family. I think it would be cool to do a bizarre moment of the week blog where I could list a truly strange, yet funny occurrence every couple weeks. All travelers have experienced this while traveling in different cultures and these bizarre memories usually stand out the most
So without further ado…here they are….(drum roll!)……..
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1508_Canada_Toronto_Round_the_world_trip_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1474_Netherlands_Amsterdam_Round_the_world_trip_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1475_Ethiopia_Addis_Ababa_Round_the_world_trip_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1476_Republic_of_Kenya_Nairobi_Round_the_world_trip_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1477_Madagascar_Ifaty_Round_the_world_trip_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1480_India_Bombay_Round_the_world_trip_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1482_Nepal_Kathmandu_Round_the_world_trip_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1488_China_lhasa_Round_the_world_trip_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1501_Sri_Lanka_Colombo_Round_the_world_trip_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1502_Malaysia_Kuala_Lumpur_Round_the_world_trip_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1503_Indonesia_Jakarta_Round_the_world_trip_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1504_Philippines_Manila_Round_the_world_trip_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1510_Guam_Hagatna_Round_the_world_trip_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1511_Australia_Cairns_Round_the_world_trip_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1512_Micronesia_Kosrae_Round_the_world_trip_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1513_United_States_Honolulu_Landing_Round_the_world_trip_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1514_United_States_Anchorage_Round_the_world_trip_.html
Thanks
Tessa
28.08.2008 at 15:12
Dear Dodo community,
Please read about my proposed travel to follow an oil pipe line almost 1000 km from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea, between the two Caucus mountain ranges only 180 km apart, and traversing Caucusus region countries of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia in late summer 2009 all the while not sure whether I am in Europe or in Asia!
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1516_Mysterious_Borderlands.html
Thanks,
Michele
28.08.2008 at 22:46
Hi Everyone,
Here is a link to my sample travel schedule for a dance study tour of Brazil to Peru.
I currently dance in a Brazilian performing group in Vancouver and would like to use this travel opportunity to learn more dances from the regions of Peru and Brazil as well as collect costumes of the dances I learn. Although I will be focusing my dance on Afro-brazilian and Afro-Peruvian dances, I will also be visiting and studying Peruvian indigenous dance forms in the local communities.
I’m also a Social Worker by profession and would like to use my experiences to help children in my community by teaching classes and putting on performances using the costumes I collect.
By displaying the photos and videos I collect from my trip at my Vancouver performances I will be able to help raise money for the children’s groups I volunteered for while in Brazil and Peru.
Here is a link to my travel schedule. It is a draft format, but will give a basic idea of what I would like to do.
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1505_Brazil_to_Peru_Dance_Study_trip_.html
28.08.2008 at 22:54
Hello everyone! I’m Alex, a programmer from Vancouver BC — and I’m proud to see so many entries here from Vancouver, best of luck to my neighbors Jack, Robert, Colin and Tessa! — and my main travel interest is delving into the esoteric, from the intentionally occult to the simply completely forgotten.
But first, let’s talk about what I want to do for dodo.com. See, I’m a longtime Mac programmer who’s just getting into programming for the iPhone, and I’ve been thinking that what it’s perfectly suited for is what I call ‘gonzo blogging’ in honor of Hunter S. Thompson, which is blogging you do in the midst of your travels or activities; snap some pictures with your iPhone’s camera and/or record some audio with its microphone and/or tap out some text on its screen, and then the phone bundles that off to your website of choice along with the GPS coordinates you’re posting from so people can follow on the map exactly what you’re doing as you’re doing it, from anywhere that has a cellular data network.
I’m definitely going to be doing a gonzo blogging iPhone application targeted at _somebody’s_ website; the plan to date has been to take the open source WordPress for iPhone application
http://iphone.wordpress.org/
and add features to that — most pressingly, geolocation — to post on my own WordPress blog. But if I’m selected as the winner, my first order of business will be to work with the dodo.com programmers to put together an application to post travelogues directly from one’s iPhone to this website with at least pictures and location attached, and I’ll publish that for free on the App Store for any other user with an iPhone to do their reporting from as well, and then I’ll give it a good thorough testing by proceeding to jaunt around the world on what I call
Wonders of the Ancients 2008 — The Beta Test Tour
(And for those of you thinking “gee, that sounds backwards … publish THEN beta test?” well, let me put it this way: There’s a reason the version number of the software you’re using is not ‘1.0′.)
First leg is to skip across from Vancouver to Laie in Hawaii and attend Ali’i Luau,
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1527_Hawaii_United_States_Laie_Culture_and_study_trip_.html
then hop along the islets of Micronesia visiting the traces of the Aroi Sun Kingdom of the Pacific,
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1528_Fed_States_of_Micronesia_Kosrae_Culture_and_study_trip_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1529_Fed_States_of_Micronesia_Pohnpei_Culture_and_study_trip_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1530_United_States_Guam_Culture_and_study_trip_.html
then visit the Indus-Sarasvati remnants of the Rama Empire,
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1531_India_Lothal_Culture_and_study_trip_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1532_Pakistan_Mohenjo_Daro_Culture_and_study_trip_.html
stop in Iran to visit Jiroft where there’s just in 2001 been discovered a previously completely unknown civilization which may predate Sumer,
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1539_Iran_Jiroft_Culture_and_study_trip_.html
proceed to the supposed Osirian civilization of the Mediterranean,
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1542_Lebanon_Baalbek_Culture_and_study_trip_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1544_Malta_Ggantija_Culture_and_study_trip_.html
detour southwards to the Cyclopean pre-Incan sites of South America,
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1548_Bolivia_Tiahuanaco_Culture_and_study_trip_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1553_Peru_Cuzco_Culture_and_study_trip_.html
… and just as a nod to Indiana Jones on our way back to Vancouver, stop at Lubaantun to see where the real Crystal Skull supposedly was discovered and see whether we agree now with the people who don’t think it’s Mayan at all.
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1557_Belize_Lubaantun_Culture_and_study_trip_.html
A wondrous tour indeed!
29.08.2008 at 05:55
Dearest Dodo,
Forgive the late post! There has been much dream-chasing and research busying us on this end!! We hope you enjoy the proposal.
Background Information:
In the winter of 2006, a journey inspired by three backcountry enthusiasts took shape. Four months later, the crew ventured off into remote mountainous regions of Southwest and Central China, with a pile of backcountry equipment and the minor support of a few professional sponsors. The “allowance” was a bit different than what Dodo promises: a box of coffee extract from Java Juice (much appreciated), and a few other goodies from Cloudveil, JetBoil, and Osprey. The itinerary was bold, and the travels were rough, and it was the first time two of the expedition members had ever set foot on the Asian continent.
The winter season was in full effect by the time we arrived in late December. Contributing to the difficulty of the undertaking was the group’s decision to travel solely via public transport, and their reliance on local homes for “front-country” lodging, plus manageable temps for sustained high-mountain camping. Setting out for ski and snowboard descents from nearly 16,500 feet, though, the threesome completely lost track of the grudges that they held against so many of China’s elements.
An introduction to the 2006 Tibetan Boarderlands Expedition can be seen here: http://tibetanboarderlands.blogspot.com/2006/11/15-days-and-counting.html
Who:
An Asia-loving adventurer from Colorado and a backcountry maniac who somehow found himself schooling and working in Washington, DC – writers, amateur videographers, and true lovers of getting “out there.” And although we’re both employed steadily, we’ve somehow secured 6 weeks off, and we’ve dreamed of an adventure that we’re determined to make happen…bank overdrafts or not.
What:
Our destination: Kyrgyzstan, with the following proposition…
Via as much self-sustained travel as possible – whenever possible ski-traversing to cover vast areas of an inhospitable snow-bound land – we plan to run an overland expedition across the country from China, into Kazakhstan, to end in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Gear will be trailed in harness-driven pulk sleds.
Outside of true “adventure” itself, the overarching theme for this adventure is inspired by a small, Jackson Hole, Wyoming-based organization called Vista 360, whose mission is to link mountain communities throughout the world with an exchange of arts, culture and tradition that is inspired by the unique physical environment that mountain-dwellers call home. We will facilitate this exchange of culture and tradition by creating a video documentary of the lifestyle, culture, and tradition of remote mountain communities throughout the Tien Shan and larger Central Asian regions and share it throughout mountain communities at home.
Preview of what’s possible: http://www.vimeo.com/1285159
When:
6 weeks between late December 2008 and January 2009.
Why:
Remote mountains in Asia hold an indescribable allure, period. And a country that proclaims its land as 94% mountainous (and lays claim to the largest mountain range in Asia) promises perhaps the most alluring zones for exploration in the region. That is doubled with the fact that Kyrgyzstan was only quite recently freed of its former Soviet subsidiary status, finally opening many areas to foreigners within the last few decades. A wintertime journey, planned mostly in the mountains, probably seems like an inconceivable option to most. It has been said that travel within Kyrgyzstan “isn’t always as easy as it may seem on a map.” But this is adventure travel, right?!
We invite you to view our travelogues here:
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1509_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1564_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1563_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1565_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1566_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1567_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1568_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1569_.html
Many thanks for this opportunity and for your consideration,
Ryan Koupal,
Boulder, CO
Bryan Gault,
Washington, DC
gentlemen * explorers
29.08.2008 at 11:10
Our goal:
1 year + of sustainable travel beginning in the sun-speckled beaches of southern of India, over the rugged passes of Nepal’s mighty Himalaya and into the jungles of Southeast Asia.
The Players:
Dan - Adventure/Travel Photographer, Mountaineer, Rock Climber, Scuba Diver, Cyclist, Music Lover, Beer Drinker, Adventure Seeker
Lisa - Yoga Instructor, Mountaineer, Rock Climber, English Teacher, Travel Writer, Editor, Pho Lover, Fellow Adventure Seeker
Soundtrack:
To Be determined (But we will be sure to include some good old American Folk & Bluegrass, Afro-Caribbean Beats, Reggae & music native to the countries through which we’ll travel.)
Our Mission:
The moment the wheels of the plane touch upon India’s tarmac, our year-long adventure begins. Our goal is to prove that it is possible to explore the world without treading heavily upon it. As we travel overland by foot, bicycle, carpool, bus, yak and even the occasional donkey we will yield a very small carbon footprint. We hope that by traveling in such a deliberately mellow fashion, we will inspire others to do the same. By forgoing some large feats of accomplishment, we will be able to focus on the extraordinary beauty and intricacies of every day life and make an effort to truly understand the cultures we encounter that are so different from our own. With a little effort and open minds, we will travel with much humor and forever changing perspective.
For more details of our proposed travels, please select a link from below:
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1391_India_Trivandrum_Abenteuerreise_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1389_Nepal_Kathmandu_Abenteuerreise_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1558_Tibet_Lhasa_Adventure_travel_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1560_Vietnam_Ha_Nam_Adventure_travel_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1559_Laos_Adventure_travel_.html
http://www.dodo.com/en/travelogues/1446_Thailand_Chiang_Mai_Active_vacation_.html
02.09.2008 at 11:12
Vielen Dank für die tollen Bewerbungen für unser Reisestipendium! Wir freuen uns sehr, dass ihr so viele spannende Reisetagebücher erstellt habt und uns und die anderen dodo.com Mitglieder an euren Abenteuern und Erlebnissen teilhaben lassen wollt!
Auf Grund der vielen Bewerbungen brauchen wir aber noch einige Tage um einen Gewinner auszuwählen. Wir geben den Gewinner aber so schnell wie möglich bekannt!
Vielen Dank für eure Geduld!
Viele Grüße
Melanie
02.09.2008 at 11:33
Thank you very much for the amazing applications for our travel grant! We are very happy with the multitude of fascinating travelogues you wrote to share your travel experiences with us and the other members on dodo.com.
Due to the many applications we need some more days to choose the winner of the grant. We will anounce the winner as soon as possible!
Thank you for your patience!
Cheers
Melanie
09.09.2008 at 01:36
Hi Dodo,
We can hardly stand it any longer!!
Love,
Your 2008 Travel Grant Applicants