19th November 2009 | explore, Journalism, NatGeo Adventure, Travel
Being Bedouin - A Talk
The evenings are drawing in, but it’s time once again to girdle your loins and brave the weather for an evening at the National Geographic on Regent Street.
This months speaker, Mark Abouzeid, is flying in directly from expedition in Jordan to join us on the 24th. His talk “Being Bedouin” will be about the disappearing desert culture of Wadi Rum, accompanied by video and images.
“How do you capture the entire character of a culture that has no written record, has lived for centuries in relative isolation and exists in complete harmony with one of the world’s most extreme environments?”
I’ve worked closely with Mark over the last couple of years, from the North Pole to the desert, and I can guarantee that he is a totally engaging speaker and this is an opportunity not to miss.
He is one of the founders of the Bedouin Heritage Project and I’ll be featuring some more videos from them over the coming weeks.
As ever the talks are free and last an hour and you will retire to a local hostelry after.
WHERE: 1st Floor, The National Geographic Store, 83-97 Regents Street, London W1B 4EW (see map)
WHEN: 6.30pm, Tuesday, 24th November, 2009.
12th November 2009 | Journalism, NatGeo Adventure, Travel
If you want to be an explorer get yourself along to the Royal Geographical Society for the EXPLORE weekend in London and find out about all the opportunities open to you. Starts this Friday, the 13th of November with drinks and an opening lecture from George McGavin.
Full details on the talk below, more details on the weekend here, or go to: www.rgs.org/Explore.
 George McGavin Lecture: Full Details Explore 2009 Friday night lecture
Exploring biological discoveries from the ends of the earth.
A talk by George McGavin
· Friday 13 November 2009 at 18.30
· Royal Geographical Society with IBG, London SW7 2AR
Cost: £10. Free to Explore delegates and speakers.
A handful of scientists and some of the world’s top wildlife filmmakers have visited remote locations in the dense jungles of Borneo, Guyana and Papua New Guinea to document the wealth of wildlife that lives there and highlight the threats to its survival. Working in these difficult environments can test people and equipment to breaking point but the rewards are more than worth it.
Nothing else comes close to exploration and biological discovery for drama, excitement and danger.
George McGavin shares his exciting discoveries with film clips from his three BBC expeditions, with a talk to open the Explore 2009 weekend.
George McGavin is an Honorary Research Associate of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and Visiting Professor of Entomology at the University of Derby.
His research has taken him from the tropical forests of papua New Guinea to the caves of Thailand and from the jungles of Belize to the savannas of Tanzania.
George has written numerous books on insects and other animals , and was the chief scientific consultant for the BBC landmark series, Life in the Undergrowth, presented by David Attenborough. He co-presented Expedition Borneo a five part BBC series shown in 2007 and Lost Land of the Jaguar, a three part series screened in 2008. The most recent BBC expedition series,Lost Land of the Volcano, filmed in Papua New Guinea, will be shown on BBC1 in September 2009.
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3rd November 2009 | Journalism, NatGeo Adventure, Travel
Watch the Video: What is Explore?
Ever wanted to plan your own expedition? Raise funds? Learn how to communicate and navigate, deal with logistics and politics when you’re on the road, or find out what to do with all that information and experience when you’re back?
Then you need to get yourself along to EXPLORE – the expedition & fieldwork planning weekend. Held each year for the last four decades it’s where the potential explorers of the future meet to plan their expeditions, network, and learn from those who’ve already been.
It’s the kind of thing I wish I’d known about years ago.
The weekend includes lectures and workshops with expert speakers in all fields designed to help you realise your dreams and give you the opportunity to mingle with other like minded people. So don’t sit there wondering ‘What if?’, make it happen.
You could be designing and leading your own expedition before you know it, whether it’s a mountaineering and trekking expedition, tropical forest expedition, polar & arctic environment, desert and savanna environment, above and below the oceans, river canoeing and kayaking, vehicle based expedition, or a bicycle expedition.
To find out more click one of the following links or watch the ‘What is Explore?’ video presented by Paul Deegan.
Programme | Speakers | Opening Lecture (with George McGavin) | Book Online
16th October 2009 | How to Drive a Tank..., Journalism
Over the coming weeks I’ll be adding material to this site, and the web channel over at National Geographic, that’ll add a little bit of flavour to some of the chapters in the book. Here are three videos to begin with from the How to Beat Security Systems Chapter.
The first is to show you how easy some fingerprint scanners are to crack. As you’ll usually find it explained somewhere in the documentation on your home computer, they’re not security measures. First check out the guys at Mythbusters as they show you how easy it is to crack open a ‘secure’ locked doorway using nothing but a photocopier print out: Continue reading “Fingerprint scanners, laser alarm systems, how to crack them.” »
15th October 2009 | Journalism, Travel
Because time off doesn’t have to be spent lying down.
Originally appeared in the Friday Magazine in Gulf News
Skiing to the Pole | Gallery
The true geographic pole of 90 degrees north is one of the most inaccessible places on the planet. It’s where temperatures of -20 to -30 degrees C are considered balmy. The only life you’re likely to see there are seals, bearded scientists, or possibly the polar bear that’s been silently stalking you for its supper.
Unlike the South Pole it’s not even on dry land. It lies beneath a shifting sheet of ice that stretches from the shores of Russia to the glacial plains of Canada and Greenland. But now thanks to the enterprising Russian agency VICAAR the North Pole is becoming more accessible. In addition to ice breaker tours in summer they also operate the floating ice camp Barneo during the month of April. A time of year when the daylight lasts all night and the ice is still solid enough to support you.
From there it’s just a short helicopter ride to the last degree of latitude before you hit the pole. So what used to cost a small fortune – a North Pole expedition – now costs about as much as a new sensible family car, still not cheap, but then who wants to be sensible anyway? Continue reading “THE LAST DEGREE | A NORTH POLE DIARY” »
15th October 2009 | Journalism
Originally appeared in the Guardian, click here to read on the Guardian website.
Faraya Mzaar
Tucked away in Lebanon, there are snowfields where the crowds are small, and the attractions – both on and off-piste – are plentiful. Frank Coles reveals skiing’s big secret.
Lawrence of Arabia, that most illustrious of British business travellers, never skied and thanks to his adventurous legacy, Bedouin, belly dancers, camels, and vast empty deserts are what most visitors have come to expect from the Middle East. You could be forgiven for thinking that an indoor slope in humid Dubai is the only wintry option available, but as the area opens up to development and reform, mountains and slopes that were once the preserve of a few savvy locals are welcoming tourists with winter holidays that have little to do with sunshine or souks.
Flying into Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, it is a surprise to see not just a sunny Mediterranean shoreline but also a glistening white mountain range towering stoically over the thin strip of land that houses the capital. Historically, Lebanon is synonymous with snow; even its name derives from the ancient Semitic word for white, “laban”, and its frosted peaks are referred to in the earliest of texts from Gilgamesh to the Old Testament.
Unlike the Norwegians who have skied for thousands of years, the Lebanese initially showed little interest in the untapped potential of their slopes. That is until the early 20th century when a few enthusiastic mountain men and some French expatriates scaled the Lebanese mountains by donkey, skied down, and then kept going back for more. Continue reading “Secret Skiing” »
