Yes, you read that correctly. A marathon. On ice. Why? Because I'd never done a marathon before and would probably never do one again, so I might as well make it memorable: by doing it on frozen lake in Norway, as part of the World Ice Running Championships. Thus, the Oarsman! We drove from O...
Continue reading ...
I am not a Spartan Race World Champion. Let's just clear that up right now. Anybody could pay to enter the race in Lake Tahoe and not run in the elite wave. Indeed, about 10,000 people did exactly that - myself included, side by side with Scott and Amber Keneally. I say "side by side". I mean...
Continue reading ...
We started our 2014 travels in Iceland. Land...of ice. And spectacle. It seems only fitting, therefore, that we end it in the total opposite part of the word. The Sahara. By camel. Obviously. Typically, we arrive in a storm. Bad weather follows us around the globe. It's a wind st...
Continue reading ...
We break our fast on cakes. That is the Moroccan way. Pancakes, with a side of normal cake...and bread. All smothered in jam and honey. Add to that a steaming pot of coffee and another of mint tea, a yoghurt, a cup of pomegranate, cheese, and a gallon of freshly squeezed blood orange juice...and you...
Continue reading ...
Vikki and I spent this weekend in Belfast. Neither of us had been there before and, seeing as she had to be there on Monday morning for work anyway, it made sense to take the opportunity to check it out. Our flight, however, was at 07:00 from Manchester. We live in Sheffield. Needless to say, whe...
Continue reading ...
Everybody knows that we Guildsmen honour the Full Moon and, in return, are blessed with twice our normal strength beneath its glow (when it bothers coming out from behind the clouds). I am not a man prone to 'freaking', but when I discovered that January-2014's Full Moon (the Wolf Moon) lands exa...
Continue reading ...
24 hours after eating our Happy Pizzas, we are still pretty stoned. 48 hours later, we still feel rather strange. The last 2 days have been hell. Who mixes weed and mushrooms?! As if thinking something is trying to kill you isn't bad enough, now you can see it too! To be fair, it probably doesn't...
Continue reading ...
Having spent three days in Bangkok, eating cakes, drinking bad cocktails and getting excellent massages, it was clear the time had come to venture elsewhere - lest this year's foray into South East Asia turn into nothing more than an implosion of hedonism. It was, therefore, with the perverted e...
Continue reading ...
Today, I climbed Mount Doom. For those too boring to be familiar with Lord of the Rings, please see below: The ascent of the mountain, which is actually a volcano called Mount Ngauruhoe, starts a couple of hours into the Tongariro Crossing. Alas, I was told by my shuttle bus driver that I wou...
Continue reading ...
I have a problem. Actually, I have a few. I have been sitting in New Plymouth (not the most rocking town in the world) since Tuesday afternoon, waiting to climb conquer the local piece of badassery - Mount Taranaki, 2600m high and the most lethal mountain in New Zealand. My problem is that New...
Continue reading ...
Wellington. I turned up here on a whim to see Tenacious D and, a week later, I cannot leave. Every day, I wake up in time to check out of my hostel, intent on leaving the city... Every night, I check back into my hostel and vow to leave on the morrow. It is no use. I am smitten. I spend...
Continue reading ...
24 years ago this very day, the Great Smith in the Sky forged my own Brother in Thunder, Emperor Matthias Bunn of Murderbeers. With him, I have feasted, reveled and lifted for time immemorial. Together with my Brother in Blood, William Billiam, we carved our path through the cities of Europe and...
Continue reading ...
Once I am out of Mossburn, I stop to catch my breath and readjust my backpack, which already weighs a ton. My knees throb and the lunacy of attempting to run 22km in this condition has dawned on me. Still, at least I have made some good distance towards Five Rivers. Casually I check my watch for...
Continue reading ...
This is not how I imagined starting my three day hike through the glorious mountain pass of the Routeburn Track. Having hitch hiked my way from Queenstown to Glenorchy, I have been walking ever since... It is about 26km to the start of the track. I have 19km left. The day is passing too q...
Continue reading ...
Today the bathroom was busy, so I brushed my teeth in the shower. It was exhilarating. Oh, I also jumped out of a plane 15,000 feet above the earth, with only some billowing device to prevent my body from being obliterated upon impact. Oh and another man to activate aforementioned billowing devi...
Continue reading ...
Today is the weekend and, here in Queensland, that means the pace of life slows down even more than usual. It is almost stationary...and blissful. I sleep in and we head out for a late breakfast at the Edge cafe. It is amougnst the most expensive breakfasts I have even eaten, but also amoungst th...
Continue reading ...
On our way from Port Douglas back to Townsville, we stop at Kuranda - a town in the rainforest, where they have a most excellent and colourful market. [gallery type="rectangular" ids="2656,2655,2654,2653,2652,2651,2650,2649,2648,2647,2646,2645"] Today is Easter Saturday; on the downside, this make...
Continue reading ...After a day of hiking around Mossman Gorge in the Daintree Rainforest, we have returned to Port Douglas. Here, it is imperative that I perform a feat of strength. For tonight it is the Full Moon. Alas, finding feats of strength in a tourist town like this is not easy. Of hats, there are plent...
Continue reading ...
I cannot kayak. This I now know for a fact. A deeply concerning fact... After a morning of exploring Townsville, I hitch a ride with over to Magnetic Island with Derek from Winner Kayaks. He is kindly lending me both a sea kayak and a mountain bike for tomorrow's Adventurethon. He has sugge...
Continue reading ...Breakfast involves a waffle covered in jam and punching the machine. I still fail to break 900. My wrist feels shattered. Arriving back in Krakow, we make a big decision. To be bohemians. Lunch involves 2 litres of red wine and lots of cigarettes. We criticise one another's operas. Especi...
Continue reading ...