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The Unpredictable Sea

The livelihood of the local Vezo people is completely dependent on the sea. This is, after all, why we are here: we are providing the science to help the Vezo understand how to make the most of what their sea has to offer.

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The Cow-barn diaries?

It seems conventional living isn’t really my cup of tea… I mean, wheres the fun? Since moving out of the tree house last October I have been plotting and scheming my next move

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From Vorovoro to John Obey. How did that happen?

“So where next?” It was September 1st 2006. We’d just welcomed the ‘first footers’ onto Vorovoro’s golden sands and Tui Mali had accepted our offer of the tabua (whales tooth) as our social contract with his community. We had begun.

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Wild Camping

When you think about it, man isn’t designed to live in a house, certainly not the houses we live in today, perfectly flat floors feel weird beneath the toes: our feet our able to bend and flex in conjunction with the terrain we walk upon, or is that just me?

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Why Backpacking Is Great (And Other Myths)

I wrote this horribly opinionated, elitist, provocational polemic last year, and have been wondering what to do with it ever since. There may be nuggets of truth in there somewhere, but please don’t take it too seriously!

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Micro Adventure: Slumming it Stone Age style – Sleeping in Caves

Some things never go out of fashion. Regardless of whether fire is still a necessity to modern man, it is still capable of bringing about a “stare-on” amongst the best of us.

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The Brick Wall of Eternal Dissatisfaction

Andy on the downhill / Photo by Tom Allen

It occurred over the festive season, when I had the pleasure of hosting Fearghal and Simon in Yerevan for a very merry Christmas and New Year. Conversation had turned to bicycle travel, as it had an annoying habit of doing every few minutes. Fearghal and I were discussing motivations for future bike trips.

“It just wasn’t challenging enough”, he pondered, referring to (amongst other things) crossing 50°C deserts in Western China, slogging 200km a day on highways across Iran, and climbing 4,000m mountain passes in Bolivia. These conditions were uncomfortable – quite horrible, even – but not worth quitting over.

Continue reading this article @ Ride Earth

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Hitching Armenia to England – Ultralight style

Tom Allen on his way back to England / Photo by Tom Allen

The trip began well, progressed through a lot of self-inflicted suffering, continued into ill health, and ended on a happy note.

I have to be honest – it was a lot tougher than I’d thought it would be. It was also a lot further than I’d imagined. I embarked rather spontaneously on this micro-adventure, carrying nothing but a toothbrush, a poncho and a knife (as well as my wallet, passport, and a cameraphone to record the journey). Hitching is something I believe is worth reviving.

Continue reading this article @ Ride Earth

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Biking The Nubian Desert

Photo by Tom Allen

I rode out of the tiny outpost of Wadi Halfa into the fading light and into the Sahara desert of northern Sudan. I had no map, no guidebook, no sun cream, no insect repellent.

A lone man stopped me on the outskirts of the village, his head and body robed and wrapped in loose white cotton which flapped in the brisk evening air. “There are wolves in the desert”, he warned me. “Wolves!!! Do not stop! Do not camp!”

Continue reading this article @ Ride Earth

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The Treehouse Diaries #1: Building ‘The Patch’

Nick and 'Bangers' / Photo by Nick Weston

Whilst probing the recesses of my mind for the archaeological knowledge stored away during my degree, I seemed to remember it was around 4000BC that the Neolithic kicked in, bringing with it the domestication of animals and crops.

As wonderful and diverse as the wild larder is, I felt it would need the support of a small, yet productive vegetable patch, carbohydrates for one. Burdock roots, dandelion roots and cattails are all very well, but why not have a glut of potatoes too? It would be good to have some crops to fill in the gaps where the wild foods are lacking.  As far as animals are concerned, it would be wonderful to have some pigs and chickens, but I think that would be a step too far and a bridge I will cross later in life. Thus my meat larder will consist primarily of wild cuts, the fish, the birds and the beasts and maybe the insects too.

Continue reading this article @ HUNTER-GATHERING: Wild & Fresh Food