Your Mileage May Vary

Adventure Travel

Category: Culture

Dick Proenneke thriving alone in the wilderness of Alaska

2023.06.03 /

Dick Proenneke in “Alone in the Wilderness” is the story of Dick Proenneke living at Twin Lakes in the Alaska wilderness.

Dick retired at age 50 in 1967 and decided to build his own cabin on the shore of Twin Lakes. He filmed his adventures so he could show his relatives in the lower 48 states what life was like in Alaska, building his cabin, hunting for food, and exploring the area.

Bob Swerer has used some of the footage from Dick’s films and created 4 videos about Dick, “Alone in the Wilderness”, “Alone in the Wilderness part 2”, “Alaska, Silence and Solitude” and “The Frozen North”. They can purchase from Bob Swerer Productions at the DickProenneke.com website.

Below are some excepts from these films.

Continue reading

Life expectancy at birth

2023.04.20 /

Life expectancy at birth is one measure of overall quality of life in a country and summarizes the mortality at all ages.

Life expectancy at birth compares the estimated average number of years to be lived by a group of people born in the same year, if mortality at each age remains constant in the future.

  1. Monaco » 89.64 years
  2. Singapore 86.51
  3. Macau 85.16
  4. Japan 85.00
  5. San Marino 84.05
  6. Canada 83.99
  7. Iceland 83.83
  8. Hong Kong 83.80
  9. Andorra 83.61
  10. Israel 83.54
  11. Guernsey 83.42
  12. Switzerland 83.42
  13. Malta 83.39
  14. Australia 83.28
  15. South Korea 83.17
  16. Luxembourg 83.17
  17. Jersey 82.83
  18. Sweden 82.80
  19. France 82.79
  20. Italy 82.79
  21. Spain 82.78
  22. Liechtenstein 82.76
  23. Norway 82.75
  24. New Zealand 82.74
  25. Austria 82.48
  26. Anguilla 82.41
  27. Netherlands 82.36
  28. Bermuda 82.25
  29. Cayman Islands 82.25
  30. Isle of Man 82.25
  31. Belgium 82.06
  32. United Kingdom 82.05
  33. Slovenia 82.02
  34. Finland 81.96
  35. Puerto Rico 81.89
  36. Denmark 81.87
  37. Ireland 81.87
  38. Germany 81.72
  39. Greece 81.71
  40. Portugal 81.71
  41. Saint Pierre and Miquelon 81.62
  42. Faroe Islands 81.47
  43. Taiwan 81.38
  44. Turks and Caicos Islands 81.04
  45. Wallis and Futuna 80.89
  46. Saint-Barthélemy 80.80
  47. Saint-Martin 80.80
  48. United States 80.75
  49. Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha 80.70
  50. Gibraltar 80.65

Cyclists welcomed by the Warm Hearts of Africa

2023.04.12 /

TDA Global Cycling Tour d’ Afrique ::

“When I arrived in Malawi, I met a group of locals who welcomed me by saying: “Welcome to the warm heart of Africa”

Riders An, Stephen and Patrick reflect on their time on the road from Nairobi in Kenya, over Arusha and Mbeya in Tanzania, through Malawi and all the way down to the capital of Zambia.

They talk about the people they have met and what life has been like on the Tour d’Afrique 2023 ever since touching down in Sub-Saharan Africa.

An invitation to discover Africa through its gastronomy

2021.06.17 /
A Tour of African Gastronomy

A Tour of African Gastronomy

Much of a nations’ culture is defined by food. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has published a 90-page Tour of African Gastronomy. They suggest African cuisine is a treat hiding in plain sight that remains relatively unexplored.

The rich and endlessly diverse flavours of the continent tell stories and rituals steeped in history. Explore the legacy of centuries of amazing culinary traditions hand in hand with some of the most prominent figures of African gastronomy. Over thirty Chefs will take you on a trip around the wonderful flavours and delicacies whose preparation alone is akin to a performance.

The impossible balance between human ingenuity, natural wonder and roaring wilderness continues to fascinate travellers which turn out in flocks to explore Africa. To this day it is well known that Africa,
if anything, spells adventure. However, despite a growing number of travellers every year setting off to discover the many hidden jewels Africa has to oer there is a treat hiding in plain sight that remains relatively unexplored: its cuisines.
Whereas tourists defy safaris under the blazing sun, raft down the Zambezi River and hike the Kilimanjaro, few are those that bring the African experience to their taste buds. Inexplicably, among the many treasures the continent conceals, the food remains perhaps the biggest mystery of them all.
From the notorious tajines and couscous in the north, to a long-standing tradition of barbecued goodies, as well as splendid variety of stews and hundreds of different types of breads to heartily dip into all these rich flavours, Africa truly is an atlas of flavours. Besides, the food is not only savoury but also surprisingly healthy as many dishes are based on combinations of delicious fruits and vegetables.
eISBN: 978-92-844-2235-7 | ISBN: 978-92-844-2234-0

This ramen noodle joint, housed inside a defunct used-car dealership, is Japan’s most surprising Michelin eatery

2019.12.03 /

Nancy Singleton Hachisu via the BBC »

Located in Tottori, Japan’s least-populated prefecture, Hot Air Ramen (formally named Tanreitori Ramen Hot Air) is the brainchild of Katsumi Yoshida, a mechanic and car salesman turned cook. In 2012, Yoshida, an amateur noodle enthusiast, added a tiny kitchen in an alcove of his small used-car dealership, placed some tables in the waiting room and began offering ramen to customers.

In 2015, he scaled down his auto shop and officially opened Hot Air Ramen to the public, so named for the famous hot springs in the area. And then last year, something rather unexpected happened: Hot Air Ramen was designated as a “Bib Gourmand” eatery (which designates a place that serves “exceptional good food at moderate prices”) in the Michelin Guide Kyoto – Osaka + Tottori 2019 edition.

Read the whole article on the BBC »

The museum fire that consumed Brazil’s treasures

2018.09.08 /

The tragedy that engulfed the 200-year-old National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday night, turning up to 20 million of its holdings into dust, is an urgent reminder of the need for better safekeeping measures at museums around the world. To put what happened in perspective: It’s as if the entire collection of the British Museum disappeared, twice over, in the blink of an eye.

The fire ignited for unknown reasons. But many Brazilians are blaming their government and some have taken to the streets in protest. After years of declining federal funds, the museum staff had requested urgent maintenance funds from the country’s National Development Bank. In June, the money was disbursed but not in time to install the planned update to the museum’s fire equipment, which lacked a sprinkler system.

Right after the fire erupted, haunting images of panic-stricken museum workers with arms full of museum objects started to circulate on social media and in news outlets. One video showed some of them carrying jars of preserved specimens outside, as firefighters raced back in to save what they could.

More at the NY Times

Also at the BBC

Please tread lightly, pack out your trash, and treat every person and location with respect.

Please do not bury waste or wipes – even those that are biodegradable. Always pack out bags, sanitary wipes, and feminine hygiene products to minimize impact on the environment and the spread of disease.

If you find any errors, have any tips, or see anything that might need improving, please let me know.

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