Archives

It’s folly to spend just one week in a country as diverse as Ecuador, but what the hell! Shamans and guinea pigs, iguanas, bus parties, 300-year old haciendas, volcanic craters - I don’t get to the Galapagos, but between Otavalo, Quito and Gauyaquil, there’s plenty to keep me busy.

Read the Adventure (we all enjoy a good story)
Check out the Photos (evidence of the shenanigans)

News in my World

We’re coming to the end of the Winter Olympics, but whether you live in Vancouver or not, here’s a handy guide to the city I put together for the Vancouver Sun, and also a neat breakdown of Vancouver’s neighborhoods.

Meanwhile, at sympatico,ca, I investigate the connection between travel and tattoos, look at new travel trends, and pick new exotic getaways for lovers.

Carnaval in Brazil was an absolute spectacle, attracting three times as many people as the Winter Olympics. While you wait for the full Modern Gonzo report, read my article published last week in the National Post and Vancouver Sun.

Still in Brazil, here’s a fantastic photo essay in which I give you 10 Reasons To Love Brazil (as if you needed 10 reasons!).

The third and final season of Word Travels debuts in Canada on OLN on Sunday, 10pm. DON’T miss this fantastic new HD video of what you can expect this season. Or visit the website for more clips and info.

…and finally, catch me this weekend in Toronto, as guest speaker at the Outdoor Adventure Show. I’ll be talking on Saturday at 11:45am, and again at 2pm. Also Sunday at 2pm.

Next up: Inside the Sambadrome of Carnaval, the world’s largest wetlands, and some magic caves and rivers in Brazil.

Yours in motion,
Robin

Returning to Russia, I get an exclusive glimpse into the reality of modern space travel, visiting the Cosmonaut Training Centre in Star City, poking my head into real-life rocket ships. From the Moscow Metro to the streets of St Petersburg, the Great Bear once again presents it challenges, but there is truly nowhere else on earth quite like it.

Vee Hav Vays of Making You Read
There’s Borscht on my Photo Gallery

More from my World

- Check out my kick-ass new video demo, filmed in over 25 countries!
- My latest Sympatico.ca travel columns looks at the value of experiential gifts, and I pick out 8 of the Best Winter Getaways (whenever you can get away from Winter, that’s probably best no?)
- My latest Thrillseeker column in Outpost magazine has me running with the bulls in the Azores.
- Catch me in Word Travels, weekends on CityTV and OLN in Canada, or Nat Geo Adventure in Australia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, most of Asia and North Africa too. In Canada, you can watch full episodes online by visiting oln.ca and clicking on the Word Travels tab.
- Save the Date: I’ll be a guest speaker at the 2010 Outdoor Adventure and Travel Show, on February 27/28 in Toronto, and April 4 in Vancouver.

I’m currently en-route to Brazil, where I’ll be spending the next month exploring Rio state, catching up with the bugs in the Pantanal, meeting new and old friends, and going bananas at my first ever Carnival. Don’t worry, I’ll write, photograph and Youtube over your ticket.

travel safe,
Robin

Sweet As. It’s Kiwi slang, and I return to the South Island to find out what it means. Is it the wine, food, and dolphins in Marlborough? Or the extreme gonzo action of canyon swinging, bungy jumping and skydiving in Queenstown? From mansions to car eating parrots, join me on a road trip on the South Island, where we always aim for possums.

READ the REPORT:
SEE the GALLERY:
or
WATCH the HD MOVIES: The Road Trip / Extreme Gonzo Action

Meanwhile:
- Matador Travel Network’s Portrait of a Travel Writer features a familiar face, although I’m not sure about that beard…
- Westworld Magazine call me the Father of Modern Journey-ism, in this terrific profile that starts off with: “I Hate Robin Esrock.” Me too! Flip to page 19.
- It is Better to go All Inclusive, or Travel on your Own? What are the Sporting Events to See Before you Die? Check out my new columns on Sympatico.ca
- Yes, that’s me sledding down an active volcano for my Thrillseeker column in the latest issue of Outpost Magazine.
- Catch me in Word Travels on CityTV and OLN in Canada, or Nat Geo Adventure in Australia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, most of Asia and North Africa too! In Canada, you can finally watch full episodes online by visiting oln.ca and clicking on the Word Travels tab!

It’s going to be a very big 2010, and I’m opening it with a cracker at the Carnival in Brazil. Wherever you find yourself this festive season, travel safe, open your heart, and relish the world we have.

Robin

Trying to do Helsinki on just 20 euros a day is a roller coaster, but things really get hot when I look into the living tradition of sauna. In Lapland, I avoid Santa’s lap on the Arctic Circle, but do meet huskies, reindeer, and giant mosquitoes, buzzing about beneath the glare of the midnight sun.

Read the Story / Check out the Photos

My latest columns from Sympatico:
The World’s Creepiest Places (just in time for Halloween)
Different Ways to See a City:

Word Travels

- Canadians can now watch Season 2 of Word Travels online! Visit OLN’s website, click on the Word Travels tab at the top right of the screen, and select your episode. No more “I don’t have cable excuses!” Sorry non-Canadians, we’re working on it!
- We’ve officially wrapped principle filming for season 3 of Word Travels! In Canada, you’ll be able to watch the new episodes in March 2010, on Nat Geo Adventure later.
- Tonic, the place where good news lives, discovered Modern Gonzo and the People Chain

In Other News

- I’ve signed on to speak at the 2010 Outdoor Adventure Show in Toronto, February 28, and Vancouver in May. New adventures, new surprises, same old schmuck at the microphone.
- You may notice the Matador Travel Writing University ads on my website. For those interested in learning about my job, how it works, how to pitch, how to write, travel and get paid, I endorse these folks because they know their stuff, got great reviews on the course, and I personally know they’re 100% legit, and 100% at the forefront of the future of travel writing.

Next Report: From Russia, with love, where I boldly visit the heart of Space Tourism
Next Journey: November in New Zealand, where I hit the South Island to investigate if it’s possible to bungee, skydive, balloon, jet boat and spelunk in style. Glamping’s never been so good.

Peace…. earthlings, Peace.

A Tail of Two Parts? First I head to Terceira, an emerald island in the Azores, for the main summer festivities, and a lot of angry charging bulls. Then I fly back over the North Atlantic to Lisbon, the San Francisco of Europe, to investigate alternative city tours, including a remarkable sightseeing walking tour that offers no sight at all.

Travel without moving with the full REPORT
Check out the photos in the GALLERY

IN OTHER NEWS

My latest columns from the always fascinating Sympatico
The 5 Biggest Fears of Modern Travel
Where to Find the World’s Best Coffee
Virtual road rage with the World’s Worst Traffic

Word Travels
Word Travels is now being broadcast in Canada nationwide on CityTV. You’ll still find us on OLN, but with CityTV on basic cable, it means we’re seen by hundreds of thousands of new viewers for the show!. Catch us each weekend.
Nat Geo Adventure airs the 3rd episode of Season 2 around the world this week.
You’ll find me diving in the Philippines.
Read Behind the Scenes stories on our website, and here’s a short clip of me getting
my butt kicked from our Mexico episode!

Hairy Boiled Spiders?
Here’s my fun interview about the World’s Grossest Food on Breakfast TV
Here’s an article about Going Tribal in Ethiopia from the Toronto Star.
My good mate Val has launched a hop on-hop off bus in South America. He took great care of me in Central America, I’m sure his Green Toad Bus will do the same for you.
Any teens out there? There’s a great profile about me in the latest Faze Magazine, Canada’s #1 Teen Mag.

Sharp Sharp
I got a new Gonzo Hat! The last one barely survived 51 countries, glowing with Chernobyl dust and warped by distance. It now abides in the Museum of Modern Gonzo (ie, my storage locker). Thanks to Edie Hats for my Stetson Explorer - may it also go the distance!

Next up: A wee bit of a rollercoaster in Finland! Stick around for the ride!

Robin

What goes around doesn’t exactly come around, as my return to Italy, 18 years later, takes place in the cockpit of a Lamborghini and Ferrari rather than a tour bus. In Modena I visit the Cradle of the Engine, with time out to learn about traditional Balsamic Vinegar, the other black gold. Sooner or later, the dream trip finds its dream machines.

Strap Yourself in for the Report
Race to the Photo Gallery

In Other News:

Where to Find the World’s Most Beautiful Women (hoo boy, did I get a lot of heat for this one)
My Top 10 Most Striking Landscapes
9 Destinations Kind To Your Budget

Santa sends his regards from the Arctic Circle, and although I tried, I just could not
convince the Russian Space Federation to blast me into space as the world’s first
off-world travel writer. But new adventures await next month in Chile, and first time
visits to Barbados and Ecuador.
Season 2 of Word Travels starts Sept 7 on Nat Geo Adventure,
with repeats airing on OLN in Canada.
If you’ve always wanted to know more about me, you can
now visit www.robinesrock.com

My next update comes to you from Portugal, where
I really take the bull by the horns.

Pedal to the Metal,
Robin

Just when you thought it was safe…a New Report!

Not to be confused with the other Georgia, this Trans-Caucasian country has a rich medieval history, and I literally wore it. Learning from warriors in 200 year old uniforms, toasting their sweet traditional wine, getting soaked and scrubbed in an ancient bathhouse - the past, present and future clash swords in Tbilisi, and the ring sounds true.

There’s no battle reading the uncensored Report

See if my aim was true with the Photos
…that pic with me shooting a bow and arrow over the city is priceless!

MORE NEWS

Canada Day was July 1st, and to celebrate with my new-found countrymen and women, check out:
My Love Letter to Canada, especially the amazing comments at the bottom!
12 Things to Do in Canada Before You Die
The Canadian lovefest continues, as I compare Canada to other countries in my latest Chill Magazine column

And if you’re thinking about learning a new language, and have heard about the Rosetta Stone language software, here’s how it translated for me.

In the latest Outpost Magazine, you can read my column about canyoneering (dangling like a tick on a piece of dental floss) in Costa Rica. The second season of Word Travels starts on Nat Geo Adventure worldwide on September 7th, so those folks in Italy, Dubai, Australia, India and China can finally get to watch all the craziness I got up to last summer (as opposed to reading about it here). Meanwhile, Brave New Traveler has posted some fantastic Behind the Scenes photos from Word Travels in Georgia, Italy and Portugal, because its founder Ian Mackenzie joined us on the road!

I’m off to Finland and Russia, where I hope to learn about sauna and space tourism right at the source, but the next report will is about Italy, where I had the ridiculous opportunity to visit the Lamborghini and Ferrari headquarters on the same day, and race around in jawdropping 324 km/hr super cars! In the meantime, you’re always welcome to follow me on Facebook and Twitter. Any wikiheads out there? Visit out my wiki entry, and feel free to add to it with truth and other lies.

Yours perpetually in motion
Robin

A New Report!

“I was drinking rum at a bar after sandboarding down an active volcano for the second time, as one does, and decided it was the perfect time to reflect on real-estate, backpacker trends, eco-tourism, and the ethics behind Poverty Tourism. See-sawing between crater lakes, volcanoes, fun and despair, Nicaragua remains off the beaten path, but not probably not for much longer.”

As always, you can Read the Report
As always, you can See the Photos

In Other News:
This update comes to you from Tbilisi, where I’m getting my medieval warrior on in the shadow of a 4th century fort. That’s a story for next time, but in the meantime, I DARE you to read my Sympatico MSN column about the World’s Grossest Food. You can also see how I dealt with my Nicaragua dilemma, in a more serious column I call Human Zoos vs Poverty Tourism. Or, for lighter fodder, my picks for the Best Islands in the World. And here’s some tips for travelling in China.

We’re 3 episodes into filming the third season of Word Travels, and judging by the crazy adventures so far, it’s going to be the best one yet. My Tweet will keep you updated on the daily progress, and I’ll post some behind the scenes photos to my Facebook for those who just can’t wait for the Modern Gonzo updates.

Ah, modern technology. As I make my way through the world yet again (humbled as ever) feel free to join the ride.

Robin

Experience the Esrock love in Alberta!

The summer’s gonzo shenanigans begin in Alberta, where I strap on a new Gonzo Hat at a working cowboy ranch, patrolling for cougars, roping up steer, and penetrating Triple AAA Alberta Beefcake. Shining with afterglow, I head to the Rockies with the help of a couple helicopters, rocking the downward dog with an unforgettable class of heli-yoga! Heli-yeah!

Read the Report
See the Photos

In other news:
Anyone in Hong Kong catch my SCMP magazine feature about the Bulletproof Tailor of Bogota? On Sympatico MSN, check out 5 Places to Teach Abroad, 10 Tips for Healthy Travel, 10 Places for Kids Under 10, and my latest column: The World’s Best Islands. If you missed it, read about Colombia’s Mud Volcano in the Toronto Star. Tune into OLN and Nat Geo Adventure for Word Travels! And should you read about Transylvania in Australian newspapers, the nameless Associated Press reporter is none other than yours unruly.

As for the Swine Flu, you better get yourself checked out if you:
Have a fever.
Have a sore throat, hacking cough, nausea
Have An uncontrollable urge to have sex in the mud.

Next up:
Return to Nicaragua, followed by Portugal, Italy and Georgia
(if the Ruskies don’t invade!)
Catch me on Twitter / Befriend me on Facebook

Having a cow,
Robin

If you’re looking for some of my stories online, look no further!
Here’s some recent columns of mine, published on Sympatico MSN.

Are you a Traveller or a Tourist
…in which I wax on, wax off lyrically about the differences between the two.

8 Exotic Places to Take Your Lover
…in which I deftly title a column that should be titled: 8 Places I Really Did Not Want To Be Travelling Single

10 Tourist Traps to get Caught In
…in which I review those attractions that trap you, gleefully, like Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors

10 of the World’s Best Beaches
…in which I get sunburned, and far too much sand in my crack.

How to Travel When Money is Tight
…in which I offer useful tips for the economically savvy, poor.

Surfing You CA
…in which I put forward the argument that Canada is a surfing destination, and I suck in a wetsuit.

That’s all for now!

Robin

Greetings earthlings,

I’m going to be a guest speaker at the Outdoor Adventure Show, the largest of its kind in Canada, taking place Feb 14/15 in Vancouver and Feb 21/22 in Toronto.

I’ll be showing photos, telling thrilling tales, and inspiring the hell out of your frazzled winter ass with a presentation entitled:
TEN UNFORGETTABLE DESTINATIONS.

There will be a Q&A, prize giveaways, and chance to heckle me. Please leave tomatoes and automatic weapons at home.
You can catch me:

In Vancouver:
Where: BC Place / Adventure Theatre:
When: Sunday, Feb. 15th / 12:45pm-1:30pm

In Toronto:
Where: International Centre / Adventure Theatre:
When: Saturday, Feb. 21st: 11:30am-12:15pm and 4:45pm-5:30pm
AND Sunday, Feb. 22nd: 11am-11:45am and 2pm-2:45pm

Very special thanks to my presenting sponsors: Ryders Eyewear and Keen Footwear.

For more information, visit: http://www.outdooradventureshow.ca.

See you there!

The adventures continue, but it’s a return of sorts to the roots of Modern Gonzo. The old backpack, the familiar sensation of heading out into the world without a clue (or a guidebook), returning to my favourite country, with a good friend in tow. From Sao Paulo to Ilha Grande, Rio to Florianopolis, I encounter beautiful waterfalls, tall Dutch, long beaches and cluttered slums, while the weather plays havoc and life dances the samba.

Read the REPORT: RETURN TO THE SOURCE IN BRAZIL
And see the photos in the latest GALLERY
Learn from the 104 people I met in Brazil, who answer three questions about life, and FINISH THE SENTENCE

IN OTHER NEWS
1. Word Travels, Season Two, has launched in Canada!Catch it on OLN, Sunday nights at 8:30pm (ET/PT). This week we’re in South Korea, where you’ll see another, sweeter side of Gonzo. Episodes coming up: Philippines, Maldives, Romania, Ukraine, Mexico, Turkey, and Slovenia. Click for clips and behind the scenes on our new website! . It will be rolling out worldwide on Nat Geo Adventure in May this year.

2. New articles on MSN:
Solo vs Group Travel: Exploring the pros and cons of joining a group, or going it alone.
Not sure where you experienced yours, but it’s probably mentioned in my story about the Best Places to Spend New Year’s Eve
10 Tales of Transit Hell, in which I recount some of my more, em, memorable journeys.

3. If you’re in Vancouver or Toronto, come down and listen to me talk about 10 Unforgettable Adventures at the Outdoor Adventure Show, the largest of its kind in the country. Check out the link for more, and Survivorman will be in the house too! Presented by Keen and Ryders, I’ll be showing some photos, taking Q&A, and throwing out free prizes too. Here are my times:

Vancouver @ BC Place:
Sunday (Feb. 15th): 12:45pm-1:30pm
Toronto @ The International Centre:
Saturday (Feb. 21st): 11:30am-12:15pm and 4:45pm-5:30pm
Sunday (Feb. 22nd): 11am-11:45am and 2pm-2:45pm

4. In this month’s Outpost Magazine, I’m squeezing through a tight hole beneath the streets of Budapest in my latest Thrillseeker column. Chill Magazine has me draped in the red, green and yellow colours of Jamaica! Outpost available in Canada nationwide of newstands, Chill in Ontario’s Beer Store (y’know, in case you get thirsty).


5. My latest Gonzo Traveler column on Brave New Traveler revisits my adventures in Tokyo, including the Dancing Elvis’s, the Harajuku Girls, and yes, that is me talking to a pig.

–
It’s only been a few weeks, but 2009 is shaping up to be the year of doom and gloom, even as the right guy takes over in the White House and calls for hope. In a survey published this week, respondents said that travel and holiday would be the last thing they’d cut as they tighten their belts. We’re saving for rough times ahead, but we need balance in life, and typical media fear-mongering (PANIC! Oil us up! / PANIC! Oil is down!) can make us forget this sometimes. Also, if you haven’t seen Slumdog Millionaire, go see it.

Until we meet on the road next time,
Robin

Foregoing the popular tourist resort beaches, I turn my week into a people journey, with some time out for the birds and dancehall bees. From Rastafarians in the Blue Mountains to fishermen on Treasure Beach, roadside starches near Mandeville to street parties in Kingston, there’s more to One Love than what you read in the brochures.

Get Irie, mon, by reading the full report.
…and braid your natty visual dreads in this week’s photo gallery

In Other News

1. ModernGonzo.com has been completely refurbished!
It’s only taken four years, but the entire structure of my site has been upgraded! It looks more or less the same, but under the hood, there’s a whole new engine, so now you can:

Search site-wide for something in particular

See all the content under a Country Index Page

Post comments under the What’s New section

Read the Reports in easy to digest pages

Share pages and reports on all social networks with one click, including Facebook, Digg, Myspace and StumbleUpon

Link to individual pages without those pesky frames

Attain full enlightenment, pure joy, and absolute bliss!

Special thanks to Karen Mackenzie for her Wordpress wizardry!
2. My latest columns on MSN pulls out the sunblock to look at some of the World’s Best Beaches, (I love the user comment that I need to travel more before I can write a column like this) and consult the crystal ball to see The Future of Travel. Look out for a new column about the Best Places to Party on New Years Eve - there’s a few surprises in there.
3. Anyone in British Columbia catch my profile in Westworld Magazine? No, what about my tips in the Airmiles Magazine? No, see me on City TV’s Breakfast TV? Hear me on News 1410am? What about my profile in MX Magazine in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane? Or my article for Australian Associated Press in MX about Travel Videos? That’s OK, you get it all here anyway.
4. Upcoming January issue of Chill Magazine in Ontario has me in Chilling in El Nido, the Philippines. You can read the magazine through their very spiffy online reader. My column is on page 80.
5. New stories in Dubai’s very glossy Gulf News: Return to Bolivia’s Death Road, and a Postcard from Belize.
6. Man Vs Animal brings my hunting adventures in New Caledonia to Brave New Traveler.
7. Another reminder that I’ll be Guest Speaker at the Outdoor Adventure Show in Vancouver (BC Place) on Sunday February 15th, and in Toronto (International Centre) on Saturday and Sunday, February 21/22. Special thanks to Ryders Eyewear and Keen Footwear for sponsoring.

…and FINALLY!
WORD TRAVELS returns to my favourite travel channel OLN on Sunday January 18th, with 13 thrilling new episodes! Our first episode, Sri Lanka, takes us into the heart of a nation at war, and trust me, the religious festival is not for the squeamish! You’ll be thinking, “hey, this belongs in the pages of National Geographic!” and you’re right, which is why the show is broadcast by Nat Geo Adventure in over 100 countries!

2008 took me to China, Australia, Holland, South Korea, Philippines, England, the Maldives, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine, Slovenia, Jamaica, Mexico, and Belize. That’s enough travel for a lifetime, never mind 12 months. What adventures hide beyond the veil of 2009?

As I pack my bags for my flight to Brazil today, I’m thinking about everyone who’s heart belongs on the road with me, and appreciate all the emails, support, and raging fits of jealousy. My 12-month once-in-a-lifetime adventure is about to enter its 4th gonzo year. It’s my honour to be able to share the ride. Have yourself a wonderful break, and may the days of your new year be full of health, success and happiness.

Robin
December 14, 2008

Get your glowsticks out, and join me for a visit to creepy, haunting Chernobyl. Then we head underground into a former Soviet nuclear missile base, where twitchy fingers once massaged buttons of doom. In Kiev, summer nights create Milan runways on the busy streets, and no experience would be complete without a sleazy roadside motel.

Get your glow on with this week’s REPORT.
I took photos so your genes won’t have to mutate in this week’s GALLERY

More Modern Gonzo:

1. Good for a laugh are my Tales of Transit Hell, in which I recall frigid night buses, terrifying train journeys, splintered slow boats, and the time my rickshaw driver got run over in Peru. Hey, if you’re gong to be a travel writer, expect to travel…
2. Ten Unforgettable Destinations is my latest photo gallery for MSN. Once it featured on the homepage, people got their “panties in a knot” with their comments…I love how travel pushes so many personal buttons.
3. Esrock is now the Breakfast TV “travel guy” on CityTV, Vancouver. You can catch my next red-eyed appearance on December 9th.
4. Speaking of which, I’ve been up since 4am with jetlag from my recent trip to Sydney, Australia. If you’re in Oz, look for my profile in the Perth Sunday Mail, in MX Magazine on the trains, and a couple upcoming newspaper articles popping up here and down under.
5. Weekly stories appearing in the Gulf News Dubai. Did you see the insane party when the Palm was officially launched last week?
6. Brave New Traveler continues running excerpts of my adventures in Venezuela’s Orinoco Delta.
7. And an early heads-up: I’ll be talking about my favourite adventures at the Outdoor Travel and Adventure Show in Vancouver on Feb 15, and Toronto 20-22 Feb, 2009.

This month I’m off to Brazil, because quite frankly, it’s been too long. And nice to see Americans removing the Canadian flags from their backpacks too.

Safe journeys!

A Russian invasion sends me packing to the most prosperous jewel of Central Europe, where I paraglide in the Julian Alps, learn to ride the famous Lipizzaner horses, swing from high ropes, ring the bells of Bled, and bike the canals and cobblestone of a spit-polished and unpronounceable Ljubljana.

Read this week’s Modern Gonzo Report.
And here’s photographic evidence that unicorns exist in this week’s Gallery

In Other News:

1. With the US election tomorrow, it’s timely that my interview with Girlicious (the winners of the Pussycat Dolls reality TV show) swung like Ohio into a surprisingly candid endorsement. If only pre-teens could vote.
2. If you ever peeked inside my fridge, you’d see my favourite Condiments from Around the World. It’s easier if you peek inside MSN though, because something smells kinda rank in the veggie drawer.
3. Another timely column: Tips to keep travelling when the money is tight. Key line: For years, Word Travels co-host Robin Esrock has spent his money on travel, resisting the booming stock market or real estate. Suddenly, his friends are calling him a genius.
4. When life hands you bananas…here’s a photo gallery from 14 adventures in 14 days in Southern California.
5. Yes, I am referred to as “Canada’s foremost adventure traveller” in the new Airmiles Magazine, where I offer tips on travel in the silly season. In Outpost Magazine, I’m fishing piranhas, in the Beer Store’s Chill Magazine, I fondly recall a little village in Turkey, and for those in the BC film/TV industry, yep, that’s me on the cover of Reel West Magazine this month (with a terrific feature I wrote about life filming a travel show).

It’s going to be a very big week on the world stage. If you squint your eyes, you can see the edge our globe is balanced on at the moment, and here’s hoping with all my heart we don’t tip over. The Guardian called Obama the “Mandela Moment for the US”, and having lived through the former, I pray we all get to live through the latter too.

Good luck to us all.

Here’s a glimpse into life behind the camera, as I take you into Bible Land and the filming of another episode of Word Travels. From a magical sunrise with the gods on Mount Nemrut to nostalgic musings of change, get in the van for a road trip into history, stopping in Adiyaman, Harran, Diyakbakir, Mardin, Sanilurfa, and a return to Istanbul. Three years since my first adventures in Turkey, I realize that things stay the same, but people change.

Read this week’s REPORT
Check out the images in the GALLERY.

More Modern Gonzo

New Columns on MSN:
Eight Non-Essential Travel Essentials
Six Buildings You Can’t Miss
Outpost Magazine - the September/October issue of Outpost (available only in Canada unfortunately), features my Thrillseeker column about the world’s most dangerous hike in China. The title: Sunday Walks for the Clinically Insane
Chill Magazine (available only in Ontario’s Beer Stores) - has a new column about New Caledonia. Wayne Gretsky is on the cover. In Canada, they call him the Great One, because hockey is a religion here. I know, it’s pucked up!
Gulf News Dubai has a couple new stories from yours truly: Gunning for Croatia, Festing it up in Hungary, and Beyond Time and Place in Tasmania
The Wild and Crazy Pemberton Music Festival, featuring the Wild and Crazy Robin Esrock.
Did you know that you can watch Word Travels on Nat Geo Adventure in Australia (on Foxtel), South Africa, throughout the Middle East, Asia, even in Latin America. Check your listings. I’ve always wanted to say that. Also: Follow that car.

Eastern Europe never had so much fun…In Bucharest, I am introduced to the Hash House Harriers, a legendary “drinking club with a running problem”, where I am initiated into the worldwide fraternity through beer and flour. All aboard a night train to Transylvania, where I bust some myths but meet some legends, staying in an Ethnic Hungarian countryside village to the sounds of folk music and cowbells. Cluj Napoca symbolizes the joy of travel in eastern Europe, all the way up to those flashy pink shirts.

As usual, you can read the REPORT, and view the GALLERY. Totally worth it for the photo of Uncle Janos!

Other Stuff:

Rich People Exposed to Esrock
Forbes interviewed me for a story about travel writer’s favourite adventures. Putting me in such illustrious company as Rolf Potts and Kate Siber, it was so interesting that MSNBC also ran the piece, so not-so-rich people have been exposed to me too. If you use bleach, I come out eventually.
Journeys for the Soul
In this MSN photo gallery I look at travels in Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Holy! Leave an anonymous comment at the bottom and stoke some controversy, since everybody loves to fight over inner peace.
A Date With Mount Doom
Another MSN story about my adventures climbing an erupting volcano in Chile.
My Best Opening Line Ever
My serialized adventures in Ethiopia continue on Brave New Traveler, with arguably the best opening line I’ve ever written.

Peace to you brothers and sisters (whatever your religion or income)

Robin

Join me for as I pluck some serendipi-tea…

Having made a career of stumbling across favourable things, I head to Sri Lanka to find peace in a war zone, a warm, friendly country with striking landscapes and bizarre festivals. Security may be intense in Kataragama, but the rituals crank it up a few notches. It all turns out splendid, a cup of tea, freshly brewed in the Central Highlands.

Read the REPORT (budget a good 15 minutes of your time): http://www.moderngonzo.com/reports/srilanka.html

Check out the GALLERY (one of the best yet, not for the squeamish):

New Articles

• 5 Dangerous Places Worth Visiting - sure, why not?
• 7 Great Guy Getaways - Brazil, Prague, Vegas, the West Coast Trail?
• Alley Cat Racing in Hong Kong - the story behind my adventures in the Word Travels episode
• 28,000 people have now watched my Youtube of the World’s Most Dangerous Hike, have you?
• Brave New Traveler is running my Ethiopia adventure in weekly installments.
• Chilling out in Goa - my latest column for Chill Magazine.

Next time: The Night Train to Transylvania!

It’s all good,
Robin

Oh, you’re really going to love this…

I finally get the opportunity to chase down those screensavers, jump inside the island paradise calendar and taste life in one of the world’s most exclusive luxury resorts. Feasting on the experience of a $2000 a night overwater villa, above sharks and manta rays, I gain insight into life on the road before reality demands a cheque, and Lord knows I’m still paying for it. Here’s the REPORT, and the GALLERY.

Other News:

1. Rocking the Pemberton Music Festival

Coldplay, Death Cab, Tom Petty…em, none of them would agree to see me but I did meet some pretty cool bands in these two hysterical segments I hosted for my good friend Ian at VancouverIam. This is what I get up to on my days off, in case you were interested. A party in two parts: PART ONE / PART TWO

2. Vancouver Radio Interview

For those of you kicking around Vancouver, I was interviewed on 1410 AM Talk Radio on Travel Pages with host Jim Bjorkes. Sweet.

3. Vancouver Citizen to Travel Host

A very cute online interview featuring yours truly, with the very cute Camila of VancouverIam

4. New Articles from the Gulf News

Surfing in Canada? British Columbians know all about Tofino, but the rest of you might be surprised to find me pulling tubes in the frigid waters of southern Vancouver. Pity I don’t know how to surf. Also, check out Tribal Tourism in Ethiopia, and kicking it old school with some Adventures in Peru.

Next time, it’s serendipity in Sri Lanka, and a whole lots of adventure in Europe. Did you ever wake up, check the news, and find out Russia has invaded a country on your immediate itinerary? Yep. One of those days.

Enjoy the Maldives,

Robin

In Paradise, life is like a buffet…

Instantly recognizing the potential for travel buzz, I relish luxury adventure in an Asian country with Latino edge, heading south to Palawan to find my island El Dorado, sea kayak amongst limestone cliffs, dive with clown fish, explore underground caves and try and break into a prison. With so much food on the buffet, I can only bite off what I can chew.
Click here for the REPORT, and here for the GALLERY.

MORE NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF ESROCK

1. A couple funny new stories from my column on MSN. Here’s the bizarre man-eating doctor fish in South Korea, and yes, that is my foot in the picture. Also, 8 great places you’ve never heard of, although if you’ve been on my site, chances are you have.

2. Did an interview on CBC’s Sounds Like Canada yesterday (not-quite-live from Sri Lanka), and don’t be surprised if you come across my name in Forbes Magazine, Travel+ Leisure, and the Airmiles Magazine. Only this time, instead of writing stories, I’m quizzed as an adventure travel expert. What’s that FDR quote: “There are as many opinions as there are experts.”

3. New stories about hometown British Columbia. First a story about surfing in Tofino for the Gulf News, and last weekend a story in the Vancouver Sun concerning “glampers”, glamourous campers, as I board a luxury expedition yacht to cruise in high style with the guys at Exposure.

4. How strange, to catch myself on TV in the Maldives. Yep, Word Travels is now being screened a couple times a week on Nat Geo Adventure throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Italy and Australasia. We’re halfway through shooting season two, and the adventures are just crackers! In Canada, you can catch the re-runs on OLN throughout the week.

Ever tired but constantly inspired,
Robin