Archives

In which I return to the warm islands of the Philippines exploring Cebu City, Bohol, Malapascua Island and Bicol, jumping into unusual landscapes, whacky primates, thrilling activities and one very large python.

If you like reading, here’s the REPORT
If you like photos, here’s the GALLERY
If you like videos, here’s the VIDEO as well as the SHARK DIVING clip

Major Announcements

I GOT A BOOK DEAL - Over the next 12 months, I’m turning my attention to Canada to compile the Great Canadian Bucket List, a book to published by Thomas Allen in spring 2013. I’ll be travelling around Canada, polling celebrities, and coming up with the definitive list of things to do in Canada before you die. Watch this space!

I’M MC at the EXPLORER’S CLUB DINNER GALA IN NEW YORK - The Explorer’s Club brings together the world’s top scientists, adventurers and explorers. You might have heard of some of them - Neil Armstrong, Edmund Hillary, Jane Goodall Taking place in March at the Waldorf Hotel, this famous black-tie event is famous for unusual dinner fare (scorpions, anyone) and the members who gather. Keynote is documentary filmmaker Ken Burns.

New Stories

The World’s Top 10 Hot Springs (Sympatico.ca)
The World’s Best (and Worst) Airports (Sympatico.ca)
Top 8 Movie Locations You Can Visit (Sympatico.ca)
Wowed by Iceland (Globe & Mail)
Finland’s Smoking Hot Saunas (Globe & Mail)

Word Travels

In Canada, you can now watch Word Travels Saturdays and 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM ET, and Sundays 10:00 AM and 5:30 PM on CityTV. Or watch full episodes online.

This is my last post for a while as I get busy researching and writing my book. It’s been a 6th bumper year of Modern Gonzo - Papua New Guinea, Israel, Cook Islands, Philippines, Iceland, Alaska, New Brunswick, South Africa. As always, it’s been an honour sharing my words, photos and video with you.

Wishing you a safe, healthy, inspired and prosperous 2012,

Robin

Find me on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube

Alaska challenges the American consciousness like an unscratchable itch. After exploring the wild taiga by bus, boat, helicopter, train and plane, it’s all aboard the Coral Princess for a spectacular cruise down in the Inside Passage.

Read the Full Report
Check out the Photo Gallery
Watch the pulsating Youtube Clip!

Special thanks to Princess Cruises!

In Other News:

New stories from the Globe & Mail

Exploring Canada’s Drive-Through Province
A Taste of Mexico’s Tequila Route

New stories from Sympatico.ca

Top 10 Places for the Fall Traveller
Top 10 Night Markets Around the World
Top 10 Places to Spend Fall in Canada

And…

Vancouver View Magazine interviewed me about who I am, what I do, and why I Live in Vancouver.

As a roaming correspondent for San Diego’s awesome Scuba Diver Girls, I filed a report from my recent visit to Kauai (with sweet underwater video goodness)

I didn’t get a chance to visit Burning Man this year, but here’s some sweet photos and Ian Mackenzie’s beautiful video tribute to the Temple

Where Magazine did a Q & A with me, including my wildest experience, favourite food and most underrated destination.

Next month: My first visit to Hawaii, and its Garden Island, Kauai.

Remember, when in doubt, Charge!
Robin

Iceland is a pressure cooker of volcanoes, glaciers, waterfalls, deserts and hot springs. Exploring the southwest with a fellow travel veteran, expect stunning images and bizarre images in a land at nature’s mercy.

Read the Full Report
Look at the Photo Gallery
Watch the Video

Special thanks to Adventure Center

In Other News:

New stories from the Globe & Mail

Running with the Bulls in Portugal
The Trans Mongolian Railway

New stories from Sympatico.ca

The World’s Best Caves
Digging for Dinosaurs with Dan Aykroyd
10 Wedding Traditions from Around the World

Esrocking the Calgary Stampede

in which I hit the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth to party, dress like a cowboy, and eat bull testicles.
A Hot Date with Prairie Oysters
The Party at Night
Esrock gets his Boots On
How to be a Rodeo Clown

It’s been a roller coaster summer, digging for dinosaurs, hiking volcanoes, riding mechanical bulls. The perfect way to welcome fall was a trip to Alaska with Princess Cruises, taking in the wild glacial terrain with helicopters, dogsleds, planes, trains, ATV’s, boats, and no shortage of salmon. But you can read all about that next time!

Travel safe!
Robin

One of Canada’s less-trafficked Maritime Provinces is full of surprises, from jetboating on Class 5 rapids to rappelling off angry cliffs, ziplining massive waterfalls, kayaking, biking, whale watching, and even walking off a canyon head first. It’s a hot potato epic road trip, and a slogan for license plates.

Read the Report
Check out the Gallery

In Other News:

New Esrock stories from the Globe & Mail

What Really Happens at a Vegas Bachelor Party
Africa’s Great Migration, in Great Luxury
Fast Cars and Slow Food in Italy

New Esrock stories from Sympatico.ca

Top 10 Difficult Places to Visit
The World’s Best Volcanoes
Top 10 Places to Go Glamping

New Videos

Chasing Tuscany with Bikes and Wine in the Okanagan
Catching a Barracuda in the Cook Islands
Esrocking China’s Yellow Mountain

Esrocking the Calgary Stampede

in which I hit the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth to party, dress like a cowboy, and eat bull testicles.
A Hot Date with Prairie Oysters
The Party at Night
Esrock gets his Boots On
How to be a Rodeo Clown

It’s been an eventful chunk of time since my last update. Trips to Vegas, New Brunswick, Calgary, Northern Alberta, Oregon, and a wild week getting married on Quadra Island. Up Next: Honeymoon in Alaska!

Travel safe,
Robin

The Scuba Diver Girls introduce me to a new world of tropical reef fish, alien coral and graceful sharks. There’s little point trying to understand the world’s most diverse country, but I do my best anyway. Volcanic rivers, outrigger adventures and tribal encounters ensue.

Read the Report
Check out the Gallery

In Other News:

Stories from the Globe & Mail

Bring out your inner Ewok in Costa Rica
Discovering Tea in Sri Lanka’s Central Highlands
Ranch Vacations for City Slickers

Stories from Sympatico.ca

Backpacking 101 - tips and tricks I’ve learned on the road
A World of Spas - some of my more interesting relaxing experiences
Top 10 Islands off the Radar - including Saba, Guadeloupe and the Comoros.

New Videos

My kick-ass new demo - shorter, punchier, with all the juicy moments.
The Scuba Diver Girls (and me) rock this final clip from Papua New Guinea, because diving should always have a funky soundtrack.

Papua New Guinea was absolutely wild. It’s not easy to get around, nor particular cheap, but I could not have asked for a better place to learn how to dive, and discover a new world above and below the water. This summer I’m slowing down to focus on a pretty big event: I’m getting married in July!

Keep moving forward,
Robin

This Month: Cook Islands

Bush pubs and emerald lagoons, deep sea fishing, hammocks, and the fresh sea breeze in my hair. Take one dose of the Cook Islands, and you won’t need to call anyone in the morning.

Read the Report,
Gaze longingly at the Gallery,
and share the excitement of my first catch here

In Other News:

Stories from the Globe & Mail

More Science, Less Fiction at Moscow’s Star City
Blindfolded Walking Tours in Lisbon
A Visit to China’s Sacred Mountains

Stories from Sympatico.ca

10 European Destinations You’ve Never Heard Of
A Celebration of Green Scenery Around the World

New Videos

My kick-ass new demo - shorter, punchier, with all the juicy moments.
The Scuba Diver Girls (and me) rock this final clip from Papua New Guinea, because diving should always have a funky soundtrack.

I connected with the Cook Islands way more than I expected to. Great people, stunning islands, amazing food, and plenty of characters. Rocketing by scooter around the Clockwise road on Rarotonga at 3am in the morning, the sea breeze in my hair, was a perfect reminder that this is living my friends, this is living.

A Peace On all Your Houses,
Robin

This month’s Gonzo: Israel

From the packed nightclubs in Tel Aviv to the modern vineyards in the Galilee, the temples, churches and mosques of Old Jerusalem to the receding shores of the Dead Sea, there’s a reason why this tiny country dominates the headlines, and our imagination.

Click here to Read the Report
Click here to See the Pictures
Click here to See the Video

In Other News:

New Videos:

Inside the Sambadrome (now this is a party!)
The Exclusive Black Tie Ball at the Copacabana Palace
My First Ever Scuba Dive (a taste of the Papua New Guinea goodness to come…)
A Culinary Taste of Prince Edward Island (one scoop of ooey gooey)

Stories from the Globe & Mail

A Dream Honeymoon in the Maldives (all by myself)
Planet Salt: Crossing the Salar de Uyuni
Inside Rio’s Sambadrome!
and of course: Dispatch from the Holy Land

Stories from Sympatico.ca

The World’s Top 10 City Beaches
What Type of a Traveller Are You?

Loose Bits

Limite Magazine wanted to know what I keep inside my bag, which incidentally, is a new Tilleys Intrepid that looks like it fell off the hip of Indiana Jones. So I told them.

In the latest issue of Outside Magazine, there’s a full page advert for Word Travels, which is now airing on OutsideTV. Now if I could only get them to buy one of my stories! You can watch a couple of full episodes online too!

Anyone with a passion for diving will enjoy checking out the Scuba Diver Girls, who introduced me the wonders of the ocean deep in Papua New Guinea. What I found there is for next month’s update, so in the meantime:

Word Travels is now airing in 3000 countries on 51 planets, and in 1200 languages! I always knew that show had universal appeal.

Safe travels,
Robin

Diving with Great White Sharks and huge Nile Crocodiles was the perfect way to show off South Africa to my fiance. Petting cheetahs and a couple nights at the Palace of the Lost City and the five-star Nambiti Hills wouldn’t hurt either. So much has changed I could hardly call it coming home, but South Africa will always be the country that tugs at my heart strings.

Click here to Read the Report, See the Gallery, or Watch the Video!

In Other News

My Stories from the Globe & Mail

Hit up New Zealand for an Adrenaline Boost
Pink dolphins and piranha in Venezuela
Unmasking Luche Libre in Mexico City
Learning to Kitesurf with a Bajan Legend

My Stories from Sympatico.ca

10 Best Destinations for Young Travellers
Top 10 Places for Tribal Encounters
Romantic Escapes for Every Type
The World’s Best Wine Routes
Canada’s Top 10 Winter Festivals

News and Views

Climbing U2’s favourite tree in Western Australia, as recorded in the New Zealand Herald.

Written in time for the Superbowl, here’s my Dose of Dallas from page 24 in Chill Magazine

Last month I was featured on both CBC Radio and CKNW weighing on whether its safe to visit Mexico. Short answer: Of course!

This month, I’m exhausted from a big month on the road, having checked out Israel, and Papua New Guinea. Time to catch up, and prepare for my next great adventure to the Cook Islands.

Up Next: Getting Blitzed in the Holy Land

There’s blue water, and there’s ridiculously blue water, and then there’s Mauritius water. My 100th country finds me in tropical island paradise off the east coast of Madagascar, tasting an adolescent dream of the honeymoon. Darting around the south coast, I slurp back urchins, pet lions, and steer boats around gorgeous coral islands. What would you expect for a country that rhymes with delicious?

Read the Report
Check out the Gallery
SPECIAL: Watch the Youtube Clip

IN OTHER NEWS

Stories from the Globe & Mail

If you’re in Canada, you can read my weekly column in the Globe & Mail every Thursday, or catch them online:

My Travel Gift Guide

Couchsurfing in Helsinki

Returning to Johannesburg

Nuclear Missiles in Ukraine

Stories from Sympatico.ca

10 Different Ways to Explore a Country

My picks for the 10 Best Places to Spot Wildlife

Hungry? Here’s my favourite cuisines worth travelling for

This ‘n that:

A funny recount of the Legend of the Sour Toe Cocktail makes it into the UK’s Guardian

Yes, that is me writing about trees and cocktails in the New Zealand Herald

Mabuhay, the Philippines Airline magazine, will be running a story about Vegas, penned by You Know Who

Voldemort also features in the top spot of Best Adventure Tours for 2011, according to CNN. If you’re up for the adventure, why not join me on a 3-week trek to Everest Base Camp

Word Travels is airing on Travel Channel International in 100 countries and 18 languages, as well on Nat Geo Adventure, National Geographic, CityTV, OLN, and OutsideTV.

Up next: Getting Wild in South Africa

It’s been a slow November, planning and organizing a thrilling December. November in Canada is dark, cold, and one month that should be cancelled due to lack of interest. I did however scoot off to Toronto, where Word Travels was nominated but lost the Best Doc Series at the Gemini Awards. And to London, for the World Travel Mart, a huge industry circus where the very destination of modern tourism is decided. Whatever that means.

Here’s a short report about my visit to the underside of the industry beast, where I scratched with my pen to hear the monster purr with pleasure. On my radar: Tonga, Samoa, Serbia, Iceland, Uruguay, Singapore, Gambia, Rwanda, Kazakhstan, Bhutan, Nepal - countries I’ve never visited but one day hope to.

NEW STORIES ES-ROCKING THE INTERNET

From my Globe & Mail Column, every Thursday in the Life Section, or online
Beering around Bucharest with the Hash House Harriers
Going Underground in Belize
Temple Stays in South Korea Help Iron out the Bugs
Tracing my Genealogy in Lithuania
The Sour Toe Cocktail - one hard drink to swallow.

New on Sympatico.ca
8 Things to Do in the Dark
10 Things You Probably Forgot to Pack
The Best Places to Spot Monsters
and from Remembrance Day: Canadian War Memorials around the World

In the Air
Yes, that was me dishing out advice about Vancouver in Mabuhay, the on-board magazine for Philippine Airlines

Outpost Magazine
Climbing Rock Star Trees in Western Australia, now in Canadian stores

THE GONZO EYE OF SAURON ON:

Matador Travel - who launched a print-on demand magazine called Beta, bucking the trends and devoted to fine travel journalism
Travel Channel UK - who have rolled out my show Word Travels in 18 languages (I’m a Polish superstar). You can catch my interview on the Holiday Show, taped in London, by click on Episode 83 here
Free Public Wifi - the truth behind that irritating “free” network you can never connect to.
World Expeditions: Come trekking in Nepal with me and we’ll toast at the base of Everest!

UP NEXT

It has been way, way, way too long since last I was in South Africa. This is, after all, the country that birthed and raised me. Look out for a wild report, focusing on Johannesburg, the Eastern Cape, and the Garden Route. And, what better place to celebrate the BIG 100 than the gorgeous tropical island of Mauritius? My 100th country will be the closest thing to paradise.

November, over and out
Robin

Almost a year to the day, I’m unleashing my report from Tunisia. It’s painfully honest, looking back at what happens when jet set travel can become a frustrating job - the real truth behind the byline Word Travels couldn’t always show. I’ve held onto it because nobody likes velvet tears, but it’s as accurate a glimpse into the world of travel writing as you’re likely to read.

Read the Report from Tunisia:
Check out the Gallery
And a clip from the Word Travels in Tunisia episode

IN OTHER NEWS:

* I’m now writing a weekly column for the Globe and Mail, Canada’s largest and best national newspaper! This week I ran with unicorns in the meadows of Slovenia. Catch me every Thursday in the Life section, or online.

* Join me on an expedition and writing workshop to Mount Everest! The 21 day trip leaves in April, and is more affordable than you might think. Plus you can win a trip to Maccu Piccu. Hope you can make it!

* My Burning Man Report was posted, and reposted, until it got the attention of the organizers, who posted it on their Facebook and Twitter channels. Over a two day period, my fool’s attempt to describe the festival had been read over 30,000 times, with over 100 comments on Facebook. The feedback was amazing, and very humbling. See you on the Playa next year folks…

* On Matador Travel, here’s my thoughts on How to Travel in India and NOT Get Sick

* With Halloween coming up, here’s my World’s Creepiest Places on Sympatico, and watch out for my Best Places to Spot Monsters. Click here to read more of my Sympatico columns.

* Word Travels will soon be airing in the USA on OutsideTV and Halogen TV. It’s also been picked up by MTV Finland. You can watch it on Travel Channel and Nat Geo Adventure, or weekends on CityTV and OLN in Canada. On November 2nd it’s up for Canada’s most illustrious doc award at the Geminis in Toronto. I’ll be there hunting drink tickets.

As always, travel safe,
Robin

It took me five years to make it to Black Rock City, and the world’s most incredible arts, culture, music and spiritual festival. They say it’s impossible to describe it to those who haven’t been, but that’s never stopped me before.

READ THE REPORT (come taste the Playa dust)
SEE THE PHOTO GALLERY

IN OTHER NEWS

Ken Hegan’s hilarious column about our gonzo experience together in Cuba continues to go viral on the interwebs. And chalkboards outside random homes

Breaking Free is an exciting new project from Matador which has me roaming Central America in search of inspirational people. Watch the awesome 7-minute demo to see who I found.

My 3-week hike to Everest has been postponed to April. This means: No Excuses! I’m fully expecting you to join me on this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Yes, I did get engaged recently! You can read all about it in this cute little story I wrote for the Globe & Mail

New Sympatico columns: RV’ing in the Rockies, Festivals to See Before You Die, Great Places to Travel in the Fall and my Confessions of a Cruise Virgin

Word Travels, now airing on Travel Channel International in Europe, South Africa, New Zealand and the Middle East, was recently nominated in the illustrious Best Documentary Category at the Gemini Awards

Snap this photo, taken outside someone’s house in New Westminister, BC.

News this month:

1. My TV show Word Travels begins broadcasting across Europe (in multiple languages), New Zealand, South Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere on Travel Channel. Here’s a preview and episode guide

2. Join in me on a trek to Mount Everest, and you could win a free trip to Maccu Piccu! Come November we’re embarking on a 23-day epic journey into the Himalayas to Everest Base Camp. It’s just what you need to recharge your batteries, and you can join from anywhere. Click here for more info:

3. New columns let you read about the World’s Spiciest Food, Confessions of a Cruise Virgin, 15 Things To Do Before You Die, and 6 Things to Do in Costa Rica

4. “This is the moment I’ve officially lost my mind!” Travel + Leisure feature my journey to Mount Huashan in their this story about the World’s Deadliest Hikes.

Find me on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, or at an airport, somewhere…

Cheers and Beers,
Robin

This week in East Africa, I discover two sides to a coin. The luxury, beauty and exotic wildlife of the ultimate safari, complete with butlers, five-star tents, and the migration of the wildebeest. In Nairobi, a different story, as I take to the air with the Flying Doctors, participating in a medical evacuation, and seeing the human cost of violence. This is Africa, and there is nowhere else like it.

Read the Report:
Check out the Pictures (they’re particularly good)

And you can catch the TV show on OLN/CityTV in Canada, and Travel Channel (worldwide) and Halogen TV (USA) in the fall. With more info at Word Travels.

IN OTHER NEWS

I took off to explore Prince Edward Island for Sympatico, and let me tell you, the place offers a helluva lot more than just Anne of Green Gables. Check out the hilarious videos (yes that is me getting drunk on a cookie) and read my stories about PEI Experiences, Cuisine, Natural Beauty, Nightlife, and Lobster Fishing

EVEREST IS WAITING: How do I convince you that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity knocking? By making a video with Matador’s Ian Mackenzie, which you can see here:
Join me for a three week trek in Nepal to Everest Base Camp. For more info, click here:

Here’s my list of the World’s Weirdest Hotels. And from Outpost Magazine, my misadventures in paragliding.

Here’s a profile of yours truly in Canadian Immigrant Magazine.

The past month, the Matador Travel Network sent me to Panama and Costa Rica to learn why some people manage to Break Free, while others just dream about. Along the way I met some truly inspirational people. That’s coming next. A big gonzo shoutout to South Africa for hosting a magnificent World Cup, and showing the world another side of Africa. It makes a former Sef-Efrican like me get goosebumps.

Viva the Vuvuzela!

Robin

Plenty of thoughts about this controversial island in the Caribbean, where tourists are herded into all-inclusive resorts while the songs of Revolution still echo in Havana. Saddled amongst a large group of journalists, the rum flows into the beating heart of change.

Read the Full Report
See the Photo Gallery

Cuba is a complicated country, going through a complicated time. If you’re planning on visiting, I’d highly suggest you read this first.

In Other News:

I’m going to Mount Everest, and you come too! This November, I’m leading a 3-week trek through Nepal to Everest Base Camp. There are just 14 spots available, the tour is highly rated, professional, and reasonably priced, plus you could win a free trip to do the Inca Trail to Maccu Piccu! Visit World Expeditions for more info.

Check out my photo gallery about my recent visit to Eastern China, and a Dos Equus inspired Itinerary for the Spring Traveller, courtesy Sympatico.ca

Here’s a TV interview I did with Breakfast TV about my Non Essential Travel Essentials (and see, there’s always a way to sneak in women urinating upright on breakfast television)

Here’s a couple interviews I did with the blogs Business Backpacker and Nomadic Chick. And if you’re interested in the technical side of my Youtube clips, here’s another one with the wonderfully named Starship Monkey.

Confessions of a Polo Virgin is my hilarious attempt at playing polo, and I suppose writing for an esteemed Polo magazine in Barbados.

My latest online Thrillseeker column in Outpost Magazine: Bullfighting in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean? You Betcha!

Word Travels Season 3 is coming to a close in Canada, but you can watch full episodes online! or tune in Sunday nights on OLN at 7pm & 11pm PT/10pm ET. Other episodes re-run weekends on CityTV Saturdays at midnight, 5pm & 6:30pm ET / 2pm & 3:30pm PT

You can also watch me on National Geographic and Nat Geo Adventure in 40 countries including South Korea, Germany, Japan, Italy, throughout the Middle East and Australia. Season 3 will be starting soon all around the world on The Travel Channel, including South Africa, Scandinavia, Asia, Germany, and the UK!

It’s going to be a busy June. For I’ll spend a week exploring Prince Edward Island (expect plenty of video!) and then I’ll be heading off to Costa Rica and Panama. Yes Creedence, I am what you might call a Fortunate Son.

Travel safe,
Robin

The months are whizzing by as fast as the career of last year’s American Idol, so before it’s too late, this month’s report takes us to Brazil for my adventures in the world’s largest wetland, along the coast on a beach-fuelled road trip, and into the VIP balconies and Black Tie Ball of Carnaval. It’s hot, it’s sticky, it’s beautiful, it’s Brazil.

Read the Story
Experience the Images
Watch the Video

IN OTHER NEWS:

Catch my “Confessions of a Travel Writer” on Saturday, April 24th at the Outdoor Adventure & Travel Show, taking place at the Vancouver Convention Centre. I’ll be talking at 1:15pm, and then you can walk around and get inspired by over 300 vendors exhibiting travel and outdoorsy-goodness.

My Thrillseeker columns from Outpost Magazine are now available online. Like the time I got set on fire in Taiwan, or did that crazy death hike in China!

Read about my investigation into the 10 Best Restaurants in Vegas, or watch my Vegas Youtube clip from a week where sleep was little and the bling was much!

New episodes of Word Travels airs in Canada on OLN, Sundays at 7pm and 11pm PT/10pm ET. You can also catch us on CityTV on Saturdays at 11:30am PT / 2:30pm ET and Sundays at 12:30pm PT / 3:30pm ET. In Asia, you can also now see our episodes on National Geographic’s main channel!
Read my Behind the Scenes stories and blog at www.wordtravels.tv.

In November, I’ll be embarking on a three week journey to Mount Everest. And this time, you’ll be able to join me! World Expeditions are offering a special departure to join my group on the adventure of a lifetime. Space is limited! Details to follow, but email me if you’re interested.

A shout out to my friend Sean Aiken, who has just released a book in Canada and the USA about his One Week Job project, in which he worked 52 jobs in 52 weeks seeking his passion. Among the many lessons he learned: It’s never too late to follow your dreams.

With a stubborn volcano causing havoc for Europe, it’s a reminder how much we’ve come to rely on air travel. Perhaps we are taking our ability to hop on a plane and go virtually anywhere for granted. To which I say: If you’ve always wanted to go somewhere exotic, what are you waiting for? Money comes and goes, but time has a habit of running out.

Be Inspired!
Robin

This Month’s Adventure: Barbados

Into the West Indies we go, aboard submarines and supersonic jets, playing polo (with the Queen’s approval), cooking up barracuda ceviche after attempting to kitesurf turquoise waves with a genuine Bajan legend. I might suck at watersports, but when it comes to island adventure, Esrock says “Yes Please!”
Read the Story
See the Photos

Esrocking the World:

New columns from Sympatico,ca
- In the last 3 years, I’ve had the opportunity to stay in some of the world’s best hotels.. Not cheap, but free to look.
- The Vancouver Olympics have come and gone. But if you’re ever visiting the city, or are hosting anyone who is, here’s my handy neighborhood guide.
- Last word on Rio’s Carnaval: A Photo Gallery from inside the Samabadrome

Outpost Magazine
My Thrillseeker columns are now posted online. You can now read about:
The time I sandboarded off an active volcano
The time I went canyoneering in Costa Rica

Esrock Speaks
Catch me live discussing “Confessions of a Travel Writer” at the Outdoor Adventure & Travel Show in Vancouver, April 24/25. Mantracker will also be there. Mantracker. Even Chuck Norris quivers when he hears the name:

Youtube
- Brazil’s Pantanal, the world’s largest wetland. Here’s my Youtube take as I discover wildlife, waterfalls, and some incredible underwater adventures (trust me).
- And you know what they say…what goes on in Vegas, stays on Youtube.

That’s this month’s update. Next report comes from Egypt, where I dirt bike in the Sinai (not quite as my people did 4000 years ago).

Wander safe,
Robin

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