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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:

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

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.

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.

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.

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