http://travel.humanbeams.com/index.php stories of faraway places or ones right next door en Copyright 2007 2007-02-01T18:25:00-08:00 http://travel.humanbeams.com/index.php/travel/comments/t1007chang_china_journey_to_sky_pool/ http://travel.humanbeams.com/index.php/travel/comments/t1007chang_china_journey_to_sky_pool/#When:19:25:00Z In the summer of 2001, I set out across northeast China (once called Manchuria) with a contingent of almost two dozen family members. We traveled in two small buses: one full of Changs, the other full of luggage. The purpose of the trip was two-fold: to fulfill my grandfather’s last wish of making donations to several schools he attended in China, humble institutions from which he had emerged to become a leading modern surgeon in China at that time; and to see and learn something about our ancestral land. Travel, Travelogues 2007-02-01T19:25:00-08:00 http://travel.humanbeams.com/index.php/travel/comments/t906orourke_info_for_visitors_to_sukur_kingdom/ http://travel.humanbeams.com/index.php/travel/comments/t906orourke_info_for_visitors_to_sukur_kingdom/#When:21:19:02Z If you’re interested in visiting the Sukur kingdom you’ll find some background information at sukur.info, written by some anthropologists who worked there. I put together a map of the area, based on the Federal Survey’s 1969 Madagali NW and SW sheets. It took quite a bit of effort to scan the map in, calibrate it, convert from the weird Nigeria East Belt Grid (measured in feet, of course) to UTM grid (GPS-compatible) and turn it into a nice PDF. It will print out on two sheets of A4 which you can stick together. A few things to note: You should get written permission from a National Commission for Museums and Monuments office before visiting Sukur. There’s one in Maiduguri and others in Abuja and most state capitals. It helps if you speak at least some Hausa, many of the Sukur people speak no English. Getting to Sukur isn’t as difficult as the guidebooks make out, if you leave Maiduguri early you’ll be at the palace by midafternoon. It might be a good idea to spend the night in one of the villages at the bottom and then walk up to Sukur in the morning, when it’s cooler. Take something to use as padding, the bamboo beds are very hard. To get to Sukur: Maiduguri seems to be the most convenient place to start. Take a bush taxi from Maiduguri to Bama, from the Bama motor park. Alternatively you may be able to get a bus all the way to Madagali (probably heading to Mubi). From Bama you should be able to pick up a bus to Madagali. You can either drop at Madagali or at the turn-off for Mildo (there’s a sign advertising Sukur World Heritage site). We hired a minibus from Madagali to Mildo for 1000 Naira, on the way back we took okadas for 200 Naria each. Go to the museums office by the district chief’s house to sign in. If the office is closed ask someone to show you to the museum’s guide’s house. You’ll be guided up the mountain by one of the NCMM guides. It’s not an especially strenuous hike but steep in parts and very hot if the sun’s out. Travel, TravelTips, Africa, Nigeria 2006-09-12T21:19:02-08:00 http://travel.humanbeams.com/index.php/travel/comments/t906orourke_sukur_kingdom_1/ http://travel.humanbeams.com/index.php/travel/comments/t906orourke_sukur_kingdom_1/#When:20:53:00Z Next we were taken on a tour of the palace, which isn�t what you might expect from the name. It consists of several dry stone walls and gateways, with a little compound of huts where the king lives with his wife. There�s also a hut for the king�s horse, a bull-fattening pen and the hut formerly used for dispensing justice. Travel, Travelogues, Africa, Nigeria 2006-09-12T20:53:00-08:00 http://travel.humanbeams.com/index.php/travel/comments/t406hon_aura_of_tibet_1/ http://travel.humanbeams.com/index.php/travel/comments/t406hon_aura_of_tibet_1/#When:16:41:01Z AURA OF TIBET… A 3-part travelogue from Ervinna Hon. Travelling light, she was armed with a point-and-shoot camera and is now letting the photos do the talking… Part One - From Katmandu to Tingri… literally breath-taking It seems like a no man’s land where survival is impossible, but I was proven wrong by the sight of a small Tibetan settlement nestled in the middle of the valley... Travel, Travelogues, Asia 2006-03-31T16:41:01-08:00 http://travel.humanbeams.com/index.php/travel/comments/t406greene_test_run_miissionaborted/ http://travel.humanbeams.com/index.php/travel/comments/t406greene_test_run_miissionaborted/#When:16:37:01Z Everything was ready. I was packed, fully geared, and as mentally prepared as I’ve ever been for anything… Greene_Mark_E, Travel, Travelogues, Americas, NorthAmerica, UnitedStates 2006-03-31T16:37:01-08:00 http://travel.humanbeams.com/index.php/travel/comments/t406greene_test_run_3/ http://travel.humanbeams.com/index.php/travel/comments/t406greene_test_run_3/#When:16:14:01Z It’s after we get out of the mine that we discover Mark’s planning error. The route he has us taking looks good on the map, but now that we’re standing on the mountain we see the mistake. The next leg of our stroll is going to require we scale the face of a rock 80 feet up. Once on the top, the route flattens out, but we cannot climb this. It’s not really Mark’s fault… Greene_Mark_E, Travel, Travelogues, Americas, NorthAmerica, UnitedStates 2006-03-31T16:14:01-08:00 http://travel.humanbeams.com/index.php/travel/comments/t106greene_the_test_run2/ http://travel.humanbeams.com/index.php/travel/comments/t106greene_the_test_run2/#When:18:02:00Z I’m becoming a real adventurer! Soon, we are able to pick the trail back up, and the going gets easier. With all the weight, it’s still a faster pace than I would like, but it feels good, the activity, the clean air, the scenery… I can see this quickly becoming a habit. Greene_Mark_E, Travel, Travelogues, Americas, NorthAmerica, UnitedStates 2006-01-24T18:02:00-08:00 http://travel.humanbeams.com/index.php/travel/comments/t1205m_nightbefore/ http://travel.humanbeams.com/index.php/travel/comments/t1205m_nightbefore/#When:23:40:01Z This is what life is all about. Feeding my body’s internal incinerator garbage to burn. That’s why they invented hiking in the first place. So we can eat crap. Life is good. Roll down the windows and enjoy the filthy Las Vegas air! We are on our way! Greene_Mark_E, Travel, Travelogues, Americas, NorthAmerica, UnitedStates 2005-11-30T23:40:01-08:00 http://travel.humanbeams.com/index.php/travel/comments/t1105m_gearingup/ http://travel.humanbeams.com/index.php/travel/comments/t1105m_gearingup/#When:21:14:00Z After beating myself up over the decision, I finally purchased my portable shelter. I have been agonizing over two specific tents, a 2 person tent that’s just big enough for me, and a 4 person tent that’s just big enough for me and my ego. Greene_Mark_E, Travel, Travelogues, Americas, NorthAmerica, UnitedStates 2005-11-20T21:14:00-08:00 http://travel.humanbeams.com/index.php/travel/comments/t1105m_bluefuzz/ http://travel.humanbeams.com/index.php/travel/comments/t1105m_bluefuzz/#When:19:36:01Z Wisdom has gotten the best of me, and the week long experiment has been shortened to a 2 night educational trip. Had it been a jump-n-go thing, I’d be up there already, and probably dead from exposure. But since I had time to think things over� Greene_Mark_E, Travel, Travelogues, Americas, NorthAmerica, UnitedStates 2005-11-10T19:36:01-08:00