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Visit the best of Asia on this 6 month budget overland tour, a great gap year trip or career break, suitable for all ages and anyone with a passion for true adventure travel! On this expedition you will visit iconic sights as well as remote areas of Turkey, Caucasus, Iran, Central Asia, The Stans, The Silk Road, China, Tibet, The Indian Subcontinent, Myanmar and Southeast Asia.
In total you will visit 20 countries on this madventure including Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, China, Tibet, Nepal, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore.
Price: £4495 Expedition Payment + $2500 Local Payment
Length: 6 months
Accommodation: 35% camping, 65% hotels/guest houses/hostels
Transport: 90% custom-built Madventure overland truck, 10% local transport
Age restrictions: none, all ages are welcome
Group size: 25 is average, minimum is 20, maximum is 40
Our proposed itinerary is here to give you an idea of where we will be going and what we will be doing during this expedition. This itinerary is the ideal route we would like to take providing all political and natural situations are acceptable during the time of our travels. Situations sometimes change during an expedition so please be prepared to take an alternative route in the event we encounter any problems. It's all part of the adventure!
This tour starts in Istanbul, the city that separates Europe from Asia, and you will revel in the history and culture it offers. Take a boat trip up the Bosphorus, marvel at the Aya Sofya and explore the opulent Topkapi Palace. At the end of the day soak your aches away in the Turkish baths and tantalise your taste buds with Turkish delights!
The battlefields of Gallipoli are our next destination where we pay tribute to the thousands of Aussies, Kiwis, Brits and Turks who lost their lives here in 1915. A truly moving experience.
Historic Troy is an interesting stop on our way down the Turquoise coast to the great Roman ruins of Ephesus. Here we camp on the beach and have a day to explore the ruins and enjoy the sunshine.
Pamukkale presents us with a dazzling white mountainside of natural terrace pools where we get to spend the afternoon soaking ourselves or exploring the ancient Byzantine city of Hierapolis.
Inland on the plateau we reach the fairy-tale wonderland of Cappadocia with spectacular canyons, ancient caves and underground cities carved into the geologically diverse land. Start your day with an amazing hot-air balloon ride and finish it off at a raucous night of belly dancing!
Close to the Black Sea we visit the awe-inspiring Sumela Monastery and marvel at the Byzantine frescoes in an amazing cliff-face setting before continuing along the coast towards Georgia.
Our first stop in Georgia is at the almost completely intact Roman fortress of Gonio with its 18 magnificent towers and ancient bath-house.
Kutaisi is Georgia's second city and one of the world's most ancient. Here you can explore the Bagrati Cathedral, the History Museum and the Old Jewish district.
Close by and well worth a few hours is Sataplia Nature Reserve, home to magnificent caves and the world's largest collection of dinosaur tracks.
Vardzia is a beautiful cliff-side cave monastery site that we visit for a step back in time and a delicious trout lunch next to the river.
We now head for Armenia and their capital city Yerevan where you have a couple of days to explore the museums, churches, markets and restaurants that make Armenia such a delight.
On our journey towards the mountains dotted with ancient caravanserais we visit the monastery of Khor Virap with it's wonderful location beneath Mt. Ararat before heading to the turquoise waters of Lake Sevan where we bush-camp on the lakeshore.
Winding our way north through the breathtaking Debed Gorge our last stop in Armenia is at the fabulously located Haghpat Monastery.
Back in Georgia we arrive at Tbilisi, the beating heart of the country where we have a day or two to wander the cobbled streets of the old town, visit the numerous historical churches, museums and fortresses and of course indulge in fine Georgian cuisine.
A trip to Georgia would not be complete without a trip up the Military Highway to the beautifully located town of Kazbegi situated within a stunning mountain range close to the Russian border. Hiking is the most popular activity here and the hour long trek up to the spectacular monastery is well worth the effort as too is the overnight trek to the glacier.
Our first stop is at Sheki, a lovely town nestled into a beautifully forested valley. The town was an important stop on the ancient Silk Route and is also home to the beautiful Khan Palace and a wonderful old caravanserai.
The cosmopolitan capital of Baku is an oil rich city and exploring the city's old town filled with mosques, museums, galleries and palaces is a great day out.
Hugging the Caspian Sea, one of the world's largest bodies of fresh-water, we visit the ancient Gobustan petroglyphs and bizarre mud volcanoes on our way south to the Iranian border.
It is unlikely we will encounter a friendlier, more welcoming country on our entire journey so enjoy the Iranian hospitality!
Opposite to the desert-like picture most people have of Iran our first stop is at a beautiful village tucked away in verdant green mountains around the Caspian Sea. Masuleh is a great introduction to Iran where it is possible to explore the area's natural beauty on foot.
In Tehran we have a day to explore the capital's numerous attractions and get to grips with how modern Iran actually is.
Crossing the Iranian plateau we now head for Esfahan, Iran's masterpiece. The impressive city square is full of intricately decorated mosaic Mosques, leisurely tea-shops and lavish carpet emporiums. Plenty of bargains can be found in the myriad of bazaars that lead off from the square and the city's gorgeous bridges deserve all the time you can spare.
The Zagros mountains provide a stunning backdrop on our trip to the intriguing ruins of Persepolis. Once the summer capital of the Persian Empire, this is the site where Alexander the Great famously conquered the Persian armies stronghold.
We continue to the small town of Yazd with its unique wind-towers, picturesque Mosques and lively Persian souks before heading north, desert camping on our way to the Turkmenistan border.
The capital city Ashgabat is our first stop where it seems the current president is using the country's wealth to build an entire city out of white marble – you have to see it to believe it! Bring your sunglasses as exploring the city's monuments and palaces is a brilliant experience.
Close by and worth a visit is Geok-Depe, site of the Turkmen's last stand against the Russians, and today home to the futuristic Saparmurat Hajji Mosque which also contains the mausoleum of the eccentric ex-president Niyazov.
Heading north into the blistering heat of the Karakum (black sand) desert we camp in the dunes and have the opportunity to take a 2 hour walk to the unusual Darvaza Gas Craters. More commonly referred to as the 'Gates of Hell' this burning crater makes for a surreal desert experience and is best viewed at night.
Leaving the harsh desert behind our last stop is at Konye-Urgench, beautiful ancient ruins that were once the centre of the Islamic world.
The perfectly preserved world heritage town of Khiva is our first stop here where we have time to explore the blue-tiled Mosques, ancient mausoleums, glorious palaces, sky-high minarets and thriving bazaars that make this town a firm favourite.
We continue to Bukhara, Central Asia's holiest city where it is possible to get a glimpse into the past by viewing the architectural preserve of the royal fortress and vast market complex.
Our journey now takes us through the Kyzylkum (red sand) desert where we have a chance of spotting the Uzbek nomads before arriving at the Silk Route city of Samarkand. This city of domes and minarets has some fantastic attractions including the beautiful Registan, Guri Amir Mausoleum and Bibi-Khanym Mosque.
Our first couple of days in this mountainous country are spent at the beautiful lake Iskandar Kul where you have the chance to enjoy some of Central Asia's most beautiful scenery.
With a cool backdrop of mountains, lazy tree-lined avenues and pastel-hued neoclassical buildings, we move on to Dushanbe, Central Asia's best-looking capital.
Our journey east now takes us to an area that has been off-limits to travellers until recently – the Pamir Highway. Regarded as one of the world's most scenic drives we now wind our way along this extremely remote high-altitude road and take in the mountain scenery of a region populated by yurts and yaks and studded with deep-blue lakes. This is wild-camping at its best!
This is a land of magnificent mountains and ice-blue lakes and we spend our first couple of days making our way through fantastic scenery and camping in the valleys.
A winding dirt track takes us up to the alpine lake Song-Kol where we get our first experience of staying in a yurt with a nomadic tribe who set up camp here every summer on the green pastures surrounding the lake. Horse riding, hiking and fishing are popular activities in this remote area.
We now head for the beautiful lake Issyk-Kol, the world's second largest alpine lake. Working our way around the lake we spend a couple of days at Jeti Oguz where you have the option of trekking into the lush surrounding mountains to explore the area's natural beauty.
Bizarre Bishkek is the capital where you can sing Karaoke at a street stall, beat yourself with a birch branch at the local baths and do vodka shots at the expats bar.
Our first day here is spent visiting bronze-age petroglyphs in a lushly vegetated canyon at Tamgaly.
Almaty is a modern city with great museums and wonderful restaurants but should you wish to escape the rat-race then take the popular cable-car up to the top of a nearby hill for a fantastic view over the region.
The desert terrain of eastern Kazakhstan opens up into the beautiful fairy-tale rock formations of the Charyn Canyon National Park and it is here we spend our last couple of days camping, enjoying nature and taking advantage of the canyon hiking and rafting options on offer.
We enter China via a remote western border and spend our first few days camping on the fringes of the Taklamakan and Gobi Deserts studded with the odd emerald lake.
Officially the hottest place in China, the oasis town of Turpan is a welcome break where you have the chance to visit a traditional Uyghur Village as well as the crumbling remains of the ancient city Jiaohe.
In Dunhuang we find the amazing Buddhist caves of Mogao where a few hours can be enjoyed marveling at hundreds of giant statues of Buddha, vibrant murals and multi-tiered temples.
We now climb up onto the Tibetan plateau and spend a few nights bush camping at high altitude before reaching the spiritual home of Tibet, Lhasa. Crowned by the Potala Palace, home of the Dalai Lamas, this is Tibet's holiest shrine and well worth exploring. The golden roofed Jokhang Temple is also a spectacular sight as is Norbulingka, the former summer palace of the Dalai Lama.
From Lhasa we travel along one of the world's most spectacular roads hugging the shores of lake Yamdrok and visiting the distinctly Tibetan town of Gyantse where the Pelkhor Chode monastery houses Tibet's largest stupa with 9 tiers, 108 chapels and excellent murals.
Joining up with the Friendship Highway we continue on to Shigatse where you have the chance to visit the marvelous Tashilhunpo Monastery.
Our last stop in the fabulous land of Tibet is definitely our 'biggest' reason to stop, Mt Everest! A snaking track makes it possible for us to drive up to base camp and the Tibetan side offers us a stunning view of the north face. You can also send a letter from the world's highest post box and visit the world's highest Buddhist monastery.
Keep an eye out for rare Tibetan macaque monkeys as we descend towards Nepal.
Our first stop in Nepal is at the Last Resort where you will have a chance to bungy-jump from a suspension bridge far above a raging river or even brave the world's highest bridge swing, a 5 second free fall that will leave you speechless!
Kathmandu, where travelers swap stories in the lively bars and the Everest Steak House serves up delicious fillets of beef. The old town is steeped in history and the smell of incense wafts through the air as you marvel at the Pagodas and Temples adorning the squares. The scenic flight over Mt Everest is a must-do.
Heading west we reach Pokhara at the foothills of the Himalayas. This mellow little town is situated around a beautiful sheltered lake and surrounded by snow capped mountains. A great place to relax and/or gear up for a trek into the stunning Annapurna range.
At our last stop you have the option of exploring Bardia National Park on foot or even on elephant back allowing you to get up close to the rhinos, sloth bears and tigers that inhabit the area.
Delhi is the ultimate in hustle and bustle and facing the unrelenting throng of people is an experience you won't forget in a hurry. Braving the city traffic has many rewards with great textile markets, wonderful monuments, imposing forts and amazing temples.
Our next destination is India's most iconic site – the Taj Mahal. This monument to love is spectacular and will keep your camera clicking all day.
Varanasi is on the banks of the Ganges River where you have the option of an early morning boat trip that will definitely open your eyes. You will notice animal and human carcasses floating by as the multitudes flock down to this Holy river to wash away their sins each morning. On shore the funeral pyres known as 'Ghats' burn away all day and night as Holy men chant prayers. An unbelievable sight!
We now head into the remote areas of northeast India and spend a couple of days in Manas national Park where you have the option to explore the jungle which is inhabited by a multitude of animals including tigers, panthers, rhinoceros, leopards, elephants and sloth bears.
This mountainous region offers scenic drives as we head towards Myanmar and spend our last day in the pleasant town Imphal where we have time to visit the impressive Kangla Fort.
Having only recently opened their borders to overland tourism Myanmar is fresh and exciting. Our first few days are spent driving on rough tracks through remote areas before arriving in Mandalay where we get our first experience of Burmese city life. This is the last royal city in Burma and a day can easily be spent exploring the numerous pagodas and palaces around town.
The plains of Bagan are our next stop where thousands of pagodas of all shapes and sizes adorn the landscape best explored by bicycle and viewed from hot-air balloons.
At Inle Lake a day's boating will get you to see the unique leg-rowing fishermen using baskets to catch their fish. The lake is also inhabited by locals and their stilted villages can be visited for a taste of their traditional way of life.
We continue south to Yangon where the gilded Shwedagon Pagoda rises above the city and creates an amazing skyline above Myanmar's commercial hub.
Travelling via Bago and the region's numerous giant Buddha's we arrive at Mt Kyaiktiyo, our last stop in Burma. The mountain is famous for its huge gilded rock precariously balancing on a strand of Buddha's hair!
Chiang Mai is one of Thailand's most beautiful towns in the mountainous northern region. Explore elaborate temples within the old city walls and end the day with a Mai-Tai cocktail down on bar street.
Crossing into Laos we visit the extremely relaxed town of Luang Namtha and then you have the option to take boat trip through spectacular mountain scenery down to Luang Prabang. This architectural wonder is a must see, full of temples and tradition as well as wonderful markets.
Vang Vieng is our next stop and is a vibey little town set amongst awesome natural beauty. Outdoor activities abound with caving, climbing, kayaking and tubing being popular outings.
The amazing Kong Lo caves are an interesting stop as we head south. Other-worldly stalactites, spooky limestone formations, and ceilings over 300 feet tall make this flooded cave a highlight in Laos and is best explored by boat.
Please Note: Vietnam and Cambodia do not allow foreign vehicles to enter so this section of the expedition will be conducted on local transport and you will meet back up with the Madventure truck in Bangkok.
Our first stop in Vietnam is the old capital, Hue, home to the splendid tombs of the Nguyen emporers as well as beautiful pagodas and the remains of the old citadel.
The picturesque river town of Hoi An is well worth exploring with it's amazing Vietnamese architecture and nearby villages specialising in pottery and wood-carvings. The cuisine here is excellent.
Further south we encounter the emerald waters and unspoiled beaches around Nha Trang and Mui Ne, perfect for spending the days sunbathing and the evenings out partying!
Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) has many highlights but the War Remnants Museum is surely the most sobering. Get a guide and learn all about the atrocities committed during the futile Vietnam war. The Reunification Palace and Notre-Dame Cathedral are also worth a visit and the Mekong Delta day tour is highly recommended.
From HCMC it is also possible to take a trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels, an area with an elaborate underground network that housed thousands during the war.
Please note: Cambodia does not allow foreign vehicles to enter so this section of the expedition will be conducted on local transport and you will meet back up with the Madventure truck in Bangkok.
Phnom Penh is a compact little town spectacularly located on the confluence of three rivers. The Royal Palaces and Silver Pagoda are great day outings, and the sobering 'Killing Fields' and Tuol Sleng Museum are a stark reminder of this country's recent history under the brutal regime of Pol Pot.
Next stop is one of the most inspiring sites in the world – Angkor Wat. These temples are monumental constructions, the largest religious buildings in the world. The intricacy of the carvings is incredible and the site is well worth 2 days exploration.
Bangkok has its fair share of Palaces and Pagodas but it is surely most infamous for its sex shows and lady-boys, so expect the unexpected! From Bangkok you also have the opportunity to visit the 'Bridge on the River Kwai' on a day tour and get a good insight into what really happened here during the war.
Further south we catch a ferry over to the tropical island of Ko Samui. Here you can either put your feet up for a few days or you have the option of easily visiting the smaller islands of Ko Pha-Ngan and Ko Tao. The islands have some of the world's finest beaches and the numerous great dive spots will take you into a vibrant underwater paradise filled with exotic fish and coral gardens.
Georgetown has a rich history and is a great introduction to this wonderfully diverse country. Visit the Fatt Tze Mansion and Kapitan Keling Mosque, and then sample some of the unique Malaysian street food on offer.
Next we visit the futuristic city of Kuala Lumpur with the Islamic-style Petronas Towers dominating the city's skyline. Chinatown market is a remnant of the past and contrasts the initial feel of the place. You will even find a British colonial atmosphere lingering amongst some of the architecture and some interesting museums hold the city's history within their doors.
Further south we visit the port town of Melaka where we have the time to visit the maritime museums and discover what the place was like 400 years ago when it was an important stop on the spice route.
Singapore is our last stop on the Asian continent and is a distinctly clean and modern island. With an abundance of fine dining options and shopping malls this is the place to treat yourself before flying home. So get down to Raffles, order a Singapore Sling and celebrate completing one of the world's greatest Asian expeditions – Istanbul to Singapore Overland!
If you would like to extend your trip to either start in London and/or end in Indonesia or Australia please feel free to contact us. We are happy to create a bespoke itinerary and price for you.
How to book
To make a booking please fill in our online booking form and then pay a £300 deposit by direct transfer or Paypal, or call us to pay using your credit or debit card over the phone. Once we receive your online booking form and deposit we will confirm your booking by email and send you all relevant information necessary for your expedition preparations.
Expedition payment
The Expedition Payment of £4495 is the main bulk payment for your expedition and is payable in the U.K. in GBP (£ Sterling). In order to reserve a place on this expedition you must pay £300 as a deposit. The balance of your expedition payment (£4195) must then be paid in full at least four months prior to the expedition start date. If you book within 4 months of the departure date the full Expedition Payment of £4495 should be paid upon booking. The expedition payment can be paid by direct transfer or via Paypal.
Direct transfers:
NOTE: Please use your full name as a reference when paying by direct transfer.
Bank: HSBC
Account name: Madventure Ltd.
Sort code: 40-08-10
Account number: 91618415
Swift/BIC: MIDLGB22
Bank address: HSBC Bank, 6 High Street, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 5AZ, United Kingdom
Paypal account name: email@example.com
Local Payment
This is a cash payment of USD $2500 that must be paid to your expedition leader at the beginning of your trip and will be used to pay for all expenses while you are on the road.
Please bear in mind that this is not a kitty and is not refundable. The local payment is simply a way for us to get cash to the expedition leaders so they can run the trip.
Please bring your local payment in new unmarked $100 bills if possible.
Although all local payment amounts are advertised in USD you may be asked to bring the equivalent amount in either Euros or GBP.
We realise that not everyone is going to visit every site or partake in every activity along the way so we have left most of these activities as optional and therefore kept the expedition payment to a minimum.
Not Included
Below is a list of the most popular optional excursions along with the most recent prices. Prices can of course change and are not controlled in any way by Madventure so please use the list below as an approximate guide only.
Blue Mosque, Istanbul Free
3 day Istanbul Museums pass £20
Underground Cistern, Istanbul £5
Bosphorus boat cruise, Istanbul £12
Gallipoli museum £4
Gallipoli sites tour Free
Troy Ruins £5
Ephesus Ruins, Selcuk £8
Pamukkale calcium pools £6
Ilhara Valley Walk, Cappadocia £5
Ballooning, Cappadocia £100
Zelve open air museum, Goreme £5
Underground city, Cappadocia £5
Belly-dancing evening, Cappadocia £20
Sumela monastery, Black Sea Coast £4
Gonio Fortress, Batumi £1
Sataplia National park £2
Bagrati Cathedral, Kutaisi Free
Vardzia cave Monastery complex £1
Narikala Fortress, Tbilisi Free
Ananuri Fortress Free
Kazbegi day hike Free
Genocide Museum, Yerevan Free
Erebuni Fortress & Museum, Yerevan £2
Cascade Museum, Yerevan Free
Khor Virap Monastery, Mt. Ararat Free
Haghpat Monastery, Debed Canyon £2
Sheki Caravanserai Free
Khan's Palace, Sheki £2
Palace of the Shiranshas, Baku £2
Carpet museum, Baku £3
Gobustan petroglyphs, Caspian Sea £3
Mud volcanoes, Caspian Sea Free
Blue Mosque, Tabriz £5
Esfahan city tour £10
Persepolis ruins £3
Yazd city tour £5
Saparmurat Hajji Mosque, Ashgabat Free
Darvaza Gas Crater Free
Konye Urgench ruins £5
Khiva highlights pass £12
Bukhara walking tour Free
Registan, Samarkand £7
Hike round lake Iskander Kul Free
Pamir Highway Free
Yurt stay, Lake Song Kol Free
Horse riding (per hour), Lake Song Kol £3
Jeti Oghuz hike Free
Tamgaly petroglyphs £10
Cable Car, Almaty £3
China & Tibet
Uighur Old Village, Turpan £4
Jiaohe ruins, Turpan £4
Mogao caves, Dunhuang £25
Potala Palace, Lhasa £45
Jokhang Temple, Lhasa £9
Norbulingka, Lhasa £9
Lake Yamdrok Free
Kumbum Monastery, Gyantse £7
Tashilhunpo Monastery, Shigatse £9
Mt. Everest Base Camp Free
Bungy jump, Last Resort £50
Bridge swing, Last Resort £50
Mt Everest flight, Kathmandu £110
3 day Poon Hill Trek, Annapurna Mountains £150
Paragliding, Pokhara £100
1 day rafting trip, Pokhara £30
Elephant safari, Bardia NP £20
Walking safari, Bardia NP £10
India Gate, Delhi Free
Humayun's Tomb, Delhi £4
River Lotus Temple, Delhi Free
Outb'minar (Stone Tower), Delhi £4
Taj Mahal, Agra £10
Ganges sunrise boat trip £5
Manas NP day safari £20
Mandalay sites 3 day pass £15
Bagan sites 3 day pass Free
Inle lake boat tour £12
Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon £5
Mt Kyaiktiyo Golden Rock tour £15
Slow boat to Luang Prabang £20
Royal Palace Museum, Luang Prabang £2
Tubing, Vang Vieng £10
Kong Lo Cave tour £7
Perfume River Boat Trip, Hue £2
Hue Ancient Citadel £3
Japanese Bridge, Hoi An Free
Vinpearl Island waterpark, Nha Trang £15
Booze cruise, Nha Trang £10
Mui Ne half day tour £6
Kitesurfing (per hour), Mui Ne £40
Mekong Delta day tour, Ho Chi Minh City £10
War Remnants Museum, Ho Chi Minh City £3
Cu Chi Tunnels excursion £15
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21), Phnom Penh £3
Killing Fields, Phnom Penh £4
Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda, Phnom Penh £3
National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh £2
Angkor Wat (One Day/Three Day Pass), Siem Reap £15/40
Grand Palace, Bangkok £5
National museum, Bangkok £3
Bridge On The River Kwai Day Tour £20
Boat dive, Ko Samui £50
Beach dive, Ko Samui £20
4 day PADI dive course, Ko Samui £200
Georgetown walking tour Free
KL viewing tower, Kuala Lumpur £10
Melaka duck tour £15
Singapore Sling at Raffles £10
Singapore Zoo £15
Hop on hop off bus tour £15
We will be travelling in a purpose-built Madventure overland vehicle for approximately 90% of the time on this expedition. A standard bus simply wouldn't be able to tackle many of the roads we travel on. For the other 10% of the time, mainly in Vietnam and Cambodia, we will be travelling on local buses, boats, trains and ferries.
The overland vehicle we use is a custom-built 8×4 Scania expedition truck which can accommodate up to 40 people although most of our expeditions travel with approximately 25 people.
Comfort and safety is of course a big factor during expeditions of this length and nature so all our vehicles have high-backed coach seats with safety belts. The seating is on the upper level of the vehicle giving you an almost 360° view of the surrounding scenery.
Our vehicles are designed to allow sufficient luggage storage and are also equipped with lockers to keep all your all your gear safe.
Our long range diesel and water tanks ensure our self sufficiency in remote areas and the equipment we take with us is also of vital importance. In case of a breakdown we are equipped with a good selection of spare parts as well as a comprehensive tool kit to undertake any necessary repairs on our own as and when we need to.
There may also be times when we get stuck in the sand or mud when travelling off road so all necessary recovery equipment such as sand mats, cables, ropes, shovels and pickaxes are also on board.
We spend a lot of nights around the campfire so we take along good axes and saws for the times when we have to replenish our wood supply.
Eating well is a very important factor on our expeditions and good food is vital for everyone's health and well-being so we always strive to prepare healthy, wholesome and plentiful meals.
We will be cooking a lot of meals from our own kitchen on the truck. When we are camping we usually eat breakfast and the evening meal from the truck. For lunch we usually stop at a cheap local restaurant giving you a chance to taste the local fare too. Lunches are at your own expense. When we are staying in hotels/guest houses/hostels (usually in cities) it is often impractical to cook on the truck so we do not provide any meals at these times.
When it comes to shopping and cooking we will divide ourselves up into groups of 3 or 4 people (depending on group size) who will shop for and prepare the day's meals and clean up at the end. This will work out that you roughly get to cook once a week (depending on numbers).
Fresh food is generally available daily so we try and eat meat and vegetables for every main evening meal. We do also cater for vegetarians but we cannot cater for fussiness. In these group situations everybody must appreciate we cannot cater for individual likes and dislikes.
Don't worry if you are not a gourmet cook as your crew are also always there to give advice.
Cleanliness plays an important role throughout this expedition and your crew will make sure an acceptable level of general hygiene is maintained throughout your journey to ensure the wellbeing of the group.
You will spend 35% of your time on this expedition in your tent camping and 65% of your time staying in local hotels, guest houses and hostels.
Quite often we will camp by ourselves out in the bush or in the desert and other times we will use designated campsites with amenities. The majority of our bush camp locations are usually very scenic and we always strive to find the perfect spot on the banks of a river, overlooking a canyon, behind a dune in the desert, etc. but sometimes we just have to camp wherever we can find a spot.
From past experience on expeditions of this length and nature we have found that people prefer to supply their own tents as they are then not forced to share and they can pick a tent that suits their needs. As a general rule, try and choose a good quality lightweight and waterproof free-standing tent that is easy to erect, take down and carry.
When we are not camping (usually in cities) we always try to use decent, clean budget hotels, guest houses and hostels, however, taking into consideration the sometimes unpredictable nature of this expedition and the remoteness of some of the areas we visit, please be aware that in some circumstances we just have to take what we can get – good or bad. When staying in hotels/guest houses/hostels you can expect to share your room with other expedition members of both sexes.
1 A deposit of £300 is payable at the time of booking. The deposit is non-refundable unless Madventure is unable to offer you a place or you cancel within 14 days of the initial booking date. Madventure guarantees not to increase the trip price once the deposit has been received.
2: A booking is made in the name of the client and is not transferable to another person. You are only permitted to transfer your deposit once to a future expedition, after that a further £300 non-refundable deposit will be required. Please note that you will be affected if you have transferred and there is a price increase as you will have to pay the 'current expedition price' at the time that the expedition balance payment is due.
3: The balance of the expedition payment is due no later than 4 months before the date of departure. If the full payment is not received 4 months prior to departure Madventure may deem the booking cancelled and the deposit forfeited. If you book within the 4 month period prior to departure the full expedition payment must be received upon booking.
4: Cancellation of a booking must be notified in writing and when received by Madventure the deposit is forfeited. You acknowledge that payment for the trip is an intrinsic part of the trips income and contributes towards the overall costs of equipment, vehicle running costs, staff administration etc. and Madventure will have incurred a large part of its costs before the actual departure date. You will not receive a refund of any amount after the balance of your expedition has been paid (which is due no later than 4 months prior to the expedition departing), nor are you able to transfer to another expedition therefore we recommend you take out your travel insurance from the date you make your expedition balance payment, 4 months prior to departure, so you are insured if you have to withdraw off the trip. If the reason for your cancellation is covered under the terms of your insurance policy you may be able to reclaim these charges but it is your sole responsibility to do so and we accept no liability for any acts or omissions of your insurance company.
5: It is unlikely that we will have to make any changes to your trip, but we do plan all trips many months in advance. Occasionally, we may have to make changes and we reserve the right to do so at any time. Most of these changes will be minor and we will advise you of them at the earliest possible date. We also reserve the right in any circumstances to cancel your trip. For example, if the minimum number of clients required for a particular trip is not reached, we may have to cancel it. However, we will not cancel your trip less than 60 days before your departure date, except for reasons of Force Majeure or failure by you to pay the final balance. If we are unable to provide the trip, you can either have a refund of all monies paid or accept an offer of an alternative trip of comparable standard from us, if available (we will refund any price difference if the alternative is of a lower value). It is understood that a minimum of 20 expedition members are required to run this Madventure expedition and less than that may result in the cancellation of the expedition. In the event of this happening, all monies paid by you towards the expedition cost only will be refunded. Madventure is not responsible for reimbursing equipment, flights, cost of visas, vaccinations and medication etc. purchased by yourself in the event of a cancellation.
6: We reserve the right at any time prior to the departure date, without prior consultation with yourself, to merge your trip with one or more other trips travelling at the same time. This will not constitute a major change and would usually just mean swapping vehicles.
7: In the unlikely event of Force Majeure we will not pay you compensation if we have to cancel or change your trip in any way because of unusual or unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control. These can include, for example, war, riot, industrial dispute, terrorist activity and its consequences, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, epidemics or health risks, closed or congested airports, ports or stations, poor local infrastructure, changes imposed by re-scheduling or cancellation of transport by the transport supplier such as flights by airlines or main charterer, the alteration of transport or transport types, adverse weather conditions (actual or threatened), avalanche and technical failure with transport, Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice changing and advising against travel to the trip destination.
8: The expedition payment and local payment cover the costs of transport, accommodation, some relating ferry and train tickets, meals and national park entry fees as specified on the website, as well as the running, repair and maintenance of our vehicle and of the replacement of equipment.
9: The local payment must be paid in cash on the day of departure. The local payment will pay for all expenses during the trip. The expedition leader has sole responsibility for the local payment. The local payment is not a kitty and is not refundable. Any local payment monies or stock remaining at the trip end are non-refundable.
10: You undertake to comply with the laws and regulations, whether in respect of health, immigration, currency exchange control or any other matter of all the countries visited during the expedition.
11: You undertake to obtain a valid passport and have enough blank pages in the passport for the trip and your specific passport and visa requirements, and other immigration requirements are your responsibility and you should confirm these with the relevant embassies and/or consulates. We do not accept any responsibility and shall not be liable if you cannot travel or cannot participate in any part of the trip because you have not complied with any passport, visa or immigration requirements. You are responsible for obtaining and having available the necessary documents (including but not limited to full, current passport with enough blank pages to complete the trip and valid for at least 9 months from the last day of the trip and visas for all periods, countries and territories within the trip) enabling you to participate in the trip and shall comply with all local legislation and regulations of the countries in which the trip takes place (including immigration requirements, customs regulations and currency exchange). You shall indemnify us against any loss or expense that we may incur or suffer as a result of breach of this condition by you. We cannot guarantee visa prices and availability of visas. Ultimately visas are your own responsibility to obtain.
12: Madventure reserves the right to deviate from the advertised expedition route if in their reasonable opinion such deviation is necessary for the safety or wellbeing of any or any one of the members of the expedition or for the satisfactory progress of the expedition. In the event of it becoming necessary to fly over a country or countries in order to satisfactorily and safely continue the expedition, all costs of your flights will be borne by yourself.
13: Madventure accepts no responsibility for matters arising out of political disputes, border closures, epidemics, natural disasters, climate, armed robbery, terrorism, etc. Should it become necessary to abandon an expedition because of such an event Madventure will be entitled to retain such monies received as is necessary to cover costs incurred.
14: You accept that owing to the nature of countries visited, all expeditions involve an element of personal risk and are of a potentially hazardous and unpredictable nature. In many countries visited the basic infrastructure, such as roads, is very poor and therefore less safe than that familiar to people from many western countries. In particular, lack of road markings or warning signs, unmarked speed bumps, seasonal flooding of roads and bridges, local vehicles which are poorly maintained and driven and which are hazardous to other road users etc. are factors beyond the control of Madventure. You accept that in some areas we drive off-road and that this involves personal risk when the expedition vehicle can be negotiating rough terrain. Madventure owns and operates many of its own expedition vehicles and employs its own crew. Where stated, locally arranged transport and crew, including trains, ferries, buses or coaches are used. Where Madventure's own vehicles and/or crew are not used for the above services, you agree that the obligation of Madventure to yourself is to select normally competent, independent sub-contractors to provide the necessary services related to the trip and to exercise reasonable care in selecting such suppliers to provide these. You also accept that you undertake this expedition at your own risk and your participation is your own decision and does not form any part of your contract with Madventure. Madventure does not take responsibility for cancellations, unreliability of services or safety of operators, agents or contractors.
15: You accept that local emergency facilities are usually of a very limited nature. Hospitals outside of large cities often have no accident and emergency facilities and emergency transport facilities can be non-existent.
16: If you have a problem during your trip please inform the expedition leader immediately who will endeavour to put things right. If your complaint is not resolved locally please follow this up by writing to our registered office giving all other relevant information and, where possible, evidence. We must receive any such complaint not later than 28 days from the date of completion of your trip. Please keep your letter concise and to the point. This will assist us to quickly identify your concerns and speed up our response to you. We do not accept any liability or responsibility for any personal possessions (including but not limited to cameras, jewellery, valuables and money) which is carried on or in our vehicles, carried on public transport or transport supplied by independent subcontractors, left in accommodation provided by us or our suppliers during a trip or left in our care during a trip. Such items are carried and/or left at your own risk.
17: Excursions or other tours that you may choose to book or pay for whilst you are on a trip are not part of your trip arrangements provided by us. For any excursion or other tour that you book your contract will be with the operator of the excursion or tour and not with us. We are not responsible for the provision of the excursion or tour or for anything that happens during the course of its provision by the operator. You accept that the prices quoted for optional activities are approximate as local prices can and do change. Any of the optional activities listed are not necessarily endorsed or recommended by Madventure. You also accept that you undertake any activity at your own risk and your participation is your own decision and does not form any part of your contract with Madventure. Madventure does not take responsibility for cancellations, unreliability of services or safety of operators, agents or contractors.
18: Whilst a trip is in progress you will at all times be expected to act in accordance with all reasonable instructions from us and/or the expedition leader. We may exclude you from the trip or any part thereof at any time (including during the trip itself) if we are of the opinion that you are likely to prejudice the good order, discipline or safety of the trip, including as a result of failing to comply with the expedition leader's instructions, breaking any law or regulation of any country where the trip takes place or failing to adhere to the trip code of conduct, provided that we exercise our discretion reasonably in this regard. In such an event you shall reimburse to us any reasonable costs, losses or expenses which we incur or suffer as a result of our decision to exclude you from the trip, and Madventure shall cease to have any responsibility to/for you. No refund will be given for any unused services.
19: By completing the declaration on the booking form you confirm that you appreciate the risks involved in the trip and that you do not suffer (or have ever suffered) from any pre – existing medical condition that may actively prevent you from actively participating in the trip other than those that have been declared to us. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are medically fit enough to undertake the trip and to ensure that you have received the necessary inoculations and medications (and taken them as prescribed by your doctor) relevant to the destination country. Unless informed otherwise in writing we will assume that you are in good health and are not aware of any reason why you may be unsuited to taking part in the trip. We recommend that you consult your doctor before making a booking to ensure that you are medically fit and are fully aware regarding the immunizations and medical issues related to your destination countries. If you have any pre-existing medical condition, illness or disability, are undergoing medical treatment or, since entering into the contract, develop any medical condition, illness or disability or undergo any medical treatment; you will give us full particulars at the earliest opportunity and at the latest sixty (60) days before the departure date. If it is later discovered that a pre-existing condition was not declared within the specified time, and such condition would, if we had knowledge of it, have led to our refusal to accept or to cancel your booking, we reserve the right to withdraw you from the trip without any refund or recompense. In such event, you shall reimburse to us any reasonable costs, losses or expenses which we incur or suffer as a result. In the event of you being withdrawn from a trip, no refunds will be given and we will not be responsible for (and you agree to indemnify us against) any costs, claims, losses and expenses arising including costs of repatriation e.g. flights and legal expenses. By agreeing to these conditions, you provide your consent to us and our insurers obtaining your medical records should we consider it necessary. You will be responsible for any charges for the provision of the information. We reserve the right to inspect your vaccination book at any time and to withdraw you from the trip in the event that you have not received and/or taken all the requisite inoculations and/or medication. If the information provided by you is incorrect and we discover that the correct information affects your suitability to take part in the trip, we may terminate the contract and withdraw you from the trip without refund or recompense, including during the trip. You agree and acknowledge that certain activities undertaken whilst you are on the trip may be inherently hazardous and have risks associated with them. You agree to abide by all instructions given to you whilst you are on the trip and you acknowledge that we cannot be held responsible for any injuries that may arise as a result of you failing to comply with such instructions.
20: You must be covered by personal travel insurance. This must cover you fully against the cost of cancellation by you, medical care and repatriation should you become too ill to continue and must above all cover you against the cost of air evacuation should sickness or injury necessitate such a course of action. You should also note that passenger liability insurance covering vehicles, particularly in third world countries, may be inadequate. It is therefore important that your insurance cover makes sufficient provision for your dependants in the event of an accident. Please note however that we have no control over the availability or standard of medical and repatriation services and facilities in the areas we visit and these do not form any part of our contract with you. Please remember that many of the areas we visit are not as developed as the UK and the availability and standard of such services may well be lower. Please read your policy details carefully and take them with you when you travel. It is your responsibility to ensure that the insurance cover you purchase is suitable and adequate for your particular needs. We do not check individual insurance policies for suitability.
21: In many countries we visit, the local vehicle accident insurance includes either very limited passenger liability or none at all. Madventure has passenger liability insurance for some countries through which we travel but the client acknowledges that in many countries the expedition vehicle does not have the benefit of passenger liability insurance. The client agrees to indemnify Madventure against any claim or demand made in respect of any accident, personal injury or loss of life caused to, contracted or suffered by the client during the course of the expedition.
22: We shall ensure that appropriate security measures are in place to protect your personal data (as defined in the Data Protection Act 1998). When you make a booking, you consent to all the information you provide being passed on to our suppliers, agents, subcontractors, employees or volunteers whether based inside or outside of Europe for the purposes of us providing you with the trip.
23: By agreeing to these terms and conditions you consent (unless otherwise stated on your application form) to our staff taking photographs and or video footage of you during the trip and that these images may be used by us for publicity and training purposes including, but not limited to, brochures, websites, marketing material and in the media.
24: We shall be entitled to novate or assign the contract or any part of it to any third party. You shall not be entitled to assign the contract or any part of it. This contract is made on the terms of these conditions, which are governed by English law, and subject to the provisions of condition you agree to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts. If any of these conditions is found by any court or other competent authority to be wholly or partly unfair or unenforceable the validity of the rest of the booking conditions and the rest of the condition in question shall not be affected and shall remain valid and enforceable to the extent permitted by law. A reference in these conditions to a statute, convention or regulation shall be as a reference to that statute convention or regulation as amended, re-enacted or extended at the relevant time. The headings in these conditions are for convenience only and shall not affect their interpretation. Where the context otherwise requires, words importing the singular meaning shall include the plural meaning and vice versa and words denoting the masculine gender shall include the feminine and neuter genders. Where the context so admits, words denoting persons shall include natural persons, companies, corporations, firms, partnerships, limited liability partnerships, joint trips, trusts, voluntary associations and other incorporated and/or unincorporated bodies or other entities (in each case, whether or not having separate legal personality) and all such words shall be construed interchangeably in that manner.
25: The information given in the brochure and other literature supplied is given in good faith but no warranty is given that it is correct.
26: No servant, agent or authorized representative of Madventure has authority to commit Madventure to any liability whatsoever and Madventure will not be bound by any statement or representation unless it is in writing and signed by one of the directors.
27: Your contract is with Madventure Limited, a company registered in England and Wales whose registered office is at 93 Lashford Lane, Dry Sandford, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX136EB (Company No. 6809461 ).
28: Privacy Policy – We do not store credit card details nor do we share financial details with any 3rd parties.
Personal budget
We recommend a budget of £80 – £100 per person per week to live comfortably during this expedition. This budget should cover day to day things like lunches, snacks, soft drinks, meals when not camping, the odd few beers, etc.
Budget approximately £1200 for your visas, security clearances and letters of invitation.
Souvenirs are something that can be very cheap or very expensive so if you are going to be buying things like Turkish carpets you should budget for it.
Please also have a look at our Optional Excursions list as you may want to budget for a few of those activities too.
Travel money
We recommend you bring 1/3 of your money in cash US Dollars and the rest of your money on your Visa or Mastercard credit/debit card.
They generally accept all major currencies for exchange but US Dollars are accepted everywhere.
ATM's are widely available for you to draw local currency using your Visa or Mastercard credit/debit card except in Iran, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan where it is recommended you have US Dollars available for exchange.
To keep your money/credit cards/ipod/camera/laptop safe we recommend you purchase a 'Pacsafe Travelsafe' product. They offer various size portable anti-theft bags that can be attached to the vehicle when travelling and also attached to the toilet/bed/closet in your hotel room when off the vehicle
Below is general information and recommendations regarding visas and passports. Visas are ultimately your own responsibility to obtain and visa requirements may vary according to your nationality and place of application, so use the information below as a guide only. Madventure is in no way responsible for obtaining your visas or passports.
We recommend you obtain the following visas in your passport before departure – Uzbekistan and China.
We recommend you obtain the following visas online before departure or during the tour with the assistance of the tour leader – Turkey, Azerbaijan and Tajikistan (including GBAO permit).
All other visas can be obtained en-route.
You can either obtain visas yourself or use the services of a visa agency such as www.thevisamachine.com
Those who are travelling on non-European passports may require additional visas to travel through Central Asia so please check your requirements with the relevant embassies.
Most nationalities also require Letters of Invitation in order to apply for certain visas such as Iran, Turkmenistan and China. We can provide these for you for a fee.
Approximately 3 months prior to departure you will be sent the information required in order to complete your applications and apply for your visas (there are often time restrictions on visas so you can not apply earlier). We recommend that you make your passport available 2 months before departure in order to obtain your visas comfortably.
Budget approximately £1200 for all your visas and letters of invitation.
Please ensure you have 20 free pages in your passport in order to accommodate all the visas and ensure your passport is valid for at least 14 months after your departure date.
You will need approximately 8 passport photos for the duration of the expedition. Female travelers will need an additional 4 passport photos wearing a headscarf covering their hair in order to obtain the Iran visa in Istanbul.
Vaccination requirements are constantly changing so we recommend you seek the latest professional medical advice at least 8 weeks before departure to ensure you allow yourself enough time to obtain all necessary vaccinations. Nomad Travel's website has up-to-date information on vaccinations, malaria and other general medical advice for all the countries we will be visiting and they also administer vaccinations at their Travel Clinics in various locations within UK.
Alternatively speak with your local Health Professionals for current accurate information. You will need to make an appointment with your GP or Travel Clinic and take a list of the countries you are visiting and the approximate dates when you will be there.
Medically fit and able
You need to be in good general health for this expedition and be reasonably fit and able. The main concern is that everyone is able to pitch in equally and do their fair share when it comes to group activities like the communal cooking and cleaning up, packing gear in and out of the truck, erecting your own tent, etc. You do not need to be super-fit by any means and all ages are welcome. We always attract a very broad age range on these expeditions, from people in their 20's through to people in their 70's.
Please inform us of any medical conditions that you have before departure so that your crew know how to deal with a medical situation if it should arise. All information will be kept confidential unless you request us to inform your fellow travelers. For example, it may be wise to inform fellow travelers if you are allergic to something like bee-stings so they know what to do if you get stung.
First aid kit
We carry a comprehensive first aid kit aboard the vehicle but it is recommended that you bring your own basic first aid kit for general use.
It is compulsory that every person who travels with Madventure obtain travel insurance for the complete duration of the expedition. Proof of travel insurance must be shown before joining an expedition.
There are various travel insurance companies to choose from and a Google search will bring up a vast selection but for clients who are resident in UK we recommend a London based company named Campbell Irvine, www.campbellirvine.com, tel. 020 7938 1734. They are familiar with what we do, so mention our name and the expedition you are travelling on and they will provide excellent cover for you.
If you choose to obtain your travel insurance through another company please ensure you read the small-print and make sure you are covered for Medical Repatriation.
Tent: A good quality lightweight and compact waterproof free standing tent is recommended for this expedition. A removable fly-sheet will help you stay cool on hot dry nights. If you are travelling on your own you are restricted to a 1-2 man sized tent. If you are sharing a tent, you are restricted to a 2-3 man sized tent.
Sleeping bag: Any good quality 2/3 season sleeping bag will be fine but one with a 'Mummy Hood' is a good idea for the times that it will be cold. Please make sure that your sleeping bag has a 'crush bag' so it can be compacted down.
Sleeping bag liner: A Thermal Fleece or Silk Liner will bring your sleeping bag up a season when it's cold and they are good to use on their own when it's too hot for your sleeping bag.
Roll Mat: A compact inflatable Thermarest roll mat is recommended. A non-compact mat will not be permitted as they take up too much room.
Pillow: If you do wish to take a pillow (although most just bring a pillow case and stuff their fleece in it at night) then Thermarest do a good stuff pillow that compacts down small.
Backpack/sports bag/suitcase: We recommend you carry your luggage in a backpack but irrespective if you prefer a sports bag or a suitcase you are restricted to a maximum 100 liter volume.
Day bag: You are also permitted to bring a day bag with a maximum 40 liter volume that you can carry in the overhead luggage rack on the back of the truck with you.
Pacsafe: in order to keep your valuables safe we recommend a Pacsafe product. They make a range of anti-theft bags which vary in sizes and can accommodate your money, credit cards, passport, camera, laptop, etc. They can be attached to the overhead luggage rack on the back of the vehicle when travelling and/or to a fixed item in your hotel.
Headtorch: an invaluable investment! Check out the Petzl Tika Plus.
Water purifier – quite a handy thing to have to purify contaminated water and avoid 'Delhi Belly'. Check out the range of Lifestraw products.
Kindle: optional but great to keep all your travel guides and books in 1 place.
Laptop: certainly not necessary but many places have wifi available these days so having your own laptop will save you hanging around internet cafes.
Camera: completely up to you but most people bring one.
Toiletries: available everywhere but start with some toilet paper, toothpaste, toothbrush, dental floss, deodorant, soap and shampoo.
Towel: a microfiber travel towel is a good option as dries quickly and packs down small.
First aid kit: only a basic one is recommended but should include plasters, antiseptic cream, bandage, pain relief tablets, scissors and safety pins.
Passport photos: please bring along 8 passport photos for the duration of the expedition. Female travelers will need an additional 4 passport photos wearing a headscarf covering their hair in order to obtain the Iran visa in Istanbul.
Clothes & shoes:
1 pair of flip flops
1 pair of walking shoes, trainers or boots
4 pairs of socks
4 pairs of undies
4 bras
4 t-shirts and/or vest tops
2 pairs of zip-off trousers which can be worn long or short
1 swimming trunks/bikini
1 lightweight long sleeve top
1 decent fleece top or fleece jacket
1 beanie/woolly hat for the cold days
1 wet weather jacket
1 light-weight dress/skirt for the ladies
1 collared shirt for the blokes
A pair of thermal gloves
As our expeditions are not your average run of the mill overland tours we would like to go through every aspect of the trip with you to ensure that you are as informed and prepared as possible. At Madventure we believe in giving you the nitty-gritty details as well as the obvious highlights, as in our opinion these are just as important and we want to explain the expedition in as much detail as possible so you can be sure you are suited and prepared for one of our overland adventures. If after reading this, you decide that this expedition is not for you then, as long as it is within 14 days of your initial booking, you can cancel off the expedition and receive a full refund of your deposit.
The following may sound a little negative at times, but it's just so we are secure in the knowledge that we have provided you with as much information as possible, the good and the bad, to ensure everybody is completely aware exactly what type of trips we run for the benefit of you, us and your fellow expedition members as there is nothing worse than getting someone booking on the trip when it is not what they actually wanted or expected as our expeditions are too long and too full on. You need to know what you are in for and be able to handle it!
At times you will be exposed to all the elements, from extreme cold to intense humid heat and high altitude. And, for example, as wonderful as places like Tibet and India are, they do not have a western infrastructure and their acceptable level of hygiene standards are very different to ours.
Mucking In: This is a full participation expedition so you need to be able to participate fully in all aspects of the trip including cooking, cleaning, truck security, carrying water, collecting firewood, digging your vehicle out of bogs and clearing and rebuilding roads – sometimes for several days at a time! (It's not 'planned' to happen but if it does then it's all hands on deck).
We get everyone to agree that you are medically fit and able and can physically participate fully in all aspects required. Don't worry, you don't need any prior experience or knowledge or to be a fitness freak, just to be happy to do your share and have a willingness to get stuck in when necessary.
When things go wrong: The only thing we can guarantee is that at some point things will not go according to plan! We have to follow the legislation of each individual country and they may all have different regulations and attitudes towards us. Generally everyone is always friendly and it's usually obstacles such as breakdowns, bad roads and natural disasters that have a bearing on the expedition. Everything changes from trip to trip depending on what the current situation or problem is, so it's not 'if' something goes wrong, it's 'when'.
Please be prepared to expect the unexpected and accept that things will go wrong from time to time. These instances are usually the stories that remain with everyone so enjoy the experience. An easy-going approach will help the situation immensely. Moaning about every little thing that doesn't go our way will not!
Attitude & Group Living: A good, easy-going attitude will help you get through this trip and ensure you are liked by your fellow travelers as well as the locals. The one thing that is extremely detrimental to an expedition such as this is your common 'moaner'. It has nothing to do with age, sex or nationality, it just matters that although they signed up for this 'in theory' they cannot cope 'in practice' and it's always got to be someone's fault. It sounds a bit harsh but by weeding out any moaners early on we can have a chat with them and ensure your expedition is as good as it can be. It's hard enough at the best of times without in-house problems so by ensuring everyone is on the same page from the get go will start us off in good stead.
We have no age restrictions and if there is one thing we have come to realize, through experience, is that it's the mental attitude that counts the most and a broader age range is better on a long trip as it stops the stereotyping – the more in the mix the better.
There will be parties and there will be quiet nights. There are no set rules and it always sorts itself out depending on the individual personalities of who's on board.
Laziness and selfishness will also be spotted early on so we advise everyone to pull their weight. We can guarantee that at some stage during the expedition you will have to just fit in and go with the flow when it's not what you personally wanted to do. When situations arise where we can't please everybody we always aim to please the 'majority of the group' not the individual.
Please be aware that if any particular person is constantly causing the rest of the group (or the crew) grief due to their behavior they will be warned and then asked to leave the expedition if nothing improves and no refund will be given. This is obviously the most extreme situation but we will not let one or two lazy or selfish individuals spoil it for everybody else. Everybody knows the score from the start and this is for everyone's benefit. Usually everybody who does our trips has a relaxed approach and everybody gets on very well and any unsuitable people do not last long and leave on their own accord.
This is a once in a lifetime experience so let's all enjoy it!
Conduct in Iran: Iran is one of the friendliest countries you will come across on this expedition and the people have always been very welcoming, but as everyone will be aware, they follow a strict Muslim code so to avoid any undue attention and to respect their customs and way of life we will not consume or carry any alcohol while in Iran (it's actually illegal anyway and is as serious as being caught with Class A drugs).
All females in the group must be fully covered up at all times. An acceptable standard of dress is a very loose flowing top down to the knee, a pair of trousers underneath and a full headscarf – your hair should NOT be showing nor the skin around the back and sides of your neck. Ideally these should be black or a dark colored material (make sure it is not a bright color and certainly not red).
Men, your only restriction is to avoid wearing shorts but even this is barely frowned upon being that you are a male in a man's world over there!
Drive times, routes and proposed itineraries: We are driving half way around the world in a restricted time frame, so yes, there are going to a lot of drive days and some of them will be long. This is where you have to be able to take pleasure in the scenery or a good book from time to time.
As a general rule on a drive day we leave in the morning around 7-8am (after breakfast) and pull up just before dusk in order to set up camp in the daylight, but this really depends on the distance between destinations.
Sometimes it will be a full day's drive between destinations and you'll have the following day free. On rare occasions it will be a 3-4 day long drive where you'll leave early, stop late and bush camp in-between, then have a few free days at your destination. Sometimes it's only a few hours between locations. Driving is a huge part of the trip so be prepared for a lot of it and expect the odd long drive into the night.
Please note: At times we may placed under military or police escort when travelling through troubled areas. If this occurs then we are at their mercy and they make the decisions with regard to driving hours and routes. We do not argue with those who are trusted to ensure our safety so please be aware that sometimes the pace will be much faster than we would personally choose and the route they pick will be the one we follow, regardless of our proposed itinerary.
Delays: We always strive to arrive at our destinations on time but if we experience any delays we will adjust our itinerary accordingly. If we experience any major delays our end date can be extended to suit our needs.
Our one real exception to the rule are our dates to enter China, Tibet and Myanmar. We will make those dates regardless of what we have to miss to get there. The Chinese, Tibetan and Myanmar governments are not flexible so we must enter on time as our permits take months to arrange and are not easily changed.
The proposed itinerary is just that, 'proposed', and can and will change at the crew's discretion if need be.
Drugs: In a lot of the countries we travel through drugs such as marijuana and hashish are in abundance and readily available. Please be aware that they are still illegal and some countries hold the Death Penalty as punishment for being caught in possession. Obviously you are free to do whatever you want to do in your own free time but there is NEVER to be any illegal drugs onboard the expedition vehicle at any time.
If you are caught with any kind of illegal drugs on the expedition vehicle, regardless of the amount, you will be asked to leave the expedition immediately and no refund will be given. This is a very serious rule as any inconsideration can lead to the vehicle being impounded, the expedition cancelled and other innocent party's arrested. We will not hesitate to remove someone if we have to so please respect your other expedition members.
Your Crew: You will normally have a crew of 1 experienced person who fills the role of being the driver/expedition leader. Sometimes our crew prefer to work with a partner so there may occasionally be 2 crew who share the roles of driver and expedition leader. On some expeditions we may also have a cameraman who is there to help market our tours and update our social media accounts.
Your crew member will drive and maintain the vehicle as well as sort out all the accommodation, permits, border crossings and generally ensure the smooth running of the expedition. Your crew member is not a tour guide and will not be giving you the history and facts of every country you travel through. Apart from the odd optional extra that needs to be organized in advance, we leave most of that stuff to you guys, this way ensuring you get to do what you want, at the price you are happy to pay.
You do the reading up on the places we are going to in advance and decide how you want to spend your time and what activities you want to do. Apart from some basic truck rules this is not a trip where we hold your hand, it's an expedition and we expect that you will want to be as independent as possible when it comes to your free time.
Your crew will be hand-picked and trained by Madventure and will have experience of overland travel but they may or may not have done this expedition before. They will however have detailed notes from previous expeditions and backup from the office in UK.
Tipping: Tipping the crew at the end of your expedition is always appreciated. As this is a long expedition, but also a budget one, we recommend you tip your driver/expedition leader a minimum of £100 at the end of the trip. Thank you.
For more on our travel offers, click these links to the many services we offer – American Budget Overland Adventure Tours – Africa Budget Overland Adventure Tours – 5 Stans & Central Asia Budget Tours – Silk Road Overland Tours – Central Asia Overland Tours – Silk Road Group Tours – Central Asia Group Tours – Iceland Overland Budget Tour – Silk Road Budget Tours – Central Asia Budget Tours – Gap Year Adventure Tours – Budget Overland Adventure Tours – Overland Tours – About Adventure Travel – Adventure Tours


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Swift Support in HERE SDK
This section provides information on the ways that SDK for iOS supports development using Swift 3 or above.
Nullability Annotations
Where appropriate, properties, method parameters, and return types are marked with nullability annotations. This provides more clarity on the generated Swift types and avoids implicitly unwrapped optionals.
For more information on this, read the blog post on "Nullability and Objective-C".
Designated Initializers
Where appropriate, class header files have annotatations to indicate the designated initializer method.
For more information, see the documentation on initialization in Swift and initialization in Objective-C.
Suggested Names for Swift
The HERE SDK contains suggested Swift method names to better align with standard Swift naming conventions. For example,
createGeocodeRequestWithQuery:searchArea:locationContext: is
create(query:searchArea:locationContext:) in Swift.
For more information, see the blog post on Swift 3 API Design Guidelines.
Stronger Typing Using Lightweight Generics
Where appropriate, the HERE SDK contains lightweight generics information for collection types. This provides stronger typing in the generated Swift code. For example, the
referenceIdentifiers(forSource:) method in
NMAPlace returns
[String] rather than a
For more information, see Importing Objective-C Lightweight Generics.

subset: commoncrawl


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Dig Inn, a 15-restaurant chain with locations in New York and Boston, is already a hit with healthy eaters. In both cities, you're bound to see crowds lined up to get salads or market plates any given day of the week.
With an average meal price of $10 and a focus on produce sourced from local farms, the chain aims to make simple, high-quality food available at a relatively affordable price.
Now Dig Inn has raised an additional $30 million in a Series D funding round led by AVALT. Other contributors to the round (its largest to date) include Monogram Capital Partners and former Outback Steakhouse CEO Bill Allen.
The company had previously raised $21.5 million in earlier rounds of funding.
Dig Inn will use the new investment to launch more restaurants, open a culinary training school that's free for employees, hire more management, and finance its farm in upstate New York, which will deliver its first harvest in early summer 2107. The chain also plans to open 13 to 15 more locations in New York, Massachusetts, and a third to-be-determined state by 2019, founder and CEO Adam Eskin tells Business Insider.
Here's what it's like to eat there.


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See Box Sets.
Stay Away Joe DVD - Elvis Presley portrays amiable Navajo rodeo star Joe Lightcloud, returning to his home to help his tribe become cattle ranchers. A talented ensemble of screen veterans joins Presley for this good-time, two-fisted tale filmed in and around Arizona's scenic Sedona. Burgess Meredith is Joe's rascally father, Katy Jurado is his tough-love step mom and Joan Blondell is the shotgun-toting local gal setting her romantic sights on Joe. Plenty of fun and a couple of tunes (the title track and Dominique) are along for the ride too.
Special Features:
Stay Away Joe - Elvis Presley DVD


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Cost of the Newly Insured Under the Affordable Care ActResearch Projects in Health
The Society of Actuaries is pleased to make available material examining the cost of the newly insured under the Affordable Care Act. The main objective of this research is to estimate the morbidity change due to new participants in the individual market and the impact that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will have on filling the uninsured gap. The material was authored by Randy Haught and John Ahrens.
Cost of the Newly Insured Under the Affordable Care Act – Infographic
Download Infographic
View Enlarged (jpg)
View the Report
Research sponsored by the Society of Actuaries (SOA) predicts ACA-driven changes in individual market composition of the individual health care market could drive up underlying claims costs by an average of 32 percent nationally by 2017. The research also predicts high variability among states, with as many as 43 states experiencing a double-digit claims cost increase.
← Return


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I don't remember if I was this scatter-brained or not the first time I was pregnant, but lately? I can't remember squat. And it's bad. Like, I'm an adult. An adult. I can't be this flakey. I'm not even in my early twenties any more.
I'm in my late twenties. {Ooooh such a big difference…} But seriously, it feels like I'm walking around in a fog of knowing I'm constantly forgetting about 12 or more things. Or- now that another baby is using up all my brain cells- it's like the tenth of the cells left in my brain couldn't keep up with the maintenance of a suburban, 2500-square-foot brain, so they moved into a 250-square-foot tiny house. {But not for the reasons of "redefining what successful is" or because it, "sets us apart from everybody else" like the hipster couples on that new HGTV show. Maybe pregnancy has made me extra snarky, but does anyone else roll their eyes when they say stuff like that? I mean, they are moving into a tiny house, but it's still nicer than what the other 99% of the world lives in…and often still bigger. I'll stop there before I digress further into opinions only I care about.}
Anyway. As a result of my tiny-house brain and the lone two or three brain cells left to man it, I found myself in desperate need of a solution to keeping track of my responsibilities, dreams, passions, and generally remembering what's happening today.
I needed categories of everything. And I needed to see them. On a wall. Probably the wall by my desk- yes, that would do nicely. Maybe on little dry erase boards? Cute ones, if possible?
Enter the Target Dollar Spot.
I've spoken many times of the virtues of Target, the Dollar Spot being on it's own separate level of awesome. So, with my supportive husband {who is a fan of any grip on sanity I can maintain} and toddler waiting generously in the car, I entered the home of the glorious red bullseye.
And here, I present the fruits of my 15-minute perusal {really, I need a more aggressive term. It was like an archeological dig but really fast. Speed-dig? Someone out there with more brain cells than me could come up with something better.}
There it was… all fresh and clean and ready for me to dump contents of my life upon it.
The calendar was, admittedly, not from the Dollar Spot. But people, it was $10! {I know, it's April and I'm just now getting a 2016 calendar. Don't judge me.}
And here it is after it's first glorious week of my brain-dumping upon it:
Let's back it up so you can see the whole picture.
And now, for a close-up.
I finally found a cute place for that cute sign my awesome husband surprised me with months ago! And I added flowers for obvious reasons.
I can hear Julie Andrews now… "In my own little corner, in my own little chair, I can be whatever I want to be!"
Okay, let's back it up one more time, so you can appreciate the full splendor of this brain-dump area. {I wish I had a more aesthetically pleasing term for it… It's not really a Command Center like you see on Pinterest. It's kind of like my planner. Except it's a wall. Wall-Planner? I'll take suggestions.}
I'm sure I'm not the first person to do something like this. But it was so immensely gratifying to come up with it, find perfect mini-dry erase boards, that super cute calendar, and see it actually work for my poor, under-staffed brain.
It's not perfectly coordinated or magazine-worthy. But it's pretty and it works.
I'm so thankful for you, Target Dollar Spot. Don't ever change. {Except do, because I love when you have new stuff.} And I'm thankful for my husband, who loves me enough to let me put girly stuff like this on the wall in my office/our bedroom.


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6 October 2015
Ministry for Primary Industries
PO Box 2526
2016 New Zealand Total Diet Study Consultation
PSGR urges that the 2016 Total Diet Study and all future studies should include testing for the presence of glyphosate, the active ingredient common to a range of propriety herbicides, including the most widely used internationally, Monsanto's Roundup.
Increasingly, glyphosate is being detected in the human food chain, in drinking water sources, in soil, air and rain, and of its part alone or in tandem with other chemicals in diseases in humans, animals and crops.[1] [2] [3] [4] It is pervasive through most agricultural regions. Generally, New Zealand Councils use it.
In March 2015, 17 experts from 11 countries met at the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization. They were to assess the carcinogenicity of the organophosphate pesticides tetrachlorvinphos, parathion, malathion, diazinon, and glyphosate.[5] [6]
Among other effects, the group found:
· Glyphosate has been detected in the blood and urine of agricultural workers, indicating absorption;
· Soil microbes degrade glyphosate to aminomethylphosphoric acid (AMPA);
· Blood AMPA detection after poisonings suggests intestinal microbial metabolism in humans;
· Glyphosate and glyphosate formulations induced DNA and chromosomal damage in mammals, and in human and animal cells in vitro;
· One study reported increases in blood markers of chromosomal damage (micronuclei) in residents of several communities after spraying of glyphosate formulations;
· Glyphosate, glyphosate formulations, and AMPA induced oxidative stress in rodents and in vitro.
The group classified glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic to humans" (Group 2A).
PSGR has called upon New Zealand's government and regulatory authorities to ban the use of glyphosate-based herbicides, to ban processed or unprocessed glyphosate-resistant transgenic crops, and to ban imported glyphosate-resistant feed.
It has also called for substantive independent safety studies on all agri-chemicals used in New Zealand, in addition to glyphosate-based herbicides, and to rescind approvals and reject future applications for approval for transgenic foods and food additives containing any measure of glyphosate.
Until such time as these measures can be achieved, it is vital authorities be vigilant in locating contaminated foods and food ingredients. That vigilance warrants including 'glyphosate' in the list of contaminants tested in the 2016 Zealand Total Diet Study, and all future studies until such time as its use if abolished.
The Western diet is an efficient delivery system for the toxic chemicals used in industrial agriculture. This is because the diet consists primarily of processed foods based on corn, wheat, soy, cottonseed, canola and sugar, all of which are consumed in high quantities. Chemical residues of insecticides, fungicides and herbicides like glyphosate contaminate the entire diet. This is particularly true since the introduction of glyphosate-resistant transgenic food crops which feature strongly in this list.
In 1999, despite not growing transgenic crops at that time, the European Union and the UK increased the acceptable residue limit of glyphosate in respect of soy from 0.1 parts per million to 20 ppm, a 200-fold increase. In 2013, the US EPA increased the acceptable residue levels again. Regulatory authorities have failed to control the use of glyphosate or apply the precautionary principle.[7] In fact, since the introduction of glyphosate-resistant transgenic food crops two decades ago the drive to use it has increased dramatically with chemical and biotechnology industries demanding increased 'allowable limits' on glyphosate residue. USDA data show that glyphosate-based herbicide use increased 6504% between 1991 and 2010.
It is estimated 90 percent of transgenic crops grown worldwide are glyphosate resistant[8] and the four main crops are commonly used as food or food ingredients for the human food chain: soy, corn/maize, cottonseed and canola/oilseed rape. Transgenic soy represents 77% of soy production globally. In 2012, the USDA indicated 88 percent of corn/maize grown in country was transgenic.
A large majority of foods come from glyphosate-resistant crops to some extent. In addition, animals fed glyphosate-resistant crops will bio-accumulate glyphosate and/or glyphosate metabolites, adding to the human end-user's intake.[9]
New Zealand also needs to test all food products containing grains and animal products because of pre-harvest use of glyphosate as a desiccant on crops for human consumption and on hay/silage. For example, around 70% of US wheat and barley crops are desiccated before harvest. Killing the plant in this way leaves considerable glyphosate contamination on the yield. Even US beer brewers are forced to test every delivery of malt barley coming out of North Dakota because the glyphosate level is so high it kills the yeast in the brew mix.[10]
Glyphosate's pervasiveness extends to organic produce despite the fact that current USDA National Organic Programme standards do not allow the use of the herbicide glyphosate on organic crops. [11] [12]
In 2015, glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide worldwide. Scientific research increasingly points to banning this herbicide as the only logical solution to protect human health. There is a body of scientific opinion that it may be the most toxic chemical ever approved for commercial use despite misleading claims of safety.
Glyphosate destroys the microbiome of humans and plants, which is the root cause of many modern diseases. It has been linked to kidney disease, antibiotic resistant bacteria, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, depression, ADHD, autism, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, ALS, multiple sclerosis, cancer, cachexia, infertility, and developmental malformations.
In 2013, the US EPA again raised the acceptable residue levels. That same year, a study concluded that glyphosate "exerted proliferative effects in human hormone-dependent breast cancer."[13] An April 2013 study concluded that "glyphosate enhances the damaging effects of other food borne chemical residues and environmental toxins," and pointed out that glyphosate's "negative impact on the body is insidious and manifests slowly over time as inflammation damages cellular systems through a body."[14]
PSGR urges that the 2016 New Zealand Total Diet Study and all future studies should include testing for the presence of glyphosate until such time as its use is eliminated.
For further information, we refer you to our statements on glyphosate: http://www.psgr.org.nz/glyphosate and http://www.psgr.org.nz/glyphosate-calling-for-a-ban.
Trustees and Members of Physicians and Scientists for Global Responsibility Charitable Trust
Postscript - 2016 Total Diet Survey - Following the above submission to the New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries requesting that glyphosate be included in the list of contaminants in the 2016 Total Diet Survey testing and for all subsequent Surveys, we have been advised that their decision is not to include it.
The absence of glyphosate on the analytes list was highlighted as an issue raised by many submitters. MPI says it was assessed but not included primarily because there are other, more comprehensive, MPI monitoring programmes that will be targeting glyphosate to determine compliance with regulatory limits.
Reference the IARC review, MPI point out that the review found it "a hazard categorisation only, which does not consider the dose at which glyphosate may be carcinogenic. At this time, there has been no modification to the risk assessment to suggest that exposure to glyphosate at current levels in the diet is a carcinogenic risk. Furthermore, a recently published European Food Safety Authority review on glyphosate, that also considered the IARC outcome, has concluded that glyphosate is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic risk to humans."
Proposal document http://www.mpi.govt.nz/ news-and-esources/consultations /2016-nz-total-diet-study/.
Further information www.foodsafety.govt.nz/policy-law/food-monitoring-programmes/total-diet-study/.
[1] For example: 'Glyphosate-Based Herbicides Produce Teratogenic Effects on Vertebrates by Impairing Retinoic Acid Signaling', Paganelli et al, Chem. Res. oxicol., 2010, 23 (10), pp 1586–1595 DOI: 10.1021/tx1001749, August 9, 2010, http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/tx1001749. *Roundup and birth defects: Is the public being kept in the dark? Earth Open Source, 2011, http://www.scribd.com/doc/57277946/RoundupandBirthDefectsv5. *'Differential Effects of Glyphosate and Roundup on Human Placental Cells and Aromatase', Richard et al Environ Health Perspect. Jun 2005; 113(6): 716–720. Feb 25, 2005. doi: 10.1289/ehp.7728 PMCID: PMC1257596 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1257596/.* 'Pre- and postnatal toxicity of the commercial glyphosate formulation in Wistar rats', Dallegrave et al, Arch Toxicol. 2007 Sep;81(9):665-73. Epub 2007 Jul 19. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17634926
[2] 'Pesticides in Mississippi air and rain: a comparison between 1995 and 2007,' Majewski et al, Environ Toxicol Chem. 2014 Jun;33(6):1283-93. doi: 10.1002/etc.2550. Epub 2014 Apr 4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24549493.
[4] 'Detection of Glyphosate Residues in Animals and Humans', KrÃger et al, 2014, J Environ Anal Toxicol, 4(210), 2161-0525. http://omicsonline.org/open-access/detection-of-glyphosate-residues-in-animals-and-humans-2161-0525.1000210.pdf
[5] 'Carcinogenicity of tetrachlorvinphos, parathion, malathion, diazinon, and glyphosate', Guyton et al, published online, 20 March 2015 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(15)70134-8. The assessments will be published as volume 112 of the IARC Monographs (http://monographs.iarc.fr; monographs identifying environmental factors that can increase the risk of human cancer. National health agencies can use this information as scientific support for their actions to prevent exposure to potential carcinogens. Since 1971, more than 900 agents have been evaluated, of which more than 400 have been identified as carcinogenic, probably carcinogenic, or possibly carcinogenic to humans.
[7] http://www.psgr.org.nz/the-precautionary-principle/finish/8-uncategorised/24-the-precautionary-principle
[8] Powles (2008) Glyphosate: a once-in-a-century herbicide, Pest Manag Sci 64: 319-325 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ps.1518/abstract
[9] http://extoxnet.orst.edu/tibs/bioaccum.htm, http://www.saferchemicals.org/resources/chemicals/pbts.html
[10] 'Glyphosate Herbicide Causes Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, Kidney Disease, and Infertility' Health Impact News Exclusive. 25 September 2015, http://healthimpactnews.com/2014/glyphosate-herbicide-causes-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria-kidney-disease-and-infertility/
[11] Brian Shilhavy, 12 September 2015, Health Impact News
[12] Food Chemistry, Vol 153, 15 June 2014, pp 207–215, 'Compositional differences in soybeans on the market: Glyphosate accumulates in Roundup Ready GM soybeans', Bøhna et al, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814613019201
[13] Food Chem Toxicol. 2013 Sep;59:129-36. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2013.05.057. Epub 2013 Jun 10. 'Glyphosate induces human breast cancer cells growth via estrogen receptors' Thongprakaisang et al. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23756170
[14] Entropy 2013, 15(4), 1416-1463; doi:10.3390/e15041416, 'Glyphosate's Suppression of Cytochrome P450 Enzymes and Amino Acid Biosynthesis by the Gut Microbiome: Pathways to Modern Diseases, Samsel and Seneff. http://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/15/4/1416


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Season Packages
Purchase your Wilma 2 Play Package today! BUY ONLINE
Click here to see the 2018/2019 Season Brochure
Purchase your tickets today! Click here.
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Group Tickets
Groups of 10 or more enjoy added perks and savings. Contact Group Sales.


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This is the final post in my Summer Vacation 2013 Chronicle, so forgive me if I get a little verklempt. Maybe it's because I'm listening to some tragically beautiful tunes (think Ellie Goulding, Ed Sheeran, The National), or maybe I'm just sad at having to say "goodbye" (in a way) to one of the most hauntingly beautiful places I've ever visited.
I wouldn't use the word "magnificent" to describe Sol Duc Falls. I've not been to Niagara or Angel or Iguazu Falls, but I know they are so large that you can't get near them without being overwhelmed by their power and majesty. You could feel the falls here, but you could also walk over the top of them without being literally blown away. They were peaceful, beautiful, and accessible. You could hear the roar, feel the spray; it felt very personal.
At the top of the falls, my kids played on the rocks that I took the picture above from.
Also? I've always wanted to use my fish-eye lens to take a picture like this:Yes, I lay down in the middle of the trail to get this photo and yes, people looked at me like I was cray-cray. But did I care? Nope. It was worth it to be able to cross that off my photo bucket list.
Of course there was more beauty to find along the trail on the way to and from the falls. Here's my favorite, but you can find more by clicking on the gallery below.


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2012 Audi Q3 NCAP Result
By Arman Barari on Feb 22, 2012 with Comments 0
Unlike the Americans, the Germans know how to make a small SUV. So theirs don't end up a miserable two-star car. It gets the full five tars.
Testers assessed the Q3 for its adult occupant protection in a frontal or side collision, child safety and pedestrian protection, and returned a top rating of five stars. The Audi Q3 has been rated best in class in the 'Small Off-Road 4×4' category by the European consumer protection initiative Euro NCAP.
Euro NCAP considers, among other things, the fasten seatbelt reminder for the front and in particular the rear seat passengers – systems that the Audi Q3 comes with as standard. It also takes into account the specially-designed front end that helps to mitigate the consequences of a collision and offers greater pedestrian protection.
Driver assistance systems
But the Audi Q3 also features a number of active safety options that go above and beyond the measures assessed by Euro NCAP.
The Q3's assistance systems have been adopted from executive and luxury class Audi models, and are designed to help to prevent collisions and to make it easier for drivers to keep in lane on the motorway, to change lanes, draw attention to important traffic signs and assist with parking.
The Audi side assist system activates at speeds above 19mph to help drivers change lanes on motorways and dual carriageways. Two 24-gigahertz radar sensors in the rear observe what is happening behind the Q3 to a distance of 70 metres. If another vehicle is in the critical zone – if it is travelling in the blind spot or approaching rapidly – the so-called information stage is activated. A yellow LED indicator illuminates in the casing of the driver's side mirror; the driver sees it only when looking directly into the mirror. If the driver then activates the indicator to change lanes, the indicator becomes brighter and pulsates.
Audi active lane assist becomes operational at speeds of 40mph and above, and uses a camera mounted in the base of the rear view mirror to detect the lane markings. It monitors the road up to a distance of more than 50 metres and a coverage angle of roughly 40 degrees, delivering 25 high-definition images per second.
Software detects the lane markings and the course the Audi Q3 is following between them. If the car approaches a line without an indicator being activated, the system helps the driver to steer back into the lane by intervening gently in the electromechanical steering. The driver can use the MMI to determine whether steering wheel vibration should also be used to warn of an unintended lane change.
The speed limit display uses the same video camera as Audi active lane assist. In addition to specific speed limit signs and generic signs confirming that the national speed limit applies, the system's image processing software also recognises digital displays and pictogram-based supplemental signs, such as those applicable in wet conditions. This information is then compared with the data from the navigation system, the maximum permissible speeds in many European countries and information from the vehicle, such as whether or not the windscreen wipers are on and the time of day. The traffic signs are shown as graphics in the display of the driver's information system (DIS).
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The emotional wake you leave behind, when you leave a room or a conversation, is a good indicator of the dent you are making in the universe!
Have you ever had someone rip the heart out of you, and they didn't realize what they had done?
It might have been a look, it might have been a word, it might have been an action. But all of a sudden you found yourself lost at sea, with your mainsail ripped to shreds, feeling damaged and rudderless.
On the flip side have you ever had someone make a comment, or touch you in a particular way that turned your world inside out and set you on a new journey, a new destination that enabled you to step into, and use more of your potential?
For someone like you, a High Performance Leader, a person who wants to have an impact in the world, there is never a trivial comment, an insignificant look, a passing glance. What you say and do can have a long and profound impact on another person.
I remember my sister telling me one time, about a comment I had said to her, that had caused her for years to feel insignificant and powerless. A conversation I don't even remember!
So are you responsible for how others feel? Heck no. As I've said elsewhere, every person is responsible for his or her own emotional happiness. You have absolutely no control over how another person is going to react and give up trying to control others and their responses - you can't. Each person must step above the line and take responsibility for how they respond to people and circumstances in their life.
However, having said that ...
Wouldn't you like to feel, that the emotional wake you leave behind, is one that inspires and ignites rather than deflates and demoralizes?
Want to improve the emotional wake you leave behind? Contact me about one-to-one coaching
I certainly know that after I've left someone - be it a loved one, a client, someone who has served me in the local supermarket .... that my dominant intent is that the emotional wake I leave behind is 'feel good'. My strongest desire is that I am living my life as a message and not a warning, and that my vibe inspires and energizes others.
Does that mean I never have tough conversations with people? That I let people who are under-performing live below the line? Heck no! But, before I talk with them, I spend time looking for and focusing on the good that I see in this person. I ask myself questions like:
- 'How can I share with them a different perspective, that might enable them to view their actions through a different lens, yet still uplifts them?'
- 'How can I help them grow while still letting them know that they are perfect where they are?'
Do I get it right every time? Heck no. If only I was perfect
I still at times find myself haranguing Connor (my daughter) about something, or giving her that look, (You know the one that says ...'you're a mess-up'). But, I am focusing on wisely using the moment of choice.
It is in the moment of choice that I have the opportunity to decide - keep going down this path - hectoring, judging and misaligned with my true self - how will that make me and Connor feel?
Or do I make the choice to realign, tune into my Power Source and be an uplifter an inspirer, a person and Mother who leaves an emotional wake that creates a story that enhances her and me?
When you make wise use of the moment of choice, you become more of who you truly are. It helps you to find the words, gestures, and body language that helps both you, and whomever you are interacting with, to be at their best.
You see by being deliberate about the vibe you are sending, making the decision that you are an uplifter, that your intent in every interaction is to leave an emotional wake that buoys not drowns, you give yourself every chance to get it right ... more often than not.
So, what emotional wake are you leaving behind? Use the moment of choice to be who you are meant to be - an uplifter and an inspiration to others ... a leader who is making a positive dent in the universe.
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