A 12 month expedition supported by IBM computers and BES Expeditions, that saw us overwinter on Svalbard in small tents. The expedition, which was divided into three, four month phases, endured 4 months of total darkness and temperatures that fell to minus 37 degrees celsius. Expedition Patron was Colonel Andrew Croft.
An expedition on foot, and using canadian canoes as sledges to explore the uninhabited Melville Island in search of evidence of the 1820 expedition, led by William Edward Parry.
A parachute assisted two man crossing of the Greenland ice cap from Ammassalik to Sondre Stromfjord, with Nigel Harling, losing 12 kg in 28 days in the process.
However carefully you plan an expedition, one always seems to start completely unfit and exhausted by travel and last minute issues. A 1,700 km journey around the coastline of Oman, from Musandam to Yemen, was no different, but ultimately proved to be an extraordinary experience, made so as much by the wonderfully hospitable Omani people and abundant wildlife as by the ever changing landscape. From howling wolves, tsunamis, hump backed whales and terrifying surf, the book chronicles not only the daily experiences of Mark in the kayak, but also of wilderness photographer John Smith, manfully trying to follow him in a Land Rover, racking up 17,000 km of often solo, off road driving.
In 2005, Kofi Annan stood on a bridge over the Bosphorus and announced the creation of the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations, to counter what he could see as the polarisation of cultures, a situation that has markedly increased in the subsequent decade. Inspired by his positive experiences living in the Middle East for more than 20 years, Mark set out to create the opportunity for young opinion formers from around the world to experience the reality of Arabia first hand, to return to their communities able to make informed and balanced decisions based on face to face experiences. In 2006, the Connecting Cultures project was born, and today is Oman’s gift to UNESCO and the UNAOC. Each year, three five day Connecting Cultures journeys for 54 global young leaders take place at the University of the Desert. This lavishly illustrated book covers the development of Connecting Cultures, and captures the feedback from some of the young participants.
Desert explorer Wilfred Thesiger described his 1977 return to Abu Dhabi as his ‘Arabian nightmare’, and was convinced that the arrival of the internal combustion engine in the region would signal the end of the noble way of life of the Bedouin people he so revered.
If adventure is the key to happiness then British explorer Mark Evans will be a contented man for the next two months. Having fallen through sea ice on a polar ice cap expedition and been shot at by special forces during a kayaking trip around Bahrain, the intrepid 54-year-old is setting out on his lifelong dream of trekking across the Empty Quarter, or Rub al-Khali, the world’s largest sand desert, in the south of the Arabian peninsula.
Mark Evans wrote this article in October 2001 when he was preparing for his departure to the Arctic. A six-week expedition to the Arctic in 1979 with British Schools Exploring Society (BSES) proved to be a truly life-changing experience for Mark. As a teacher of 14 years and ex-Outward Bound instructor in Fort William and Kenya, Mark is committed to the developmental education of young people. Mark has spent over two years of his life living in tents, during which time he has taken over 100 young people to witness and live in the Arctic wilderness.
If adventure is the key to happiness then British explorer Mark Evans will be a contented man for the next two months. Having fallen through sea ice on a polar ice cap expedition and been shot at by special forces during a kayaking trip around Bahrain, the intrepid 54-year-old is setting out on his lifelong dream of trekking across the Empty Quarter, or Rub al-Khali, the world’s largest sand desert, in the south of the Arabian peninsula.
The University of the Desert – Using wilderness in Oman to bridge the cultural divide In 2005, in what [...]
