Life of Adventure

An exotic, mystical and enchanting land with remote hill tribe villages, ancient ruins, beautiful coastlines and spectacular mountain views. Now imagine how much better it is to be visiting on a motorcycle, with the wind blowing against your face, sights, sounds and smells unmuffled by rolled up, tinted windows. A true life of adventure.

You see things differently on a motorcycle. You are no longer a passive observer watching the scenes go by, instead you are in the scene. The acrid smell of burning logs tickles your nose and the cold mountain air tingles your skin. You raise your arms for the low hanging tree branches, and the leaves brush by your fingers.

An adventure travel on a motorcycle is one of the best ways to see a country, especially in countries with challenging road infrastructure. Compared to its more glamorous counterpart, it is easier for a motorcycle to edge pass potholes and bomb craters. A motorcycle also makes it easier to go off the beaten track and explore narrow dirt roads.

And there are a lot to explore in countries like Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. The mighty Angkor Wat in Cambodia, mysterious Plain of Jars in Laos and picturesque Sapa in Vietnam are but some of the famous attractions. There are plenty of waterfalls, lakes, rivers, hot springs, caves, mountains, jungles and temples to keep the traveller occupied. These South East Asian countries are also blessed with deep history and rich culture.

Because of the cultural and language barriers, it might seem difficult enough just to visit the countries, let alone renting a motorcycle and traveling cross-country. But many foreigners, including me, have made the same trips without much problems. Sure, the motorcycles do break down and we do lose our way once in a while. But, these are just part of the adventures and you can always depend on the friendly locals, who are armed with an uncanny ability to repair motorcycles and are always willing to point you out to the right direction.

Kangaroo Jack asked:


Taking that adventure vacation has its risks and dangers. The adventure travel insurance help give you that peace of mind. The adventure travel insurance that you decide on should cover you for the particular sport or activity you will be undertaking. If you have decided to go kayaking or mountain climbing you will need to make sure you adventure travel insurance covers those activities, so you do have the required coverage incase an accident occurs. You may also add or get options added to your adventure travel insurance to include similar activities.

Imagine we are in the UK to go snowboarding and to do some skiing as well. You should probably consider adding an option to your adventure travel insurance to include the Channel Islands and the beautiful Northern Ireland and distinguish whether your policy is annual, less than a year or whether for a specific time frame you had in mind. Additionally there are two tiers or levels of adventure travel insurance while visiting the UK. The level you select will be dependent on your needs and budget considerations.

You will need to consider purchasing adventure travel insurance when visiting countries in Asia. Don’t overlook or avoid this. If your trip happens to include some courtiers in Asia such as Cambodia, Thailand or Vietnam and your sports may very well include rock climbing or scuba diving; it really is in your best interest to purchase adventure travel insurance. Because if something happens you could be overwhelmed when dealing with unfamiliar Health Authorities in a foreign country.

Even when you are traveling in the USA, your adventure could turn nasty. Make sure your adventure travel insurance covers you for all those activities that you want to undertake that involves a high level of risk. These high-risk activities normally wouldn’t be covered under a normal travel insurance policy. Generally speaking most US insurance companies will ask you for the type of activities that you will be doing while on your vacation so they can be added to your adventure travel insurance policy. Based on this information they will give you a quote for your adventure insurance policy.

Normally insurance companies that do offer adventure travel insurance can also take care of all your other travel needs, no matter where you decide to travel to in the world. Adventure travel insurance can include hundreds of different activities or sports.

Regardless of how dangerous or risky the adventure you decide to go on, a study has shown that travel insurance companies have paid out more for accidents that occurred in hotel rooms. Please remember that taking out an adventure travel insurance policy is in your best interest and will give you that peace of mind.

Michael Donner asked:


Nothing sounds more exotic or exciting than luxury adventure travel to Machu Picchu and the Galapagos Islands. Let’s take these one at a time and see what you would be getting if you indulged yourself with luxury adventure travel of this kind.

First the Galapagos Islands. Luxury adventure travel to the Galapagos Islands is following the footsteps of Charles Darwin and the Beagle, as he formulated his theory of evolution by studying the life forms on these islands, untainted by human hand for thousands of years. You can try to spot the blue-footed boobies waddling among the hundred year old 600 pound tortoises, or seek out the Amblyrhynchus, a three-foot long, iguana resembling a dinosaur that lives only on these islands.

You could make your initial stop to tour Quito, and have a look around one of the Indian markets nearby, such as the Saquisili Indian market, and buy a hand-made Panama hat – these are made in Ecuador, not Panama! Quito itself offers a great deal to the adventurer, and you will be able to straddle the equator – one foot in the northern and another in the southern hemisphere. Quito was destroyed by the Indians to prevent it being taken by Pissarro, and rebuilt by the Spanish colonialists.

Then take a business class flight on your first stage to tour the Galapagos Islands, and transfer to a luxury cruiser to visit Espanol Island, the first of the Galapagos Islands you will visit. Don’t forget that this is luxury adventure travel to the Galapagos Islands, and that you should want for nothing: the best accommodations and personal attention.

After admiring the iguanas, which swim only at this island, cruise over to Santa Cruz, and visit the Charles Darwin Research Station at Academy Bay, where you will check out the captive tortoise and iguana breeding centers. After crossing the equator, Genovesa Island can be very deceiving. The quietness of this volcanic area lulls you into a false sense of security, because you will shortly enter Darwin Bay and be assaulted by the sound of thousands of birds of many different types: boobies (both blue and red footed), Audubon’s shearwaters, noddies and red billed tropicbirds among many others. This is an ornithologist’s heaven.

Wreck Bay (I wonder how it got that name) on San Cristobal is the administrative capital of the Galapagos and you can fly from there back to Ecuador, connecting in Guayaquil for your flight to Lima. This is the start on the second part of your vacation: Luxury Adventure Travel to Machu Picchu. However, why rush it? Why not first have a look around some of the other places that Peru has to offer?

Take a trip to Cuzco: at three miles high, one of the highest cities in the world. Imagine your 100 meters time here! When you get this high, you have to take it easy or you could become ill, so let yourself acclimatize after your sea-level trip to the Galapagos Islands. Give it a day and then head off for a tour to Chincero in the Urubamba Sacred Valley, to learn something about the old ways of the Incas. Keep in mind that is a luxury vacation, and in keeping with that you should also visit La Cicciolina, which one of the best restaurants in this part of the world. Now you are ready for your luxury adventure travel to Machu Picchu!

What better than a luxury train ride on the Hiram Bingham train to the lost city, enjoying champagne and a top class brunch on the way. It was Yale historian, Hiram Bingham, who brought Machu Picchu to the attention of the civilized world in 1911, and wrote his first book on his finding under the title “The Lost City of the Incas”. In fact the city had been constructed around 1460, when the Inca Empire was at its peak, and it is believed that it was abandoned less than 100 years later due to an outbreak of smallpox killing most of the inhabitants.

Although many think it had ceremonial origins, current belief is that it was an estate of the Incan emperor, Pachacuti, and it is certainly not mentioned in any of the writings of the Spanish conquistadores. Whatever its purpose, this is an extraordinary city, totally invisible from below, and completely self-contained with its own springs and terraces devised to produce enough food to feed a large population. It also possesses baths, storage rooms, temples and around 150 houses.

It is not enough to travel this far and simply walk around the ruins, or those of them that you are permitted to visit. The ecosystem around the area is fascinating, and luxury adventure travel to Machu Picchu would be incomplete without learning more about this cloud forest. For the botanist there are more than 372 species of orchid to enjoy, from the lady’s slipper to tiny specimens needing a magnifying glass to appreciate.

Finally, when you return to Lima why not complete your luxury vacation and visit the Larco Herrera Museum, then take a private tour of the city, visiting both the modern and the old colonial areas of Lima.

You don’t get to enjoy luxury adventure travel to Machu Picchu and the Galapagos Island very often, and you want it to be a wonderful experience, so find a tour company that can offer you personal attention, and with planners that can offer you a personal vacation just for you and a partner. That is far better than joining 48 others, and enables you to enjoy true luxury vacation with luxury travel, accommodation and cuisine that you will remember forever.

Maxine Clarke asked:


The glamour and glitz of Tinseltown hit the French Riviera this week as the 61st Cannes Film Festival began.

The next 12 days will be full of A-listers, wannabes and executives schmoozing, posing and partying at the film industry’s most famous and prestigious event. There will also be a good deal of serious film viewing and reviewing.

This year’s festival is showcasing South American film and promises something for everyone, from dark independent European tales and quirky animation to good old-fashioned blockbusting Hollywood adventure.

Over 33,000 industry professionals will be in Cannes to see 22 movies fight it out for the coveted Palme d’Or for best film which is awarded on the final day, 25 May. Other awards in the motion picture competition include the Grand Prix, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress and Best Actor.

The main competition opens with Brazilian entry Blindness, directed by Fernando Meirelles who also directed City of God. It stars Julianne Moore and Gael Garcia Bernal caught up in a global blindness epidemic.

More big names in the feature film competition include Angelina Jolie in Clint Eastwood’s Changeling, Benicio del Toro in Steven Soderbergh’s Che, Gwyneth Paltrow and Joaquin Phoenix in James Gray’s Two Lovers and Philip Seymour Hoffman in Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York.

Matteo Garrone, Paolo Sorrentino and Ari Folman are some of the less mainstream directors competing for the big awards.

There are also competition prizes for new talent (Un Certain Regard), film school entries (Cinefondation) and short films. In addition, the festival features special screenings and out of competition showings.

This year the return of the well-preserved Harrison Ford as archaeologist-adventurer Indiana Jones is grabbing the headlines in the latter category. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is directed, as ever, by Steven Spielberg. Jack Black, Woody Allen and Robert de Niro are all involved in Out of Competition films too.

Madonna, Diego Maradona and Mike Tyson are just a few of the celebrities expected to strut their stuff on the Croisette, Cannes’ main thoroughfare, during the next two weeks.

Britain is represented at the festival by first-time director Steve McQueen who opens the Un Certain Regard competition with his portrayal of the last six weeks in the life of Bobby Sands. The IRA hunger striker died in 1981 after 66 days without food. The short film category features a film made by English artist Sam Taylor-Wood and executive-produced by the late Anthony Minghella.

The juries for each competition category include international film actors, directors, writers, technicians, critics and journalists depending on the award. This year’s feature film jury is led by American actor-director Sean Penn and includes US actress Natalie Portman and Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron.

Last year Cristian Mungiu won the feature film Palme d’Or with 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.

The Cannes Film Festival may be a private, invitation-only affair but even we mere mortals can enjoy the unique atmosphere of the resort. EasyJet flies to Nice from London and most regional airports. UK travellers based in the North can fly from Manchester with Air France and KLM.

Kevin L. Powers asked:


An improvement over the previous mess but a good film this does not make. Let’s just say that this film, like much of what Hollywood is putting out lately, is geared towards the brain-dead crowd who wants their action loud and story nil (or gone altogether) and R-rated violence numbed to the PG-13 crowd so that everyone and their grandmother won’t feel offended to go see. I’m offended that groundbreaking Die Hard franchise has been dumbed down to a knock-off of itself with neither the creativity nor the heart of its predecessor.

Let’s just forget that in both the first two films the heart of the film was watching how far John McClane (again Bruce Willis) will go to save the woman he loves not to mention his marriage. Everything he did was geared towards McClane discovering what truly made him both an endearing and fallible hero. He was someone whom the audience felt went through hell in order to reach heaven. Although in the third film the relationship with his wife was numbed down to a couple phone calls and off remarks from secondary characters, you never felt like McClane had any personal stake in what was going on around him and therefore the film became nothing more than a cop film with no heart. Nothing we hadn’t seen before by the countless other Die Hard knock-offs of the ‘90s.

The new film Lie Free or Die Hard is nothing more than action set pieces stitched together in an action movie with little story to tie everything together. I’m not saying there isn’t one; I just saying that other knock-offs have come up with better. In Die Hard 4 McClane is having problems with his daughter Lucy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who looks to be in college prompting me to think has twenty years really gone by since the last film?) and to top it off he’s been put in charge of bringing a local hacker (Justin Long) to Washington D.C. for questioning by the FBI. This routine pick up turns into a blood bath of bullets as McClane soon discovers that the hacker may be responsible for helping a terrorist take over the United States via computers. The rest of the film follows McClane and the hacker from one set piece to the next as they try to overthrow the terrorists trying to overthrow the U.S. government. I commend screenwriter Mark Bomback for trying his hand at a patriotic action film similar to what Stallone did with his Rambo films, but those films had a heart and spirit left void here.

Once you get past the first fifteen minutes of set up which is atrociously paced giving the impression of a bad script with even worse acting from everyone involved because everything feels forced, the action set pieces are quite good and excellently handled by director Len Wiseman and his crew. This is not surprising since Wiseman did an excellent job on the Underworld series of films if only he had borrowed those screenwriters for a rewrite. There are several nice moments between McClane and the hacker, whose constantly asks why McClane does what he does, that question the definition of what a hero “is” and what a hero sacrifices in order to become a hero. These scenes are at the heart of the film only by the end of the film there is no payoff for McClane’s character as he never truly realizes what he has sacrificed to become this “All-American Hero” that everyone in the film claims he is.

I’m sure they tried to show this through his relationship with his daughter Lucy, who at the beginning of the film claims her mother’s maiden name, but her scenes are few and far in between and she comes off as a last minute addition to the film as her character truly has nothing to do.

The film also has no problem going against character as the mastermind behind the terrorism Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant) has no problem forcing his men to kill innocents in order to kill McClane, as the scene in the tunnel plainly shows, but for no reason at all he has problems killing McClane’s daughter, McClane being the man that killed his girlfriend and constantly provokes him to no end. Gabriel should’ve had no problems killing McClane’s daughter and then taunting him to no end but because the film is hampered by so many other things these scenes in the third act are laughable at best.

The film is best played for laughs as that’s all that’s left in the franchise since McClane has now become as bad as Spider-Man with the one liners and retorts. Not once in the entire film do you ever feel McClane is any danger and not once do you find yourself taking anything seriously. We all know it is a film and meant to entertain but how far does the action film genre have to fall before we finally say enough is enough? Where are the original Die Hards or Lethal Weapons or First Blood? Has the well dried so much or does Hollywood just no longer have a backbone? Where has the heart gone?