TTB 110: October Travel Bites w/ Bob and Elliot

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Mark Watson is a New Zealand-based photographer and author specializing in landscape, adventure and travel photography. Mark spent four years cycling from Deadhorse, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina, a distance of 28,000 miles (46k km) linking together bikepacking routes and researching his own way into the culturally diverse towns and environments of the Americas. 

Inside the Episode

• (6:00): We get the broad scope of Mark’s bike ride before breaking down the details of his trip. 
• (9:20): Mark gives us some back story on his travel experiences and how this trip from Alaska to Patagonia came to fruition. 
• (13:15): Make breaks down how he prepared for such an extensive trip, including how he saved and the jobs he had on the road to continue making a bit of extra cash. 
• (23:00): Mark made the wise choice to avoid the Darien Gap, a tough area of travelers in the Panama Jungle. Instead, he took the opportunity to bike through rural Cuba - experiencing the island nation beyond the touristy infrastructure and meeting people who rarely see outsiders take the opportunity to visit them. 
• (29:51): As Mark made his way through rural Columbia, his partner, Hannah had her phone swiped right off her bike handlebars. 
• (32:05): “People are generally good” - One of Mark’s main takeaways from his 28,000 mile cycling trip through the American continents. He met tons of people along the way from varying cultures, races, economic classes, and occupations. This was heartwarming, and something we do not get tired of hearing from our guests.
• (36:40): The journey became the destination. As Mark and Hannah made their way across the Americas it became obvious that seeing and experiencing the people and environments around them was prioritized over getting from Alaska to Patagonia in a set amount of time. 
• (38:05): Like the rest of the world, COVID-19 brought Mark’s journey to a stand still. When Mark got word on how coronavirus was ravaging Italy, he was in Chile, incredibly close to finishing his route. 
• (46:50): Check this out. Have you ever seen the night sky light up like this? When you’re alone in the middle of the Colombian wilderness, this is your nightlight. 
• (49:45): The day to day of a man on a 28,000 mile cycling journey across two continents is all about keeping it simple and light. From carrying only a sliver of soap to cutting the ends of his toothbrush to conserve weight and space, life on a bicycle has to be creative. Carry what you need, forget what you don't, and just look ahead. 
• (55:00): What about water? Vital to Mark completing his trip, he obviously had to map out and know where each potential water source was located in close proximity to his route. Being a crucial consideration, Mark mapped out each potential water source on the route. His rule of thumb: Carry enough water to make it beyond the next known water source….take notes. 
• (1:06:00): Mark discusses future trips, including how he’d like to retrace the migration of ancient man. From Africa, into Eurasia and into the Americas. 
• (1:09:20): Listen to Mark as he describes this environment in Northern Argentina. Surrounded by volcanoes and salt flats, calm in the mornings and hostile winds in the afternoon. Truly ‘no mans land’. A place few will ever experience, partly because they don't even know it exists.
• (1:17:00) Rapid Fire Question Round!

He was trained as an herbalist at the Appalachia School of Holistic Herbalism in September 2011. Scott is an associate of the Botanical Preservation Corps and was on the 2010 expedition to Peru collecting seeds and information on medicinal, edible, and sacred plants throughout the Andes. In 2010 Scott opened the Ethnobotanical Conservation Organization or EthnoCO which is a company based in Peru that leads expeditions and sells cultural wares.

Inside the Episode:

• Dolphins...oh dolphins. What’s not to love, right? Well...as Scott tells us, dolphins in Peru have been spotted to have intimate relationships with men in the area. I am going to leave the remainder of this caption up to your imagination, but if you’re looking for more information - then you’ll want to tune into our podcast. 
• Animals of higher intelligence (think primates and mammals) have been observed to seek drugs and sex for pleasure. Why? That’s exactly what we sought to learn on our podcast with Scott, the ethnobotanist and close friend of The Travelers Blueprint. 
• Lemurs in Madagascar have been observed to seek out a very peculiar millipede. They play with it, lick it, and then rub it all over their body. Why? To get high. The chemical reaction creates an enjoyable psychoactive experience for the animal. However, what researchers have found is that unbeknownst to the lemurs, their little benders are saving their lives. The chemicals in the millipede also acts as a potent insecticide, saving these lemurs from the numerous deadly viruses and bacteria spread through other insect bites. So, the bloodline of the lemurs on this unique African island nation may depend on their drug induced rock star lifestyle. Life, uh, finds a way. 
• You know what’s scarier than jaguars? Jaguars on Ayahuasca….that’s right. As Scott explains this is actually one of the old tales on how the ancient inhabitants of Peru discovered this spiritual vine.
• Ethno-zoopharmacognosy! It's a word. It’s when people use animals for medicinal purposes, or as Scott puts it “bugs as drugs”! Sometimes, as you hear here...it doesn't always go as planned. Say no to bugs as drugs! 

Michael Hilliard has been involved in journalism since 2010, working and reporting from countries ranging from Iran, Russia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, China, Belarus and many more. He has broken front page news a number of times, and has worked with sources ranging from the White House to the Taliban.

He is regularly called upon as an informed source for various publications and also serves on various committees and councils for the Australian government. Michael is also the host of Australia's largest geopolitics show The Red Line, which has gone on to be streamed 400,000 times in over 86 countries.  

Inside the Episode:   

• Drinking with the Taliban in Uzbekistan, having a gun pulled on him by the Russian mafia, almost was killed by a minefield in Georgia, stuck in Chernobyl...and the list goes on.
• People struggle with distinguishing between the local population of a country and their government. As Americans, we are happy to speak out against a decision made by our government when we disagree with it. So take that thought process around the world. Countries like Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, (and so on) have some bad reps in Western media. So that’s where Michael came in. To uncover the truth about these countries through their culture, food, and people and uncover the stories beyond the mainstream headlines. 
• Surprisingly, once Michael looked past the fact that the people he met were horrible criminals...terrorists….and gun smugglers….,he realized that they were also quite normal. After settling down with one of these guys for a beer or a meal, it felt almost normal…. Michael had some of the most unique stories to date, with experiences that included members of some of the worlds most vilified individuals. 
• Travel Tip: If you have a gun pulled on you, play it cool.
• Lost in the Russian Arctic. A bottle of vodka to keep him warm and the unwavering ambition to explore and learn, Michael trudged on, almost freezing to death…
• Michael talked about this amazing, beautiful ski resort in Georgia. As you can hear in this clip, he was provided with extraordinarily motivating information to keep him on the correct path...landmines.
• Michael shared a nail biter of a story, as he had to be smuggled out of Transnistria, flying under the nose of the KGB. By hiding in the SUV of a gun smuggler, Michael avoided what would have been, at a minimum, a very long prison sentence.