SaharaDesert posts
by Megan Fernandez (RSS feed) (3 days ago)
May 18th, 2013 at 3:01PM: Google Earth
In a lonely corner the Sahara Desert, Google Earth shows what looks like a tattoo on the sun-parched sands: a dark graphic blot amid the vast remoteness of Niger's Tenere region. The negative space in the center of the dot forms the shape of a DC-10 jet plane. Four arrows outside the circle point in each direction, like a compass.
The dark mass large enough to register on a ...
by Sean McLachlan (RSS feed) (1 year ago)
Apr 12th, 2012 at 9:00AM: A Tuareg rebel group in Mali has declared the northern two-thirds of the country as a separate state.
The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) has kicked out government troops and declared the independent nation of Azawad. The region is marked out in green in this map courtesy Wikimedia Commons. The remaining part of Mali is in dark gray just below it.
The Tuaregs are a ...
by Kraig Becker (RSS feed) (3 years ago)
Apr 4th, 2010 at 9:00AM: One of the longest running and most challenge endurance races on the planet gets underway today when the 24th annual Marathon des Sables, or Marathon of the Sands, begins in Morocco. Over the course of the next week, competitors from around the globe will challenge themselves, and each other, in a race through one of the harshest environments on the planet.
This year's race is approximately 243 ...
by Sean McLachlan (RSS feed) (3 years ago)
Dec 1st, 2009 at 1:30PM: The Spanish government fears that three Spanish aid workers kidnapped this week in Mauritania were taken by Al-Qaeda's North African group. The three were taken by masked gunmen from their vehicle as it was driving in a caravan to deliver aid for the group Barcelona-Acciò Solidaria en Mauritania. They were riding in the last vehicle and were apparently stopped when the gunmen fired some ...
by Kraig Becker (RSS feed) (3 years ago)
Oct 29th, 2009 at 8:00AM: Last Sunday, an incredible endurance event got underway in Cairo Egypt, when the 2009 Sahara Race began. The 155 mile event pits 130 runners from more than 30 countries against one another in a six-stage race through the heart of the Western Desert, a part of the Sahara that covers more than 1.7 million square miles along Egypt's borders with Libya and the Sudan. Over the past few days, the ...
by Kraig Becker (RSS feed) (3 years ago)
Oct 28th, 2009 at 1:00PM: Eco-friendly website Environmental Graffiti has an interesting story on their site today that details some of the top cargo ship graveyards from around the world. The article also includes some amazing photos of the rusted out shells of former cargo and cruise ships that have been left to rot in a variety of sun baked locations. All told, there are five graveyards on the list, including the ...
by Kraig Becker (RSS feed) (3 years ago)
Jul 31st, 2009 at 8:01AM: There are many interesting and different ways to travel and see the world. For instance, some love to take a cruise through the Caribbean or a slow train through the Alps. Others prefer to zip through the streets of Bangkok in a tuk tuk, and some enjoy rafting the Grand Canyon. But what is the best way to see the Sahara? Some would argue that it would be from the back of a camel, but they haven't ...
by Kraig Becker (RSS feed) (4 years ago)
Feb 25th, 2009 at 8:00AM: The New York Times had an excellent article a couple of days back offering up some great tips on how to mix business and adventure for travelers who are frequently heading over seas for their jobs. Often times those travelers are short on free time, and may only be visiting a country for a few days, but that doesn't mean they can't take advantage of that time to still take in the local sights and ...
by Kraig Becker (RSS feed) (4 years ago)
Jan 13th, 2009 at 12:00PM: British adventurer Neil Laughton will begin a unique odyssey tomorrow. The former special forces officer will depart from London on his way to Timbuktu, located in the African country of Mali, and while a journey like this one is interesting in and of itself, it is Laughton's mode of transportation that really sets it apart. Laughton will be traveling in a specially designed dune buggy dubbed the ...