Budapest was a quick layover for sightseeing and eating local specialties . It was TotalAdventure’s first visit since 1983 – when the Red Star of Communism was at the top of the Parliament Building.

We arrived early on Sunday morning , June 19, after an overnight journey form Krakow, through Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Though we had First Class Eurail, only second class sleepers were available. Comfortable enough.

Our luxury hotel ( quite cheap ) , the Buddha Bar was just across the bridge.

No Euro here. At 285 forint to the  U.S. Dollar, gourmet meals are amazingly cheap.

In the Central Market.

Delicious Game for lunch.

On Sunday, January 31 TotalAdventure hired a late model Chinese car for the 180 mile, 320 km drive from Havana to the colonial city of Trinidad. As we can see in the video below, the modern four lane freeway is almost always empty. No traffic jams in Cuba !

KM 141 Rest Stop.

Along the shores of the Caribbean.

Propaganda, not advertising.

Only one still alive.

In late afternoon we arrived in Trinidad.

In keeping with our philosophy of helping local people wherever possible and having a more authentic experience, TotalAdventure stayed in a private compound – casita below.

Dinner – one of the better meals of the trip – baked Florida lobster – $ 10.

For current adventures in Cuba CLICK HERE.

After a great day of spring skiing on El Colorado in Chile, TotalAdventure boarded a flight from Santiago to Aeroparque – the smaller airport in Palermo.

After a quick stop at the hotel – TotalAdventure was off to a a Midnight feast at Las Nazarenas. The Bife de Chorizo was succulent , as always ! At 15 pesos to the dollar ( Blue Market ) dining is a bargain !

The next day was Columbus Day – Dia de Las Raza in Argentina – so the streets were relatively quiet, with families enjoying the cool early spring weather.

It was only a month before the quasi – Chavista government of Christina Kirchner would be defeated in a historic election.

For TotalAdventure experiences in Argentina- CLICK HERE !

After 48 hours in the Vatnajökull region , ArcticTropic traversed Route 1 into Northeast Iceland – now less than 100 miles from the Arctic Circle. Though days are getting longer by over 7 minutes each day – the weather is very wintry.

Black Tower Beach

Sturdy Viking Horses. Direct descendants from the Year 900.

High atop the cliffs.

Sea Harvest.

Snow 12 Months A Year.

Reindeer – It’s What’s For Dinner !

For adventures in Iceland, CLICK HERE

An amazing waterfall coming off the Glacier this afternoon in South Iceland.Today was the first day – actually only a half day – on the Ring Road around Iceland.

A boiling caldera.

1000 Year Old Viking house.

The Geysir Erupts !

Volcanic rock formations , recently formed.

Icy River !

For adventures in Iceland, CLICK HERE

2014 was an incredible travel year for ArcticTropic. We explored Myanmar ( Burma), European Russia,Siberia,Mongolia,China,Japan,British Colombia,Canada,Singapore,Philippines and Panama. Here’s 184 clips in 11 minutes. This version is natural sound,a musical version will be uploaded soon.

Japan does not normally conjure images of adventure, but ArcticTropic stopped in for several days to be totally immersed in this vibrant modern/ancient culture.

Tokyo is always the City of the Future.

Gundam ! Japan s the world’s merchandising capital.

Food choices not found elsewhere.

In vibrant Shinjuku ,where we stayed.

The best neon anywhere.

Our flight trajectory did not take us over North Korea even though we were in a Chinese plane. We passed about 50 miles south of that path.

For Adventures in Japan, CLICK HERE

After flying for over two days – from Miami to New York to Frankfurt to Singapore to Yangon – ArcticTropic then boarded an Air KBZ ATR 72 prop plane to Bagan. I arrived Friday late afternoon on March 14,2014. The temperature was a dusty 104 ( 40 C) when I got off the plane. In the next few days it would get up to 107 in the day, then down to about 78 at night.

A combination of a silent electric scooter and a GoPro strapped to my forehead made for great stealth shooting (video) opportunities. Village inhabitants did not realize my presence till I was already gone.

Baby Burmese.

Crab Curry.

Houseboat.

Next Stop – 1948 !

Offerings To Lord Buddha.

Burmese is written in one of the 19 Sanskrit alphabets.

Next Stop – 1648 !

Searing heat bakes the riverbed,now 20 feet above the current waterline. By August this spot will be under 20 feet of water.

Lunch Break.

For adventures in Burma, CLICK HERE

After 12 days in Myanmar, ArcticTropic returned to the United States. There was an 8 hour layover in Singapore. Customs is very quick and a colleague gave a tour around the dynamic City – Nation.

The food is excellent – a combination of all Asian cuisines . For dinner we dined at the exclusive Tanglin Club, a bastion of Empire Days.

The next leg was 12 hours to Frankfurt, with great views of Afghanistan, Iran and Ukraine in the middle of the night. A quick breakfast in Frankfurt then on to freezing New York. The temperature was 25 degrees ( -5 C) with a 40mph wind. I had no coat after being in Myanmar where it was 107 ( 43 C) . Finally there was a late night arrival in Miami and the Myanmar journey comes to an official end.

ArcticTropic’s next journey takes place in late May – to Moscow,Siberia,Mongolia,China and Japan.

For adventures in Singapore and the surrounding region, CLICK HERE

Below are some Mongolian food pictures. The food is hearty and hot – perfect for the eight month winters where temperatures can drop to 60 below zero.

Goat Porridge – milk and meat from just outside the ger.

Kumys – mildly alcoholic ( less than beer ) fermented horse milk.

Horse.

Mutton Dumplings.

For adventures in Mongolia, CLICK HERE