Shortly after sunrise I rented an electric motorscooter and set off to explore the searing hot plains of Bagan, and visit some of the thousands of temples built over hundreds of years – each a tribute to Lord Buddha.

Temples large and small stretch as far as the eye can see.

Along the way I came upon a ” Community Service Project . ” Local villagers dig a giant hole by hand, which will fill with water in the coming rainy season – attracting animals to drink there. Each person is expected to carry a number of loads equal to their age.

Lord Buddha is the Center of Life.

Styles changed throughout the centuries.

A $100 bill will get you 97 of these. 1000 kyat notes are used for everything and this stack will last a few days. Breakfast was 700 kyats – 70 cents. MOtorbike rental was 8000 kyats, a little over $8.

ArcticTropic has many more shots and incredible video. The hotel has wifi but upload speeds are like dialup , so video may not be uploaded until we return Stateside.

For adventures in Burma, CLICK HERE

Yesterday ArcticTropic arrived in Yangon, Myanmar ( formerly Rangoon,Burma ) after flying 25 hours from New York via Frankfurt and Singapore. After a delicious lunch we flew onwards to Bagan ( formerly Pagan ).

Baggage being unloaded from Air KBZ in Bagan. As of this writing it is 7:30 AM and off to explore the sacred temple city.

For adventures in Burma, CLICK HERE

ArcticTropic arrived in Namibia on Saturday, but only now has adequate ( but still very slow ) bandwidth to upload photos. We also have excellent video , which will be impossible to upload until at least South Africa at the end of this week.

A pleasant two hour flight form Johannesburg to Windhoek.

We are here for ATWS 2013 where the top Adventure Travel companies in the world gather to do business and explore the countryside. Here delegates ride horses in the desert.

Oryx on the open range.

While officially half in the tropics, Namibia’s climate is extreme. We went from baking sun in the desert to cold fog on the coast.This past August much of the country was buried in heavy snow.

In Windhoek, local Himba tribeswomen sell handicrafts in the marketplace.

For adventures in Namibia, CLICK HERE

In July ArcticTropic ventured to Mongolia. The following posts portray our adventures in the vast Central Asian nation.

For adventures in Mongolia, CLICK HERE

On July 4th the Naadam Festival was held at Gurvanbulag, a nomad village in Bulgan Aimag. Music, horse racing ,wrestling and a gathering of families and friends from all the region to celebrate the midsummer holiday.

Winners of a 25 kilometer race.

Village Elders.

Watching the Races.

Exchanging Snuff.

Mongolia’s National Sport.

For adventures in Mongolia, CLICK HERE

ArcticTropic last visited Beijing in March 2010. The Forbidden CIty then – covered in snow, with sparse crowds – was very different on this foggy summer day. The huge crowds are 95 % Chinese – showing a great love for domestic tourism. ArcticTropic is also in Chines – well positioned for current and future adventure travelers – both domestic and overseas. ArcticTropic is now on Weibo as well as Renren – major social media hubs for China. Click to March 2010 for the earlier trip.

The most important attraction in Tiananmen Square is the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong. It is here the Great Helmsman rests for eternity where all the people of China and the world can pay homage. Photographic equipment is strictly forbidden – above is a Google stock photo.

Big Screen Entertainment and Information in Tiananmen.

For adventures in China, CLICK HERE

The GoPro headmount is a great way to capture the reality of a walk along the Great Wall at Jingshangling.

For adventures in China, CLICK HERE

On Sunday, June 30th we climbed the Great Wall of China at Jingshangling , about 100 miles ( 160 km) Northwest of Beijing. Though the weather was misty the views were great. The Great Wall was fascinating for my 12 year old son. This area of the wall is unimproved and difficult to access – recommended only for fit and adventurous travelers.

FOR ADVENTURES IN CHINA, CLICK HERE

Guanxi Province, South China . We travelled via small bamboo boat from Guilin to Yangshuo on the Li RIver. Being on the river afforded some relief from the 102 degree heat ( 39 C ) .

Karst formations begin in South China and are prevalent in nearby Vietnam, as well as Thailand.

Incredible video will be posted in future updates.

An ancient village untouched by time – except for smartphones.

A terraced tea plantation. Excellent green and black teas were enjoyed.

FOR ADVENTURES IN CHINA, CLICK HERE

Today ArcticTropic was invited on a private yacht tour by a renowned Istanbul artist who will later be featured in the Blog.Time and bandwidth constraints in the hotel make posting difficult at this time. Today was an incredible fall day with temperatures in the 70s – in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

From Asia looking to Europe.

Turkey is extremely patriotic – the nation controls a good portion of this part of the world.

The entrance the Black Sea.

Saudi Prince Abdul Aziz pops in for a visit.