Explorers Connect

Advice on Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan?

OtherBelinda KirkComment

Hello Explorers!

We're going to Tajikistan in October with the goal of writing a guide book for Tajikistan and ultimately working in disaster management - I (Laura) just finished my MSc in Hazards and Disaster Management and realised there's no point staying in England as (luckily) we don't really have that many disasters. We were wondering if anyone wanted to share their experiences of Tajikistan with us, to give us any guidance as to the area, especially with regards the Pamirs. If anyone is planning a trip to Tajikistan, we'd love to hear from you and meet up with you while you're there.

If you'd like to contact us, please email sheytaana@gmail.com.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Paul and Laura

Neville Shulman Challenge Award

OtherBelinda KirkComment

The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) are offering an8,000 grant to support a unique and challenging project. The 'Neville Shulman Challenge Award' aims to further the understanding and exploration of the planet: its cultures, peoples and environments, while promoting personal development through the intellectual or physical challenges involved in undertaking the research and/or expedition. Applications are invited from both individuals and groups.

Apply now at www.rgs.org/nevilleshulmanaward.

Application deadline 02 May 2014.

Jungle Wisdom

CommunityBelinda KirkComment

I'm Paddy Le Flufy and I'm a cultural explorer. I'm currently in the Peruvian Amazon (Loreto Region), starting an apprenticeship with a wisdom-keeper from the group of tribes known as the People of the Centre. I spent the month of July in his community in the jungle, and will return in late August to stay until the end of March. By day i will be learning-by-doing jungle skills, such as how to hunt, navigate and recognise and use the trees.

By night i will be learning the traditional cultural and spiritual wisdom of the tribes. I also have camera traps, GPS video equipment, which I will demonstrate to the indigenous people and we will use according to their logic and ideas.I am writing a blog - posting the posts from July during August, then what i write on the rest of the trip when I return in March / April. It's www.wordsofwander.wordpress.com.

My trip is supported by the RGS-IBG Neville Shulman Challenge Award and I am also sponsored by Lifesaver Systems and Tom Mustill at Gripping Films.www.paddyleflufy.com

Trip Report: Phantom Cave

Trip ReportBelinda KirkComment

During the 2012 seven-day expedition, our team managed to extend the known horizontal cave passage from 8,445 feet (2,475 meters) to 9,845 ft (3000 m), and the maximum depth from 79 feet freshwater (24 m) to a totally unexpected 237 ffw (72 m).

These numbers officially catapulted Phantom Springs Cave to the 14th deepest and 17th longest cave in Texas, also making it the third longest underwater cave in the United States (outside of Florida). We knew then that we had to return and finish what we had begun.

For further details of the 2012 expedition. http://www.admfoundation.org/projects/phantomcave2013/phantom2013.html