Avatar, the 3D sci-fi epic film directed by James Cameron, has been in the news due to its massive success and achievements at the Golden Globe awards.  There have also been a couple of articles this week on a ‘real life Avatar’ situation facing an indigenous tribe in Borneo, as they are fighting to save [...]

With a current population of 1.8 million people, Manaus is the Amazon’s largest city. Manaus alone represents approximately 50% of the population of the Brazilian state of Amazonas, which is the largest state. Cho and I wanted a place to recover and rest before our last push to the Atlantic – but Manaus isn’t that [...]

The BR 319 is a dead straight open wound across the face of the Amazon. Cho and I have been on it for six days now and, despite being well accustomed to walking, the BR 319 has taken its toll on us both. We thought we´d be clever and walk at night – spare ourselves [...]

As Ed is currently walking on the road that leads to Manaus, I thought this article would be particularly apt for this week’s Amazon News. It is a book review from The Economist of Ted Conover’s The Routes of Man: How Roads Are Changing the World and the Way We Live Today. It is a [...]

“Not many people in the world would follow you through this.” Cho said to me this week. In an existance where one counts the majority of minutes in each hour and every step and machete blow is completely automatic – one’s brain desperately looks for stimulation. If none is provided then one’s mood can often [...]

Britain is facing the coldest winter for almost 3 decades, with temperatures reaching as low as -21°C.  This impressive view of the UK from the air shows the widespread snowy conditions: This article from The Guardian says how this cold snap is no evidence of climate change ‘fraud’ as some sceptics might choose to believe. [...]

Shortly after posting last week’s blog – Cho and I had just cut through a thick patch of thorny bamboo to get to the river’s edge and were clearing the rushes to make space to inflate the pack-rafts. “Cho,” I ventured, “its New Year’s Eve… we could just head down river in the rafts to [...]

Here is a very interesting article by James Garvey in The Guardian.  He asks whether the failings of Copenhagen might be enough to encourage us, as individuals to take action ourselves. A couple of excerpts from the article: “It’s no longer any good just hoping that the men in suits will come up with a decent [...]