I arrived in Borneo yesterday. Today I’m ready to head out and explore Borneo on a dirt bike. I wasn’t sure that I would be able to get a motorcycle, or figure out where I should ride it to, when I got here, but I went to Ride Borneo and they totally hooked me up. The gave me a good deal on a bike for the week. Showed me all the best places to go on a map. They even gave me a map and drew the location of every gas station along the way on it (apparently running out of gas is easy to do here).
Why I Buy Travel Insurance
Photo courtesy Keven Lawver from Flikr
I used to think of travel insurance as something that I probably should have, but couldn’t really afford, and most definitely wouldn’t go through the trouble to buy. Visiting an insurance agent, filling out papers, and paying a bunch of money that could go towards beer and bungalows; who wants to bother?
Ride Borneo
Where: Kota Kinabalu, Malaysian Borneo
What: Motorcycle rentals and tours
Scooters from RM45 per day. Dirtbikes from RM60 per day. The also rent bike gear and tents.
Huge Waves at Waimeia Bay
Last Thursday Quicksilver was potentially going to hold the prestigious Eddie Aikau surf competition. The contest is so serious that pro surfers will fly in from around the world to wait and see if it is going to be held. You see, the organizers wait until the day of the competition to decide whether or not the waves are big, and good, enough. If they aren’t, they call it off. It has only been held 8 times since 1984.
Matt-Gibson.org was Voted the Best Travel Blog in Taiwan
It was a merry Christmas for Matt-Gibson.org this year. I’m pleased to announce that Matt-Gibson.org was voted the best travel blog in Taiwan, and the best blog in southern Taiwan, in Taiwanderful’s best blog in Taiwan contest.
Meet the National Geographic Adventurer of the Year Contestants
Since 2005 National Geographic has held a contest to choose the most outstanding adventurer of the year. This year’s list includes people who have risen to the pinnacle all manner of extreme outdoors activities from trekking the length of the Amazon, to sailing across the Pacific Ocean in a prototype boat made of recycled plastic bottles, to smashing the world record for rowing across the north Atlantic.
Below are a few of my favorites. You can read all of the full profiles on NatGeo’s website.
My Hero is a 7-Year-Old Skater Named Asher Bradshaw
My hero is a 7-year-old skateboarding prodigy from Los Angeles named Asher Bradshaw. Bradwhaw has been skateboarding for less than two years and he pulls stunts that I never could have imagined in my teenage skateboarding years. He’s sponsored by Streets of Venice Skateshop and SMA has even made a small custom deck for him. He’s already known throughout the world of skateboarding and has hung with some of the best in the world. There are even rumors that a full-length documentary about him is being made. Check out this video and see why.