Trans World Expedition Nears Completion

Way back in November of 2009 I wrote a piece about the Trans World Expedition, an around the world drive that was being undertaken by a man named Nicolas Rapp, who had quit his job working for the Associated Press to set out on this adventure. Now, 14 months later, Rapp is nearing the end of that journey, with probably the easiest leg yet to come.

Prior to his departure, Rapp purchased a 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser, which he promptly outfitted with reinforced suspension and bumpers. He also added a custom storage system and a roof top tent to help complete what would become his home while he was on the road for months on end. The vehicle seems to have served Nicholas well, but at the moment, it is aboard a freighter and bound for Los Angeles.

According to his latest Tweets, Rapp arrived in Tokyo, Japan yesterday. He is likely to spend some time there before he hops a flight to LA himself, where he'll catch up with his trusty Land Cruiser. After that, he'll hit the road once again, this time striking out across the U.S. and back towards New York City, where the journey first began. While a cross-country road trip through the U.S. is quite fun and an adventure all it's own, it hardly compares with driving through South America, Africa, or Asia. I'd say Nicolas is just about safely into the home stretch at this point of his trip.

When I first wrote about this story, I noted that I thought that this sounded like a great way to see the world and that I'd love to buy a Land Cruiser and do something similar. That sentiment still stands! This is an epic road trip, and I can't think of a better way to really experience a destination, or the get to know the people and culture there, then by driving through the landscapes. I'm sure Nicolas has lots of great stories from the road to share and the blog posts to his home page are probably just the beginning.

Crossing The Bering Sea with Jon Bowermaster

The man who never stays home, Jon Bowermaster is off again on another adventure, this time crossing the Bering Sea from Tokyo to Alaska. For Jon, this trip is a return to his roots, a place where ten years ago his Oceans 8 project got underway while exploring the Aleutian Islands with three friends in sea kayaks.

Now, a decade later, he returns to the region to explore the culture of Japan, before moving on to the remote northern islands of that country. From there, he'll set off to Kamchatka, and then on to the Aleutian Islands once again, where he'll face "some of the most beautiful and roughest waters on the planet."

Bowermaster is already in Japan, having arrived late last week following a nearly 14 hour flight from New York. In his first dispatch, he comments on that very long flight, and arriving at his destination at last, just to be told to stay seated so everyone could be checked for the Swine Flu before exiting the plane. A sign of the times I suppose.

The second dispatch followed a few days later, with Jon, and his companion Alex Nicks, visiting the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, the world's largest auction house for tuna. As someone who takes a deep interest in the health of the world's oceans, the market is of great interest to Jon, in no small part thanks to its size. The place is massive and sells more than 400 different types of sea food on any given day.

Finally, the third dispatch was sent just yesterday, and it offers up even more details on the tuna auctions themselves. The auction comes fast and furious, with the giant fish being completely bought up in less than half an hour. With in minutes of the purchase, they are on a chopping block, and being cut to be sold in a variety of ways.

Check back in the days ahead, as Jon and Alex work their way through Japan and then return to the water, where they'll be exploring the remote places that we love to hear them report on. It should be another interesting set of blog posts.