New York City: November 2009

MOZZIE BYTE (Editor): A warm welcome back to all our Daily Explorer readers and greetings to those of you who are joining us for the first time. To our regulars, many thanks for viewing our online publication and for giving us your feedback. Over 24,000 visitors have been to see our site since the beginning of 2008. For new readers, Ray has been living nomadically for four years since he left England in November 2005. In that time, he has visited or lived in 16 countries and we have been publishing news and stories about his journey throughout that period. You can find all of these in our Previous Issues archive. We always aim to maintain our high standards of journalism and presentation, so please keep sending us your comments and suggestions as to how we can improve what we are doing. You can use the comments box on this site, or email Ray (ray@thedailyexplorer.com) or ‘Mozzie’ or any of our correspondents at mozzie@thedailyexplorer.com

Our latest issue has been compiled for us by our US correspondent Nick Elandimer (above), who made his first appearance in The Daily Explorer in November 2007. Over the last six months, Ray has been preparing for his latest challenge – running in the 40th New York Marathon on 1st November. We have the full, exciting story of the race itself and some highlights from Ray’s eight day visit to the ‘Big Apple’.

In our last issue, Ray was getting ready to depart Chiang Mai for New York and the big race. Since our global nomad started training there in mid April, he had clocked up well over 800 miles on the road and running track! Our Asian correspondent, Me So Fit discovered that Ray had been battling a series of injuries which could have potentially ruined his chances of running the New York marathon in his goal time of under four hours. Ivana Getachek updated us about Ray’s recent fundraising event in Chiang Mai, which was a runaway success. And we took a brief look at some highlights from his social calendar during his last few days there. If you missed it, you can read it now at: Cheerio Chiang Mai

Above: Our global traveller, who celebrated his 49th birthday this year, leaves Chiang Mai to take part in his first ever marathon. He has been training hard for six months, during which time he has completed two half-marathons and three 10k races. His goal – to finish the gruelling 26.2 mile marathon course in New York in under four hours - was undertaken to raise money for three worthy causes. In our last issue, we revealed how Ray had been battling a series of injuries which could have potentially ruined his chances of running the marathon and how he organised a hugely successful fundraising event in Chiang Mai before his departure. If you missed it, you can read it now at: Cheerio Chiang Mai

Stopping for a few days in London on his way to New York, I contacted Ray to find out how his final preparations for the big race were going. “Well Nick, I am very concerned about the injury to my left calf muscle, to say the least” he told me. “I had to miss a 12k race I had planned to do in Bangkok with my coach, Matt Campbell. With only about ten days to go until the big race, I am starting to wonder if the calf muscle will have recovered enough for me to run the whole distance. It is a major blow and would be extremely cruel if I had to miss out after all the training I have done” he added. “Having said that, I am being treated by an excellent physio in London who has done some massage, given me a bit of ultrasound treatment and I am stretching/icing the leg regularly to assist its recovery” he explained. “After all is said and done, it is a bit out of my hands. If I cannot run the whole distance, I am sure I will enjoy the experience, although it will be disappointing” said Ray.

A few days later, I discovered that Ray had managed to complete a ten mile run in London just three days before his departure, which was a good sign that his recovery was happening as rapidly as he had hoped. “I had planned to run twelve miles, but I could feel my calf tightening after about ten so decided to leave it there and wait until I got to New York” said our cautious runner. Over the last five or six weeks, I have hardly been able to train so I have probably lost a bit of fitness. But I believe I can still achieve my four hour goal, as long as my leg holds out” he said optimistically.

Above: Our injured runner models his running vest for our photographer in London - “All runners are advised to print their names in large letters on the front and back of their vest so that people in the crowd can shout your name out when you go past” explained Ray. “Having been a spectator in New York at the marathon back in 2007, I can really appreciate how valuable this could be in the closing stages, when your body is really tired and you are running out of steam” he told me

Ray and Nikki had booked tickets with British Airways from London to New York. “We were able to get a pretty good deal on the fares, partly because of the general slump in the industry and partly because my brother Paul works for the airline” Ray told me. “He is a Captain on their long haul fleet and sometimes flies the New York route, although he was actually taking some time off work when we were due to leave London, so we knew he would not be on our flight with us. A couple of days before, he notified the Captain in charge of our flight that we would be on board, just in case it might be possible for us to select more comfortable seats for the seven hour journey” added Ray. What happened after this is the stuff of legend. “Nikki and I packed our bags and said goodbye to Paul and his wife Kitty at their house in London, and set off for Heathrow airport on the train. We thought the next time we would see them would be eight days later upon our return. But we had a bit of a surprise in store” revealed Ray.

Above: During his few days in London, Ray received many messages from supporters and well wishers, including this card from Nikki – “I wonder if it is a subtle recommendation that I should run around the New York course with nothing on?” joked our traveller

Below: The kids from Namaste Childrens House, the orphanage in Nepal which Ray has been raising money for. sent him this wonderful photograph a couple of days before the race. It reads: “Dear Uncle Ray Martin. Good luck for upcoming New York marathon ‘Calling Angel” – “It was really unexpected and so lovely of them to do this for me – I nearly cried when I saw it. It made me feel very connected to them and determined to do the very best I could in the race” recalled Ray

So what was the surprise that Ray was referring to? I was intrigued to find out. “Upon our arrival at the gate to board our aircraft, we were asked by the agent to step aside and wait for the flight dispatcher who wanted to have a word with us” recalled Ray. “This did not concern me, because I have been lucky enough to be ‘upgraded’ before on British Airways and this is usually how it happens. After a couple of minutes, he turned up and asked if it would be OK with us if we were moved to two ‘different seats’ – which we knew meant we were going to be upgraded to business class for the seven hour flight. I never expect this to happen, although I always hope it will, as the journey is so much more comfortable than in economy” Ray told me. “We had not realised, until we were shown to our seats, that we had actually been upgraded to first class” said our stunned, but very happy traveller. “Many years ago, my brother recommended that should an upgrade be offered, I should take a couple of minutes to thank the Captain and crew for this privilege. So when I was approached by one of the cabin crew saying that the Captain wanted to come and meet me to say hello, I was only too pleased to accept” recalled Ray. “About a minute or so later, the Captain arrived at my seat – it was my brother Paul!” said our stunned traveller. “It was one of the best surprises I have ever been on the receiving end of – and brilliantly concealed and executed by him and the rest of my family. I think I will be telling this story for years to come” he told me.

Above: Ray arrives at the gate inside the British Airways Terminal (5) at Heathrow for his flight to New York – “Once we were spoken to by the agent at the gate, we knew we were going to be upgraded but had no idea what was about to happen…..

Below: “Your Captain for this British Airways flight BA179 to New York will be Paul Martin”; something which came as a shock and a welcome surprise to our global explorer after he boarded the aircraft and was shown to his first class seat – “Apparently, Paul had agreed to swap trips with the scheduled Captain several weeks before. Although I had stayed at his house for a week, he never let on about it and was even in his jeans, working in the garden as we left for the airport, completely concealing the amazing secret!” said Ray

Above: Captain Paul Martin leaves the flight deck for a few moments (left, centre) to see how our travellers are enjoying their journey – “It was really kind of Paul to arrange this for us” said a very grateful Nikki, who was invited with Ray to sit at the controls of the huge Boeing 777 aircraft (right) after it had landed and been parked at New York’s John F. Kennedy airport

Below: The sight of the iconic Empire State Building (left) confirms that Ray and Nikki and have arrived in Manhattan – “Fortunately for us, we were able to go straight to the front of the line at immigration because we were with my brother and the rest of the crew (right) from our flight” said Ray

Whilst in New York, our two travellers had made arrangements to stay in Brooklyn Heights. “It’s amazing how things work out” said Ray. “The first time I visited the Elephant Nature Park, over a year and half ago, Nikki and I met a wonderful girl called Angela (below, left), from New York” said Ray. “Even though we only spent a few hours together, we really hit it off straight away” said Ray.

“In July, when I launched my “Calling All Angels” campaign on the internet, Angela got in touch and said that we were both welcome to stay at her apartment whilst we were in town for the marathon, which really blew us away. Not only was it a really generous offer, it saved me having to spend a few hundred dollars on a hotel, which would have depleted the money we have been able to raise. Her kindness has meant that we will be able to donate much more to the organisations I am doing this for” explained Ray.

Arriving in New York five days ahead of the marathon, Ray and Nikki had plenty of time to acclimatise. “Having spent a few days in London, my body clock was already fairly well adjusted from Asian time” said Ray. “Of course, when I am running the marathon, the last thing I want is to have to stop for the toilet during the race so I have allowed myself plenty of time for my daily routines to adjust” he explained. “All runners arriving in the city have to report to the ‘Marathon Expo’ to register and collect their race number and electric tag for timing purposes, so we will be headed there soon” added our runner. “In the meantime, we can enjoy being in the city and hanging out. Nikki and Angela are planning to make a banner so I will be able to spot them more easily in the crowd on race day, and two more of my friends are coming into town for the race later in the week” added Ray.

Above: Uptown or downtown? Nikki familiarises herself with New York’s subway system – “It’s just like it looks in all the movies” she said

Below: Ray and Nikki purchased a seven-day Metro pass, providing unlimited travel on the subway and bus system for $27 – “The weekly pass is excellent value” she told me. The subway was plastered with ads for the marathon, as our entrant quickly discovered (right)

Above: Nikki (left) and Angela (right) take a walk through the Brooklyn Heights neighbourhood – “With three or four days to go to the big race, I was looking for places where I could load up with lots of carbs and found a couple of fantastic restaurants nearby serving massive plates of pasta and vegetables” said our runner. “I expect to burn over 3,000 calories in the 26 mile race, so will be looking to consume at least 4,000 calories per day for the two days before the race” he told me

Below: The world famous Brooklyn Bridge is only a few blocks away from Angela’s apartment

Above: The view across the Hudson river from Brooklyn is of the financial district at the south end of Manhattan (left). Angela took Nikki and Ray to the local bagel shop on Court Street for breakfast (right) - “New York and bagels go together like smoked salmon and cream cheese” said Ray

Below: Our two travellers were in the Big Apple for Halloween – “They really go over the top in their celebrations here” said Ray as he passed this house on Henry Street

Above: Our very excited marathon runner arrives at the Expo, held at the huge Jacob Javits Convention Centre on Manhattan’s ‘west side’

Below: We’ve got your number!” Ray receives his official race number and electronic tag for his shoe – “My bib number is 32548, which will give you an idea of how far back I will be amongst the 40,000 or so runners at the start!” he told me

Above: All race entrants collecting their electronic race tags have to pass through a scanner to ensure they work properly, as Ray does with his (left). Then its off to the information point (right) – “Can you tell me if I have any chance of winning on Sunday?” jokes Ray

Below: For people looking for 15 seconds of fame, one of the exhibitors at the Expo was taking pictures of marathon runners so they could be continuously broadcast on the big screen in Times Square

Above: Nikki shares a big, warm hug with Regina Meredith in the Soho area of Manhattan – “I was absolutely delighted that Regina and her husband Nic, who came to visit us in Chiang Mai whilst I was training, were able to join us in New York to watch the race” said Ray

Below: Our runner and his friends headed for Washington Square Park, near Greenwich Village, for a bit of fun!

Above: If you are lucky, you can find some marvellous entertainment in the park, like the singing group in this short video clip

Below: A street artist completes another beautiful creation for passers by

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The 40th ING New York Marathon

Speaking to Ray a day before the race, I asked him how he was feeling about the huge challenge he was about to face. “Well Nick, I am about as excited as anyone could be – this is easily one of the biggest days of my life so far” he told me. “I don’t think I could have prepared any better than I have done, and injuries aside, I feel absolutely ready for it. And knowing that we have raised over $15,000, which equates to $575 for every single one of the 26 miles I am going to run, is a huge motivator. I believe I am doing something really worthwhile which gives me a tremendously deep feeling of satisfaction, whatever the outcome of the race” he told me.

Ray’s coach was also in contact the day before. “His knowledge and experience has been so valuable at every stage. Like many other experienced runners, he made sure that my race strategy was right for my goal and warned me about going off too fast at the beginning, which is the major reason that most runners fail to reach their goal time. I arrived at the start on Staten Island at around 7.30 am, well hydrated, fully fuelled up and buzzing with adrenalin. I was in the second start wave, going at 10am so there was plenty of time to get myself warmed up and mentally prepared” recalled our athlete. “Even though I had taken part in a couple of competitive half-marathons in Thailand, it was impossible for me to be totally prepared for or make any meaningful comparison with the start of the New York marathon, as the size and scale of it was just mind bogglingly huge” said Ray.

Above: There are so many people wanting to run in the New York marathon that there are three ‘waves’ of starts, at twenty minute intervals. Each wave comprises of three different corrals (left) which are moved into position on the south side of the Verazzano Bridge (left). After the start gun has been fired, the three corral’s then converge into one heaving mass of runners (centre) and it is very difficult to move past anyone at this stage (right). This is why the organisers ask people to state their target times on their applications, as they try to ensure that the runners who are trying for a faster time start nearer the front. Each runner has an electronic tag attached to their shoe and as they cross the start line, it registers on the computer system and starts their official race time. The same system is used to keep nominated friends and family members updated throughout the race via the internet – “I joined a four hour pace group at the start and ran a slightly slow first mile, as the first half of the bridge is quite a steep uphill climb and it is crowded. The second mile, which took me over the bridge into Brooklyn was slightly faster” said Ray

Below: Nikki displays the colourful poster that she created with Angela that Ray could use to locate them in the crowd – “The night before, we looked at the route and they wrote down the times I would arrive at each checkpoint if my race was going according to plan, which it did for the first half of the race” explained Ray. “When I reached the eight mile mark, after about one hour and ten minutes, I saw the poster in the distance and headed towards it. Both Nikki and Angela were so surprised to see me eyeballing them for a second as I passed, they almost fainted” he recalled, “but it was great to have found them in amongst the thousands of spectators that turned out” added Ray

Above: The final three and a half miles of the New York marathon take runners along and eventually inside Central Park, finishing at the ‘Tavern on the Green’ near Columbus Circle – “I was slowing up considerably by this stage of the race” said our athlete. “I reached the halfway mark in exactly two hours, which meant I was on pace for my four hour finish. By the time we crossed the Queensborough Bridge, at mile 16, my calf muscles had started to tighten and I was fatiguing. I struggled to stay in contact with my race pacer and eventually had to let him go. Knowing I wasn’t going to make the four hour finish, I re-planned my objective to make sure I ran the whole race rather than walked it, despite the growing tightness in my legs” he told me

Below: This sign was a really welcome sight for Ray – “I am so glad I had my name printed on my running vest” said Ray. “As I ran the final mile, I was feeling very tired and slightly faint, as if I had literally no energy left. The crowd were fantastic and as I pushed myself towards the finish, I could hear people shouting “Good job Ray!” and “Come on Ray, you can do it” and other words of encouragement. Just thinking about it makes me feel very emotional as it is such an amazing part of the whole experience” he said

Above: Waiting in the bleacher seats at the finish line were Nikki and Angela on one side, and Nic and Regina Meredith on the other – “One of my friends works for ING, who sponsor the marathon, and he managed to get me two VIP tickets for the finish area for the girls, which meant I knew I would see them just before I crossed the line” said Ray

Below: Only a few metres to go as Nikki captures this wonderful picture of Ray as he spots her in the crowd – “She had no idea how tired I was as” said Ray, who was pretty well exhausted as he crossed the line, in an official time of 4:16:29 seconds. Not bad for a first marathon at 49! – “All I could think about at this point was the chance to stop running in a few seconds time and get some food and drink inside me” he recalled. “It was a great relief to have completed the marathon and a great feeling of satisfaction after six months of training in which I had run a total of about 820 miles to be fully fit and ready” he told me

Above: Although he desperately tried to get Ray’s attention as he ran towards the finishing line, as you will see in this short video clip, his friend Nic was unable to!

Above: About half an hour after crossing the line, a very tired Ray is re-united with Nikki and his friends on Central Park West – “I was so pleased to see her as she rushed to congratulate me. It was appropriate that she was the first person to do so as she has supported me at every step on this incredible journey, through thick and thin” said Ray

Below: After the race, Nic very quickly gave his coat and cap to Ray to keep him warm – “It is incredible how quickly my body temperature started dropping after I finished” said Ray. “We had to make our way to my friend’s apartment a few blocks away and I could hardly move my legs” recalled our marathon man

Above: For those readers who are interested in some of Ray’s statistics, these screenshots show the key performance data. The data is collected in a GPS device worn on the wrist and uploaded to the internet after the run – “Eagle eyed readers will spot that my own time differs from my official time by a few seconds and the total distance covered is also different. That is because the official distance of 26.2 miles is measured taking every corner at the tightest possible angle, which is impossible to do in the race itself as there are just too many people” explained Ray, who consumed nearly 3,200 calories in the four and a quarter hours he was running. The red line, starting at the green arrow, traces Ray’s actual route through the five boroughs of New York. For more detailed information and a closer look, click here

Below: Long distance runners might appreciate a look at Rays ’split’ times i.e. the times for each individual mile for all 26 miles. You will see that mile 16 (crossing the Queensborough bridge) was slower than all previous miles, due to the steep uphill climb,  and although he was able to recover in mile 17, from that point Ray was unable to maintain the pace required for a sub four hour finish. Mile 24 was particularly tough and the improvement beyond this point can be largely attributed to the tremendous energy of the crowd who turn out to cheer all the runners on in the final stages and enthusiastically shout out their names - “Maybe I will have another go at doing a four hour marathon at some point” said Ray afterwards, “but for now, I am just glad to have done it and would not be too upset if I never had to do the training again” he told me

Above: Ray gets a huge hug from friend and fan Libby Turnock (right) as he arrives at her apartment on Cathedral Parkway at the northern end of Central Park – “I met Libby just a couple of months ago in Chiang Mai” said Ray. “She was doing some voluntary work at the Elephant Nature Park and when I told her I was raising money for the park by running the New York marathon, she instantly befriended me. I discovered that Libby had run the marathon five times! She also very kindly donated the use of her apartment for an after race party for me and my friends – she is a great lady and I am very grateful to her for being so generous!” said Ray

Below: Ray celebrates his accomplishment – “I had not been drinking alcohol for ages because of my training, so that first glass of champagne tasted and felt very good indeed” he told me

Above: Finishing the New York marathon was not the only reason to celebrate. It was also Nic’s birthday – “He is one of my best friends and I am so happy that he was there to share this very special day with me” said Ray

Below: At the party, Nikki kindly presented Ray with his very own, limited edition, commemorative ‘Finishers Cap’ which she secretly acquired for Ray to mark the occasion

Above: Been there, done that, got the T Shirt, er… I mean got the cap! Ray can now tick one more thing off his bucket list!

Below: Ray appreciates how lucky he is to have the loving support of Nikki (left). Later that evening, Nikki and Angela put their extensive knowledge of yoga to extremely good use, helping Ray to stretch off his very tight muscles! (right)

Above: The day after the race, and a very stiff Ray and Nikki (left) head to Manhattan for a bit of sight-seeing – “We were very fortunate to meet up with our friend Bharat whilst we were in town (right, with Nikki), who we first met in Ko Samui” said Ray. “He is a very experienced palm reader and gave Nic a reading for his birthday” added our recovering runner

Below: The spectacular main hall in Grand Central Station, which has been featured in hundreds of movies, is well worth a view for first time visitors to the city

Above: Nikki and Bharat stand on the sidewalk on 5th Avenue (right) and admire the tower at the Rockefeller Centre (left)

Below: If you cannot find the book you want at this store in Chinatown, you are probably looking in the wrong place!

Above: What a load of balls! Nikki admires the Christmas decorations that are hanging in the entrance to Macy’s on 34th Street

Editors Note: First of all, our sincere thanks to Nick Elandimer for bringing us the news and pictures from Ray’s visit to New York and the marathon itself. And our congratulations to Ray, both for completing the race and for raising over $15,000 for all of the worthy causes supported by his “Calling All Angels” campaign.

This is not the first time that Ray has been in New York. He has made several previous visits here, with the most recent in November 2007, which we covered in our “A Bite of the Big Apple” issue.

Ray is now in London, recovering from the marathon and planning his itinerary for next year. We hope to go online with our next issue of The Daily Explorer in a few weeks. We always aim to maintain our high standards of journalism and presentation, so please keep sending us your comments and suggestions as to how we can improve what we are doing. You can use the comments box on this site, or email Ray (ray@thedailyexplorer.com) or ‘Mozzie’ or any of our correspondents at mozzie@thedailyexplorer.com

MOZZIE BYTE

Above: Congratulations from everyone at The Daily Explorer to Karla Portch (right), who recently tied the knot with her Australian fiancée Mike. Karla was Ray and Nikki’s teacher when they studied for their Teach English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certificate at the Chiang Mai University in 2006. We wish them both a long and happy marriage!

Chiang Mai, Thailand: October 2009

MOZZIE BYTE (Editor): A warm welcome back to all our Daily Explorer readers and greetings to those of you who are joining us for the first time. To our regulars, many thanks for viewing our online publication and for giving us your feedback. Over 23,000 visitors have been to see our site since the beginning of 2008. For new readers, Ray has been living nomadically for nearly four years since he left England in November 2005. In that time, he has visited or lived in 15 countries and we have been publishing news and stories about his journey throughout that period. You can find all of these in our Previous Issues archive.

We always aim to maintain our high standards of journalism and presentation, so please keep sending us your comments and suggestions as to how we can improve what we are doing. You can use the comments box on this site, or email Ray (ray@thedailyexplorer.com) or ‘Mozzie’ or any of our correspondents at mozzie@thedailyexplorer.com

Our latest issue has been compiled for us by our Asian Health correspondent Me So Fit (above), who has been keeping an eye on Ray over the last six months as he prepares for his latest challenge – running in the New York Marathon on 1st November. Since our global nomad arrived in Chiang Mai to start training in mid April, he has clocked up well over 800 miles on the road and running track! In the last few weeks, he completed his second half-marathon (the River Kwai International) and has been battling a series of injuries which could potentially ruin his chances of running the New York marathon in his goal time of under four hours. The “Calling All Angels” fundraising campaign is going well and there is an exciting update from Ivana Getachek about Ray’s recent event in Chiang Mai, which was a runaway success. And as Ray departs Chiang Mai for New York and the big race, we take a brief look at some highlights from his recent social calendar.

In our last issue, Ray set a series of new ‘personal bests’ in his training, for both times and distances, as he progressed towards his goal of running the New York marathon. Me So Fit also revealed how Ray and Nikki celebrated their birthdays, whilst Ivana Getachek announced the original $6,500 target for Ray’s fundraising campaign was reached in just eight weeks. If you missed it, you can read more about it now at: Birthdays and Broken Records

Above: Our global traveller, who celebrated his 49th birthday a few weeks ago (left) is making good progress towards his goal – completing the gruelling 26.2 mile marathon course in New York on 1st November in under four hours – which he has undertaken to raise money for three worthy causes. Ray recently set a series of new ‘personal bests’ in his training, for both times and distances (right), whilst preparing for his big challenge. If you missed it, you can read it at: Birthdays and Broken Records

For the last few months, our global traveller has been in Chiang Mai and travelling has been the last thing on his mind. His intensive marathon training regime means that he exercises virtually every day and when the physical work is over, he gets on the telephone to inspire potential sponsors to add a few more dollars to the growing fund that has already been raised from his ambitious “Calling All Angels” campaign. “This programme has been quite relentless and soon, it will be all over” said Ray when I spoke to him on the phone. “The fundraising is going really well, my confidence and ability to complete the marathon is increasing with every week that passes and I am still on track for a four hour finish. I am due to participate in a couple of weeks in the River Kwai International half-marathon and if I can get a sub two hour finish in the race, it will be a powerful confirmation that I can achieve my goal time in New York” explained Ray. “In July, I ran my first half-marathon in just over two hours and my fitness has improved since then, so barring injuries, I expect to do quite well” he told me. “In the meantime, two of my dear friends from Ko Samui are visiting Chiang Mai and it will be great to take a break from all this for a couple of days while they are here” said our long distance runner.

Above: Chiang Mai – the ‘old city’ is surrounded by this wonderful tree lined moat – is a lovely place to visit, especially at this time of year

Below: James (left) and Susie (right) arrive from Ko Samui – “Nikki and I are really excited about their visit and cannot wait to show them around” said Ray. “We first met them in November 2006 and spent many wonderful days and nights on the terrace of their beach house. They are such good fun and Susie is a fantastic photographer – I am hoping to get some good pictures for The Daily Explorer” added our traveller

Above: The delightful Susie explores the services on offer at ”Supaporn Beauty”

Below: Ray (left) takes James and Susie for a ride in a ‘Songthaew’ – a cross between a bus and a taxi – and keeps an eye out for his favourite vegetarian restaurant – “This is a great city to invite friends to because the food on offer is fresh, abundant and absolutely marvellous value” said Ray. Nikki (right) readily agrees with him!

Above: Nikki and James look like they are up to something as they stop outside Wawee Coffee – one of Chiang Mai’s most popular institutions and a great place to hang out

Below: Susie gets Ray and Nikki to pose for her as she demonstrates her gift for creating great images from behind the camera lens

Above: Ray and Nikki invited James (left) and Susie to join them at their local, friendly Thai restaurant on their last night in town – chosen partly because the seats are actually giant rectangular holes cut into the floor (right) so your legs hang down through to the room below. There is a huge rectangular table placed over the top for food ……

Below: ….. and they also sell the very finest, freshly caught grilled fish in town, as James soon discovers!

Above: Anyone who visits Chiang Mai cannot possibly leave without experiencing a one hour head, back, neck and shoulder massage at the Sunday ‘Walking Street’ market on Ratchadamnoen Road – “It’s bloomin’ marvellous” says Susie

With a background in drama and performing, I found out from Nikki that Chiang Mai’s Gate Theatre Group were staging a production of Neil Simon’s box office hit, “The Odd Couple”. “Stephan Turner is a great actor and director” Nikki told me. “I have seen some of his work and am very impressed. He is directing this production and has lined up a marvellous cast. I am pretty sure the run will be sold out, which for Chiang Mai is really something special” she told me. 

In case you have not seen it, “The Odd Couple” traces the lives of two infamously mismatched roommates: Felix Ungar, a neurotic fusspot news writer and Oscar Madison, a slovenly sports journalist.  At his wife’s insistence, Felix is evicted from his home and abandoned on the doorstep of his childhood friend Oscar.  Deep down, he knows she has every right to kick him out, but he still harbors the hope of someday returning to her once so loving arms.  As fate would have it, Oscar likewise had been given the boot by Mrs. Madison requesting that he never return.  Can two new bachelors share an apartment without driving each other insane? “I really loved the show” said Ray. “It has been a long time since I saw the movie with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau and I remembered just how brilliant the script is. The laughs are just non-stop in this classic hit” said our runner.

Above: “The Odd Couple” was being performed at Kad Suan Kaew, a huge shopping centre with a theatre on the 7th floor. Whilst waiting for the performance to start, Nikki and friend Ellen Ward managed to uncover one of Chiang Mai’s best kept secrets (left) – a derelict roof area on top of the building giving one of the best views over the city and the mountains in the distance (right)

Below: ”The Odd Couple“ first premiered on Broadway in 1965 at the Plymouth Theatre in New York City. This performance marked the start of the fourth season for The Gate Theater, Chiang Mai’s only English language theatre group. Directed by the group’s founder, Stephan Turner, the side-splitting cast includes Robert Young as Murray, Ron Kasdan as Speed, Brian Brown as Roy and Roberto Toscano as Vinnie

Above: The hilarious play also starred Richard Childs as Felix and Brian Hubbard as Oscar (left) whilst Marisa Lianggamphai and Rachel Clair Morris played the Pigeon sisters (right)

When I spoke to Nikki after the performance, I discovered that she had been preparing an event of her own that would turn out to be quite a hit within the local ex-pat community. “Ever since I can remember, I have always loved ecstatic dancing and a lot of the friends I have made through my yoga connections feel the same” explained Nikki. “Up until now, there has not been anywhere in the city offering this kind of event, so I thought it would be great fun to organise something and see how much appetite there would be for it. Partly inspired by the work of Gabrielle Roth, the “SpiritMoves” event will facilitate people to express themselves through dance to five very contrasting styles of music. If it is successful, I hope it could become a regular event here” she told me.

Above and below: Nikki’s “SpiritMoves” event turned out to be very popular with people in Chiang Mai who want to dance their way to a connection with the spiritual. The facilitated practice focuses on putting the body in motion in order to still the mind. The five rhythms - flowing, staccato, chaos, lyrical and stillness - when danced in sequence, are known as a “wave.” A typical “wave” can take 45–90 minutes to dance, spending 10–20 minutes in each of the five rhythms in sequence. The dance is usually allowed to express itself with minimal instruction, with the teacher allowing the music (DJ’ed or live) to lead the pace of the class, or simply teaching by example

With just a few weeks left to go before the New York marathon, I was very keen to check in with Ray to find out how his training was going. “Everything seems to be on track at the moment, although for the first time since I started this adventure four or five months ago, I am starting to have some physical problems from the relentless pounding my lower body is sustaining” he told me. “My left hip has been very sore in the last week and no matter how much I stretch, the pain doesn’t seem to go away completely. I am having to get back out on the road to run again before my body has time to fully recover. In order to be able to run a sub four hour marathon, I have to complete a specified number of runs every week at speeds that are set out for me by my coach. If I relax on the schedule, which would help my body recover, I run the risk of not being fast enough to reach my goal time in the race. So the whole thing is becoming a bit of a balancing act at the moment which I have to monitor on a day by day basis” explained Ray. “My immediate challenge is to complete my second half-marathon (in a couple of days) in under two hours, so that I can be confident I am really capable of a four hour finish in New York. And as my body is not quite right, this could be quite a challenge – the first three or four miles of the River Kwai race are uphill!” exclaimed Ray.

The River Kwai race takes place just outside Kanchanaburi, a province which is about 150 kilometres away from Bangkok. “From Chiang Mai, the trip is a bit of a nightmare” said Ray. “To get there, I have to leave the day before the race and fly to Bangkok, then get a bus across the city which takes an hour to the southern bus terminal. From there, it is a two hour bus journey to the town of Kanchanaburi and from there, I will need to take one more bus for about an hour to reach the place where the race starts. In total, the journey will take 6-7 hours” said our dedicated runner. “The race starts at six in the morning so I am going the day before to make sure I reach the start in time. I have been to this part of the country before, in 2006 when I visited the world famous Bridge on the River Kwai, which had been on my personal ’bucket list’ of places to visit for many years” added Ray.

Above: The bus terminal at Suvarnabhumi Airport marks the start of Ray’s long journey to the River Kwai – “I noticed that the 550 bus goes to Happy Land, which is where I will be tomorrow if I manage a sub two hour time in the race” joked Ray

Below: “Going on this old, rickety bus made me remember how enjoyable my life on the road as a nomad has been over the last four years and how much I have been missing it while I have been training for the marathon” said our global traveller

Above: The countryside surrounding the River Kwai is quite spectacular (left) and the hotel where Ray stayed actually had a few rooms which were floating on pontoon’s on the river itself (right)

Below: The River Kwai International half-marathon race was very challenging for Ray – “Despite having pains in my left hip during the last six or seven miles (of thirteen), I was determined to run through it and register the fastest time I could” said our ambitious athlete

Above: Ray has really come a long way since April when his 26 week training programme began – “Back then, even contemplating a half-marathon seemed a bit absurd. Now, 13 miles feels like a ’short’ run” he told me. “It is just incredible how the human body adapts to what you need it to do, if you condition it in the right way”

Below: Result achieved! Ray returns to Chiang Mai triumphantly with his official half-marathon time – a blistering 1:59:46!

Above: You can see from Ray’s personal training log for September (which is stored at www.workoutlog.com) that he has been having quite serious problems with injuries and has had to miss several of his training runs – “I think the collective toll on my body is starting to tell” he told me. “I was only able to run/cycle 120 miles in September, compared to 184 miles in August and am hoping that it will not affect my performance too much” said Ray

Below: Maintaining a good diet has been a vital part of Ray’s conditioning for the race. Plenty of vegetables and pasta (left) as well as tons of fresh fruit (right) provide the carbohydrate energy that he needs for training – “Each of my twenty mile runs burns up around 2,000 calories” said our runner. “Like all marathon runners, I shall be ‘loading up’ with carbs for 2-3 days before the race in New York”

With a departure date for New York set for mid October, it had always been part of Ray’s plan to complete his six months of training by taking part in the Amari Watergate “Midnight Run” in Bangkok, which is a 12 kilometre race through the city held every year to raise money for charities. “Matt Campbell (my coach) has done the race a couple of times and we arranged to meet in Bangkok so we could do it together – a fitting way of saying goodbye to each other” explained Ray. “I have achieved so much more than I could ever have imagined in the last six months and I don’t think I could have done it without Matt’s support. He is a brilliant mentor and a very kind man too” added Ray.

Unfortunately, Ray was unable to take part in the race and had to settle for being a spectator for the first time. “It’s what we runners call a “bummer” of a situation!” joked Ray. A couple of days ago, I pulled up after five miles of a twenty mile run when my left calf tightened up so much, I couldn’t even walk. I have since discovered that I have suffered a grade two calf strain injury and the only recovery route is complete rest from training. With four weeks to go until the marathon, I am just hoping that I still have enough time for nature to do it’s work and for my body to heal. Of course, I am doing everything I can to help, including massage and stretching every day. The rest is really out of my hands” said our disappointed runner.

Above: With strong support from his coach, Matt Campbell, Ray has run over 800 miles (1,300 kilometres), completed two half-marthons and three 10 kilometre races during his six months of training in Asia. And he has amassed a serious collection of runners medals – “I don’t think our readers should get too excited” said Ray. “In Thailand, it seems that you are given a medal for taking part, which is kinda nice” he laughed

Below: Our disappointed runner arrived in Bangkok a few days ago and had to settle for some sightseeing and spectating instead of running. Despite radical treatment to recover from a calf strain, Ray’s left leg was far too swollen to take part in the city’s annual “Midnight Run” – “Of course it’s a shame” said Ray, who sent us this picture with his left leg in a bucket of ice (right), but the priority now is to get good treatment for this injury and try and keep my body working so that I can actually still take part” he explained. “If I am not careful, I run the risk of ending up with legs and feet like our friend in the picture (left)” he laughed

Above: This wonderful photograph of Bangkok at night, and the one above it on the left were both taken by Lesley Fisher from Ko Samui – “She is developing quite a talent behind the lens” said Ray, who is a personal friend and fan of her work

Below: Matt Campbell (right) tries to console Ray minutes before the start of the annual “Midnight Run” in Bangkok – “He has done so well in his training” said Matt. “I just hope that everything comes right for him for the big day. I am sure he will get a great result” added Matt

Above: Before any big race, runners pack in at the start line and wait for the gun -  “In Thailand, it is very humid and there is hardly any breeze so it can get very hot and sweaty waiting for the race to get going. And there were only about 3-4,000 runners for the Bangkok run – there will be over 40,000 in New York!” Ray told me

Below: “And they’re off!” For this years runners, the waiting is finally over and they hit the Bangkok streets on the stroke of midnight

Above: While Matt was sweating in the midnight heat, running his heart out, Ray decided to make use of the after-race massage facilities – “I thought I would sneak in before any of the runners crossed the finish line” said our injured runner

Below: Matt crosses the finish line a few minutes before 1 a.m. (left) and then joins Ray in the bar for a farewell drink (Editors Note: Because he is still in training, Ray’s drink is obviously non-alcoholic!)

With a day in Bangkok for some shopping, Ray and Nikki made the most of it before heading south to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia for their flight to London. “We plan to stop in London for a few days before heading to New York, mainly to see family and friends” explained Ray. “And we found a very cheap flight to the UK with Air Asia who have recently introduced a daily Kuala Lumpur – London (Stanstead) service. So tomorrow, we will take a short flight to KL and will have a day to explore the city as neither of us has been there before” said Ray. “But first, we are going to the vast MBK centre to buy a few small things to take back to England”.

Above: The cavernous MBK centre in central Bangkok has four floors the size of a small town and is packed with shops and stalls selling everything from carpets to clothing and movies to mobile phones at bargain prices, if you are good at haggling

Below: “Wait a moment” thinks a slightly confused Ray as he walks through Bangkok. “We are not supposed to be in New York (left) for a couple more weeks. Oh – it’s the name of this apartment building!” Twenty four hours later, Ray was making his first visit to Kuala Lumpur and exploring the streets of the Malaysian city (right)

Above: The mighty Petronas Twin Towers dominate the KL skyline and were the tallest buildings in the world until 2004

Below: Nikki explores the lake and gardens inside one of KL’s city parks

Above:  The park provides a great opportunity for the local kids to play in the water (left), whilst anyone with sight problems may not exactly rush to get help at this clinic (right)

Editors Note: Our thanks to Me So Fit for bringing us the latest update. Ray has now left Asia and will shortly arrive in New York City after a few days in London. Our guest correspondent Nick Elandimer, who is from the Big Apple, will be bringing us exclusive coverage of the race and other aspects of Ray’s visit in a few weeks time. Once more, I would also like to thank every single one of our readers who has made a donation to Ray’s Calling All Angels Marathon Fundraising Campaign. 

“Calling All Angels” Campaign Update

Above: Ivana Getachek, our “Calling All Angels” Fundraising Campaign Manager

Our global fundraising campaign has now been underway for about sixteen weeks and I am delighted to tell you that we have raised $13,644 so far, which means we have surpassed our target of $12,000! Like Mozzie Byte, I would also like to thank everybody who has contributed. Your gesture of kindness will be hugely appreciated by the people Ray is running for. I spoke to him as he arrived in London to find out his thoughts about the campaign. “Well Ivana, I am really gobsmacked that people have been willing to make donations, especially in these difficult economic times. There has been a lot of fantastic support for what we are trying to do and there has been a steady stream of donations which I thought would stop at some point. But they have continued throughout the campaign, which gives me the confidence to believe we can raise even more money. It feels as if we have the energy of a huge, global team of people behind us, which is an amazing feeling. And I will be starting the 26.2 mile race on 1st November knowing that we are creating over $500 for every single mile I run, which is truly incredible. A number of people I have spoken to personally have yet to make their donation. If you are one of those people, please help us by getting online now! All you have to do is click on the button below and have your credit card details ready. I hope people will forgive me for continuously banging the drum about this – I only have two weeks left to raise as much money as I can for these people and they really need our help. If our readers had seen first hand the amazing work they are doing to alleviate suffering, with such limited resources, I am certain they would feel exactly the same sense of passion and intention that I do” said Ray.

DONATE HERE NOW!

As we approach the marathon in New York on 1st November, full details of the amount raised will be published every week on Ray’s “Calling All Angels” campaign page. The campaign is a truly global endeavour. So far, we have received pledges or donations from people in 18 different countries. See how good your general knowledge is by looking at the flags below and seeing how many you can name!

Above: Ray’s Calling All Angels Campaign is a truly global endeavour – we have received donations or pledges of support from people in 18 different countries so far

A couple of days before his departure from Chiang Mai, Ray hosted a spectacular, sell-out fund raising evening for people there and I thought you might like to hear a little bit about it. Taking several weeks to plan, the event took place at a popular vegetarian restaurant called Taste from Heaven, chosen because of its close ties to the Elephant Nature Park and Foundation. “I was very pleased to be given exclusive use of the venue for an evening as it meant we could maximise the numbers of people attending and raise even more money for our fund” explained Ray. Once I knew we had the venue sorted, my main job was to generate some publicity and let the people of Chiang Mai know about it. Roy Fudge, who is the manager at Taste from Heaven helped me get some tickets printed and Nikki helped me spread news about the event through our ever expanding social network. The venue was big enough for about 70 people, which was our target but by the time we got to the day itself, we were sold out and there were about 75 people who came for what turned out to be a really magical evening” recalled Ray. The event raised over $500 for the fund, which is  a relatively huge amount for Chiang Mai and a great result for Ray and his team.

Above: Ray puts up one of a few posters at ’strategic’ locations in Chiang Mai to make sure everyone knows about his fundraising event – “Tickets went on sale for about five pounds, which included two free tickets for a prize winning raffle worth one pound each” said Ray. “We managed to persuade many local businesses to donate prizes to the raffle. In the end, we had over 50 prizes to give away worth well over a thousand pounds in value” he told me

Below: Ray got some valuable help from Libby Turnock, who just happens to be from New York and has been volunteering at the Elephant Nature Park – “She was great to work with” said Ray, “and she helped me craft a press release that I sent to the New York Times and other organisations in the media about my campaign. Although I wasn’t expecting anyone to grab the story, I thought something could happen if we put some energy out there” explained our optimistic fund raiser. “Libby will be joining us when we get to New York for the race, which I am delighted about” added Ray

Above: The Chiang Mai Mail were happy to run with a story about Ray’s event (left), which was taking place at the Taste from Heaven Restaurant (right) near Thapae Gate

Below: Ray (left, rear) greets one of his guests as people queue up to enjoy the amazing vegetarian buffet at Taste from Heaven (Photograph: Valerie Klein)

Above: Ray was fortunate to have two fabulous, glamorous assistants to present the prize winning raffle draw – Nikki Ashley (left) and Ellen Ward (right)

Below: Matt Campbell and his family enjoy the wonderful vegetarian food (left), whilst Ellen charms and encourages some guests (right) to purchase additional raffle tickets (Photograph: Valerie Klein)

Above: Ray warmly welcomes everybody who has come to the fundraiser and excitedly lets them know what treats are in store for them over the next 2-3 hours! (Photograph: Valerie Klein)

Below: Our intrepid traveller returned to the podium about an hour later to explain to the crowd gathered what had made him decide to take on the goal of running a marathon – “It was a decision I mulled over for quite a long time” he told everyone “and I wanted to let people know why it was important in terms of the impact the money we have raised will have. And most people were curious to hear more about what my training has been like” he told me (Photograph: Valerie Klein)

Above: The appearance of Lek Chailert (founder of the Elephant Nature Park and Foundation) was eagerly awaited by everyone who attended – “She had flown back to Thailand from Canada the previous day, so I was expecting Lek to join us for about fifteen minutes and then quietly depart” recalled Ray. “Not only did she stay for the entire evening, she was so excited about everyone who came that she invited every single person who attended, free of charge, to spend a day at the Elephant Nature Park (Photograph: Valerie Klein)

Below: (Left) Our two glamorous raffle hosts, Ellen (left) and Nikki (right) are joined by the charismatic Phoebe Campbell (centre) who did a great job announcing draw numbers and running prizes over to each of the winners. (Right) Two beautiful framed pictures of elephants in the park, taken by local photographer Peter Thomson, were donated for the raffle. Amazingly, each was won by one half of a very happy German couple (right)

Above: Chiang Mai Magazine publisher, City Now! sent one of their photographers to the event to capture some images for their social calender pages on the Internet. (Left) Nikki and Ray with Lek. (Right) From left to right, Armand, Gaston, Laurence and Jennie

Below: The Campbell family did very well in the raffle, scooping several prizes, but there was a fair amount of disagreement amongst the family members when it came to guessing the right answer for the “Spot the Ball” competition (left). Meanwhile, Australian Kat Quinlan and Jo Ibbett from the UK had a wonderful evening

That’s about it for now until after the New York Marathon, which we will be featuring in our next issue. If anyone would like to ask Ray about his training or fundraising, or would like his help with travel plans, you can send an email to ray@thedailyexplorer.com or to me at mozzie@thedailyexplorer.com. If you would like to have a chat with me, Ray or anyone on The Daily Explorer team about any aspect of the campaign, let me know and I will have them contact you. If you have not seen it yet, please take five minutes out of your day to find out what the “Calling All Angels” campaign is all about. And if you feel inspired, please make a donation! It doesn’t matter how much – really it doesn’t – every little bit helps. Together, we could really make such a huge difference. If you would like to talk to Ivana, you can reach her anytime at ivana@thedailyexplorer.comWe always aim to maintain our high standards of journalism and presentation, so please keep sending us your comments and suggestions as to how we can improve what we are doing. You can use the comments box on this site, or email Ray or ‘Mozzie’ or any of our correspondents. We will keep you posted!

MOZZIE BYTE

Chiang Mai, Thailand: September 2009

MOZZIE BYTE (Editor): A warm welcome back to all our Daily Explorer readers and greetings to those of you who are joining us for the first time. To our regulars, many thanks for viewing our online publication and for giving us your feedback. Over 20,000 visitors have been to see our site since our re-launch at the beginning of 2008. For new readers, Ray has been living nomadically for nearly four years since he left England in November 2005. In that time, he has visited or lived in 15 countries and we have been publishing news and stories about his journey throughout that period. You can find all of these in our Previous Issues archive.

We always aim to maintain our high standards of journalism and presentation, so please keep sending us your comments and suggestions as to how we can improve what we are doing. You can use the comments box on this site, or email Ray (ray@thedailyexplorer.com) or ‘Mozzie’ or any of our correspondents at mozzie@thedailyexplorer.com

Our lastest issue has been compiled for us by our Asian Health correspondent Me So Fit (above), who has been keeping an eye on Ray during the preparation for his latest challenge – running in the New York Marathon on 1st November. Our global nomad arrived in Chiang Mai to start his marathon training in mid April. Since then, he has clocked up nearly 700 miles on the road and track – and has replaced his first (worn out) pair of running shoes! In the last few weeks, he has constantly set new personal bests for both times and distances as he works towards his goal of running the marathon in under four hours. Me So Fit also reveals how Ray and Nikki celebrated their recent birthday’s and there is an exciting update from Ivana Getachek as the target for Ray’s “Calling All Angels” fundraising campaign is reached in just eight weeks. Last but not least, we have responded to comments from some of our readers and upgraded our web site – more about that later.

In our last issue, Ray accomplished a huge milestone in his training by completing the first of two half marathon races in Pattaya, Thailand, following a brief visit to the southern gulf island of Ko Samui. And there was a ‘visa’ run to Myanmar (formerly Burma). If you missed it, you can read more about it now at: On Track in Pattaya

Above: The Daily Explorer provided news and pictures for an exclusive feature in Runners World in August. Ray was in action in Pattaya as he completed his first ever half marathon race in 2:00:58 seconds! The result means our global traveller is making good progress towards his ultimate goal – completing the gruelling 26.2 mile course in New York on 1st November in under four hours – which he has undertaken to raise money for three worthy causes. If you missed it, you can read it at: On Track in Pattaya

For the last few months, our global traveller has been in Chiang Mai and travelling has been the last thing on his mind. His intensive marathon training regime means that he exercises virtually every day and when the physical work is over, he gets on the telephone to inspire potential sponsors to add a few more dollars to the growing fund that has already been raised from his ambitious “Calling All Angels” campaign. “I guess I am lucky to get at least one full day every week when I do not have to train, and sometimes two” he told me. “When I first arrived here, my coach Matt Campbell told me that we would spend ten weeks working on building endurance (to run long distances) and then fourteen weeks improving speed, power and overall performance to ensure I will be able to achieve my four hour goal time when I complete the New York marathon” recalled Ray. “But I do not want to mislead our readers and have them think that running and fundraising are the only things I do here, as it is not entirely true” revealed our budding athlete. “In this part of the world, there are many different experiences on offer and Nikki and I have been trying out a few of them, especially as both of our birthdays took place in August within six days of each other” added Ray. 

Above: Ray has been in Chiang Mai (circled) since April this year as he prepares himself to run the New York marathon on 1st November, but there are many different experiences on offer in this part of the world …..

Below: …… and Thai massage is only one of them – “It is definitely one of my favourites” said Nikki, who was pictured here relaxing during one of her regular one hour treatments. “We really appreciate the quality of life we have here” she told me. “Thai massage costs around £2.50 per hour and is something we could never indulge in on a regular basis in London. And it really supports Ray’s programme of training and helps take away most of the aches and pains that he gets as a result of all the running he does” explained Nikki  

Above: Anyone for Thai? One thing that has really helped our traveller to integrate well into the local community is being able to speak the language – “I have picked up the odd words and phrases here and there but have felt frustrated recently by my very limited vocabulary” he told me. “I came across a freelance teacher called Kanchana (above, left)  who I have met for a couple of one hour teaching sessions over coffee, which has already made a big difference to my ability and confidence. I like the language very much and am determined to function with it much better” he added

With their birthday’s only six days apart, Nikki and Ray were both born under the sign of Leo. I asked Ray how significant this particular occasion was this year and what plans he had for making the most of his special day. “It is quite significant with regard to the marathon, simply because it has been one of my dreams for a long time to complete one before I reach the age of 50 and this is my 49th birthday” he told me, “so all things being equal , I should be able to fulfill that dream. It is quite ironic that my running coach has entered me for a “mini-marthon” race (10.5 kilometres) on the morning of my birthday – it will certainly enable me to remember the day in years to come” added Ray. “Actually, it is a great opportunity for me to find out how much progress I have made since I ran my first 10 kilometre race in Chiang Mai back in May as I know I am running quite a bit faster now over this distance” (for UK readers, it is about six miles, or a quarter-marathon).

Above: Ray set his alarm for 4.30 a.m. on his birthday to get up for the start of his second mini-marathon race in Chiang Mai since he started training. Nikki (left) stayed at home to prepare breakfast and some other little treats for Ray, who returned with his race medal (right) around 7.30 a.m. to enjoy the rest of his birthday – “The race worked out really well for me” said our birthday boy. “I felt much stronger and fitter than I did back in May and have taken over two minutes off my overall time, by setting myself a faster race pace and by finishing with an all out burst of speed towards the end” he told me, as he got ready to open one or two birthday cards and eat a bowl of Nikki’s famously good muesli with fruit and natural yoghurt – so healthy!

Below: Being a nomad means Ray is unlikely to receive many traditional birthday cards as people wouldn’t know where to send them! But since the arrival of social networking sites like Facebook, the traditional card is rapidly being replaced with a new kind of electronic messaging – “I have accumulated quite a few Facebook friends over the last couple of years and I was really surprised at how many of them got in touch – and quite delighted” added Ray. People who sent messages included (from left to right): Patrick Meijer (Ko Tao, Thailand), Sara Mabelis (Mae Sot, Thailand), Charly Fitzpatrick (UK) and Divert Lahn-Johannessen (Norway) – “I am very lucky to have met such wonderful people from all over the world” beamed Ray (Pictures from Facebook)

So what else did our birthday boy have planned? “Well Me So, although Nikki and I have been coming to Chiang Mai for three years or so, we have never visited Doi Inthanon National Park, known as the ‘Roof of the World’ in Thailand as it is home to the country’s highest mountain (at 2,565 meters)” said Ray. “About 70 kilometres from the city, we rented a car for the weekend and booked a room in a nearby resort so that we could spend the day exploring the area and stay overnight. We had been told by many people that the views from the summit of Doi Inthanon were really spectacular but had also been warned that this was not a good time of year to be going as the period with best visibility occurs later in the year, from November – February. So we kept our fingers crossed for some luck with the weather and set off” recalled Ray.

Above: Unfortunately for our two birthday travellers, the good weather they were hoping for at Doi Inthanon did not materialise! Nikki stands at the summit and comes face to face with a solid wall of fog, totally obscuring the views of the surrounding countryside – “Ah well” said Nikki, “it just means we are going to have to come back another time”

Below: Nikki gets out of the car to take a closer look at the blue and white sign which confirms they have found the highest spot in Thailand (left). About ten minutes later, her and Ray found another sign a little bit higher up declaring that spot as the highest in the country! (right) – “Maybe there are two highest spots, one for each of us on our birthdays” joked Nikki 

For readers interested in the geology of Doi Inthanon, the doi (mountain) is largely a granite batholith intruding a southerly extension of the Shan Hills range and forming the divide between the Nam Mae Ping river to the east and the Nam Mae Chaem river to the west. Lower elevations in the most easterly part of the park are limestone formations and contain a number of caves. Formerly known as Doi Angka, the mountain now bears (since 1899) a shortened version of the name of Chiang Mai’s last sovereign, King Inthawichayanon. During his reign, he had, with great foresight, expressed his concern for the forests of the northern hill country as the watershed for all of central Thailand. The modern study of rain forest hydrology has borne out his early convictions and given substance to Thai folklore which describes this hill region as the home of the Phiphannam, the ’spirit who shares water’. Before the King died near the turn of this century, he commanded that his remains be placed at the top of this mountain: his ashes at the summit stupa are visited by thousands of people each year.

The park covers an area of 48,240 ha. Its lowlands below 800 meters in elevation are warm and very dry during the rain-free season, but the summit of Doi Inthanon has a climate more like Canada than Thailand. The temperature has been known to drop as low as -8 degrees C. At any season, Doi Inthanon is a comfortable reprieve from the heat of the lowlands. At altitudes above 1,000 metres, rainfall exceeds 2,500 mm, considerably more than at nearby Chiang Mai. Even in the dry season, November to April, there is rare but occasional rain, or the summit may be shrouded in cloud for a part of the day; persistent mist is an important factor in the maintenance of the moist forest there.

Above: Because of its elevation, there is constant rainfall in the forests which surround Doi Inthanon, producing dense, lush vegetation as Nikki discovers

Below: Ray and Nikki explore one of the many nature trails in the park and discover they have quite different ideas regarding what nature can teach us about harmonious relationships!

Above: Irrespective of the weather, the Doi Inthanon National Park is a spectacular place to visit. Nikki stops for a moment to take in the sounds, aroma’s and atmosphere in the rain forest (left) and later on, at Mae Ya – “We discovered that Mae Ya is thought to be the highest waterfall in Thailand and was well worth the extra effort it took us to get here” said Ray. “Park officials estimate that the Mae Ya River plunges more than 250 metres at this point. It is a beautiful, fanning cascade, dropping down an ever-widening series of steps over 30 tiers and without a doubt, a photographic favourite” added Ray, who sent us this wonderful shot of Nikki in awe of this natural beauty spot (right)

Below: The rainy season in Chiang Mai is in full swing. If you would like to get an idea of what the rain there sounds like, watch this amazing video clip which was sent to us by Tony Barton, from Birmingham, England

The “Care for Dogs” Home is just outside Chiang Mai and Ray had scheduled a stop there on the way back from Doi Inthanon, to find out more about the fabulous work they are doing there. “I met a couple of people who work there over a year ago and was very inspired by what they told me” said Ray. “I made a promise to make the half hour journey out of the city to come and see their home and this was a perfect opportunity. Co-incidentally, I was due to attend a birthday party the following weekend where guests were being asked to make a donation to “Care for Dogs” so I really wanted to know what I would be contributing to” he explained.

Above: The rice fields near Samoeng provide an idyllic location for the Care for Dogs Home

Dog care is an enormous problem in Chiang Mai, not to mention the rest of Thailand. Puppy’s are typically born fluffy, cute, playful and a little bundle of happiness to have around, but animal welfare does not seem to feature high on peoples agendas and there are just far too many puppies. There are positive examples of dedicated local dog lovers who look after their own or even homeless dogs very well, but sadly there are also many cases of animal neglect.

The saleable commodities of little bundles of pedigree fluff at pet markets – often bred and kept in appalling conditions – is sad but a reality. “In Thailand, safety and common sense practices are disregarded. Everyday you can see four people riding a motor bike with the poodle, or similar toy dog, leaning on the handle bar resting it’s feet on the riders knees” said Ray. “Sometimes there’s even an umbrella opened above the drivers head too. Larger dogs that do not appear in pedigree book pictures are not readily accepted as a pet or family dog, though His Majesty King Bhumibol of Thailand, has set an example by adopting homeless dogs and encouraged others to do the same and has even published books and videos of his favourite dog “Tongdaeng”. But still, many households consider a “Thai dog” as ideal to live in their garden as a guard dog or outside their home, whilst the pedigree or toy dogs live inside the house” explained our traveller.

“Homeless dogs are largely responsible for the mass of puppies found wandering looking for food and shelter but family “latch key” dogs are possibly equally responsible. These dogs are often not sterilised and if puppies are born from family dogs, more often than not, the majority are dumped at a temple or other public place rather than found a home with a friend or neighbour. If people know the Care for Dogs shelter, they sometimes try to anonymously dump a white rice sack full of fluffy bundles at the gate” said our saddened visitor.

Above: Nikki wanders around inside the Care for Dogs Home (left) and meets some of the residents. Meanwhile, Ray immediately attracts a canine fan club of his own (right) – “The people who run the home explained how much they like it when visitors come, because many of the animals here suffered cruelty at the hands of their former owners and have become anti-social or are simply too frightened of human beings. Visitors who are prepared to come and just hang out with the dogs and show them affection helps to restore their trust and confidence and means that they have a better chance of adoption by new owners” explained Ray

In Chiang Mai, there are many “no hope” dogs on the streets and if you visit markets, shop car parks or other public amenity areas where there might be food during early morning or evening, you will see them hanging around looking for something to eat. When dumped at temples, they fight for their lives and if they survive without being eaten or managing to find some food of their own, they will join the masses. These place are not picture post card tropical rest homes but sad and dreary, pitiful places. Some temples have literally hundreds of animals and it is not because monks particularly like dogs, but because they get overwhelmed by dumped dogs from irresponsible owners. Some in fact want to move dogs out from the temples by any means possible.

Despite a regular rate of adoptions, the numbers of residents at the shelter remains high due to the Care for Dogs team effort to find homes for dumped puppies, rather than see them starve and die on the streets or just become one of the many thousands living a life of no hope. The current budget and space at the shelter allows for the housing of approximately 80 dogs (young & old) at any one time. The shelter could have hundreds of animals if all the dogs offered were accepted, so the team tries hard to concentrate on the most urgent cases. Some dogs come to the shelter for sterilisation or treatment and leave again. Some are brought to the shelter in order to advertise them for adoption and some are rescued from imminent danger of being killed.

Above: Love at first sight? One of the dogs takes a special interest in our traveller – “It was quite heartbreaking being there” said Ray. “If I had a permanent home, I would definitely consider adopting one of them. The dog in the picture stuck to me like glue and let me know in no uncertain terms that he would like me to take him away from the place and even stood crying at the fence when we eventually had to leave” he told me

Some dogs enter the shelter in a sad condition for many different reasons. Some are hit by cars or motorbikes, run over whilst asleep under the car or even asleep at the side of the road. Often, someone who came across a dog in terrible agony after an accident will take the animal to Care for Dogs for help. “Illness and injury from disease (e.g. distemper or parvo virus) and the consequence of living rough on the streets can often kill a dog” Ray told me. ”Afflictions such as nerve damage, broken bones resetting out of place, open wounds putrefying and a list of other conditions lead to dogs living shorter lives. Dying sooner in some cases would seem to be a kinder release for them” he said. “When Care for Dogs becomes aware of any dog living with a health condition that could be improved with proper care, in the first instance they try to help the dog either by showing caring people in the area how to give medication, whilst the dog lives at its found home (e.g. a temple or car park). However, when they come across a dog who is living with a serious condition, they will rescue the dog to the shelter and provide the care required. Sadly, quite a high number of the dogs “in for treatment” (the Outpatient department) are neglected owner dogs” explained Ray.

Above: Ray and his new friends get to know each other – “I will definitely go back ” he told me

Returning to Chiang Mai after his weekend away, our traveller swiftly finalised arrangements for a couple of things he had set up for Nikki on her birthday, which is five days after his. ”As we are budget travellers, we always say to each other (and tacitly agree) that we will not buy presents for each other, especially as we have nowhere to store anything. But inevitably, we end up breaking our agreement” he admitted. “Nikki does so much for me and others in Chiang Mai that I feel she deserves a bit of pampering and acknowledgement on her birthday, so I like to organise a couple of experiences for her. I know she loves any form of massage, so I planned to take her to breakfast at one of the nicer guest houses in town, followed by a one hour facial and shoulder massage. But first, Nikki insisted on stopping at Wat Phra Singh to pay her respects to Buddha. “As I live in a Buddhist country, I feel it is important to express gratitude for the life I have and through my growing understanding of Buddhism, the quality of my life is improving” she told me. “It was also lovely to spend some time in the quiet contemplative atmosphere inside the temple and think about the year ahead” she added.

Above: First stop on Nikki’s birthday was the Buddhist Temple at Wat Phra Singh, located in the western part of the old city. The main entrance, which is guarded by Singhs (lions), is situated at the end of the main street (Rachadamnoen road)

Below: The next stop was the Villa Duang Champa, a trendy boutique hotel which serves a rather nice English breakfast in their very pretty little garden adjoining the hotel – “We love Thai food and eat loads of it, which is very cheap compared to Western fare” said Ray. “But birthdays are a perfect opportunity to blow the budget a little and enjoy toast, eggs, beans and all things English for a change” he told me. “Nikki loves to read about what is happening locally and she had the latest issue of City Life to pour over as she relaxed after breakfast and prepared herself for her beauty treatment” recalled Ray

Above: The Villa Duang Champa has its own small, wooden day spa adjoining the hotel (left) and Nikki had no trouble in placing herself completely in the capable hands of her therapist (right)

Below: “Oh Madam – your shoulders seem very tense” says her therapist (left). “Let me see if I can loosen them up a bit for you” (right)

Above: “Ah… thats better!” says Nikki as she prepares to enjoy the rest of her special day

Below: Ray also arranged a surprise for Nikki – a 90 minute Transformational Astrology session with Australian healer, Robert Quinlan (right) – “The path I am on feels right and my chart seems to confirm it” said Nikki afterwards

August also provided an opportunity for Nikki to join in with some rather colourful celebrations staged for the 35th birthday party of her friend Svapna (also known as ‘Jennie’) at the Shangri-La Hotel in Chiang Mai. I asked Nikki to tell me more about the background to the event. “Svapna is from Holland, although she is from a family that is of Indian origin and Indian dancing is something that always fascinated her as a young child” said Nikki. 

I managed to contact Svapna and ask her about her preparations for the party. “When I was growing up, I used to watch Indian dancing and was totally enchanted - I used to dream that one day I would be able to dance like this myself in a group. As the years went by, I started to believe that I was too old to give it a go and put it to the back of my mind” she told me. “Then I met Nikki, who told me about some Indian dance classes at one of the local studios in Chiang Mai and went for a couple of lessons, which was enough to-reignite my passion for it. I then studied many videos on You Tube to observe Indian dance moves and then decided that my 35th birthday was the perfect opportunity to live my dream and dance publicly for the very first time!” added a very excited Svapna. “To make it happen, I needed to create a group of women to dance with – six plus me, making seven in total. I chose that number out of respect for the seven ancient goddesses who have been my guides during this transition in my life. My personal favourite is Lakshmi, so I decided to create my own ‘candle dance’ and dedicate it to her” explained Svapna.

Nikki was recruited to the women’s dance group, along with five other willing participants, who were all dressed in different colours, with Svapna at the centre. “Svapna is so creative – she choreographed the entire dance sequence herself and organised a couple of rehearsals for us so we had a few hours in the two weeks leading up to the party to perfect our moves” Nikki told me. “And she wanted us to have the most beautiful costumes – she bought material for Sari’s from India which I and the others had to take to a local tailor to be measured and fitted for the top and underskirt. And the tailors were at the hotel on the night of the party itself to help us put our Sari’s on properly” she recalled.

Above: Nikki chose the only Indian outfit she had to go to Svapna’s party – a Punjabi dress which she had made at Sai Baba’s ashram on a previous visit to India (left). Svapna, also known as Jennie, in her beautiful Sari gets ready to perform her ‘dream’ dance with her group of women friends at the Shangri-La Hotel – “She is a fantastic teacher which made it really easy for us to learn the routine” said Nikki. “The spirit of the party was amazing too - Svapna asked her guests to make donations to the Care for Dogs Home (see above) rather than give her personal birthday gifts” added Nikki

Below: “Wearing a Sari gives me a wonderful experience of my femininity- I felt like a Princess” said Nikki (left) as one of the tailors helped her dress in the outfit. Her friend Steve Epstein (right) was very impressed with Nikki’s costume

Above: Inspired by Svapna’s ‘Seven Goddesses’, the women line up in their beautiful costumes, with Svapna in the centre, behind Nikki – “It was a really special treat to dance with this group of women, who are people I know and it was great fun too. We had to be very careful not to set our Sari’s alight with our candles!” Nikki told me

Below: (left) Nikki and Erin Palmer (green Sari) follow Soraya (in orange) in a final warm-up practise before the guests arrive. After the dance was over, Svapna fulfilled another one of her dreams and gave everyone a stunning solo performance of a big Bollywood dance number, much to the delight of her friends gathered – “I just love seeing people live their dreams” said Ray

Ray’s relentless marathon training programme continued throughout August with our new long distance runner clocking up no less than 180 miles during the 31 day period. “This has definitely been the most difficult month so far” Ray told me. “The main reason is that I am determined to complete the marathon in under four hours, which is a relatively fast time for a first marathon and for someone of my age” explained Ray. “My maximum heartrate (which is a function of age) is pre-determined and no matter how much I train, I cannot increase it. So that means I have to train my body to run faster at lower levels of stress, which requires constantly pushing myself to my physical limits until my body gets used to it and settles down with it. Basically, this means I am perpetually training in a semi-fatigued state and usually craving a few days off” admitted Ray.

I also spoke to Matt Campbell, Ray’s marathon mentor, to find out how our traveller was coping with the challenge of becoming a long distance runner. “He is doing well” said Matt. “When I looked at his performance data on his long runs at the end of July, he was definitely running comfortably at a pace that would deliver a time of 4 hours and 15 minutes for the marathon, so not far off his goal time with a few weeks left to go. At the mini-marathon he ran on his birthday (see above), I asked him to follow a race plan that required a pace of 8:50 mins per mile over six miles (a four hour marathon requires a pace of 9:09 mins per mile over 26 miles)” he explained. “Not only did he do what I asked of him, he actually ran even faster and looked in great shape doing it. His finish time of 53 minutes for the ten kilometres predicts a marathon time of 4:08:13 so we are definitely getting there. At the point of maximum exertion, Ray’s heart rate only peaked at 167 beats per minute, or 95.87% of his maximum feasible heart rate - which means he can definitely run faster as there is plenty more left in the tank. I really think a sub four hour marathon is very achievable and his ability to control his pace will hold him in good stead” added his encouraging coach.

Above: Ray has now clocked up nearly 700 miles on the road and track since he arrived in Chiang Mai to start training - and he has replaced his first (worn out) pair of running shoes! In the last few weeks, he has constantly set new personal bests for both times and distances as he works towards his goal of running the marathon in under four hours. If you would like to know what your own maximum heart rate is, then take a look at the Brian Mac website and enter your details. It will instantly compute it for you

Below: Ray’s current 14 week marathon training programme is the third of three phases of training – “This phase is all about building speed and power and making sure I can last the distance” said Ray. “I do three runs every week; one long run for endurance (18-20 miles), one for speed (made of repeated intervals of 0.5 – 1.0 miles which are sprints) on the treadmill and one ‘Tempo’ run which is usually 6-8 miles at a semi-fast pace that conditions my body towards the 9:09 mins per mile pace I will need to maintain throughout the 26 miles of marathon in New York” said Ray. On the two days I am not running, I am in the gym doing upper body strength work with weights and cycling or swimming. If I am lucky, I get a rest at the weekend!” he told me

Above: For those readers interested in Ray’s progress, look at his training schedule for August. He set a new personal best over 10 kilometres on 1st August of 53.00 minutes, set new record distances on 7th, 14th and 21st August and beat his best 18 mile time (set on 14th) by over 11 minutes when he ran the distance again on 31st August! Ray stores his performance data online at www.workoutlog.com which is free to use

Editors Note: Our thanks to Me So Fit for bringing us the latest update from Chiang Mai. Ray is just about to leave for a couple of days to take part in his second competitive half-marathon race in Kanchanburi, which is the location of the famous bridge on the River Kwai. The race is Thailand’s oldest half-marathon and attracts many entrants because the first half of the thirteen mile course is almost entirely uphill! We will let you know how he got on, plus give you an update on the rest of the news from Chiang Mai in our next issue. I would also like to thank every single one of our readers who has made a donation to Ray’s Calling All Angels Marathon Fundraising Campaign. Ivana Getachek has an exciting update for us (see below).

In the last couple of months, we have responded to feedback from some of our readers who wanted easier access to previous issues, including those written in our sister publication, The Daily Lama, from 2005-7. I am delighted to let you know that along with our new Home Page, we now have a comprehensive archive available with a thumbnail photo and three line description for every issue we have published to date. Please take a moment to check it out and please let us have your comments. 

Above: Our new look Home Page ….

Below: And our Previous Issues section (left), which includes the entire collection from The Daily Lama (right)

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Update on Ray’s Calling All Angels Campaign

Above: Ivana Getachek, our “Calling All Angels” Fundraising Campaign Manager

Our campaign has now been underway for about nine weeks and I am delighted to tell you that we have raised $7,612 so far, which means we have surpassed our target of $6,500! Like Mozzie Byte, I would also like to thank everybody who has contributed. Your gesture of kindness will be hugely appreciated by the people Ray is running for. I spoke to our runner between training sessions to find out his thoughts about the campaign. “Well Ivana, I am really gobsmacked that people have been willing to make donations, especially in these difficult economic times. There seems to be a lot of support for what we are trying to do and there has been a steady stream of donations which I thought would stop at some point. But they have continued throughout the campaign, which gives me the confidence to know we can raise even more money. So I have raised our target to $12,000. It feels as if we have the energy of a huge, global team of people behind us, which is an amazing feeling to have. There are a number of people I have spoken to personally who have said they would like to donate, which is great. If you are one of those people, please help us get one step closer to our goal and make your donation now! All you have to do is click on the button below and have your credit card details ready. I hope people will forgive me for continuously banging the drum about this – I only have a few weeks left to raise as much money as I can for these people and they really need our help. If our readers had seen first hand the amazing work they are doing to alleviate suffering, with such limited resources, I am certain they would feel exactly the same sense of passion and intention that I do” said Ray.

DONATE HERE NOW!

As we approach the marathon in New York on 1st November, full details of the amount raised will be published every week on Ray’s “Calling All Angels” campaign page. The project is a truly global endeavour. So far, we have received pledges or donations from people in 18 different countries. See how good your general knowledge is by looking at the flags below and seeing how many you can name!

Above: Ray’s Calling All Angels Campaign is a truly global endeavour – we have received donations or pledges of support from people in 18 different countries so far

Below: I would like to thank one of our readers for her outstanding efforts on the fundraising front – Hetty Martin (Ray’s mum) from Welwyn Garden City in England. She has been talking to many people about the campaign and inspiring them to make donations. We really appreciate the tremendous work she is doing and the support she is giving us. She is pictured here on the phone to one of her friends, enthusiastically telling them about what Ray is doing!

That’s about it for now. As usual, Me So Fit will be keeping us all in the picture with regular updates. If anyone would like to ask Ray about his training or fundraising, or would like his help with travel plans, you can send an email to ray@thedailyexplorer.com or to me at mozzie@thedailyexplorer.com

If you would like to have a chat with me, Ray or anyone on The Daily Explorer team about any aspect of the campaign, let me know and I will have them contact you. If you have not seen it yet, please take five minutes out of your day to find out what the “Calling All Angels” campaign is all about. And if you feel inspired, please make a donation! It doesn’t matter how much – really it doesn’t – every little bit helps. Together, we could really make such a huge difference. If you would like to talk to Ivana, you can reach her anytime at ivana@thedailyexplorer.com

We always aim to maintain our high standards of journalism and presentation, so please keep sending us your comments and suggestions as to how we can improve what we are doing. You can use the comments box on this site, or email Ray or ‘Mozzie’ or any of our correspondents. We will keep you posted!

MOZZIE BYTE

Above: Nikki can hardly contain her excitement as an email arrives to confirm that she has a VIP seat (provided by race sponsor ING) reserved at the finish line in New York on 1st November!

Below: A huge welcome to the world to William Bentley, who arrived at 10.20 a.m. on Friday 14th August. His parents, Scanes and Sarah, are avid supporters of Ray and regular readers of The Daily Explorer. Congratulations to them from everyone on our team!

Chiang Mai, Thailand: July 2009

MOZZIE BYTE (Editor): A warm welcome back to all our Daily Explorer readers and greetings to those of you who are joining us for the first time. To our regulars, many thanks for viewing our online publication and for giving us your feedback. Over 18,000 visitors have been to see our site since our re-launch at the beginning of 2008. For new readers, Ray has been living nomadically for nearly four years since he left England in November 2005. In that time, he has visited or lived in 15 countries and we have been publishing news and stories about him throughout that period. If you would like to know more about what’s in our archives, check out some of our Previous Issues.

We always aim to maintain our high standards of journalism and presentation, so please keep sending us your comments and suggestions as to how we can improve what we are doing. You can use the comments box on this site, or email Ray (ray@thedailyexplorer.com) or ‘Mozzie’ or any of our correspondents at mozzie@thedailyexplorer.com

Our lastest issue has been compiled for us by our Asian Health correspondent Me So Fit, who has been keeping an eye on Ray during the preparation for his latest challenge – running in the New York Marathon on 1st November. Our global nomad has just completed the first of two half marathon races in Pattaya, Thailand during his build up to the big race, following a brief visit to the southern gulf island of Ko Samui. Me So Fit also finds out about Ray’s ‘visa’ run to Myanmar (formerly Burma) and we get an update on Ray’s “Calling All Angels” marathon fundraising campaign from Ivana Getachek. Ray arrived in Chiang Mai to start his marathon training in mid April. Since then, he has clocked up just over 500 miles of running – and has nearly worn out his first pair of running shoes! 

Above: Our Health correspondent Me So Fit has all of the news and pictures from Ray’s first ever half-marathon race in Pattaya, exclusively in this issue of The Daily Explorer….

In our last issue, our global adventurer improved his photographic skills when he took part in a novel afternoon workshop in Chiang Mai’s Sunday Walking Street market. And in his training, he also completed the half-marathon distance of 13.1 miles for the first time ever, in preparation for his race in Pattaya. If you missed it, you can read more about it now at: Half Marathon Man

Above: 42 years ago, our global traveller was giving it his all in a Tarzan competition (left) and he has recently been doing the same again as he trains to run a marathon for the first time in his life (right). In our last issue, Me So Fit caught up with Ray during his programme as our global traveller made good progress towards his goal of being able to complete the gruelling 26.2 mile course in New York on 1st November, which he is doing to raise money for three worthy causes. If you missed it, you can read it at: Half Marathon Man 

For travellers or regular visitors who wish to remain in Thailand for months rather than weeks, ‘Border’ or ‘Visa’ runs have become an irritating but necessary requirement for foreigners. I caught up with Ray and Nikki just before they were setting off for a two week trip south to the island of Ko Samui, only to discover that they were first going to hop northwards to the Burmese border to get up to date stamps in their passports. “These border runs are a real pain in the butt” said Ray. “None of the ‘Farang’ (westerners) here can understand why the authorities require you to go to a border when there is an immigration office in every city, including Chiang Mai. I would be happy to pay an additional fee, equivalent to or even slightly more than the travel cost of going to the border, just to save the eight or nine hours it takes to get there and back” he told me.

Above: Because Chiang Mai is in northern Thailand (circled, lower), the nearest border is with Myanmar at Mae Sai (also circled, upper). It is about 160 kilometres each way and by the time you have stopped and got your new stamp for three months, it takes a whole day to get there and back by bus

So what do you do when you get to the border? “Well Me So, it depends how much time you have” said Ray. “Some people might go travelling for a couple of weeks and then return when they are done. Others may just spend a few hours and do a bit of shopping or sight-seeing. Nikki and I had so many things going on in Chiang Mai, we elected to get the first bus back that we could, so ended up spending about 30 minutes inside Myanmar and then another hour or so having a meal in Mae Sai before going back on our bus” he recalled. “In the past, I have been very lucky with my visits to Thailand, timing my trips into other Asian countries to co-incide with the expiration of my 90 day stamp. There was only one previous occasion in March 2006 when Nikki and I went for a two day trip to Penang in Malaysia, mainly so that we could get four more months worth of new stamps in our passports” he added. “The bus journey on these border runs is so horrid, in future we might treat this situation as an opportunity to fly somewhere interesting for a weekend. After all, there are plenty of cheap flights from Bangkok to cities all over Asia and beyond” said Ray.

Above: Even though they have one year Thai visa’s issued in the UK, to comply with Immigration Law in Thailand, Ray and Nikki have to go to a border every 90 days and get a new stamp in their passports. From Chiang Mai, this usually means catching the Express Bus from Arcade Bus Station (left) and walking across the border at Mae Sai into Myanmar so that they have ‘exited’ the country. They can then come back across the Thai border and get the new stamp (right), which keeps everyone happy! The bus ride there and back and the stamp costs about twenty pounds

Below: Nikki enters Myanmar for the second time (she has been to the border on a previous occasion) – “It is a country that I would like to go and explore properly at some stage” said Nikki. “But for now, I will have to make do with exploring the inside of the Burmese border patrol office” she laughed

Returning to Chiang Mai with freshly stamped passports, our two travellers promptly departed again – this time, they were on their way south to the island of Ko Samui. I asked Ray why they were returning there. “My running coach (Matt Campbell) spends a few months of the year working down there and we are meeting up to run in a half-marathon race in Pattaya in a few days time. We still have some final preparations to do on the training front before we race and Ko Samui has some great places to run” said Ray.

Nikki was also excited about the chance to hang out by the ocean. “It gives us an excellent excuse to have a bit of beach holiday and catch up with one or two old friends here” said Nikki. “For the last ten weeks, Ray has been totally focused on the marathon, not just the training but the fundraising as well. He is on the phone morning, noon and night as he really wants to ensure his campaign is successful. He has even arranged to meet with a couple of people here in Samui to collect donations for his Calling All Angels fund” she told me. “I don’t think many people back in England realise just how important this project is to Ray or how hard he is working to make a difference to the people he is running for” added Nikki.

Above: Two examples of the publicity that Ray and Ivana Getachek have been able to generate in Chiang Mai - ”I have been working hard on the campaign and it has been worth it as we are starting to see quite a few donations coming in now” said Ray, whose efforts have been boosted by the exposure in the Chiang Mai Mail and other local magazines. “We still have a long way to go to reach our target, so if you are reading this and you have been thinking about making a donation, please do it soon!” added Ray 

DONATE HERE NOW!

Below: Ko Samui is one of Thailand’s most popular holiday destinations for western travellers and is just off the southern Gulf coast near Surat Thani (circled in red). To get there, Ray and Nikki flew from Chiang Mai via Bangkok on Bangkok Airways

After their arrival in Ko Samui, I gave Nikki a call to find out where her and Ray were staying and, apart from race preparations, what was on their agenda while they were on the island. “We have been here a few times now so there is not much left for us in terms of sight-seeing. We are going to try and find the ‘Buddha Footprint’ which is somewhere on the south of the island” she told me. “We have a couple of people to hook up with who are involved in very different things on the island. Our English friend Steve Bray has become a bit of a celebrity DJ here, making regular appearances at a relatively new venue called Beach Republic. When Ray first came out here from London to start travelling in November 2005, we celebrated his arrival by spending our first four nights in a small complex of luxury villas, which have now become part of the Beach Republic resort” explained Nikki. “We also want to meet another great friend of ours – San Bao is a wonderful, larger than life German man who hosts regular Oolong Tea Ceremonies at The Spa, where we have been for de-tox treatments on previous occasions. This is an opportunity to taste fine grade, traditionally prepared high mountain, Chinese Oolong Tea, poured from small, unglazed, hand made clay teapots. The fine art of preparing tea is one of China’s greatest and most enduringly popular contributions to world civilization” said our knowledgable traveller.

Above: Nikki gets settled in at the Choengmon Beach Hotel and immediately gets on the phone to start organising her and Ray’s calender for the week - ”She is very sociable and has kept in touch with a few lovely people here” said Ray

Below: Ray and Nikki’s little ’expedition’ to locate the ‘Buddha Footprint’ – “Once you are in the vicinity of the adjacent temple, there are 163 steps to climb in order to reach the modern shrine in which it is housed” said Nikki

Above: One small step for Ray and Nikki, one giant leap for The Daily Explorer as our intrepid travellers discover the ‘Buddha Footprint’. Over 300 years old, there are actually four artistically engraved footprints, superimposed one upon the other and they represent the “liberation path” as Lord Buddha discovered it

Below: The 163 steps provide Ray with a great opportunity to do some extra training prior to his big race in a few days

Above: Ray stops to admire this rather colourful looking tree – “From a distance, it appeared to have been painted but on closer inspection, I discovered it is naturally like this” said our surprised visitor

Below: Celebrity DJ Steve Bray (left) gives Nikki an update on the latest grooves in the dance world at June’s Cafe near Bo Phut. Meanwhile, San Bao (right), the Oolong Tea ‘Ambassador’ of Ko Samui, starts one of his legendary ceremonies at The Spa Village

Above: San Bao fills a hand made porcelain tea caddy for use in the delicate and delightful tasting ceremony – “The ritual of pouring the tea from the caddy to the drinking cup and savouring each mouthful makes the ceremony especially enjoyable” said Ray. “High Mountain Oolong Tea is a semi-fermented tea which retains all of the nutrients and natural healing factors contained in unfermented green tea but without the ‘raw’ grassy taste and harsh impact on the stomach that make green tea disagreeable to a lot of people” added our traveller. If you would like to know more about San Bao or Oolong Tea, or order some to try, then check out his web site

Below: Ray enjoys chatting with San Bao as they both catch up with news of each other’s lives since their last encounter about a year ago – “It was San Bao who introduced me to Gary Broderick, the reformed convict living on the outskirts of Sydney” said Ray. “I went to meet him last year – some of our readers may remember him as he was featured in our Kangaroos, Koala’s and World Peace issue in September 2008

Above: Ray’s running coach Matt Campbell and his wife Mel leave their gorgeous young daughter Evi with Nikki for a while on the idyllic Lamai beach – “She was no trouble at all” said our very capable baby sitter. “It is very beautiful here and reminiscent of all the images of paradise that we are presented with in holiday brochures by the marketing people ” says Nikki ……

Below: …. whilst the nearby town of Chaweng, which has become the epi-centre for tourists visiting the island has somehow changed from being a part of paradise to your worst nightmare” observed our traveller 

Above: The day before departure for his first half-marathon in Pattaya and Ray is relaxing on the beach, although he is still on the phone, trying to secure another donation for his Calling All Angels fundraising campaign (left). Eventually, he finds time to switch off and enjoy some quiet reading time (right)

The yearly Pattaya International Marathon is one of the major sports events in Thailand, attracting hundreds of runners from around the world. It is now in its 15th year and is probably the oldest International marathon in the country. The running route is considered one of the most picturesque in South East Asia with its many hills and steep inclines. It features a full marathon (42 kilometres), a half-marathon (21 kilometres) and a 10 kilometre race. I met with Ray at his hotel the day before the race to see how he was getting on. “When Matt suggested a couple of months ago that we did the half-marathon here, it seemed so far off timewise, it was easy for me to say yes” recalled Ray. “Now, we are here and will be starting the race at 5 am tomorrow morning” said our nervous and excited runner. “It feels like ‘payday’ to me; a chance to experience the big race atmosphere and push my body hard to see what it can do – I have been training almost every day for the last three months to be ready for this moment and I am going for it 100%” said Ray.

Above: Pattaya is a coastal resort to the south-east of Bangkok, which is about two hours away by bus

Below: Ray steps out of his hotel (left) and wanders down the road to check out the starting area for the half-marathon (right) and formally register for the race

I was curious to know what time Ray was targetting in the race and understand a bit more about his final preparations. “To know if it is feasible for me to run the New York Marathon in four hours (or less), I am really looking to do this in around two hours” he told me. “I have run this distance three times in my training in the last 4-5 weeks and my best time was around 2:07, which means it will be a hard race for me as I have got to knock about 30 seconds off every single one of the 13.1 miles to hit my target. The pacing plan that Matt has has given me is fairly aggressive, although I did run faster in my first 10 kilometre race in May, but it was less than half the distance. So I know I can propel my body at the right speed and I am about to find out if all of the training I have done will enable me to endure that speed for over double the distance” explained Ray.

Above: Ray arrives at the International Registration tent on the beach to sign up and get his race ‘chip’ – “In most of the big race events, there are so many runners taking part that many do not cross the start line for quite some time after the gun has been fired. To make sure that everyone gets an accurate finish time, the organisers give each runner a small computer chip which you attach to your shoe. As you cross the start line, the computer notes the exact time, which is different to the “lapsed” time displayed on the various clocks around the course” explained Ray. “As you cross the finish line and look up at the clock, the time you see is not your actual time, unless you were right at the front. The further back you are at the start, the more seconds need to be deducted to give you a net time” added our runner

Below: Our runner collects his official race number and commemorative running vest whilst the sign above his head reminds us that Ray is rapidly approaching 49 years of age – a ‘late starter’ in marathon running terms

Above: Ray has everything he needs for the big race – “I need to be in bed really early as I will be getting up at around 3.30am to get ready for the start tomorrow” said Ray. “Nikki and I have time for a bit of a cruise around town before we head for the welcome party on the beach and turn in for the night” added our disciplined runner

Below: Ray sits in the back of a Songthaew (local bus/taxi) and has a good look at what’s going on in Pattaya (left). It’s common knowledge that the town is unofficially regarded as the sex capital of Thailand, although it took a little while for our traveller to confirm this with some physical evidence – “We went past a bar full of girls who were all waving at me (right)” recalled Ray, ” and at first, I thought they were just being friendly” he laughed

Above: The sign outside the ‘Love Club’ (left) says it all – there is really only one thing on offer here and it isn’t really love! Just like in the sign, the sexy young woman on the right (actually, its a ladyboy) attempts to lure our global nomad’s attention

Below: Getting ready for work – the regular afternoon team meeting outside Foxy’s Bar before they open for business

Above: “When I envisaged my Calling All Angels campaign” said Ray, “this was not quite what I had in mind” he laughed

With his mind firmly focused on the half-marathon race, our runner went to check out the welcome party for athletes. “Matt has suggested that I take on board as much fuel as possible without overdoing it” Ray told me. “Which means that I am eating as many carbs as I can between now and the time I go to sleep, as well as drinking plenty of water. I expect to burn somewhere between 1,500 - 2,000 calories during the race and it will be very humid, even at 5 am so being properly hydrated is crucial” added Ray. “I will probably drink 3-4 litres of water and a litre of fruit and vegetable juice when I get up – I’ll be like a well fed camel waddling down to the start line after all that!” he quipped.

Above: Runners from all over Asia and the rest of the world come to Pattaya for the International Marathon and a chance to compete for the first prize of 200,000 baht, which is roughly worth about $6,500 dollars – “I met one very fit athlete from Holland who had been combining travelling with running and living off the prize money she had won – it has given me some food for thought” said Ray

Below: There was plenty of food for the body on offer, as Ray stocked up with less than 12 hours to go before the race

Above: There is growing concern in Thailand about the spread of swine flu – “I could not help noticing that the number of people wearing masks seems to be increasing at an alarming rate. They almost seem a bit paranoid about it over here” observed Ray

Below: There is no hiding Ray’s excitement as he lines up for a plate of delicious stir fried vegetables (left) – “Ummm… delicious!” says Ray (right) as he loads up

Race Day – Sunday 19th July 2009

Above: 4.45 am and runners gathering behind the start line (in the background) for the half-marathon are watching the festivities taking place - “This is a great example of where having big race experience is useful, as Matt suggested we avoid being penned in with the crowd of runners for ages before the start and do some light jogging to get properly warmed up” recalled Ray. “We joined the other athletes with about five minutes to go and were right at the back of the huge group, eventually crossing the start line over a minute after the race had begun” added Ray. If you would like to get a sense of the carnival atmosphere, then watch the 20 second video clip below:

Below: Ray stretches off his legs for the last time (left) before joining the vast group of runners that are penned in, eagerly waiting for the race to start (right) – “It is very unusual to be running the first hour of a race in the dark” said Ray. “Fortunately, my Garmin tracking device has a light in it so I can constantly monitor my pace”

If you would like to see the runners set off as the exciting race finally starts, then you can watch the short video clip below:

Above: The running routes for the Pattaya International events – Ray and Matt were tracking along the green route (21 kilometres)

Below: The master at work! One hour, forty five minutes and 57 seconds after the start and Matt Campbell (yellow vest) propels himself towards the finish line in the final few hundred metres to get the best time he can. Matt is training for the Bangkok Marathon on November 22nd in which he hopes to achieve a personal best of under 3 hours 30 minutes for the 42 kilometre course – “I was OK up until the ninth mile, then pretty much ran/walked the rest. I finished at a fair old clip (4:18 minutes per mile pace!), with a maximum heartrate of 188 beats per minute – no wonder I didn’t see Mel, Nikki and the kids at the finish – I was well and truly in the tunnel vision zone!” added the 40 year old athlete and coach

Ray was running to a carefully worked out pacing plan with a two hour finish in mind. “One of the things I have really learnt from my race experience so far is that it never works to run faster than your plan, even if it feels easy” Ray told me. “Experts say that for every minute you gain in the first half of a race, you will lose two minutes in the second. It is unadvisable to do it and a common mistake that new runners like me tend to make, partly because you feel strong at the beginning and the adrenalin of being amongst so many other athletes is pushing you along too” explained Ray. “I managed to stick exactly to my plan for the first 7-8 miles and once I passed the halfway mark, I was feeling optimistic about a good finish. At this point, the penalty for drinking so much fluid became apparent as I increasingly experienced the need to take a pee” said Ray. “I tried to run through it for a mile or so but it became such a distraction that I eventually stopped, did the necessary and quickly got back on track as best I could” he recalled. “I reckon that cost me about 30 seconds. Worse was to come after nine miles, when the course started taking runners up a long, one kilometre incline. Being quite tired at this stage, it was hard for me to maintain the same pace as earlier and I lost a bit of time there as well. Once I was passed that point, I tried my best to make up for it and was feeling pretty exhausted as I approached the finish line. I could see from my own timer as well as the public clock that my time was around 2:01, which I was very pleased with” he told me.

Above: A huge achievement for our novice marathon runner, as he crosses the finish line in Pattaya to complete his first ever competitive half-marathon race, in just over two hours – “I cannot wait to find out what my official time is” said our tired but extremely satisfied athlete

Below: Ray collects his second medal so far in Thailand (left) from the race organisers and quickly makes his way through the enclosure to find Nikki, Matt and his family to celebrate a great result – It was great to see Matt at the end and thank him for getting me to this point – I really don’t think I would have got the same result without his knowledge, input and guidance” said Ray, who immediately discusses his Garmin GPS race data with his coach

Above: For readers who like scientific details, Ray and Matt both use the Garmin 405 Forerunner to collect valuable performance data from their runs for analysis afterwards – “I love the technical part of running” said Ray. “I just don’t know how I could train for the marathon without one of these. It monitors your heart rate, calculates your changing pace in real time, records your direction over the ground using GPS satellites which track your movement and then automatically downloads all of that data without wires to your laptop when you sit in front of it after a run! It is astonishingly useful, especially in my de-briefs with Matt as he can go online wherever he is and see all of my running data the moment I have uploaded it” explained Ray 

Below: An example of the data collected from Ray’s half-marathon race. On the right is the actual track taken (in red) overlayed on a Google Map so that other runners around the world can see the route he has taken. And on the left, the main pieces of information pertaining to the race. Ray’s own time is not the same as his official time, as it depends on when he personally presses the start and stop buttons. Note that 1,536 calories were consumed in two hours! There is also a significant elevation gain, meaning those hills were pretty steep ….

Above: This chart shows the time for each individual mile. In the first seven miles, Ray ran pretty much according to plan, if anything a touch faster than he should have. Notice the time in mile 8 (where Ray stopped for a pee break) and in mile 10 where he encountered the long, steep uphill part of the course. You can aso see his heart rate on the right hand side, which topped out at 162 beats per minute, or just over 90% of his maximum. And in the last column, you can see how many calories Ray burned duirng the run

Below: The wavy green line at the top of this chart shows the changes in elevation – you can see the start of the long, steep uphill section after mile nine. You can watch an animated replay of the entire race at Ray’s Garmin site. It takes about twenty seconds to see the entire run and you can pause it at any point

Above: Ray is congratulated by Nikki on his fantastic performance – “I am so proud of him” she beamed. “He has worked really hard for this and deserves the satisfaction he is experiencing. It will be great to find out what his official time is. But first, he and Matt have a press conference with Amber Solaire from The Daily Explorer, so it will have to wait until afterwards” she said. If you would like to see Ray and Matt’s after-race interview, then watch the short video clip below:

Below: The waiting is over as Ray, who has now showered and changed (left), returns to the organisers tent to get confirmation of his official time (right) - 2:00:58 seconds! Congratulations to Ray from all of us at The Daily Explorer – it’s a great result for him personally and hopefully, it will inspire even more of our readers to make a donation to his Calling All Angels fundraising campaign. His coach, Matt Campbell had this to say – “Ray did so well today, clocking up a really good time. I’m excited for him as I think the sub four hour dream for New York is well and truly alive. We should both see massive improvements over the next month or so as the benefits of our VO2 Max and Lactate Threshold training runs kick in. We will hook up on Tuesday and put the plan together”

Above: Matt Campbell (centre), flanked by his daughters Phoebe (left) and Esme (right) enjoyed a very well earned one hour Thai foot massage after the race – “I am going to let Ray savour his great result from today and have a couple of days of rest, then it’s back to work as we now have 14 weeks for him to be completely ready for New York” said Ray’s marathon mentor

Editors Note: What a fantastic result for Ray! We are all delighted for him and know how hard he has worked to get himself to this stage. I would also like to thank every single one of our readers who has made a donation to Ray’s Calling All Angels Campaign. The ball is well and truly rolling and Ivana Getachek has an update for us (see below).

Update on Ray’s Calling All Angels Campaign

Our campaign has now been underway for about eight weeks and I am delighted to tell you that we have raised $3,234 so far, which is brilliant! Like Mozzie Byte, I would also like to thank everybody who has contributed. Your gesture of kindness will be hugely appreciated by the people Ray is running for. I spoke to our runner after the race in Pattaya to find out his thoughts about the campaign. “Well Ivana, I am really gobsmacked that people have been willing to make donations, especially in these difficult economic times. It gives me a lot of encouragement to keep putting 100% into my training and its like having the energy of a huge, global team of people behind me, which is an amazing feeling to have. Having said that, we still have a long way to go and a number of people I have spoken to personally have said they would like to donate, which is great. If you are one of those people, please help us get one step closer to our goal and make your donation now! And if any of you have not yet made a donation and would like to contribute to the campaign, now is an excellent time to do it. All you have to do is click on the button below and have your credit card details ready. I hope people will forgive me for continuously banging the drum about this – I only have a few weeks to raise as much money as I can for these people and they really need our help. If our readers had seen first hand the amazing work they are doing to alleviate suffering, with such limited resources, I am certain they would feel exactly the same sense of passion and intention that I do” said Ray.

DONATE HERE NOW!

As we approach the marathon in New York on 1st November, I will make sure that full details of the amount raised will be published every week on Ray’s “Calling All Angels” campaign page. The project is a truly global endeavour. So far, we have received pledges or donations from people in 16 different countries. See how good your general knowledge is by looking at the flags below and seeing how many you can name!

Above: Ray’s Calling All Angels Campaign is a truly global endeavour – we have received donations or pledges of support from people in 16 different countries so far

Below: Our Campaign manager, Ivana Getachek – “I am delighted to be working with Ray, Mozzie, Amber Solaire and The Daily Explorer team on this exciting project” said Ivana. “Some of you may have spoken to Ray personally during the last few weeks – if you would like to have a chat with him about any aspect of the campaign, let me know and I will get him to contact you. If you have not seen it yet, please take five minutes out of your day to find out what the “Calling All Angels” campaign is all about. And if you feel inspired, please make a donation! It doesn’t matter how much – really it doesn’t – every little bit helps. Together, we could really make such a huge difference” added Ivana. If you would like to talk to her, you can reach her anytime at ivana@thedailyexplorer.com 

We always aim to maintain our high standards of journalism and presentation, so please keep sending us your comments and suggestions as to how we can improve what we are doing. You can use the comments box on this site, or email Ray or ‘Mozzie’ or any of our correspondents.

That’s about it for now. Ray has now returned to Chiang Mai and has begun work on his 14 week marathon training programme. As usual, Me So Fit will be keeping us all in the picture with regular updates. If anyone would like to ask Ray about his training or fundraising, or would like his help with travel plans, you can send an email to ray@thedailyexplorer.com or to me at mozzie@thedailyexplorer.com

MOZZIE BYTE

Above: Ray’s gruelling 26 week training programme continues, with only 14 weeks to go until the New York marathon on 1st November. Our next issue will be online in a few weeks. We will keep you posted!

Chiang Mai, Thailand: July 2009

MOZZIE BYTE (Editor): A warm welcome back to all our Daily Explorer readers and greetings to those of you who are joining us for the first time. To our regulars, many thanks for viewing our online publication and for giving us your feedback. Over 17,000 visitors have been to see our site since the beginning of 2008. For new readers, Ray has been living nomadically for over three and a half years since he left England in November 2005. In that time, he has visited or lived in 15 countries and we have been publishing news and stories about him throughout that period. If you would like to know more about what’s in our archives, check out some of our Previous Issues.

We always aim to maintain our high standards of journalism and presentation, so please keep sending us your comments and suggestions as to how we can improve what we are doing. You can use the comments box on this site, or email Ray (ray@thedailyexplorer.com) or ‘Mozzie’ or any of our correspondents at mozzie@thedailyexplorer.com

Above: There has been huge interest in this years Wimbledon tennis tournament in Chiang Mai where our global explorer is currently based - “We are six hours ahead of the UK, so I have only been watching some of the matches on TV” said Ray. “Centre Court was a fitting arena for Andy Murray (right) to try and become the first British player in 63 years to reach the mens final. I saw his match with Andy Roddick as it happened and was gutted when he lost” said our tennis fan in northern Thailand (Picture: The Times)

Our lastest issue has been compiled for us by our Asian health correspondent, Me So Fit, who has been keeping an eye on Ray during his training programme. Our global nomad is currently preparing for the first of two half marathon races in Thailand during his build up to the New York Marathon on 1st November. Ray arrived in Chiang Mai to start training in mid April. Up to the 30th June, he had clocked up a staggering 350 miles of running!  Me So Fit also finds out about one or two of Ray’s more interesting social activities and we get an update on Ray’s “Calling All Angels” marathon fundraising campaign from Ivana Getachek.

In our last issue, our global adventurer returned to the Elephant Nature Park with two friends who had flown in from the USA. The park is run by Lek Chailert, who has created a rescue centre for injured and distressed elephants. It is funded entirely from donations and Ray is running the marathon to raise money for Lek (as well as two other causes). It is a compelling place and she is a truly inspirational woman. If you missed it, you can read more about it now at: Return to Elephant Heaven

Above: In our last issue, Ray went back to the Elephant Nature Park (left) and we discovered he was training virtually every day, rain or shine (right) to be ready for the New York Marathon on 1st November, which he is doing to raise money for three worthy causes. You can read more about it at: Return to Elephant Heaven

Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand and probably the perfect base for Ray while he is training. “In the beginning, I wasn’t sure if it was such a good idea to train here because of the heat and humidity” said Ray. “But now I am realising just how perfect this place is for a variety of reasons. Obviously one of them is that my coach (Matt Campbell) lives here, but aside from that, there is access to an abundance of fresh organic fruit and vegetables at very affordable prices and great facilities like my gym and proper running tracks. If I start my runs early, the weather is not really a problem. And because I inevitably end up with tight or aching muscles from the longer runs, there are also plenty of places around town to get much needed Thai massage for my feet and body so that I am able to continue training and remain free of injury” explained Ray.

Since I last spoke to Ray a couple of weeks ago, his physical training has definitely intensified and I wondered how he was coping with it. “Much to my delight Me So, I am doing pretty well and am slightly ahead of my schedule as I reach the end of my ten week endurance building block, which completes the second phase of my three phase pogramme” he told me. “I have really been focusing in the last ten weeks on building up distance and getting my body used to running for two hours or more. In May, my long runs were averaging around 6-8 miles and I ran 128 miles in total during the month. In June, the distance of my long runs virtually doubled to 12-14 miles and my total for the month was 181 miles. Now I can see why it will be necessary for me to replace my running shoes before the marathon in November!” he added. 

Above: While he trains for the marathon, Ray is based in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand (left). His 26 week training programme is now intensifying as he gets ready to run his first half marathon race in Pattaya (near Bangkok) in a couple of weeks, which we will be covering in our next issue of The Daily Explorer – “It feels great to be training as hard as this” Ray told me. “The last time I had a tough regime was when I went to St. Maarten in the Caribbean in 2007 and trained nearly every day at a gym there with Desiree Winkel (right) who had been a champion body builder in Holland” said our athletic traveller

Below: For Ray, the dream of running a marathon was formulated over a long period of time. He was pictured in London during a brief visit in 2007 reading “The Age of Miracles” by Marianne Williamson (left) - “I started to think it would be a miracle if I could run 26.2 miles in around four hours without any injuries” recalled Ray. Matt Campbell, his coach, says “Ray is progressing faster than I thought and is a natural runner”. We managed to obtain this picture of Ray (right) which confirms he was already enrolled in an early training programme to develop super strength in his leg muscles before his first birthday!

As the long runs have increased in distance, I was curious to know if Ray was noticing any difference in his aerobic capacity? “It is astonishing how much my body has adapted as I have demanded more and more from it” said Ray, somewhat surprised. “In the early days of my training, my heartrate was reaching over 170 beats per minute at a fast pace, which is pretty close to the maximum a heart will pump for someone of my age. As I have gradually built up my distance, I have noticed that slowly but surely, I am running at the same speed, even slightly faster sometimes than I was before, but my heartrate is only reaching 140-145 beats per minute which means my aerobic efficiency has greatly improved. My coach has also been noticing this so he has started to incorporate some new exercises into my training programme, like hill runs and interval training.

Above: This is Ray’s actual workout log for June – anyone can use this neat online tool for free at www.workoutlog.com. The log does not include any details of Ray’s strength training, which is in addition to the running, twice a week at the gym

Below: We discovered that Ray demonstrated his formidable aerobic capacity many years ago at the Brighstone Holiday Camp on the Isle of Wight during a Tarzan competition, when he was seven years old! – “The training I am doing is definitely making me feel younger than my years on the outside, although on the inside I still experience myself like the kid in the picture most of the time” said Ray

I asked Ray to explain to me what these hill runs and interval training exercises involve. “Both are designed to work the heart hard and increase my aerobic capacity and lactate threshold” said Ray. Running up steep hills without a break obviously increases the heart rate dramatically compared to running on the flat and you build up more lactate acid in your muscles, particularly the ones on the tops of your legs” he explained. “By doing these harder exercises, returning to running on level ground is noticeably easier and the more you mix the two, the easier it becomes although the hill running hurts like hell while I am doing it” he admitted. “The interval training is similar, but it is done on level ground. After a warm up of one mile, I will run just over half a mile at a really fast pace (8.0 min per mile) and then slow down for 200 metres to catch my breath. This cycle is repeated five times – a total of around three miles at very fast pace – and I can tell you that by the end of the fifth set, I am pretty knackered” said our global traveller.

Despite the fact the training is definitely harder than it was the last time I spoke to Ray, it is really paying off in terms of results. I discovered that Ray has already completed a half marathon in his training. “It’s true and actually, I have now run the distance twice and my time is not bad either” said our delighted trainee runner. “Although running that distance is very tiring, I am finding that it is not exhausting which means I am building up a strong belief system about being able to make my body run twice this distance. At this moment in time, running a full marathon remains a fantasy but as each week passes, I am becoming more and more convinced in my own mind that I am going to be able to complete the full 26.2 miles and this belief is going to be crucial in the weeks ahead” he told me. “To cope with the additional energy my body is demanding, I have virtually had to double the amount of food I am eating and drink at least three litres of water every day” said Ray. “Running 13 miles consumes over 1,700 calories in around two hours. To put that into perspective, the average man will normally require about 2,500 calories for a whole day” said our well informed runner.

 Above: The combination of a great coach, a well designed training programme and a lot of hard work are producing fantastic results for Ray, who is seen here looking quite comfortable as he completes a 13 mile run (for the first time in his training and his life!) on the track inside the municipal stadium just north of Chiang Mai’s ’old’ city – “Knowing that people all over the world will be sponsoring me, I feel a great pressure to keep up my end of the bargain and get myself to the start line in New York in peak condition, so that I am able to deliver a good result on the 1st November” said Ray. “Having said that, I definitely have the harder part of the deal – to make a donation, all someone has to do is click on their computer screen and enter their credit card details, which is considerably easier and a lot less time consuming than running all those miles!” joked Ray. (Editors Note: In the not too distant future, Matt Campbell (Ray’s coach) will be working with him to increase his speed, which means doing some sprint work on the track. Let’s hope it works out better than it did for the unfortunate runner in the video clip below)

Although Ray is training six days a week, he starts very early and is usually finished by the middle of the morning. “It works well because I can finish my runs before it gets too hot and it leaves plenty of time for other things” he told me. “When we got to Chiang Mai, Nikki and I knew we would be here for six months, so we gave some thought as to how we might be able to earn some money by providing a service to people in the business world. This resulted in us putting together a training/coaching programme for people who want to improve their presentation and communication skills” recalled Ray. “Once we were clear in our mind what we could offer, the next step for us was to go out into the market place and talk to business people, hoping we might find some potential customers or at least work out how to do that in the future. We discovered a new monthly ‘networking’ meeting was going to be taking place at the Meridien Hotel, so we scrubbed up, put on the smartest clothes we had and headed off to the event” he told me.

So how did our two entrepreneurs get on? “As is typical with some networking events, we talked to a lot of people but did not find any concrete business opportunities on this occasion. The great thing for us is that we are not too bothered as we already have enough money to be living here so we are not under any pressure – it is purely a creative challenge and potentially something that allows us both to capitalise on the experience and knowledge we have both gained in our working lives” said Ray. “At the event, they did have some great finger food and plenty of wine on offer so it was definitely a good decision to go there for the evening” added our global explorer.

Above: A few days after attending the inaugural monthly business networking event at the Chiang Mai Meridien, Ray and Nikki were surprised to see themselves on page 9 of the Chiang Mai Mail (circled), the city’s local newspaper – “They described us both as Directors of Nuera Ventures, making us sound like serious business people, which kind of made us laugh as we are (at this stage) playing with the idea of doing some professional work. Who knows – maybe we will get invited to train someone while we are here” said Ray. “Whatever happens, it is great fun coming up with the ideas and meeting new people so we have nothing to lose”

Some of our regular readers may remember Anthony LoBaido, a photo journalist who Ray and Nikki met at the Elephant Nature Park during Ray’s first visit there in 2008. “He is a fascinating chap (from the USA) who has worked in over 40 countries around the world, to capture stories and pictures for an online news site called WorldNetDaily News” Ray told me. “He was at the Elephant Nature Park to write a story about Lek and the amazing work she is doing to provide a sanctuary for many of Thailand’s abused and distressed elephants. Anthony is a passionate supporter of Lek’s. He was back in Chiang Mai because it was recently announced by the Thai Government that Lek is to be given access to over 2,000 acres of new land to create a National Park for 300 of Thailand’s ’street’ elephants” added Ray. “Naturally, we are all thrilled to bits by this news and Anthony is here with others to figure out how to help Lek take the project forward. The money that will be raised from my “Calling All Angels” Campaign will be extremely helpful to Lek so I would like to ask our readers to consider sponsoring me for my marathon run”.

Above: Nikki (centre) with Azriel Cohen (left) and American photo-journalist Anthony LoBaido (right) at her favourite Wawee Coffee shop. Azriel is also a photographer and took some incredible pictures of Lek’s elephants for our last issue (see Return to Elephant Heaven)

They sometimes say that the universe always sends you the people you need to meet at any given moment and this is probably true in the case of our traveller meeting Azriel (above) in Chiang Mai. “He is very creative and very artistic and some of his photography is excellent. I was not the first or the only person around town to ask him if he might share some of his knowledge and experience with us so that we might all be able to take better photographs” said Ray. “Not that I have had any complaints so far from Mozzie Byte at The Daily Explorer” he was quick to point out! “It’s just that I am keen to learn how to take more interesting and unusual pictures for my own satisfaction and to keep improving the shots I send to Mozzie and the team” he told me. “I was delighted when Azriel announced that he would take a group of four people out with him to the Sunday Walking Market and show us how to look at things from a fresh perspective and how to use features and functions on our camera’s that would enable us to authentically capture what we were seeing” added our excited traveller. 

For three hours, Azriel walked through the colourful, bustling street market whilst explaining a few key ideas to each of his four students, giving them an immediate opportunity to have a go and apply what they were learning. “It is a great way to learn” decided Ray, “and far better than sitting in a stuffy classroom. Azriel is very good at getting his ideas across and managed to get us all taking some pretty interesting snaps fter just a couple of hours” he told me.

Above: From left to right, fellow photographic ’student’ Mark, Patrick staring through his frame (with Cory directly behind him) and Azriel (right) – “He showed us different ways of looking at things all around us and gave us these cardboard frames so that we could view them in the same way that the camera lens does” recalled Ray. “It showed me that the composition of the shot is critical” said Ray

Below: Azriel explains the ‘depth of field’ concept to his eager students (left) and gets everyone to change to the black and white settings on their camera to try it out (right)

Above: To the untrained eye, these two photographs may not appear to be anything special, but they have both been composed using the ‘macro’ function on the camera to make the nearest object appear focused and the background out of focus, to draw the viewers attention to a particular thing in the shot – “It’s all very scientific” said Ray. “Before I attended Azriel’s workshop, I thought a macro was a discounted warehouse on the outskirts of town where you could but cheap produce in bulk – I had no idea I had one on my digital camera” joked our traveller

Below: These are two of the pictures that Ray sent to us after the workshop – “I was trying to take some photo’s from slightly different angles, like we were shown by Azriel, and get some depth and perspective in the shots” explained Ray

Above: “Of all the pictures I took that afternoon, this was my personal favourite” said Ray

Below: Azriel’s phone rings…. “Let me answer it for you” says Patrick. It might be The Daily Explorer wanting to run an exclusive story about your workshop and publish some of the pictures!”  Azriel is also an emerging writer and has recently had his first article published on Brave New Traveller – it’s well worth a read!

Anyone who has been to Chiang Mai will know that it has a thriving ‘alternative’ scene, which is one of the major attractions for travellers visiting Thailand. “There are loads of yoga studio’s, personal development workshops, opportunities to meditate and a host of similar experiences available here” said Nikki. “One of my favourite places is the Wild Rose Sauna & Studio, which is in the old city. Quite by chance, I have ended up becoming a temporary neighbour of ‘Rose’ herself, who lives in the house next door to the one that Ray and I are renting while we are here” she added.

I couldn’t help noticing that Nikki had acquired a rather exotic tattoo on her hand. “A couple of girls who teach yoga at Rose’s place were recently offering to paint Henna tattoos for some of us. They look so wonderful, I just couldn’t resist” she said. “It’s the first time I have worn one and they only last a few days so it will be interesting to hear what feedback I get from friends. I am not sure if I am ready for anything permanent” said our artistic traveller.

Above: Nikki displays her wonderful Henna Tattoo, which was skillfully applied (by hand) by an artist using something which looks like the sort of bag you squeeze to pipe icing on a cake – “It takes about twenty minutes and the artist works from a picture in their head – they do not even use a stencil” said Nikki

Below: Nikki with the wonderful Rose (right), whose venue is a very popular place with Chiang Mai dwellers – “She really has created a community of kindred spirits and like minded souls and her Friday night ‘open house’ herbal steam sessions are fantastic opportunities to feel great and hang out in a chilled space” said Nikki

Nikki also told me that the Wild Rose Sauna & Studio was recently the venue for a rather unusual social event entitled “Chocolate, Passion and Prose” so I asked her to tell me a bit more about it. ”When I first met Rose a while back, she told me how much she loves poetry. If you go to her studio, you will notice that she is always displaying prophetic words and phrases on the walls and doors. We share a love of two things - the spoken word (especially poetry) and chocolate so we decided that an evening to celebrate and share both of these things would be a great idea” explained Nikki. “We invited lots of people to come along and bring something with chocolate in it and a poem or a piece of prose which they were passionate about and wanted to share with everyone else” she told me. “It was an outrageously successful event with some people even composing their own poems for the occasion. We compiled an anthology of all the poems and readings from the evening and gave everybody the set to take with them as a souvenir. I am sure we will do it again in the future” she said triumphantly.

Above: Esme (left) and Phoebe (right) use Rose’s coloured chalks to create a welcome sign for the guests coming to the Chocolate, Passion and Prose evening – “The whole evening was a wonderful example of the very strong sense of community that exists here” observed Nikki. Esme and Phoebe are both daughters of Matt Campbell, Ray’s running coach and they also read their favourite poems to the group” she told me

Below: Nikki and Rose devised an innovative game called ‘Spontaneous Poetry’ – one by one, each person is invited to add a random word of their choice to the blank canvas and when everyone is finished, the challenge is to create a viable piece of poetry from the collection - ”It’s a lot of fun” said Nikki (centre)

Above: Benjamin reads his favourite poem (in French) to the audience – “Some people love the spotlight whilst others have to struggle a little to overcome their nerves” said Nikki. “I love doing this “open mic” sort of thing as it gives people an opportunity to really shine and allows others to see who they are at a more essential level” added our creative host

In our last issue, we announced the appointment of Ivana Getachek, who has joined the team to co-ordinate Ray’s marathon fundraising efforts and will be on board with us until the end of this year to run his ambitious “Calling All Angels” campaign. “I am thrilled to be given this opportunity” said Ivana, as she attended the official launch of the campaign recently. “A lot of Ray’s friends know he is taking part in his first ever marathon, which in itself is quite a challenge for someone of his age, with no previous running experience” she said respectfully. “But most people are not aware that by taking part, he is also aiming to create over $12,000 dollars for three worthy causes. Ray has been working extremely hard (around the clock) with me, Mozzie and the back office team at The Daily Explorer to make this campaign work - it really means a lot to him” she told me. Ray’s ”Calling All Angels” campaign was officially launched on the 4th July.

“I am pleased to say that the first donations have already started coming in and I will be continuously monitoring our progress towards the goal that Ray has set. Full details will be published every week on his “Calling All Angels” campaign page” said Ivana. ”Because he has met so many people in the 15 different countries he has travelled through during the last three and a half years, it is a truly global endeavour. So far, we have received pledges or donations from people as far afield as the UK, USA, Switzerland, Canada, Thailand, Uganda, Australia, Spain, France, Sweden and Germany!” “By the end of our first week (12th July) we hope to have raised well over $1,000 dollars” she told me.

Above: Our campaign manager, Ivana Getachek – “I know that Ray has been in touch with some people personally during the last few weeks. He wanted me to say a huge “thank you” to people who have made early donations to the campaign as it has really helped us to get the ball rolling. If you have not seen it yet, please take five minutes out of your day to find out what the “Calling All Angels” campaign is all about. And if you feel inspired, please make a donation! It doesn’t matter how much – really it doesn’t – every little bit helps. Together, we could really make such a huge difference” added Ivana. If you would like to talk to her, you can reach her anytime at ivana@thedailyexplorer.com

Below: Our roving reporter Amber Solaire went to Chiang Mai recently to interview Ray, to find out why he has chosen to take on the challenge of running a marathon and hear more about his “Calling All Angels” campaign. If you would like to know more about the causes Ray is supporting and what kind of help he is looking for, you can watch this three minute video interview:

Above: Huge crowds of people made their way to the “Calling All Angels” Campaign launch event in Chiang Mai recently…..

Below: ….. whilst at a recent rally in the United States, even US President Barack Obama pleaded with his fellow countrymen to find out more about Ray’s ambitious campaign and if at all possible, make a donation

Editors Note: Our thanks to both Me So Fit and Ivana Getachek for keeping us up to date with the latest news from Chiang Mai. A couple of people have written to me asking what Ray is going to be wearing when he takes part in the New York Marathon on 1st  November, which prompted me to ask our global nomad. “I hadn’t really given it much thought, Mozzie. I guess I will wear the conventional running gear that most people normally do, unless one of our readers can come up with an inspired idea for a fun costume that will not inhibit my performance on the day” he told me. So if any of our readers would like to make a suggestion, then please send me an email, at mozzie@thedailyexplorer.com

Above: Should Ray dress in carnival gear (left) as he did in Ko Samui in January 2006, or monks robes, as seen in this photo taken by Susie Moberly during one of her famous sessions on the beach at Baan Poor in April 2008? Or something else? Please send your suggestions to me, at mozzie@thedailyexplorer.com

Below: Ray’s marathon fundraising event is a truly global endeavour. In the United Kingdom, both the Daily Mail (left) and the Daily Mirror (right) have heard about his ”Calling All Angels” campaign – “I am so delighted to have the full support of the media” said Ray. “Now, I just hope our own readers get behind what we are doing and make a donation” he told me

In our next issue, which is due to go online in a few weeks, Me So Fit will be reporting from Pattaya where Ray will be running in his first half-marathon race. “I am really excited about it” he told me. “Having run the distance twice already in my training, I am confident I will finish and I am assessing the race experience to get an idea of how fast I might be able to run the full marathon in four months time” he said. “I hope to complete it in somewhere around two hours” he told me. We will be bringing you all of the news and pictures exclusively in The Daily Explorer, as well as keeping you up to date with progress on Ray’s fundraising campaign.

We always aim to maintain our high standards of journalism and presentation, so please keep sending us your comments and suggestions as to how we can improve what we are doing. You can use the comments box on this site, or email Ray (ray@thedailyexplorer.com) or ‘Mozzie’ or any of our correspondents at mozzie@thedailyexplorer.com

MOZZIE BYTE

Above: Ray is running in his first half-marathon race on 19th July in Pattaya! Look out for the full story in our next issue of The Daily Explorer, which will be online in a few weeks. We will keep you posted!

Chiang Mai, Thailand: June 2009

MOZZIE BYTE (Editor): A warm welcome back to all our Daily Explorer readers and greetings to those of you who are joining us for the first time. To our regulars, many thanks for viewing our online publication and for giving us your feedback. Over 16,000 visitors have been to see our site since the beginning of 2008. For new readers, Ray has been living nomadically for nearly three and a half years since he left England in November 2005. In that time, he has visited or lived in 15 countries and we have been publishing news and stories about his travels throughout that period. If you would like to know more about what’s in our archives, check out some of our Previous Issues.

We always aim to maintain our high standards of journalism and presentation, so please keep sending us your comments and suggestions as to how we can improve what we are doing. You can use the comments box on this site, or email Ray (ray@thedailyexplorer.com) or ‘Mozzie’ or any of our correspondents at mozzie@thedailyexplorer.com

Above: A big thank you to all Daily Explorer readers! As you can see from our graph, May was a record month, with 2,214 visitors coming to find out what Ray is up to

Our lastest issue has been compiled for us by one of our Asian correspondents, Me So Fit (above), who brings us Ray’s latest news and pictures from Chiang Mai in Thailand. Our global adventurer is now a few weeks into his his gruelling six month training programme to be ready for the New York Marathon on 1st November. Since he started training in April, Ray has clocked up in excess of 250 miles of running! Our roving reporter Amber Solaire has been talking to Matt Campbell, Ray’s marathon coach, in an exclusive interview about how well our global nomad is doing in pursuit of his goal. And we introduce a new member of the team who will be managing Ray’s fundrasing campaign.

In our last issue, Me So Fit met up with Ray as he arrived in Bangkok and travelled with him to Chiang Mai to get more details from Ray’s coach about the 26 week training programme he has set up for Ray. On the domestic front, Ray and Nikki went house-hunting and found the place that will become their base in the city until October. And they had a special visit from two very close friends who flew in from the United States. And after making good progress in his first three weeks of training, Ray took part in his first ever competitive 10 kilometre race! If you missed it, you can read it now at: Marathon Man

Above: Ray collected his first runners medal after the Yang Nerng Minimarathon 10 kilometre race near Chiang Mai – but so did every other runner, because the organisers give a medal to everyone for taking part! But he did do exceptionally well in his first ever competitive race. You can read more about it at: Marathon Man

We said in our last issue that we would be announcing the appointment of someone to co-ordinate and manage Ray’s marathon fundraising efforts. I am delighted to let you know that Ivana Getachek has joined the team and will be on board with us until the end of this year to manage Ray’s ambitious “Calling All Angels” campaign. “I am thrilled to be given this opportunity” said Ivana, as she arrived at our office a few days ago to kick off numerous activities. “A lot of Ray’s friends know he is taking part in his first ever marathon, which in itself is quite a challenge for someone of his age, with no previous running experience” she said respectfully.

“But most people are not aware that by taking part, he is also aiming to create over $12,000 dollars for three worthy causes. Ray has been working extremely hard with me, Mozzie and the back office team at The Daily Explorer to have everything in place for our official launch on the 4th July” she told me. “I know that Ray has been in touch with some people personally during this ‘pre-launch’ phase and over the coming weeks and months, I am hoping to establish a one to one dialogue with as many of our readers as possible. If you have not seen it already, please take five minutes out of your day to find out what “Calling All Angels” is all about. And if you feel inspired, please make a donation! It doesn’t matter how much – really it doesn’t – every little bit helps” added Ivana.

Above: Ivana Getachek, who joins The Daily Explorer team until the end of this year to manage Ray’s ambitious “Calling All Angels” campaign. “Please, please take a look and get involved. Together, we could really make such a huge difference” said our new arrival. Ray’s campaign is officially launched on the 4th July. In the meantime, if you would like to talk to Ivana, you can reach her at ivana@thedailyexplorer.com

Below: Our roving reporter Amber Solaire went to Chiang Mai recently to interview Ray, to find out why he has chosen to take on the challenge of running a marathon and hear more about his “Calling All Angels” campaign. If you would like to know more about the causes Ray is supporting and what kind of help he is looking for, watch his three minute video interview:

With his marathon training programme well underway, Ray was still enjoying the visit to Chiang Mai of two of his best friends from Sacramento, USA who were in town on a ‘dental’ holiday (see our last issue). I asked Ray and Nikki where they planned to take them in their last few days. “Actually, they still have quite a bit of dental work to do to complete their treatments before they head back to America, so their time is somewhat limited. However, there is one thing that is an absolute ‘must see’ kind of place for anyone coming to Chiang Mai and that is the Elephant Nature Park, so we have booked a whole day to go out there with them” Ray told me. “Isn’t that one of the three causes that you are raising funds for in your “Calling All Angels” campaign?” I asked him. “You are absolutely right, Me So – it is. When Nikki took me to this wonderful, 50 Rai area of land just outside the city about a year ago, what I discovered was both profound and disturbing in equal measure” he told me.

“Elephants are only of interest to their owners for commercial gain and consequently, they are frequently beaten, drugged, abused and made to suffer considerable stress and pain from being overworked. Young elephants have their spirits ‘broken’ by humans in order to make them obedient – a cruel and inhumane practice that has been the tradition for hundreds of years. Even the cute video’s you see on YouTube, of elephants painting pictures, have been possible because the animals have been beaten or punished in their training to make them perform. These animals are offerred no protection whatsoever by the government and there is very little motivation to change the status quo as many people make their living through the exploitation of these creatures” explained Ray. “A tiny, courageous Thai woman called Lek Chailert is changing all of this and putting herself at considerable risk in order to do so and I really wanted Nic and Regina to meet her” added our traveller.

Above: With its well attended, colourful garden, the Tip Top Thai Guest House in the old city (left) provided Ray and Nikki with an excellent temporary base upon their recent return to Chiang Mai after several months of travelling – “The owner is a very kind, generous woman called Noi, who treats us more like family than guests” said Nikki, who is pictured relaxing in the outdoor lounge area (right). “Although we are very pleased to be moving into our own house for a few months, we will miss this place” she added

Below: The Elephant Nature Park, which was founded by Lek Chailert, is a ’must see’ for anyone visiting Chiang Mai - “Lek refers to her sanctuary as “Heaven for Elephants” said Ray, “as it is somewhere they can be loved, respected and live in peace, totally free from the fear of human attrocities that are regularly inflicted on these amazing, docile creatures”

Knowing he has made a deep connection with these animals and is a strong supporter of Lek, I asked Ray how it felt to return here. “It feels amazing to come back” he told me. “We heard before we left that a baby elephant was born here only 25 days ago and is the cutest thing you could ever see. Although elephants are intensely protective of their young offspring, we are hoping that with Lek around, we might be able to get very close to the baby” said Ray. “We will also be accompanied this time by a friend of mine called Azriel Cohen, who is a talented artist and photographer. Hopefully, he will be able to capture some great images of the baby and some of the other animals for use in The Daily Explorer” he added.

When our global traveller came to the park last year, our Editor (Mozzie Byte) produced a fascinating account of Ray’s visit in a special edition of The Daily Explorer, called “Elephants and Lions“. If any of our readers would like to get a deeper understanding of what this place is really about, why there is a need for it to exist and how they can help and support what Lek is doing, then it is well worth a read. In this issue, we have obtained pernission to publish some of the aforementioned photographs taken by Ray’s friend Azriel, who really captures the awesome spirit and nature of the place. We really hope you enjoy the selection we have for you here.

Above and below: When she had a vision of ‘Elephant Heaven’ many years ago, it was always Lek Chailert’s intention that the animals would be able to live in peace, exactly as they would in the wild, and that vision is being made real every day by Lek and her army of volunteers (Pictures courtesy of Azriel Cohen)

Above: This picture of these gigantic creatures (left) is pretty amazing in itself but what is even more astonishing is that the elephants allow visitors to get as close as this – “It is incredible what has emerged out of the culture of love and acknowledgement that Lek has engendered here” observed Ray. “It is the complete opposite to what these creatures would have been used to before they arrived here and after a while, it seems like their trust in humanity is completely re-established” he told me. The park is not just a wonderful home for the elephants but home to many different birds (right) and other species of wildlife (Pictures courtesy of Azriel Cohen)

Below: The arrivals area in the visitor centre displays the vast amount of media coverage that the Elephant Nature Park has generated

Above: Ray, Nikki and their friend Regina from Sacramento, USA are all treated to a rather unusual experience as they meet some of the elephants at the feeding station -  a great big, slobbery, welcoming smacker on the cheek!

Below: These elephants get through vast quantities of food, with each one consuming around 200 kilo’s per day – “Feeding them, which is one of the highlights, is a very intimate, one to one experience of deep connection” said Nikki

Above: Ray takes a look at a huge adult elephant tooth (left), which on closer inspection, has what appear to be hundreds of tiny teeth lined up in rows on the bottom – “Its no wonder they can eat a whole pineapple in one mouthful with the skin on” observed our traveller

For readers who would like to know a bit more about her, Sangduen ‘Lek’ Chailert (below, left) was born into a remote mountain community in northern Thailand in the 1960’s. Her maternal grandfather was a tribal man of the forest and Lek’s jungle forays with him led to an early and organic understanding of the wonders of nature. Against the backdrop of poverty she obtained a university education – something practically unique considering her circumstances. Her love of the elephant began as a youngster. The family cared for an elephant which became a close companion of Lek’s. This affection led to working with elephants in the forests. With a vet they provided medical care to sick elephants in remote areas. Travel to these areas is hazardous and often involves hours of walking narrow jungle paths inaccessible to vehicles. She is often away for days at a time. The park’s current herd includes disabled, orphans, blind and rescued, elephants of all ages.

The park is close to her home village and has been supported by their family tour business which operates educational and environmental trips as well as a travel website. “Her life-quest has always been to provide a sanctuary for elephants to live in a peaceful natural environment” said Ray. “We were told that it costs about $250,000 US dollars per year to run the park at the present time and there is no government funding, so every penny needs to be created by Lek and her team. This is why there is a queue of people who pay to volunteer here, and there are many other ways in which people can contribute to her amazing work” added Ray. “Lek’s efforts have been recognised worldwide and numerous stories have appeared on TV and in print media including the National Geographic Society. The awards she has received include Guest of Honour, US Humane Society (2003), Time Magazine ‘Asian Hero of the Year’ (2005), Earth Day Award (2006) and an honourary PhD (Veterinarian Science) awarded by the HM Crown Prince of Thailand” said our well informed traveller.

Impressed with the work that Lek is doing, Nic and Regina asked if they could film an interview with her for airing on their Conscious Media Network (CMN) web site, which attracts some 300-400,000 visitors per month. “Most of our readers know that I am a big fan of CMN” said Ray. “Nic and Regina are dedicated to creating awareness about significant people and events which for whatever reason, get overlooked by the mainstream media” said Ray. “Some of these ‘hidden’ stories are a bit sinister and some are truly inspirational, but all of them are likely to upset the status quo in some way” explained Ray. “As I am supporting Lek when I run the marathon, I was delighted that her interview would be seen by thousands of people on CMN. I watched my friends with great interest as they went about their work at the park to capture Lek on video” he told me.

(Editors Note: Daily Explorer readers can see the full video interview with Lek Chailert, free of charge on CMN from 1st July, or sooner if a paid subscription is taken out. For now, our readers can view a short preview of the interview below, or on the CMN site by clicking here: Elephant Re-habilitation)

Above: Nic and Regina shoot some footage of the elephants and prepare for their meeting with Lek (left). They ran into a little spot of bother (right) when they were trying to get one of the herd into the ideal position for filming – “Tell you what, honey – you get his attention and I’ll get the shot ” says Nic to Regina

Below: Lek Chailert with one of the park’s newest arrivals. Tiny Faa Mai (which means ‘New Sky’ in Thai) was born on 17th April this year, on the same day as one of their older elephants (“Max”) died – “You can see just how much these animals adore Lek” said Ray. “When you think about how hostile they would be in the wild if anyone tried to get near to a calf, it us quite unbelievable to be witnessing this – it really shouldn’t be happening” added our astounded visitor. There are some amazing pictures of Faa Mai at the time of his birth at Lek’s Elephant Nature Park Website

Above: Lek seems to have a way of communicating with the elephants that is unique and this affords her a huge amount of love from the animals (left). This amazing gift also means she has rapidly and appropriately established her identity as the “Elephant Whisperer” in the media” Ray told me

Below: Mum stands quietly and patiently as Lek tries to get Faa Mai to wear her hat so that she can get a snapshot, but like all young babies, he just wants to play!

Above: He may only be 25 days old, but Faa Mai already weighs over 1oo kilo’s, which makes him a bit of a handful for tiny Lek (left), who has to take a rest after a few minutes of playing (right)

Below: “I have seen many amazing things on my travels” said Ray, “but nothing comes even close to seeing a couple of my friends fooling around with a 25 day old baby elephant while it’s mum just stands and watches!” added Ray, who sent us these wonderful images. Faa Mai gets quite boisterous with Nic Meredith (left) who manages to keep going until Faa Mai is too tired to continue and needs to take a nap (right). Nic and Azriel sit quietly and listen to the soothing sound of a baby elephant snoring!

Above: Very few of us will have the opportunity to get up close and personal with a baby elephant. Ray’s friend Nic is a very lucky man and will probably remember his visit to the Elephant Nature Park for the rest of his life! (Picture courtesy of Azriel Cohen)

Below: As well as feeding the elephants, visitors also get the opportunity to bathe them which is an exhilirating experience. Being an old hand at it, Ray tries to help Regina by showing her how to throw the water and maintain her balance. At first, she seems to get the hang of it (left), but then she unexpectedly loses her footing as she goes to refill her bucket (centre) and then before Ray can even turn round, she is in the water! (right)

Above: Nikki, who is enjoying her third visit to the park in as many years tries not to laugh as she watches the proceedings above and sees Regina take an early dip in the river. Meanwhile, this poor elephant (right) serves as a cruel reminder as to why the Elephant Nature Park is needed – “Half of his right foot at the back was blown clean off when he stepped on a landmine near the Burmese border” Ray told me. “It makes me feel very pleased that our “Calling All Angels” campaign is starting soon and I hope that loads of our readers will make a donation so we can really help the people and animals here” added Ray

Below: Happy, free and enjoying their life as anyone should! Thanks to Lek, these wonderful creatures really seem to have found “Heaven for Elephants”. And with your support, we can help keep it that way! (Picture courtesy of Azriel Cohen)

With only a couple of days of their visit left, Nic and Regina were treated to another of Chiang Mai’s treats – Wawee Coffee! “In the three years I have been coming here, Wawee has firmly established itself as my number one destination when it comes to my daily caffeine fix” said Nikki. “Their fresh coffee is easily the best in town and until I give it up completely, I am fairly certain that me and Ray will continue to go there regularly” she told me. Being a health and fitness correspondent, I no longer drink tea or coffee myself. But I couldn’t help feeling quite excited and wishing I still did, as Ray and Nikki described to me the wonderful taste and the ambience of the place that they love so much!

Above: Ray and Nikki jump on their motorbike (left) and lead the way for Nic and Regina to Wawee Coffee in Soi 9, Nimmanhaemin Road (right) – “Just like the Carlsberg slogan, it is probably the best coffee in the world” said Nikki

Below: The Thai barista’s at Wawee show off their artistic talents to our photographer

Above: Regina (left) enjoys her coffee with Nikki (right) as they both add a touch of glamour to the general ambience

Below: Nic stands beside one of Chiang Mai’s many ancient statues at Wat Umong (left) which reminds him that he still has some last minute dental work to be done before he leaves – “Nic told me that his dentist (right) was getting quite depressed by the fact that him and Regina were leaving town, as it might mean a drop off in business for a while” said Ray. “I told Nic to tell his dentist to stop looking so down in the mouth about it” laughed our traveller

Above: What a great way to go! Prior to their departure, Nic and Regina managed to enjoy one final, hour long Thai massage session at one of the temples in the old city – “I think they are going to miss this back in Sacramento” Ray told me

After Ray’s friend’s had departed, I wondered how the 26 week, three phase training regime was going for our fledgling marathon runner? I am in Phase Two of my programme and have completed the first six weeks of a ten week endurance building block. So far, I have run 206 miles in that six week period, with 42 miles in the last week alone, so the mileages are really starting to build up to serrious levels now. Overall, I have to say that I feel pretty chuffed about my progress” he told me. “In the first two weeks when I arrived here (in my pre-training), I was only running about 15 miles per week, and that was quite a struggle at first. My heartrate, which is constantly monitored, was often hitting over 160 bpm (beats per minute)” said Ray. “This is important as the maximum number of heartbeats per minute your body will allow is more or less fixed by your age and no matter how much you train, you cannot really chnage this” he explained. “So the only way for me to improve my performance is to improve my own aerobic capacity, which means my heart has to pump a little bit less as I reach higher levels of exertion” explained our ever more knowledgable runner. ”With four weels left in my ten week block, I am running between 30-40 miles per week and am more comfortable with it now than I was at the beginning. I have completed my first 10 mile run, which means I am only three more miles (or around 30 minutes) away from being able to run a half-marathon. I should be able to reach this milestone within the next two weeks” he said.

Above: Discipline is a key part of any serious athlete’s training and come rain or shine, Ray is up at 5.30-6.00 a.m., five or six days a week to train – “It’s much cooler early in the mornings, although we are right in the middle of the rainy season now, so I am quite likely to get soaked when I run” he told me. “There a couple of decent running tracks in or around the city and a couple of natural beauty spots that are pretty good routes, so there is plenty of variety. Now that I am building my endurance to serious levels, my coach is slowly starting to introduce new and different exercises into my programme, to improve my speed and power, like interval training and hill running as well as plyometrics and core strength work in the gym” explained Ray. “I like doing the work in the gym as it usually means I do not have to get up so early – they have great air conditioning there so the daytime heat is no problem! admitted Ray

Below: Our roving reporter Amber Solaire meets Ray’s marathon coach Matt Campbell at the Powerhouse Gym in Chiang Mai for an exclusive interview about how our global nomad is currently doing in pursuit of his goal

Above: Inspired by Ray, Nikki (left) has also been going to the track for a few laps – “I quite like starting the day with a good run” she told me. Diet is an important part ofthe whole equation for Ray who is no stranger to this whole area – “Several years ago, I would have described myself as completely ‘unconscious’ around food” said Ray. “Back then, I was an (overweight) businessman and basically ate whatever I fancied without understanding the full impact of what it was doing to me. Since then, I have deepened my knowledge and understanding of food and nutrition, which has really been helping me to get the carbohydrate/protein/fat/vitamins and minerals balance right as I make excessive phyiscal demands on my body” he told me over lunch at Khun Churn, Chiang Mai’s best organic vegetarian lunch buffet (right)

Below: Nikki has been very supportive of Ray’s marathon effort and has helped him by sourcing large quantities of fresh fruit and vegetables at the local markets – “She has been absolutely brilliant” said Ray. “She makes sure that I have about a litre of really healthy blended fruits every morning after I have trained, which replenishes my body straight away with a lot of the nutrients I need every day. A little bit of everything gets thrown in – bananas, mangoes, papaya, dragon fruit, oranges, melon, pineapple, spinach, cashew nuts, bee pollen (brilliant superfood) and kale – yummy!” said our grateful runner

In our last issue (Marathon Man) we published two photographs of Matt Campbell, Ray’s mentor, showing how much he had changed over a 5-6 year period as a result of radically changing his diet and becoming a long distance runner. A couple of readers wrote to me and asked if there was a similar story in Ray’s past, so I decided to find out. “Well, it’s interesting you should ask Me So, because I did go through a change very similar to Matt’s, which started around the summer of 2003″ he told me. “At that time, I felt very dissatisfied with my body – overweight and quite sluggish – although I had not decided to do anything about it. I then saw one of my clients after a six month absence and he had really lost a lot of weight, looked vibrant and energised and the change was quite dramatic” recalled Ray.

“When I asked my client what had happened to him, he said he had been working with a personal trainer called Tim Bean, from the Institute of Physique Management (pictured left with partner Anne Laing) and it had resulted in quite a physical transformation. He gave me Tim’s number and within a few weeks, I had signed up to work with him on a similar programme over six months. During that time, we went right back to basics and Tim explained to me the major components in food types, how calories work and what our bodies really need. He took me on ‘assisted’ shopping trips to the supermarket to show me how to significantly reduce the fat content in my diet and increase my intake of protein and carbohydates and generally eat more healthily. And he also spent a few evenings with me in my kitchen at home, teaching me how to prepare tasty, nutritional, balanced meals in 15-20 minutes. This had been a major barrier for me as I was always so busy with work and other things, I had formed a strong belief in my mind that preparing really healthy meals took hours, so I always avoided doing it. Plus, I was living in an area where there hundreds of take-aways just round the corner” he told me. “We did all these things before we even started a training programme at the gym, as it was Tim’s view that there was no point in working out unless I was putting the right fuel in. Once this was under control, I was training quite hard at least four times per week for a few months under his continued guidance, with a monthly meeting to check all of my vital statistics. The way he worked with me was very motivating as he let me do everything myself so that I would not be dependent on him at the end of my progarmme. And now here I am, only six years later, attempting to run a marathon! I really had no idea at the time that everything I did with Tim back then would lead to this!” recalled Ray.

Like Matt Campbell in our last issue (Marathon Man), Ray also had a few ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures tucked away and he agreed to send me a selection to share with our readers. “I don’t really mind if people see what I looked like back then” said Ray. “Many of my friends and people I meet are not satisfied with how they look and feel. Having been through the experience with Tim Bean, I know it is something that can be addressed if you know the right things to do and are able to change some habits that are not really working well for you” said our traveller.

Above: Before and after! The pictures in the top row were taken by Tim Bean in Ray’s garden in London in the summer of 2003, just as he was beginning his programme – “The clinical definition of obesity is when 30% or greater of your total body weight is fat” said Ray. “When Tim measured by body fat using his special calipers and data tables, I discovered my measure was around 28.5%! So although I did not look really huge, for someone of my size I was in pretty bad condition” he explained. The pictures in the bottom row were taken in early 2004 and show the difference that we made in a relatively short period of time with a good diet and a regular exercise regime. “Ironically, all I wanted to do was make a lasting change in my habits so that I would eventually change shape over a long period and be able to maintain it” recalled Ray. “I was not too concerned with rapid results, and not expecting them, but they did come pretty quickly which surprised me” said our health conscious traveller

Below: A new identity! Consciousness and some hard work has transformed Ray from the successful, busy, overweight and unhealthy businessman he was in 2002 (left) into the healthy, nomadic global explorer who is approaching his fifties and attempting his first ever marathon in 2009 (right)

Whilst he was telling me about his past, I asked Ray if he had any breaks coming up in his training schedule. “No, there are no breaks as such but I do get one full rest day every week when I am not supposed to train at all. This gives my body some time to recover and repair itself from any little niggles or being overworked. It must be my conditioning, but I really like having my ‘rest’ day on a Sunday” Ray told me. “It’s a great day for having a lay-in, a big breakfast, reading the paper and socialising – in fact, it is the best day to do the latter as everyone has the day off” he said. On one recent Sunday, Nikki and Ray travelled 40 kilometres south east of Chiang Mai on their motorbike to visit the mountain home of a couple of friends. “I got to know Katie when we were both cast in a play called ”That Takes Ovaries”, which was put on to raise money for charities here in Chiang Mai” said Nikki. “From the north of England, Katie works as an English teacher and has a wicked sense of humour” she told me.

Above: Nikki and Katie share some superbly prepared Indian food on the balcony of her mountain home (left). There is a very comfortable deck overlooking the surrounding hills, which is a perfect place for our two travellers to relax after lunch (right)

Below: Katie and her partner Angela share the wooden deck at their home with neighbours Mike Meallem (left) who teaches English at the Chiang Mai University and his partner Jah (right) who also works in the faculty there

Above: Ray found this hanging on the wall inside his friend Mike’s home and thought our readers might like to see it

Editors Note: Our thanks to Me So Fit who once again has produced another superb issue of The Daily Explorer. It’s great that he is back on our team for a while. Now that Ivana Getachek is on board, media interest in Ray’s “Calling All Angels” fundraising campaign has reached fever pitch in the United Kingdom, with at least two of the major British tabloid newspapers picking up the story (see below). The campaign is officially launched on 4th July, so if you have not done so already, please get involved with us and take a look at what the campaign is all about. And if you feel inspired, please make a donation.

Ray is continuing with his training and will be entering his first half marathon (13 miles) in Pattaya on July 19th. “For me, it is an early opportunity to see how far I have progressed since I started training” said Ray. “And it will give me and Matt some very useful performance data that we can use to set our target time for the marathon in New York” added Ray. As usual, we will be bringing you exclusive coverage of Ray’s build up to the New York marathon right here in The Daily Explorer. We will keep you posted!

We always aim to maintain our high standards of journalism and presentation, so please keep sending us your comments and suggestions as to how we can improve what we are doing. You can use the comments box on this site, or email Ray (ray@thedailyexplorer.com) or ‘Mozzie’ or any of our correspondents at mozzie@thedailyexplorer.com

Above: Both the Daily Mail (left) and the Daily Mirror (right) have heard about Ray’s “Calling All Angels” campaign – “I am so delighted to have the full support of the media” said Ray. “Now, I just hope our own readers get behind what we are doing and make a donation” he told me

Below: One reader who has got involved and made a donation is a former colleague of Ray’s called Jane Harries, who is from Northamptonshire in England - ”One of the big pleasures for me in asking people to help is that I sometimes find out things about them which I didn’t know” said Ray. “For example, I have discovered that Jane is a talented artist. She painted ”Bluebell Study” (left) and has her own collection of art on display at Saatchi’s Online Gallery, which is well worth a look” added Ray. After his visit to the Elephant Nature Park, Ray was inspired to create his own artistic expression of the experience and agreed to be a model for a local ‘body painting’ artist at the Chiang Mai Art School (right)

MOZZIE BYTE

Chiang Mai, Thailand: May 2009

MOZZIE BYTE (Editor): A warm welcome back to all our Daily Explorer readers and greetings to those of you who are joining us for the first time. To our regulars, many thanks for viewing our online publication and for giving us your feedback. Over 14,000 visitors have been to see our site since the beginning of 2008. For new readers, Ray has been living nomadically for nearly three and a half years since he left England in November 2005. In that time, he has visited or lived in 15 countries and we have been publishing news and stories about his travels throughout that period. If you would like to know more about what’s in our archives, check out some of our Previous Issues.

We always aim to maintain our high standards of journalism and presentation, so please keep sending us your comments and suggestions as to how we can improve what we are doing. You can use the comments box on this site, or email Ray, ‘Mozzie’ or any of our correspondents at thedailyexplorer@gmail.com

Our lastest issue has been compiled for us by one of our Asian correspondents, Me So Fit (above). Having first appeared in our sister publication, The Daily Lama in 2006, he immediately established himself as a firm favourite with our readers and we are delighted to see him return and make his debut for The Daily Explorer. Me So Fit will be bringing us all of the news and pictures from Chiang Mai in Thailand as Ray undertakes his gruelling 26 week training programme to be ready for the New York Marathon on 1st November. Already in his first four weeks of training, Ray has clocked up a staggering 108 miles of running! We are also recruiting someone to lead Ray’s Marathon Fundraising Campaign. Details of the campaign and the person who will manage it will be announced in our next issue, “Calling All Angels”.

In our last issue, our American correspondent Nick Elandimer ended his tour of duty with news and pictures about Ray and Nikki as they completed their month long tour of California. Before they left for London, they went to Lake Tahoe and explored the beautiful city of San Francisco. They also spent some time exploring the picturesque Pacific Coast Highway, stopping at Carmel, Monterey and the Big Sur. And we had an insight into Ray’s inner world as he attended a two day personal development workshop in Oakland. If you missed it, you can read it now at: Adios California

Above: Bakers Beach and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. You can see more pictures and stories about the closing stages of Ray and Nikki’s month long adventure on the west coast of America in our last issue: Adios California

Running in a marathon is a huge challenge for anyone, so I was very interested to find out why Ray had decided to undertake this and how he had come to choose Chiang Mai in Thailand as his training venue. We spoke on the phone whilst he was in London, preparing to fly out to Bangkok. “It is something I have always wanted to do” Ray told me. “Although I hardly ever mentioned it to anyone, I always dreamed I would run a marathon before I was 50 and I have just over a year left, so now is the time. Having recently been trekking in the Himalayas, I feel in pretty good shape and ready to make some massive demands on my own body” explained Ray. “I know it is going to be tough for me over the next 5-6 months as I get into the discipline of training every day, but I am really excited about doing something physical on this scale – something that I would normally consider beyond my capability. And it will enable me to raise a lot of money for worthy causes, so long as I can drum up support from Daily Explorer readers and friends around the world” added our traveller.

With only a few days in London to prepare for being away the rest of the year, I wanted to know what our global nomad would do with the time? “Oh my gosh Me So, there are so many things, I am not sure how to answer your question, but lets start with the marathon itself. Before I fly off to Thailand, I have to register for a place in the race with one of the major charities and establish my fundraising strategy. Then I have to make sure I get the best equipment I can – a pair of properly fitted running shoes, a ‘camelback’ water bladder, socks, shorts and other bits and pieces. I also have to make sure that my laptop is properly set up and working as it will be the engine of my fundraising campaign and I will have real problems if it gives out on me” explained our nomadic traveller. “And of course, I would like to see one or two friends and catch a bit of the cultural scene in London before I go as it will be a while before I get another chance” he added.

Above: During his brief stop over in London, Ray managed to see The Jersey Boys musical (left) which is a colourful tribute to Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons – “I loved hearing all of the songs, like Rag Doll, Sherry and Let’s Hang On” said Ray. By way of a total contrast, our traveller was also invited to a rendition of Handel’s Messiah at the Albert Hall (right) by his friend Adrian Hollister – “I have known the music since I was a child and the chance to hear it being performed live was an opportunity to good to miss” said Ray. “My friend Adrian has been very supportive and very generous since I left the UK and I really appreciate it” he told me

Below: Ray calls in at the London Marathon Store in Covent Garden to have his gait analysed and buy correctly fitted running shoes – “It’s amazing when you begin a journey with no previous experience” said Ray. “You start to discover that there is so much you do not know (what learning experts describe as ‘unconscious incompetence’). For me, the shoes were the first example of this happening” he told me. “I had myself filmed on video on their treadmill to see if my feet turned in or out as I ran, which determines if you ‘under-pronate’ or ‘over-pronate’, or are a ‘neutral’. The type you are determines which running shoe is the right one for you. I am an over pronator i.e. my feet roll inward too much when I run, which means I require a shoe with a lot of support. It may seem like a small point, but if you are wearing the wrong shoes in a 26 mile marathon, it can be very painful and cause serious injuries” explained our novice runner

Above: Ray meets Natalie Tarrant, Events Manager for the World Cancer Research Fund (left), who have granted Ray his place in the New York Marathon – “I talked with a few charities and decided that the WCRF would be a worthy cause to support” said Ray. Several of my friends have had cancer and one recently died, which has made me feel very connected to the work the WCRF do. I am also going to raise money for two more groups – the Namaste Childrens Home in Nepal and the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, both of which are causes that are dear to my heart” he told me. I discovered these duirng my travels in Asia and I know they would be thrilled at what they could do with the additional funds that running this marathon might generate. I will be asking The Daily Explorer to publish full details of my “Calling All Angels” Campaign in the next issue, and would like to invite all readers to support me to raise the money that these people need” explained our adventurer. Ray’s 10 year old nephew, Dan (right), was the first person to sponsor our global nomad as he set off for Chiang Mai – “I am very proud of him” said Ray. “He insisted that he wanted to contribute some of his own pocket money and if we can get more of this kind of support, we should be able to to make a really big difference” said our excited traveller

Below: Ray’s arrival in Bangkok was carefully timed – “Anyone who has been to Asia will most probably know they celebrate their New Year in April with a water festival called Songkran” explained Ray. “Anyone who is around during Songkran is likely to get soaked, as is customary! I made sure I arrived as the festival was ending, staying in Bangkok for a couple of days until it was completely over. The people of Chiang Mai really go over the top in their celebration of the festival and it is impossible to avoid getting drenched” added our experienced Asian explorer (Photo: Susie Moberly)

Two days in Bangkok gave our traveller an opportunity to get re-acquainted with a city that has become a regular stopping point in the last three and half years on the road. “I have lost count of the number of times I have been through here” said Ray. “This is my seventh visit to Thailand, not to mention other destinations where Bangkok has been used purely as a travel hub” he told me. “It is a fabulous city for stopping in, but not one I would want to live in – it is way too noisy and polluted for me” added Ray.

Talking to Ray, I discovered that there were two reasons he had decided to stop in the capital. “One is to meet up with Nikki, who arrived here a few days earlier than me (from England). We will then head off to Chiang Mai and start looking for somewhere to live for the next few months. The other is to meet a couple of business people who live and work in the city, to find out more about the opportunities that may exist for freelance work in Asia in the next year or two” said Ray. “I have always thought that I would get involved in business again at some point and although I do not want to alter my nomadic living experiment, exploring ways in which I can work alongside established businesses out here on an ad-hoc, temporary basis is of great interest. Last year, I got in touch with a couple of people I read about in The Bangkok Post, and they both agreed to meet me for some initial discussions. One of them has invited me and Nikki to meet him at his wife’s club, which should be interesting” said our enterprising traveller.

Above: The Bangkok skyline seen from the Expressway, with Lumphini Park in the foreground - “Its great to be back, if only for a couple of days” said Ray. Readers who are interested in Ray’s previous visits to the city can get in-depth information in our sister publication, The Daily Lama

Below: The river is one the highlights for visitors to Bangkok – “I know I have told our readers before, but it is worth mentioning that you can ride the entire length of the city on the river bus for around 20 pence (30 cents), making it one of the cheapest ’star quality’ attractions in the world” claimed Ray. “The river bus passes many landmarks, like Wat Arun (left) and riding in one of them (right) is a unique experience” he told me

Above: When people think of business, images of suits and offices spring to mind – “Things are very relaxed in Bangkok, certainly in the ex-pat community. One of the people I had arranged to meet was very excited about meeting at ‘The Check Inn’, his (Thai) wife’s club so I took Nikki along with me to enjoy the entertainment” Ray told me. “Actually, the girls were really rather good, singing a set of very popular songs to a small but lively audience. Regarding business, we had a productive conversation over dinner with our contact, which has led to Nikki and I agreeing to provide training and coaching services to companies in Asia that want to help their executives have a more powerful and dynamic personal impact” said Ray. “He has offered to help introduce us through his network, so watch this space!” added Ray  (Editors Note: If any of our readers have business contacts in South East Asia who may require this type of service, Ray would be delighted to hear from you, so please drop us a line via email at thedailyexplorer@gmail.com)

Chiang Mai

Both Ray and Nikki have previously been to Chiang Mai, having made their initial visit in 2006. “We first came here after six months on the road in Thailand, when we decided to enrol at the Language Institute at the University to study for our TEFL (Teach English as a Foreign Language) qualification. It was one of the hardest courses we have ever done in our lives, but worth it in the end as we both passed the course with honours” recalled Ray. “During that period, we made quite a few friends, both ex-pat and Thai, and we got to know the place very well, so it feels a bit like a second home coming back here” he explained. “It was during my last visit, in July 2008 that I met Matt Campbell, who has kindly agreed to be my marathon coach. He lives here wit his wife and family and Nikki and I are going to rent a temporary home for the next few months while I train with him to get ready for the big race in New York later this year” said Ray.

Above: Map showing the location of Chiang Mai (left), which is where Ray has decided to train for the 2009 New York Marathon – “Lots of people say to me that it might be very hot training here and they are right, which is why I am going to be doing most of my road running at 5.30 or 6.00 am!” Ray told me. “And if I can reach all of my goals training in this environment, I should have a big advantage when I run the race in New York as it will be quite cool in November and will feel easier (relatively!) joked our novice runner. While Ray and Nikki were conducting their search for a rentable home, they stayed at The Tip Top Thai Guest House (right), which Nikki first discovered a couple of years ago – It has become my preferred guest house for short stays” she told me, “because the lady who owns it, called Noi is a lovely, kind host who feels more like a friend than a landlady. We always have great conversations about the nuances of the English language. And there are only five or six guest rooms, plus a kitchen so it really feels like a home raher than a room ” added Nikki. “I am delighted to say that Noi is also a Daily Explorer reader” said Ray

So how did the search for somewhere to live work out? “Well Me So, it was a little bit harder than we initially thought and we had to engage the help of several Property Agents to get a good selection of places to see” Ray told me. “For several days, we hardly did anything else other than phone agents or advertisers in the local press and attend viewings, which in the 40 degree sunshine was pretty exhausting. As I am sure most people who have rented a home will have experienced, we reached a point where we felt like giving up. We lost one fabulous apartment to someone else who narrowly beat us to it and nowhere else we saw after that matched exactly to our specification” recalled Ray. “But as these things usually go, it must have been serendipity because a couple of days later, a friend of Nikki’s who has a lovely, fully furnished and secluded house in the old city (our favourite part) announced she was leaving town for four months and was looking for someone to rent her home while she was away!” recalled our very excited house hunter. “We had a chat with her and decided it was perfect for us” he told me.

Above: Ray stands outside one of the many houses and apartments that he and Nikki went to see as they searched for their ideal temporary home in  Chiang Mai

Below: Nikki chats with Esther White, an American living in Chiang Mai who just happened to be returning to the USA for four months whilst her and Ray were looking for a base in the city – “In choosing a home, what is most important to you and Ray?” enquires Esther. “Now, let me think” says Nikki. “Oh, I know… how far is the nearest decent coffee shop?” replies our caffeine lover

Shortly after his arrival in Chiang Mai, Ray linked up with Matt Campbell, his marathon coach to agree a plan that would see our global explorer reaching race condition towards the end of October this year. I was curious to find out what was involved and asked Ray to explain it to me. “First of all, I am really thrilled that I have a coach at all” said Ray. “I know a few people who have attempted this and have done their training on their own, using books or other online sources to guide them, which is an approach that I did not feel particularly comfortable with. So when I asked (six times marathon runner) Matt if he would be my coach, I was absolutely delighted when he said yes and if he helps me become even half as capable at long distance running as he is, I am sure I will remain indebted to him for the rest of my life!” said our appreciative traveller. Although it is still to be confirmed, we are hoping to get an interview with Matt for the next issue of The Daily Explorer so we can find out a bit  more about him and how he is working with Ray.

So what is the plan that Ray is working to? “In simple terms Me So, we are working to a plan that has three phases. I have already completed the first phase, which lasted two weeks. When I arrived, neither Matt or myself had any measure of my level of fitness so we had a very relaxed two week period where we ran together a few times and did some training in the gym. During this time, I was using Matt’s Garmin 405, a GPS enabled sports watch to monitor my pace, heart rate and other vital statistics and we used this data to establish the best programme for the second and third phases” explained Ray. “I now have one of my own and it’s really useful in enabling me to analyse my performance on the computer immediately after I have done a run. Over time, I will be building distance and improving speed, so having the ability to pace myself and measure the difference in every run is vital” said our high tech traveller.

Above: The incredible Garmin 405 Forerunner GPS enabled sports watch – “There is probably as much computing power in this device as there was in the mainframe computers used to launch men into space in the sixties” said Ray

Below: Ray stretches before undertaking an ‘easy’ three mile run in the Powerhouse Gym (below this picture, left) during Phase One of his training plan - “In this context, ‘easy’ means way slower than marathon pace” explained Ray. “Ideally, I would like to complete the marathon in under four hours, although I will not know if this is feasible for another few weeks when I am further into my training. If it is, then I will need to run at a pace of 9:09 mins per hour. My ‘easy’ training pace is just under 11:00 mins per hour, which means my heart rate stays relatively low, making it easier to complete the run without feeling exhausted” he told me

I asked Ray what has been the hardest thing for him so far? “Definitely my first day” he told me. “This was the point where the talking about doing a marathon stopped and the actual work started – up until this moment it had still seemed like a fantasy, but when I turned up at the lakeside in my shorts and vest at 6am on a chilly Monday morning to meet Matt and ran two and a quarter miles with him, the reality of my choice hit me in the face like crashing into a brick wall” recalled our novice runner. “I finished that run absolutely exhausted, wanting to punch Matt every time he loudly instructed me to ‘go faster’ towards the end - I began to realise that mountain trekking and running are two very different things and I suddenly started to panic that I would never be able to train for a marathon in time” added Ray. “Even my heart rate was peaking at 175 beats per minute, which for someone of my age, is pretty close to the maximum. It made me feel quite dejected as I was at full capacity and running like a tortoise!” joked our traveller.

Ray’s coach saw all of this going on and tried to re-assure him that it would all be OK. “I tried telling him not to worry and to just ease his body into the idea of running over the next two weeks. I said that we would be pretty flexible and that he should keep active, sleep and eat well (lots of fruit and greens) and have a massage or two, especially if he experienced ‘DOMS’ later that week” said Matt. “DOMS stands for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. After a workout, it is quite common and quite annoying, particularly if you are just beginning an exercise programme or changing activities. For the new exerciser who wakes up one day and goes on a three mile run, there is bound to be some muscle pain and soreness the next day or two. This is a normal response to unusual exertion and is part of an adaptation process that leads to greater stamina and strength as the muscles recover and build. The soreness is generally at its worst within the first two days following the activity and subsides over the next few days” explained Matt. So has Ray been suffering from DOMS? “Actually no – I have been quite lucky so far” he told me. “Stretching is going to be key for me to stave off any injury problems, and as Nikki is part of the yoga community here, I have a lot of help at hand in that area, as well as a local physio who is joining my marathon ‘team’ while I am here” Ray told me.

Above: Ray looks quite comfortable as he reaches the halfway point of his training run. I asked him what he thinks about while he is on the treadmill? – “Oh, I am listening to a list of 250 songs that I have compiled on my iPod for my ‘Marathon Playlist’, which will be one of my support tools for the race” said Ray. “For a four hour time, I will only need around 50-60 tracks so it is critical that I choose those songs which really get my energy going and give me an extra boost, especially as I get more tired in the second half. So I am listening to them all and every week I eliminate those that are not right, a bit like my own version of ‘Pop Idol’. I hope to end up with the “World’s Best Music to Run a Marathon To, Ever!” he laughed

Below: Stretching is vitally important, before and after every training event – “It is one of the areas where I know I am vulnerable, as I have never learnt how to do it properly and basically don’t like it” admitted Ray. “I am taking Matt’s guidance and using some of the stretches which are explained on his website and Nikki is also helping me develop a stretching routine I can do in around 40 minutes per day. By developing the habit, I am hoping to avoid any injuries” said our cautious athlete

Returning to the three phase plan, I asked Ray what the typical regime had been during Phase One. “The idea of Phase One (the first two weeks) was really for me to get to know my own body a bit better and for Matt to get an idea of my starting point so he could coach me effectively” explained Ray. “We were both considering it as pre-training, so in my first week, my programme looked like this:

Tuesday – Cross Train (30 minutes on a bike)

Wednesday – 3 mile easy run at 10 min/mile pace

Thursday – Huay Tung Thao Lake; tempo run: 1 mile easy, 1 mile at 9min/mile and 1 mile easy

Friday – Cross Train (30 minutes on a bike)

Saturday – Rest

Sunday – 4.5 mile run (or time on your feet 45 minutes)

“In total, I ran 11.7 miles and cycled 22.4 miles in my first week, and then increased this to 16.6 miles of running in my second week, giving me and Matt a solid base of performance data to work from on entering Phase Two, a 10 week block of endurance building to enable me to run longer and longer distances, finalising at around 13 miles in a single run (half marathon) by early July” said Ray. 

Above: Pushing himself harder than he has done for a few years, Ray is determined to build his strength and endurance during the second phase of his three phase training programme – “After 10 weeks, I will be asked by Matt to undertake a time trial, which means I will have to run either 10 kilometres or a half marathon within a specified time. If I achieve the goal time he sets me, then (the 16 week) Phase Three will be specifically designed for a four hour marathon. If I finish the trial outside of the specified time, we will have to adjust my target time for the race downward as it is extremely unlikely that  my body will cope if I try to do the marathon in four hours, leading to a lot of discomfort and possibly exhaustion. In that case, it would be much better for me if I aim for a slower time from the outset and train accordingly” explained our well informed runner

Below: Matt and Ray are energised after one of their early morning runs, this time at The National Stadium about seven kilometres outside Chiang Mai

Matts own story is quite inspirational. A forty year old Englishman living in Chiang Mai with his wife and three children, he became a runner in July 2003 after several years of being considerably overweight and in relatively poor health. “When I heard about this and saw some photographs of how Matt looked just seven years ago, I could not believe it” said Ray. It has inspired me with confidence that I can get myself to the point of marathon fitness and I know that Matt will be able to empathise with the barriers I will hit as I continue to train in pursuit of my ultimate goal. Running has changed Matt’s life and it is not all down to exercise – he is also very disciplined about what he eats, and is now more less entirely consuming raw foods” said our eager running student.

Above: Matt in December 2001 (left) and a more recent photograph taken in 2008 (right). He now weighs 68.5 kilo’s and has around 8% body fat from constantly running around 30 miles per week, cross training, yoga and a raw food diet. You can read more about Matt’s personal story on his ‘Rawrunner’ web site

Below: Ray enjoys a two hour treatment with Jang, his Thai massage therapist – “Nikki introduced me to her in 2008 when she came round to our house and gave us both a fantastic treatment, releasing a lot of tension and stretching our tired muscles. Since then, she has been a regular visitor and is now the official ’physio’ on my small but growing marathon team. She is brilliant at what she does and the more I train, the more I look forward to our sessions as they really help me to maintain muscle flexibility and ease out some of the soreness in my joints from pounding mile after mile of concrete” said Ray

When you are focused on something and you get into some sort of routine, distractions can sometimes feel unwelcome, but for our trainee marathon runner a few days ago, there was a major exception. “Two of my best friends, Nic and Regina Meredith, who Nikki and I recently stayed with in Sacramento, were visiting Chiang Mai for the first time. Naturally, Nikki and I wanted to spend as much time with them as possible and make sure their visit to the city was memorable and comfortable” explained Ray. “Fortunately for me, most of my running is done in the early hours before the sun gets too strong, so them being here was hardly going to interfere with my training. I was very excited about them coming as they are my first friends from the west to venture out to this part of the world” added Ray. “Nikki and I went to meet them at the airport and it was so exciting to see them arrive. We couldn’t stop talking about all of the wonderful things they were going to experience here” Ray told me.

Above: Ray can barely contain his excitement as his dear friends Nic (left) and Regina (right) arrive at Chiang Mai airport

Below: The following morning, Nic and Regina experience their first ride in one of the city’s many tuk-tuk’s

Like many foreigners who visit Thailand, one of the motivations for Nic and Regina to come to Chiang Mai is the easy access to high quality, low cost dental treatment. “When Nikki and I were at their home in California a couple of months ago, they told us about the dental work they were both going to undertake in Sacramento and how much it was going to cost” recalled Ray. “Convinced that they could save a great deal of money, we put them in touch with a reputable dentist here in Chiang Mai and after investigation, our assumptions were confirmed. This was fantastic for them, as it meant they could get all of the treatments they both needed, saving lots of money and getting a holiday thrown in. And it was fantastic for us as it meant we would see two of our best friends for at least three weeks” said our excited traveller.

Above: One of Chiang Mai’s many beautiful Buddhist temples – “Nic and Regina are in for a real treat” said Ray and Nikki, as they revealed their plans to me for showing their friends around the city

I discovered from Ray that Nic and Regina run an online business from their base in the United States and both of them work extremely hard. “Before they met, they had both worked in the film and TV business - Regina had been an established presenter on American TV for many years and Nic had produced an award winning TV show in Canada called “Metro Cafe”. Nic had seen that the future of broadcasting was moving towards the Internet and demand would be driven by viewers, whilst Regina had a vision to make programmes that would enable people to become more conscious about issues affecting their health and well-being and the quailty of life on our planet” explained Ray. “Together, they decided to create the Conscious Media Network - a media channel on the Internet to provide high quality programming for people interested in hearing from the greatest thinkers of our time. They have interviewed hundreds of them, discussing issues and topics like the Illuminati, HAARP, spiritual healing, quantum physics, medical breakthrough, unexplained phenomena and anything and everything alternative, metaphysical and spiritual” explained Ray.

I decided to meet Nic, to ask him what had isnpired them to set up the Conscious Media Network. “This project should never have really needed to happen, if the media was in integrity” said Nic. “Regina and I wanted to provide the public with ‘need to know’ information, the kind that would never be on TV and isn’t getting out in the mainstream press because it doesn’t support the commercial interests of ‘the few’ and keeps ‘the masses’ safely ignorant and boxed in” he told me. “Information is power and conscious citizens are harder to control” he added. Ray is obviously very impressed with their achievements in the last couple of years. “What they have done, with limited resources, is nothing short of miraculous” remarked Ray. “They have built the web site themselves, do their own pre and post production and research for the interviews and manage the site, which is now attracting a staggering 3-400,000 visitors every month!” he told me. “There is such a clear demand for this kind of information and I have been fascinated by a lot of the interviews I have watched myself. I strongly recommend Daily Explorer readers take a while to have a look at the Conscious Media Network (CMN) site for themselves” said Ray.

Above: Nikki looks at a map of Chiang Mai (left) with Regina whilst they figure out what her and Nic would most like to do during their well earned rest in the city, working around their hectic schedule of dental treatments! Buddhist monks (right) can be frequently spotted throughout the city, giving the place a very tranquil feel

Below: One of the things that should be on anyone’s ‘must do’ list when they visit Chiang Mai is a foot massage at the women’s prison, which Regina willingly agreed to experience. The visitor to her right went for something a little more adventurous!

Above: (left) “The best foot massage in the whole of Chiang Mai is available at the Chinese Reflexology Centre on the Rachadamnoen Road” says Nikki. After trying it for an hour, Regina and Nic definitely agree with her! So far, so good – Chiang Mai is working it’s magic on Regina who takes time out to relax in her apartment (right)

Below: The Sunday Walking Market is an institution in Chiang Mai, frequented by foreginers and tourists alike. One of the popular attractions is this converted VW bus that is now a mobile coffee shop (left). And after a couple of hours of browsing the numerous, colourful market stalls, what better than to get some delicious street food and join the huge crowd, al fresco dining outside one of the beautiful temples (right)

With Nic and Regina orientated and settled, Ray returned to his marathon training, which was now entering the crucial second phase with a 10 week endurance building block. “This phase is all about being able to train Ray’s body to run longer distances” Matt told me. “I have instructed Ray to concentrate on distance rather than speed for the next 10 weeks and I will also introduce some core strength work and plyometric exercises into his programme to prepare him for phase three when we will no doubt have to focus on increasing his speed and pace. But for now, putting the miles in is the name of the game” explained Matt. “His goal is to be comfortably running around 40 miles per week by the end of this phase” he added.

“Once I had seen the programme, I soon realised that I would run around 330 miles in the 10 week period before starting my 16 week marathon specific training, which would add at least as much again. I now understand why Matt recommended I brought two pairs of running shoes with me, as the life expectancy of most shoes is around 500 miles” added Ray.

Above: Matt discusses the second phase of Ray’s training programme and makes sure he understands what is expected of him regarding the time trials in ten weeks – “Gulp!” says Ray. “I suddenly feel an increase of pressure as I’m aware that if I don’t run fast enough, I may not realise my ideal time of four hours” he told me. “Don’t worry, Ray” says Matt re-assuringly. “You are in good shape and making excellent progress. Just stay focused on building distance and we’ll work on the speed later. Oh, and by the way, I may have a surprise for you in the next couple of days” said Matt, adding a bit of intrigue and mystery. For any readers contemplating a marathon, the ten week programme Matt has designed for Ray is based on one he adapted from “Road Racing for Serious Runners” by Pfitzinger & Douglas

Below: Ray tucks in to a hearty portion of brown rice salad at a local vegetarian restaurant – “There has to be an upside to getting up at 5.30 or 6am every day and running a few miles, and I think I have found it” Ray told me. “Basically, I need a lot of calories so it is necessary for me to eat lots of food, provided it is the right kind! And in Chiang Mai, tasty, healthy tuck is something there is an abundance of” said our rather hungry runner

Above: Into the first week of Phase Two, Ray is up early grinding out the miles (left) at the old sports stadium in the city. The daily cup of fresh coffee is a welcome treat after the run and a shower, and an ideal opportunity to catch up with the news in The Bangkok Post (right)

Concentrating on building endurance, I found out that Ray got a call from Matt about half way through his third week of training inviting him to take part in a 10 kilometre race at the weekend. “I was a bit surprised when he suggested it” said our nervous runner. “I have never run in a competitive race before over any distance, nor have I run 10 kilometres in one go since I got here. And I have only been training about three weeks in total” he told me, “so I guess you can understand my reluctance. But at the same time, Matt wants me to experience race conditions with no pressure at all to hit a particular pace, just to get used to the scene and get a feel for what the crowd and the atmosphere are like” explained Ray. “It is possibly too early for him” said Matt. “However, it’s probably do-able at 11:00 min/mile pace and will be good experience for him” he added. “I think it will be a great opportunity and am going for it” declared Ray. So, come 5.00am Saturday morning, Ray and his cheerleader Nikki set off to join Matt for the start of Ray’s first ever competitive race.

Above: Ray arrives at 5.15am to register for a place to run in the ‘Yang Nerng’ Minimarathon, which is 5.97 miles long – the furthest distance our runner has attempted to date, after three weeks of training ……

Below: Ray stands in the shadows and quietly contemplates his race strategy – “I am making no attempt whatsoever to compete with anyone else” he told me. “This is about me having a chance to find out if what people say is true about pacing. For example, Matt has told me that the presence of the other runners, the crowd and the atmosphere will make me want to set off at a faster pace than I should, which would have a detrimental effect on my overall time - something I want to be very aware of when it comes to the New York marathon in November” he told me

Above: The master and the pupil – Matt arrives to talk through the race details with Ray and help settle his nerves – “He is so great. He was not running in the race as a competitor, but came to accompany me, helping me with pacing and generally supporting me to do the best I could” said Ray

Below: Making sure you know the route is one of the essential things that Ray needed to know for this local race (left). Fortunately for him, the New York marathon is very well organised and this level of information gathering will not be necessary. Thailand provides a very picturesque setting for a race (right), although the humidity is bordering on unbearable and means runners need to drink vast quantities of water to stay hydrated. The rather fit looking ex-pat to the right of our runner (with his hands on his hips) went on to win in his category

Above: Matt helps Ray set his Garmin 405 up to record his performance data during the race (left). Meanwhile, Ray takes a look at some of the competitors and realises that he is probably going to find it hard to keep up (right)

Below: Just a minute or two to go before the start and Ray is still able to joke around with Matt, despite his nervousness – I just hope I can run a decent enough time so I get a sense that I am making some progress with my training” Ray tells me

Above: Less than an hour later, and it is all over as Ray crosses the line with Matt in a personal best time of 54 mins 18 seconds – “I feel very chuffed” said Ray. “My pace was around 9:03 mins per mile, which would be slightly faster than my marathon pace, although it was less than a quarter of the distance, but it is very encouraging at this stage” he told me. And what did Matt think about his protege’s performance? “He has done very well for his first race. I think he is a natural runner – his race time already ‘predicts’ a marathon of 4 hours 19 mins, which is not bad going for just three weeks’ of running! He did start off a bit quick, which was partly my fault for the first two miles. They should have been slower – maybe 9:30 mins and 9:10 mins per hour pace. He put in a great 4th mile, was obviously hurting in mile 5 (due to the first two miles being too fast), and overall a good last mile” was his assessment. “His first race, his furthest distance and his fastest (average) pace since we started working together. Not a bad morning’s work!” added Ray’s encouraging mentor (Editors Note: Ignore the time on the clock – it’s not correct!)

To see a short interview with Ray and Matt talking to Amber Solaire after the finish of the race, watch the video clip below:

Above: Feeling very hot and very satisfied, our novice runner enjoys the moment as he reflects on his first race – “I got so hot out there, instead of drinking the water we were handed at the last two stations, I was pouring it over my head to cool myself down” Ray told me. And his mentor? “I am actually enjoying training him” said Matt, “as it is something quite new for me”

Editors Note: What a great article from Me So Fit -  it makes me feel hot and sweaty just reading about Ray’s exploits! Our next issue, “Calling All Angels” is due online in a couple of weeks. We hope to announce the name of the person we have chosen to run Ray’s fundraising campaign and give you much more information about the three organisations that Ray is running to support. If you have missed previous issues of The Daily Explorer, we asked Ray why he had chosen to run a marathon this year. “I wanted to undertake something that I would normally think of as ’impossible’, partly for the mental discipline of transcending my own limiting beliefs, partly as a major investment in my health as I get ready to enter my fifties and partly to raise money for people who need it” explained Ray. “By running in the New York Marathon, I will be raising funds to support the World Cancer Research Fund, the Namaste Childrens Home in Nepal and the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai. My goal is to raise $12,000 dollars. In order to create this, I am counting on as much support from our readers as I can get! I will be writing personally to many of you in the next few weeks and would be extremely grateful if you would join my campaign to support these organisations” said Ray. If you are one of our regular readers, please look out for the link we will send you and please, please support Ray’s campaign if you can.

In the meantime, our research team has come across a picture of Jason Jacobs (left) who just ran in the 113th Boston Marathon dressed as an iPhone. It made all of us at The Daily Explorer offices curious to know if any of our readers would like to suggest what Ray should wear when he runs in the New York Marathon in November. If you have any ideas, please drop me a line at thedailyexplorer@gmail.com

Meanwhile, one of our regular commentators - Susie Moberly in Ko Samui, Thailand sent us a news item which will probably sadden many of our readers in the UK:

“With all the sadness and trauma going on in the world at the moment, it is perhaps worth reflecting on the death of someone who made an important contribution to our lives and which went almost unnoticed last week. Larry La Prise, the man who wrote “The Hokey Cokey”, died peacefully at the age of 93. The most traumatic part for his family was getting him into the coffin. They put his left leg in ….. and then the trouble started!”

That’s about it for now. We aim to maintain our high standards of journalism and presentation at The Daily Explorer, so please keep sending us your ideas to help us improve it. You can use the comments box online, or email ‘Mozzie’ or any of our correspondents at thedailyexplorer@gmail.com

MOZZIE BYTE

Above and below: These two amazing images were also sent into us by Susie Moberly – “I just love Edgar Mueller’s work” she told me. “Look at the hours and hours he puts in for you and I to enjoy. Creating temporary art takes courage”. Our thanks to Susie on behalf of our readers!

California: April 2009

MOZZIE BYTE (Editor): A warm welcome back to all our Daily Explorer readers and greetings to those of you who are joining us for the first time. To our regulars, many thanks for viewing our online publication and for giving us your feedback. As this issue was published, over 12,000 visitors had been to see our site since the beginning of 2008. If you are new to The Daily Explorer and would like to know more about what’s in our archives, check out some of our Previous Issues. We always aim to maintain our high standards of journalism and presentation, so please keep sending us your comments and suggestions as to how we can improve what we are doing. You can use the comments box on this site, or email Ray, ‘Mozzie’ or any of our correspondents at thedailyexplorer@gmail.com

Our lastest issue has been compiled for us by our top American guest correspondent Nick Elandimer (above). Hailing from New York, he is one of the most experienced online journalists of his generation. Nick ends his current tour of duty by bringing us the latest news and pictures as Ray and Nikki complete their tour of California, visiting Lake Tahoe and the beautiful city of San Francisco. They also spent some time exploring the picturesque Pacific Coast Highway, stopping at Carmel, Monterey and the Big Sur. We have all of the details. Plus, we get an update from Ray as he attends a two day workshop in Oakland and leaves the USA to begin training for his first ever marathon – yes, marathon - in New York this coming November.

In our last issue, Nick Elandimer followed Ray as he and Nikki continued their tour of California and beyond on the west coast of America. Nick got some great pictures for us as they visited Las Vegas, Yosemite National Park and Seattle in Washington State. If you missed it, you can read it now at: From The Strip to Seattle

Above: Why is there a statue of Lenin in the Fremont area of Seattle, USA? You can find out and get more pictures and stories about Ray and Nikki’s adventures from the west coast of America in our last issue: From The Strip to Seattle

After their hectic three day trip to Seattle,  I caught up with Ray as he landed in Sacramento to find out what was coming next. “In the couple of weeks we have been touring, our feet have not touched the ground so me and Nikki both feel we would like to rest for a few days and spend some quality time with our friends here” said Ray. “Regular readers will know that I have known Nic Meredith for many years and we are very close friends. Nic and his wife Regina moved to Sacramento from Sedona a couple of years ago and whilst Sacramento would not normally be on the itinerary for most visitors to California, I love catching up with them and hearing about the amazing Conscious Media Network which they run online” he told me. “And another friend of mine there has a photography exhibition happening whilst we are in town which we intend to make the most of” added our traveller.

Above: Sacramento (circled) would not normally feature on the itinerary for most visitors to California, However, it is pretty close to Lake Tahoe, which is one of the ‘must see’ natural beauty spots in the huge state and only a couple of hours from San Francisco and Monterey, which our two travellers intended to see later in their trip

Below: Sacramento is the capital of California, which has the tenth largest economy in the world! The governor, or ‘governator’ as he is known locally, is Arnold Schwarzenegger (right) and you will find his office inside the Capital Building downtown (left). Sacramento was a major point of distribution during the California Gold Rush in the late 1880’s. It was the central terminal for stagecoaches, wagon trains, riverboats, the telegraph, the Pony Express and the First Transcontinental Railroad. Sacramento officially became the state capital of California in 1879. The capital building was designed to look like the United States Capitol in Washington DC and was completed in 1874

Above: Regina stands on the balcony of her and Nic’s home on the outskirts of Sacramento (left) – “The house is fully equipped with a recording studio (right) for producing the fascinating content you can watch on the Conscious Media Network website” said Ray. “They were fantastic hosts” added Nikki

Below: At Nic and Regina’s home, Ray is re-united with his canine friend Angel, a Bichon Frise – “She is absolutely delightful” he told me. “I hate to admit it, but I love it when she comes running up to me in her excited way, wagging her stubby tail and rolling over for a tummy rub” said our rather soft hearted explorer

Above: Nic and Nikki pick fresh vegetables for supper from the garden (left). They then head for the kitchen (right), where they join Regina (third from left) and Anna Skacel (second from left) to prepare a wonderful meal – “Regina is a very accomplished vegetarian chef and used to have her own programme on US television. She has also published a number of vegetarian cookery books” said Ray. Anna, who is English, has lived in California for 25 years. “She is an excellent amateur photographer and we were invited to see an exhibition of her work” recalled Ray. “She also works part time in a nearby dental surgery, so we thought it would be a good opportunity for Nikki to get her teeth and gums checked out” said Ray

Below: “Oh my God! Anna, what have you done to Nikki’s teeth? – you were only supposed to give her a check up and a quick polish!

Above: Nikki takes a closer look at some of Anna Skacel’s superb photography on display in a Sacramento gallery

Some interesting facts for you about Sacramento: It has a fabulous Summer Shakespeare Festival. This version of Shakespeare in the Park has been around since 1986. Each year they put on two Shakespearian plays in William Land Park. Sacramento also has many nicknames, being referred to variously as “the Camellia Capital of the World,” “River City,” and “City of Trees”. Locals tend to call it Sac or Sactown. My favorite nickname has always been “The Big Tomato”. The official hottest temperature on record for Sacramento is 115 degrees farenheit. The record was set back in June of 1961. The coldest temperature on record is 18 degrees, set in December 1990. That was the winter that all of the exposed pipes froze and burst.

Every year on Memorial Day weekend, Sacramento hosts the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee. If you like any variety of Jazz, from Mainstream to Big Band, you’ll certainly enjoy this festival! The city is ground zero for Museums – the Crocker Art Museum, which is “the longest continuously operating art museum in the West”, and the California State Indian Museum are just two of them. In fact, there are so many museums in the area, there is a Sacramento Museum Guide Website.

Above: (left) Nikki meets Stuart Campbell (left) and his girlfriend Steph Allen (right) outside their apartment in the city – “They are both in their 20’s, building a life for themselves in the city and are great company” said Ray. “I spent quite a bit of time with them in 2007 when I was last here and we always have great, stimulating comversations”. Stuart, who is Regina’s son, works in a restaurant at The Tower (right), which is a Sacramento icon. It also houses an original old style movie theatre and is the place where Tower Records (which has now gone bust) was founded

Below: Nikki and Nic Meredith talk to one of the waiters inside the restaurant at The Tower. “I loved the fact that the restaurant contains a large and interesting collection of artifacts that the owner has sourced from all over the world during a lifetime of travelling” said Ray. “I have not acquired anything other than what is essential, as I live out of one bag and could have filled it 100 times over; plus I have no home address to send anything to” said our nomadic traveller

Editors Note: Reflecting the difficult times society faces as the world economy struggles, our two travellers learnt of a rather alarming development as they were preparing to leave Sacramento. “Times are pretty bad for a lot of people around the world, but for some in Sacramento, who have lost their homes and all sources of income, a new ‘tent city’ has started to materialise on wasteland on the outskirts of town” Ray told me. “It is a reflection of the divide in society that is getting bigger by the day and has to be addressed in some way” added our concerned traveller. “I was shocked and upset to hear about it” he told me.

Above: A homeless man fixes a tarp on a tent at a homeless tent city (March 2009) in Sacramento, California. Sacramento’s tent city is seeing an increase in population as the economy worsens with more people becoming unemployed and having their homes slip into foreclosure (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images). For more pictures, visit the SF Gate Photo Gallery Online

Lake Tahoe

Lt. John C. Frémont was the first non-indigenous person to see Lake Tahoe, during Fremont’s second exploratory expedition in 1844. John Calhoun Johnson, Sierra explorer and founder of “Johnson’s Cut-off” (now U.S. Route 50), was the first white man to see Meeks Bay (from a peak above the lake) so he named it ”Fallen Leaf Lake” after his Indian guide. His first job in the west was in the government service, carrying the mail on snowshoes from Placerville to Nevada City. The lake didn’t receive its official and final designation as Lake Tahoe until 1945. California and Nevada reached the compromise to partition Tahoe between the two when California became a state. With the state line east of the approximate centerline of the lake and then at 39 degrees north latitude, the state border runs south-easterly towards the Colorado River.

Tahoe is a freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada mountains. It is the largest alpine lake in North America and its depth of 1,645 feet (501 metres) also makes it America’s second-deepest, with Crater Lake in Oregon being the deepest at 1,945 feet. The lake was formed about 2 million years ago and is a part of the Lake Tahoe Basin, known for the clarity of its water and the panorama of surrounding mountains on all sides. “I love this place” Ray told me. “I first came here many years ago and have since been back two or three times, most recently in December 2003, just before the chain of events that led to me becoming a nomadic traveller” he told me. “Being a big fan of the great outdoors, I knew Nikki would really enjoy coming here, so her, Nic and I made a day trip of it from Sacramento, as it is only about 100 miles away” explained Ray (see map above).

Above: The view of Lake Tahoe and the surrounding mountains in the distance is captured in this picture Ray sent to us from a look out point high up on Highway 50. You can just about see the runway at Tahoe airport, surrounded by snow, to the right of the centre of the photo. August is normally the warmest month with an average maximum of 78.7 °F (25.9 °C) and an average minimum of 39.8 °F (4.3 °C). January is the coolest month with an average maximum of 41.0 °F (5.0 °C) and an average minimum of 15.1 °F (-9.4 °C)

Below: Lake Tahoe is the 16th deepest lake in the world, and the fifth deepest in average depth. It is about 22 miles long and 12 miles wide and has 72 miles of shoreline, with a surface area of 191 square miles. Mean annual precipitation ranges from over 55 inches in watersheds on the west side of the basin to about 26 inches near the lake on the east side of the basin. Most of the precipitation falls as snow between November and April, although rainstorms combined with rapid snow melt account for the largest floods. There is a pronounced annual runoff of snowmelt in late spring and early summer, the timing of which varies from year to year. In some years, summertime monsoon storms from the Great Basin bring intense rainfall, especially to high elevations on the east side of the basin 

Lake Tahoe is a major tourist attraction for both California and Nevada. Snow and skiing are a significant part of the area’s economy and reputation and there are many resorts. The Nevada side also includes large casinos. “Having just recently been to Vegas, we were definitely not interested in them” laughed Ray. “We really wanted to ride the Gondola to the top of Heavenly Mountain, one of the popular ski resorts on the south shore and take in the awesome views from the top, so we rushed towards it as soon as we arrived” Ray told me.

For those readers who love to ski, Heavenly has 97 runs and 30 lifts that are spread between California and Nevada and four base facilities. The resort has 4,800 acres with approximately 33% developed for skiing, making it the largest ski resort, (by area) in California. It is also Tahoe’s highest ski resort, with a peak elevation of 10,067 feet (3,068 metres). With an average of 360 inches (9 metres) of snow annually and one of America’s largest snowmaking systems, their season usually runs from mid November to late April or early May. ”Under the recently approved 10-year Master Plan Amendment, Heavenly is continuing to improve their resort” Ray told me. “The resort now has the longest zip line in the United States, The Heavenly Sky Flyer, which is 3,100 feet (940 metres) long, with a 525-foot (160 metre) descent and is located at the top of the Heavenly Gondola at Adventure Peak. Guests can enjoy a sweeping view of the Sierra Mountains while zipping down the mountain at 50 miles per hour” said our impressed visitor.

Above and below: The gondola which takes visitors 10,067 feet up to the ski areas and the viewpoints at the top of Mount Heavenly. There are a number of improvements planned at the resort, including a 27,650 square-foot building that will seat 950 people, called the Powderbowl Lodge, and a skier bridge from the top of the Gondola to Tamarack Express

Above: Nikki enjoys the breathtaking, fifteen minute ride to the top (left), whilst Ray and Nic explore the surrounding mountains from the observation deck (right). The placque by Ray’s elbow denotes ‘Martins Peak’ in the distance

Below: One of the most spectacular views in California, or America or even the world – Lake Tahoe is truly magnificent

Carmel, Monterey and The Big Sur

About two hours south of San Francisco are the coastal towns of Monterey, Carmel-by-the-Sea and a beautiful, rocky stretch of coastline known as The Big Sur. “The Pacific Coast Highway connects all of these places and Nikki and I decided to spend 2-3 days exploring the area before ending our trip in San Francisco” Ray told me. “The dramatic, winding shoreline road made the drive alone a highly worthwhile trip, with loads of sweeping bends in the road and spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean” recalled Ray. “Monterey itself was very touristy and not really of much interest to us, although it made a perfect base geographically” added our global nomad.

Above: To reach Monterey and Carmel, Ray and Nikki drove down the Pacific Coast Highway 1 from Santa Cruz

I wondered what our two adventurers made of the tranquil little enclave town of Carmel? “Well Nick, it is very sweet, very small and quite boringly nice” said Ray. “The main reason we decided to stop by and take a look was that one of our best friends in Chiangmai, Erin Palmer, spent many years living there and it made us really want to see the place. We even managed to find a close friend of hers in a local bookshop and deliver a personal message on her behalf” said a very satisfied Nikki. “Although we kept an eye open for him, we did not spot Clint Eastwood, who served as Mayor of the town for two years from 1986-88″ she added. “We discovered that an unusual law, forbidding selling and eating ice cream on public streets, was a focal point of Clint Eastwood’s campaign for mayor” said Ray. “He, and the new council elected along with him, overturned the ordinance and other similar laws that they considered to be too restrictive of businesses” said our well informed visitor.

Another unusual law in Carmel, though often erroneously thought of as an “urban myth,” bans the wearing of shoes having heels greater than two inches in height or with a base of less than one square inch, unless the wearer has obtained a permit for them. This seemingly peculiar law was authored by the city attorney in the 1920’s to defend the city from lawsuits resulting from wearers of high-heeled shoes tripping over irregular ridges in the pavement (caused by tree roots pushing up). Permits are available without charge at City Hall. While the local police do not cite those in violation of the ordinance, a person wishing to sue for damages from tripping while wearing such shoes is precluded from doing so unless a permit had previously been obtained! Carmel is and has been home to many famous residents including Ansel Adams, Jennifer Aniston, Doris Day, Jack London, Rupert Murdoch, Patrick McGoohan, Kim Novak and Brad Pitt.

Above: After a short stop in Carmel itself, our two travellers headed for the world famous ‘17 mile drive’, which takes you through Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach and the Del Monte Forest and is stunningly beautiful – “My favourite spot along the route was ‘The Lone Cypress’, which is one of California’s most enduring landmarks” said Ray. “The tree has prevailed on its rocky perch for over 250 years. This icon of fortitude has inspired many and is revered as the eternal symbol of the Pebble Beach Company” added Ray

Below: Nikki takes a barefoot stroll along Carmel beach – “I was extremely impressed with how clean it is” observed Nikki, who is more used to the unloved, garbage covered beaches in the poorer parts of Asia

Just a couple of miles south from Carmerl along Highway 1 is the Point Lobos State Reserve. “A vast area of natural coastal beauty, landscape artist Francis McComa once described it as the ‘greatest meeting of land and water in the world’ – a brief and extravagant comparison that still goes unchallenged” said Ray. Point Lobos has also been called “the crown jewel of the State Park system”. It has diving unmatched on the California coast, great hiking, perfect picnic spots, vistas well suited for painting or photography and even an old whaler’s cabin. In the winter, migrating gray whales are visible from the shore. “We kept our eyes peeled the whole time we were there but alas, we never spotted any” said a disappointed Nikki. In 1960, 750 acres of submerged land were added to the Reserve to create the first underwater reserve in America.

The ocean at Point Lobos is home to sea lions, harbor seals, elephant seals, sea otters and a plethora of bird species, including the chestnut-backed chickadee, the pygmy nuthatch, Anna’s hummingbird, the dark-eyed junco, scrub jay, wren tit, white-crowned sparrow and California quail. “We were lucky enough to see a few seals, basking on the rocks” said Ray. ”There are even more animals on land at Point Lobos than there are in the ocean, although many of them, such as the grey foxes, raccoons and coyotes are primarily nocturnal so we didn’t spot any” he added. ”For us, the best thing about Point Lobos was the hiking” said Ray, “For anyone who is thinking of coming here, there are a number of excellent hiking trails that range from easy to challenging. For more detailed information, there is list of Top Nine Day Hikes in Monterey County, including online trail maps” said our helpful traveller.

The State Reserve at Point Lobos has also been used as a location for a number of movies filmed throughout the twentieth century. An astonishing collection of famous film stars have been in the vicinity, with 45 movies featuring scenes shot here, including Treasure Island (1934), Rebecca (1940), Lassie Come Home (1943), The Graduate (1967) and Blind Date (1987) with Bruce Willis and Kim Basinger. “I heard that Robert Louis Stevenson visited Point Lobos in 1879 and was so inspired by the landscape that it is said he used it as the basis for the setting of his novel Treasure Island – still well worth a read!” said Ray.

Above: Ray and Nikki enjoyed coming into contact with nature at Point Lobos, meeting these wonderful seals (left) who had stopped to feed and rest, and walking a few of the many trails (right) – “It is ironic that I chose to do the ‘Old Veterans Trail’ said Ray, who at 48 years old is about to start training to run his first marathon!

Below: The scenic Highway 1 is unbelievably beautiful and offers some stunning views over the Pacific Ocean. You can see the Bixby Bridge to the right, which crosses the chasm at Dinosaur Rock - “After we left Point Lobos, we continued going south towards the Big Sur” recalled Ray

Historically, the name Big Sur was derived from that unexplored and unmapped wilderness area which lays along the coast south of Monterey. It was simply called “El Sur Grande, The Big South”. Today, Big Sur refers to that 90 mile stretch of rugged and awesomely beautiful coastline (marked in red on the map, left) between Carmel in the north and San Simeon (Hearst Castle) to the south. Highway One winds along its length and is flanked on one side by the majestic Santa Lucia mountains and on the other by the rocky Pacific coast. In 1937, the present highway was completed after 18 years of construction at considerable expense, even with the aid of convict labour. The road has since been declared California’s first Scenic Highway and it provides a driving experience unsurpassed in natural beauty and scenic variety.

“This is a staggeringly popular piece of coastline” said Ray. “Big Sur has been voted the ‘Best Place to Play Hookie’ and the ‘Best Romantic Getaway’, as well as being home to the ‘Best Marathon in North America’ and the ‘Best Hotel in North America’. It is now home to the ‘Best Restaurant in California’ (per the Zagat survey) and National Geographic Traveller listed it as one of the ‘50 Places of a Lifetime/The World’s Greatest Destinations’ he added.

Big Sur enjoys several outstanding wild beaches but visitors should expect to hike to reach most of them. Pfeiffer Beach is one of Monterey County’s handsomest beaches, located within Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. “Nikki and I decided to stop there and explore” recalled Ray. “Unfortunately, there had been quite a serious forest fire a day or two earlier and large sections of the park were closed, meaning our hiking opportunities were severely curtailed. So instead, we took a short walk through a newly constructed tunnel that runs under Highway 1 to get a much better view of the wild and rocky beach below” recalled our adventurer.

Above: “Whooaa – slow down, Nikki” calls Ray, as she goes striding off in to the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. “That 15 mph speed limit is for hikers” he laughed

Below: “The World is Not Enough” - Ray poses James Bond style at one end of the foot tunnel underneath Highway 1 in the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. “It may not be enough, but there is still plenty of it to explore, so it will do nicely for now!” he laughed

Above: On the other side of the foot tunnel (see picture above this one), visitors are treated to this remarkable, hidden enclave – “It looks like one of those places where someone gets marooned on a paradise island” observed Ray

Below: “Our journey just kept getting better and better” said Nikki, who joined Ray for an early supper on the clifftops at the Nepenthe Restaurant and then sat and watched the sunset over the mighty Pacific Ocean. The restaurant is one of the most picturesque dining spots in California and overlooks 50 miles of coastline

San Francisco

Without doubt, San Francisco is one of the most loved, most photographed and most visited cities in the world, with over 15 million people coming every year to experience what it has to offer. “I first came here in 1974 and have been back several times since, most recently in 2007” said Ray. “The strange thing is that I never get bored here, always find something new to experience and now, know my way around pretty well” added our experienced traveller. “I am so excited about being here” said Nikki. “This is my first visit to California and I have been dreaming of coming all my life since I read all the ‘Tales of the City’ books by Armistead Maupin. The Golden Gate Bridge in particular is something I have seen so many times on TV and in films, I cannot wait to stand on it and take it all in” she told me, as her and Ray left Monterey.

Before reaching the city by the bay, Ray wanted to make a brief stop in Los Gatos, about one hour south of San Francisco, to meet with an old friend. “Some readers might remember that when I was last here, in January 2008, I was re-united with Grant Atwell some 25 years after we worked briefly together in London. Knowing I would be virtually driving past his door was too good an opportunity to miss so Nikki and I arranged to have breakfast with him in his neighbourhood” recalled Ray. “Although he now works as a massage therapist, Grant is a very talented photographer and I was hoping he might get a couple of good shots of me and Nikki so that I could send them to The Daily Explorer” said Ray

Above: Los Gatos is located in the San Francisco Bay Area at the southwest corner of San Jose in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Homes are mostly upscale, varying from century-old one million dollar cottages in the downtown area to large multi-million dollar custom homes in the surrounding hills. The town is noted for its small, pedestrian-friendly downtown, with many boutique shops and restaurants. It is also a preferred destination for antique shopping

Below: Our thanks to Grant Atwell, who captured this delightful image of our two travellers (left). Ray’s effort wasn’t too bad either! (right)

Above: Ray’s return to San Francisco was also an opportunity to catch up once again with old friend Mike Banks (left) and his girlfriend Karin Jordan (right), Both English, they have lived in San Francisco for many years – “Nikki and I had a great evening with them, starting with a short hike up in the hills of Mill Valley where they live, followed by a traditional English Cottage Pie that Karin masterminded for us – Ahh lovely!” said our traveller

As well as being very popular with tourists, San Francisco is the financial center of the Bay Area (and has the second highest density rate of people in the USA after New York City). The Bay Area is renowned for its natural beauty, liberal politics, affluence and its new age reputation and encompasses large cities such as San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas. Overall, the Bay Area consists of nine counties, 101 cities, and 7,000 square miles. The nine counties are Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma. When defined as a combined statistical area, the Bay Area is the sixth largest in the USA, with over 7.2 million people.

I asked Ray and Nikki to tell me more about their plans whilst they were in the city. “I am registered to attend a two day workshop this coming weekend, so I will only have a couple of days to hang out here. So I am going to visit parts of the city that I have never been to before, as well as one or two of my old favourites” said Ray. “I don’t really mind where we go or what we see” said Nikki. “Although I definitely want to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, eat in an old American Diner and find out for myself just how steep the streets of San Francisco really are” she told me.

Above and below: First things first! Nikki and Ray find an old American Diner on south Lombard Street and tuck in to a hearty breakfast – “The portions are so big in America, after a week we decided we could eat one breakfast between two of us, and we were always full!” she told me

Above: Nikki not only discovers the streets of San Francisco are steep, but also very winding, as she drives down the section of Lombard Street on Russian Hill between Hyde and Leavenworth (left). The roadway has eight sharp turns (or switchbacks) that have earned the street the distinction of being ‘the crookedest street in world’. The switchbacks design, first suggested by property owner Carl Henry and instituted in 1922, was born out of necessity in order to reduce the hill’s natural 27% grade,which was too steep for most vehicles to climb and a serious hazard to pedestrians used to a more reasonable sixteen-degree incline. The crooked section of the street, which is about 1/4 mile (400 metres) long, is reserved for one-way traffic traveling east (downhill) and is paved with red bricks. The speed limit here is a mere 5 mph. Next, its on to the oldest Chinatown in North America (right) – “The area just overflows with colours and images of swaying lanterns, bright calligraphic signs and intricate architectural elements” observed Nikki

Below: The way these cars are parked gives you an idea of how steep the streets really are!

San Francisco Bay is a huge, shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California enters the Pacific Ocean. It has been traversed by watercraft since before the coming of Europeans; the indigenous peoples used their canoes to fish and clam along the shoreline. The era of sail brought ships which communicated with the rest of the world as well as serving as early ferries and freighters within the Bay and also between the Bay and inland ports such as Sacramento and Stockton. These were gradually replaced by steam-powered vessels starting in the late 19th century. The huge bay is spanned by five bridges (see below): the Golden Gate Bridge (2) (which was the largest single span suspension bridge ever built at the time of its construction), the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge (1), the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge (3), the Hayward-San Mateo Bridge (4), and the Dumbarton Bridge (5). The bay is also spanned by the Transbay Tube, an underwater tunnel through which the BART runs. The Bay continues to serve as a major international shipping port, served by a large container facility operated by the Port of Oakland, and two smaller facilities in Richmond and San Francisco.

Above: The Oakland Bay Bridge, visible in the distance from downtown San Francisco looking east (left). It carries approximately 270,000 vehicles per day and with a length of 8.5 miles, it is one of the planet’s longest suspension/cantilever structures, making it one of the seven engineering wonders of the modern world. Conceived as early as the gold rush days, construction on the bridge did not begin until 1933. It opened for traffic on November 12 1936, six months before the Golden Gate Bridge. The five main bridges in the San Francisco Bay Area can be seen in the pictoral on the right

Below: The San Francisco Cable Car system is the world’s last permanently operational, manually-operated cable car system, and is an icon of San Francisco. It forms part of the intermodal urban transport network operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway, or ‘Muni’ as it is better known. Cable cars operate on two routes from downtown near Union Square to Fisherman’s Wharf, and a third route along California Street – “I didn’t realise that the whole system was invented by a Brit” said Ray. The driving force behind the system came from a man who witnessed a horrible accident on a typically damp summer day in 1869. Andrew Smith Hallidie saw a horse-drawn streetcar slide backwards down the steep, wet slopes under its heavy load. The heavily weighted vehicle combined to drag five horses to their deaths. Although such a sight would stun anyone, Hallidie and his partners had the know-how to do something about the problem – “The ride is a lot of fun” said Nikki, “especially when you stand on the running board and hang off the side! (right)” added our excited traveller

Above:  One of the city’s best kept secrets are the Yerba Buena Gardens inside the Museum of Modern Art complex (MOMA) – “It just goes to show how modern city’s never stay the same for long” said Ray. “I am pretty sure this was not here the last time I visited” he added

Below: Baker Beach, beneath the Golden Gate bridge on the ocean side was also a new discovery for our global nomad – “I have been coming here for over 30 years and have never really thought of the place as a beach resort. Now I can honestly say that this city really does seem to have something for everyone!” said our surprised visitor

The Golden Gate Bridge links San Francisco with Marin County. Before the bridge was built, the only practical short route between the city and Marin was by boat across a section of San Francisco Bay. For a long time, the bridge was considered unbuildable because of foggy weather, 60 mile per hour winds and strong ocean currents. Ferry services began as early as 1820, with a regularly scheduled service beginning in the 1840’s for purposes of transporting water to San Francisco. The ferry crossing between the Hyde Street Pier in San Francisco and Sausalito in Marin County took approximately 20 minutes and cost US$1.00 per vehicle, a price later reduced to compete with the new bridge.

In 1917, a former engineering student, James Wilkins estimated the cost of building a bridge at around $100 million, which was impractical for the time. So he contacted every bridge engineer he knew of to ask whether they thought it could be built for less. One who responded, Joseph Strauss, presented a design which he estimated could be built for considerably less. Local authorities agreed to proceed only on the assurance that Strauss alter the design and accept input from several consulting project experts. Construction began on January 5, 1933, with the project budgeted to cost more than $35 million. It was finished by April 1937, $1.3 million under budget.

Above: This satellite picture of San Francisco Bay shows just how huge the area is and how critical it is that the north and south peninsulas are connected by road - “You can see when you look at this that if the Golden Gate Bridge had not been built, getting from downtown to Marin County would take several hours by road, making it totally unworkable for people in a busy metropolis, let alone those wishing to travel south to north on the Highway 101″ observed Ray

Below: This graphic shows the main dimensions of the bridge. A relatively unknown residential architect designed the overall shape of the bridge towers, the lighting scheme, and Art Deco elements such as the streetlights, railing, and walkways

Above: This statue (left) of the designer Joseph B. Strauss (with Alcatraz just visible in the bay in front of him) has an inscription that reads: “Here at the Golden Gate is the Eternal Rainbow that he conceived and set to form - a promise indeed that the race of man shall endure until the ages”. He died in 1938 – just a year after the bridge opened. (Right) Ray stops on the bridge to take in the view across the bay – “I remember standing there, saying a little prayer and asking if I should continue with my nomadic way of living for a while longer or change tack” recalled Ray. “I asked for a sign and when I turned my head a few moments later, I think I got the answer I was looking for” he joked

Below: A cross section of the main suspension cable. The weight of the bridge’s entire roadway is hung off of two of these cables that pass through the two main towers and are fixed in concrete at each end. Each cable is 7,650 feet long and is made of 27,572 strands of wire. There are 80,000 miles of wire in each and they are 37″ in diameter; each weighs 24,500 tons and if you laid all of these wires end to end, the total would be sufficient to go around the world 5.79 times!

The Golden Gate bridge is said to be one of the most beautiful examples of bridge engineering, both as a structural design challenge and for its aesthetic appeal. It was declared one of the modern Wonders of the World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. According to Frommer’s travel guide, the Golden Gate is possibly the ‘most beautiful, certainly the most photographed, bridge in the world’ (although Frommers also bestows the ‘most photographed’ honour on Tower Bridge in London). The famous International Orange colour was originally used as a sealant for the bridge. Many locals persuaded the architects to paint the bridge in this colour, instead of the standard silver or gray, and it has been kept the same ever since, especially as it is perceived to give it greater visibility during fog.

Since its completion, the Golden Gate Bridge has been closed due to weather conditions only three times, because of gusts of wind between 69 - 75 mph. Modern knowledge of the effect of earthquakes on structures led to a programme to retrofit the Golden Gate to better resist seismic events. The proximity of the bridge to the San Andreas Fault places it at risk for a significant earthquake. Once thought to have been able to withstand any magnitude of foreseeable earthquake, the bridge was actually vulnerable to complete structural failure (i.e. collapse) triggered by the failure of supports on the 320 foot (98 metre) arch over Fort Point. A $392 million programme was initiated to improve the structure’s ability to withstand such an event with only minimal (repairable) damage. The retrofit’s planned completion date is 2012.

Above: As the only road to exit San Francisco to the north, the bridge is part of both U.S. Route 101 and California Route 1. The median markers between the lanes are moved to conform to traffic patterns. On weekday mornings, traffic flows mostly southbound into the city, so four of the six lanes run southbound. Conversely, on weekday afternoons, four lanes run northbound

So what else did Ray and Nikki have planned for their last couple of days in San Francisco? “Well Nick, we want to take a walk through the Haight-Ashbury area, which is universally recognised for its creativity and diversity and was supposed to be the place where the hippy movement started in the 1960’s” said Nikki. “And we also want to take a look at the Castro district” said Ray. “We recently saw the superb film ‘Milk’, in which Sean Penn gave an amazing, Oscar winning account of the life of gay politician Harvey Milk, who is a hero in this part of town, which caters largely for the city’s gay and lesbian population” explained Ray. “We have one day left after that so we intend to do the thing we love most – hiking! And we are going to choose one of the trails on Mount Tamalpais, which has a superb overlook of the city if the visibility is good” he told me.

Above: Nikki stands outside a shop called ‘Positively Haight Street’ in the colourful area where the hippy movement started in the 1960’s - ”Haight Steet was known as Hippy Central during the Summer of Love in 1967. The best way to enjoy the district is simply by taking up residence in a cafe and ‘people watching’ for an afternoon” said Ray

Below: The houses in Haight-Ashbury reflect the spirit and artistic culture of the neighbourhood

Above: The diversity of architecture throughout the various boroughs of the city is one of the things that gives San Francisco so much character. This unusual looking property also has a poster of Barack Obama in an upper storey window

Below: The Castro cinema is the epicentre of the district made famous by the recent movie about the life of Harvey Milk. Known as the city’s gay capital, this vibrant, close-knit neighbourhood maintains its 1960’s foundation of expressive activisim. Many local landmarks were used in the making of the recent hit film, ‘Milk’

Mount Tamalpais (known locally as “Mount Tam”) is the highest peak in Marin County. The elevation of the East Peak, its second highest point, is 2,572 feet (784 metres). The West Peak, where a radar dome currently stands, is slightly higher at 2,574 feet (785 metres). “The mountain is clearly visible from the city and the views from the top are spectacular” said Ray. Early wireless towers were constructed on the mountain in the early 20th century, only to be destroyed by one of the periodic hurricane-force windstorms. The peak and its surrounding areas were the birthplace of mountain biking in the 1970s, where early mountain bikers such as Gary Fisher, Otis Guy, Charlie Kelly and Joe Breeze were active.

Above: Standing high up on ‘Mount Tam’, Ray and Nikki were able to see the San Francisco skyline in the distance, partly obscured by clouds and Sausalito, which is one of the more affluent suburbs north of the city, with a huge harbour full of expensive yachts

Below: High above the clouds – “I rarely get the opportunity to stand above the clouds without flying in an aeroplane” said Ray, but to be able to do this just a few minutes drive from one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world is truly awesome and definitely draws me back to this place time and time again” said our traveller

Above: After a good hike on Mount Tam, what could be better than a walk along the fabulous Stinson Beach, near Muir Woods

Oakland

Oakland, which is located on the opposite side of the bay to San Francisco itself, was the last stop on this particular tour for our two travellers, so I was curious to know what brought them here. “Well Nick, we are really here because of me” said Ray. “There is a personal development workshop taking place here, called “Taking the Mid-Life, One Leap at a Time” which is being run by two women I am very inspired by, as I have read one of their books called “Undefended Love” and gained many useful insights from it. The following is the information I received from them about the course, whilst I was in England earlier this year, and it was enough to scrap my visit to India and instead, register to attend:

“If you are between 45 and 65 years old, you are undoubtedly attempting to navigate your mid-life passage. What makes this an experience unlike any other is that it requires the death of who you have known yourself to be and promises the birth of who you could possibly become. Far too many people ‘die’ in their fifties and are not buried until their eighties because they did not take the full journey possible at mid-life. The whole point of midlife is to allow the construct of who you are and the life you have created to fail. It’s not just an opportunity for a fresh start; it’s a mandate for one”.

“To me, this invitation sounded irresistable! Living the nomadic life and travelling is not just about taking a look at things outside of myself the whole time, which is great, but includes time when I take a deeper look at what is going on with me on the inside” explained Ray. “The journey I have been on and am still on is a great opportunity as it allows me the time to think about and explore the fundamental things that are really important to me. These include how much love and initimacy I would like to experience, the kind of values I have and the things about myself and other human beings I am most curious about. It will probably sound a bit ‘new agey’ to some of our readers Nick, but I can assure you that what I am talking about is very down to earth. What I am seeing from this journey is there are many ways a person can live a life. I want to be as certain as I can be that I identify and take the real opportunities for deepening my experience my life presents to me in this coming decade, and make the right choices for myself so that I do not have any regrets later” added our traveller. “If anyone out there relates to this and wants to talk to me about it, you are more than welcome to get in touch” added Ray.

Above: Jett Psaris and Marlene Lyons, authors of “Undefended Love” and facilitators for Ray’s workshop, make their last minute preparations before the participants arrive – “I was quite surprised and re-assured by the many people (just like me) showing up who were curious to examine their lives in this context” said Ray

Below: “The weekend had a very deep impact on me” said Ray, “as I considered those aspects of myself (my beliefs and typical behaviour) that it might well be time to let go of. I have started to realise that even patterns of behaviour that have been very useful in the past now feel quite restrictive. One of the big surprises for me in the workshop was the chance to review some of the reasons my marriage failed five years ago with a supportive group of people. This led me to a much deeper clarity and understanding of who I am as a person and it has enabled me to let go of some of the repetitive thoughts that run around in my mind when I think back to that period, leading to a sense of freedom and peace around it” explained our global explorer

Whilst Ray was attending the workshop, Nikki had a chance to explore Oakland. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 78.2 square miles. Oaklanders most broadly refer to their city’s terrain as “the flatlands” and “the hills”, which up until recent waves of gentrification have also been a reference to Oakland’s deep economic divide, with “the hills” being more affluent communities. About two-thirds of Oakland lies within the flat plain of the San Francisco Bay, with one-third rising into the foothills and hills of the East Bay range. Oakland has more than 50 distinct neighborhoods across land running from the San Francisco Bay up into the East Bay hills, many of which are not “official” enough to be named on a map. East Oakland actually encompasses more than half of Oakland’s area, stretching from Lakeshore Drive on the east shore of Lake Merritt southeast to San Leandro. North Oakland encompasses the neighborhoods between downtown and Berkeley and Emeryville, while West Oakland is the area between downtown and the Bay.

Above: One of Oakland’s most notable features is Lake Merritt near downtown, the largest urban saltwater lake in the United States – “I know it’s what it says in the book of facts, but Lake Merritt is technically an estuary of San Francisco Bay, not a lake” pointed out Nikki!

Below: Some Oakland residents are very lucky to have this wonderful 50’s style movie theatre in their neighbourhood

Above: Adios California! Ray touches down at Heathrow for another brief stop in London before departing for Chiangmai in northern Thailand, to begin training for his first marathon in New York City this November

Editors Note: Our thanks to Nick Elandimer, who has compiled the last three issues of The Daily Explorer from the USA and who has done a superb job in bringing us all of the news and stories of Ray’s travels over the last few weeks. Nick will be back in November when he will be bringing us full coverage of Ray’s visit to New York and his final preparations for the marathon, as well as the big day itself on Sunday 1st November. For those of you that are interested, Ray’s visit’s to California and New York in 2007-8 were reported in three previous issues of The Daily Explorer:  California Dreaming (Part One) and (Part Two) and In Memory of Alan Gray. Visit our Previous Issues section for more information about what’s in our archives.

New York Marathon 2009

Many of our readers know that Ray has now based himself in Thailand to fulfil yet another of his lifetime ambitions by completing a marathon in 2009. “When I was trekking in the Himalayas at the end of last year, I discovered that I have a huge apetite for physical challenges” said our nomadic adventurer. “This year, I wanted to undertake something that I would normally think of as ’impossible’, partly for the mental discipline of transcending my own limiting beliefs, partly as a major investment in my health as I get ready to enter my fifties and partly to raise money for people who need it” explained Ray. “Running in the New York Marathon on 1st November is the goal that I have chosen and I am delighted to say that I have secured my place to run. I will be raising funds to support the World Cancer Research Fund, the Namaste Childrens Home in Nepal and the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, where I will also be doing my training” said our excited traveller.

Above: Ray’s marathon mentor, Matt Campbell

Our next issue sees the return of our Asian Fitness correspondent, Me So Fit, who will updating us with all of the news and pictures from Thailand as Ray simultaneously starts his five month training programme and fund raising campaign. “It is my first marathon, so naturally, I am a bit nervous” he told me. “I am also very excited about it, to say the least. “My training goal is to get ready so that I am able to complete the race in a time of four hours or less. Fortunately for me, Matt Campbell (above), a friend who lives in Chiangmai, has run six marathons and has agreed to be my mentor!” said our grateful virgin runner. ”He is also into eating raw food and I am hoping to learn a lot from him over the next few months. Naturally, I will be in touch with everyone in due course and asking for your support, as I intend to raise loads of money for the three charities I have decided to support” said Ray.

That’s about it for now. We aim to maintain our high standards of journalism and presentation at The Daily Explorer, so please keep sending us your ideas to help us improve it. You can use the comments box online, or email ‘Mozzie’ or any of our correspondents at thedailyexplorer@gmail.com

MOZZIE BYTE

Above: In our next issue, our Asian guest correspondent Me So Fit (left) will be updating us with all of the news and pictures from Thailand as Ray starts his five month training programme for the marathon. Ray is also raising money for the World Cancer Research Fund, the Namaste Childrens Home in Nepal and the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, where he is training. He is pictured here in the London offices of the WCRF, signing his registration form with Natalie Tarrant, who is Events Manager for them (right). We will keep you posted!

California: March 2009

MOZZIE BYTE (Editor): A warm welcome back to all our Daily Explorer readers and greetings to those of you who are joining us for the first time. To our regulars, many thanks for viewing our online publication and for giving us your feedback. Over 11,500 visitors have been to our site since we launched just over a year ago, for the latest information from Ray as he explores different parts of the world. If you are new to this site and would like to know more about what’s in our archives, check out some of our Previous Issues. We aim to maintain our high standards of journalism and presentation at The Daily Explorer, so please keep sending us your ideas to help us improve it. You can use the comments box online, or email Ray, ‘Mozzie’ or any of our correspondents at thedailyexplorer@gmail.com

Our lastest issue has been compiled for us by our top American guest correspondent Nick Elandimer (above). Hailing from New York, he is one of the most experienced online journalists of his generation and brings us the latest news and pictures as Ray and Nikki continue their tour of California and beyond on the west coast of America. Find out what happened when they visited Las Vegas, Yosemite National Park and Seattle in Washington State. We have all of the details. Plus, we announce the winner of our first caption competition of 2009 and we get an update from Ray as he begins preparing for his first ever marathon – yes, marathon - in New York this coming November.

In our last issue, Nick Elandimer followed Ray as he met up with his friends in Sacramento and headed for  Sedona, Arizona for the annual Film Festival. The awesome Grand Canyon was also on his itinerary. If you missed it, you can read it now at: Arizona Rocks!

Above: Ray sits on top of a rock stack at Plateau Point, overlooking the Colorado River, in the Grand Canyon in Arizona. You can read more about it now at: Arizona Rocks!

From the natural wonder that is the Grand Canyon, I wondered what was coming next for our global nomad? “Well Nick, we are heading for Las Vegas, which is about as far down the opposite end of the scale as you can get” he laughed. “There is absolutely nothing natural about the place. In fact, I’d have to say that is the best manifestation you will find anywhere on the planet of mankind at it’s tackiest – Vegas is spectacular because it is a tacky, man made wonder that is an outstanding architectural feat” said Ray. “To get there, we are going to travel along parts of the now famous Route 66 highway” he told me.

Above: “Get your kicks on Route 66″ – the famous highway (shown in red) was established on November 11, 1926. It originally ran from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, before ending at Los Angeles, encompassing a total of 2,448 miles (3,940 kilometres). It was recognized in popular culture by both a hit song and a television show in the 1950’s and 1960’s. More recently, U.S. Route 66 was referenced in the 2006 Pixar animated film Cars

Route 66 underwent many improvements and re-alignments over its lifetime, changing its path and overall length. It was a major path of the migrants who went west, especially during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, and supported the economies of the communities through which the road passed. People doing business along the route became prosperous due to the growing popularity of the highway, and those same people later fought to keep the highway alive even with the growing threat of being bypassed by the new Interstate Highway System.

US 66 was officially removed from the United States Highway System on June 27, 1985 after it was decided the route was no longer relevant. In 1990, Route 66 associations were founded separately in both Arizona and Missouri. Other groups in the other Route 66 states soon followed. Historic markers now line – at times sporadically – the entire 2,400 mile length of road. In 2008, The World Monuments Fund added Route 66 to its World Monuments Watch list of 100 Most Endangered Sites. Sites along the route, such as gas stations, motels, cafes, trading posts, and drive-in movie theaters are threatened by development in urban areas, and by abandonment and decay in rural areas.

Above: One of the many fascinating sites along the old Route 66 is the ‘Bedrock Amusement Park’ – “It is so American!” said our traveller

Below: An era long gone by – “You get a sense of how important this road was many years ago, but now it is a shadow of it’s former self - a reminder that everything constantly changes and nothing is permanent” said Ray

Approaching Las Vegas from the East along Highway 93, Ray and Nikki had to cross the state line between Arizona and Nevada. “The state line literally runs down the centre of Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam” recalled Ray. “When you cross it, there is even a one hour time change at the mid point! The dam is a spectacular engineering achievement, all the more amazing when you realise that it was built in the 1930’s” added our traveller.

For readers who are interested in its history, when the dam was completed, it was both the world’s largest electric-power generating station and the world’s largest concrete structure. It was surpassed in both these respects by the Grand Coulee Dam in 1945. It is currently the world’s 35th-largest hydro-electric generating station. Located 30 miles south-east of Las Vegas, it is named after Herbert Hoover, who played an instrumental role in its construction, first as the Secretary of Commerce and then later as the President of the United States. Construction began in 1931 and was completed in 1936, more than two years ahead of schedule. The dam and the power plant are operated by the Bureau of Reclamation of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981, Hoover Dam was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985.

Above: Lake Mead is the reservoir created behind the Hoover Dam, named after Elwood Mead, who oversaw the construction

Below: Ray re-sets his watch to Nevada time on top of the dam as he crosses the state line from Arizona on his way to Las Vegas

“Some of the things I have seen as a traveller are quite literally mind boggling in terms of what it took to make it happen, and this is definitely one of them” Ray told me. ”For example, the two vertical foundations for each of the arch walls (the Nevada side and Arizona side) had to be founded on sound virgin rock; free of cracks that the surface rock of the canyon walls had from thousands of years of weathering and exposure. So men had to remove the surface rock (they were called high-scalers). While suspended from the top of the canyon with ropes, they climbed down the canyon walls and removed it with jackhammers and dynamite” explained Ray.

The first concrete was placed into the dam on June 6, 1933. Since no structure of the magnitude of the Hoover Dam had been constructed, many of the procedures used in construction of the dam were untried. Since concrete heats up and contracts as it cures, uneven cooling and contraction of the concrete posed a serious problem. “Engineers calculated that if the dam were built in a single continuous pour, the concrete would have taken 125 years to cool to ambient temperature” said Ray. “The resulting stresses would have caused the dam to crack and crumble, so to solve this problem, the dam was built in a series of interlocking trapezoidal columns. Each pour was no more than six inches deep. Because of this depth it is extremely unlikely that construction workers were accidentally buried alive in the concrete, contrary to popular folklore” added our well informed visitor. “To further cool the concrete each form contained cooling coils of 1 inch thin-walled steel pipe. River water was circulated through these pipes to help dissipate the heat from the curing concrete. After this, chilled water from a refrigeration plant on the lower cofferdam was circulated through the coils to further cool the concrete. After each layer had sufficiently cooled, the coils were cut off and pressure grouted by pneumatic grout guns. Today, the concrete is still curing and gaining in strength as time goes on” he told me.

Above: Nikki examines one of the finest engineering achievements in American history. There is enough concrete in the Hoover Dam to pave a two-lane highway from San Francisco to New York. There were 112 deaths associated with the construction of the dam and there are different accounts as to who was the first and last. A popular story holds that the first person to die in the construction was J. G. Tierney, a surveyor who drowned while looking for an ideal spot for the dam. Coincidentally, his son, Patrick W. Tierney, was the last man to die working on the dam, 13 years to the day later

Las Vegas

In Spanish, Las Vegas means ’The Meadows’ and it is the most populous city in the state of Nevada. Known internationally as a major resort city for gambling and shopping, Las Vegas, which bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, is famous for its large number of casino resorts and associated entertainment. A growing retirement and family city, it is the 28th most populous city in the United States. The city’s tolerance for various forms of adult entertainment earned it the title of ‘Sin City’, and this image has made Las Vegas a popular setting for films and television programmes. Outdoor lighting displays are everywhere on the Las Vegas Strip and are seen elsewhere in the city as well. As seen from space, the Las Vegas metropolitan area is the brightest on Earth.

Above: This four mile stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard is known as ‘The Strip’ – “It is only when you arrive here that you get the sense that someone rolled out a giant rug in the middle of the Nevada desert and built this glitzy city full of sin on the top” said Ray. “Billions of dollars have been poured into creating a place that essentially appeals to the worst side of human nature. It’s a shame that all that money and creativity could not be used more for the benefit of mankind” said our traveller. “Having said that, it’s an eye-catching world of fantasy that is second to none, if you are looking for some big time distraction” added Ray

Below: “Have we taken the wrong road?” asks Ray on his arrival. No, it is the New York, New York casino and resort on Las Vegas Boulevard, with replicas of the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and the Brooklyn Bridge, as well as a dedicated, 24/7 rollercoaster ride (left). Just a mile away, if Venice is somewhere you have never been, the stunning Venetian hotel and casino is the place to head for (right)

Established in 1905, Las Vegas officially became a city in 1911. The legalisation of gambling in 1931 led to the advent of the casino-hotels, for which Las Vegas is famous. The success of the city’s initial casino businesses was owed to American organized crime. “Most of the original large casinos were managed or at least funded by mob figures like Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, Meyer Lansky and others” said Ray. “With the arrival of billionaire Howard Hughes in the late 1960’s, who purchased many casino-hotels and television stations in the city, legitimate corporations began to purchase casino-hotels as well, and the mob was run out by the federal government over the next several years. The constant stream of tourist dollars from the hotels and casinos were also augmented by a new source of federal money. This money came from the establishment of what is now Nellis Air Force Base. The influx of military personnel and casino job-hunters helped start a land building boom which still goes on today” explained our global explorer. In 2006 gambling revenues in Macau, China surpassed those in Las Vegas, making Macau the largest gambling centre in the world. There is no evidence as of yet to suggest that gambling growth in Macau is shifting growth away from Las Vegas.

Above: “The best place to see the Las Vegas Strip is from the bar at the top of The Stratosphere” (left) said Ray. “You are only allowed into the bar if you buy two rather expensive drinks, but we managed to enter and leave without doing this” he admitted. Back down on the ground, Nikki hopes to win big on one of the giant slots along the strip (right)

I caught up with Ray and Nikki at their hotel and asked them what their first impressions of Vegas were. “Well Nick, having just come from Sedona and the Grand Canyon, this is quite hard to swallow” said Nikki, who was visiting the city for the first time. “It is just like I imagined it – something you have to see for a few hours, by which time you are pretty pleased to be departing” she told me. “The lights, the shows, the 24 hour culture and the millions of dollars per hour that is being spent is all quite fascinating, but ultimately very hollow and devoid of any meaning – I do not think I will be rushing to come back anytime soon” she said. “For me, it is like being invited on to a giant, four square mile movie set, with plenty of high quality distractions for entertainment” said Ray. “But like Nikki, after a few hours, I have had enough and it is time to leave for something more soulful” added Ray.

Above: Nikki and Ray chose to stay at the Circus Circus Hotel – “Amazingly, the room was much larger and much cheaper than some of the budget motels we had stayed in around the country – simply because it’s all about getting people into the resorts and keeping them in the casino’s as long as possible, ensuring they eventually part with any cash they have saved” explained Ray

Below: “All of the casino’s along the strip have various shows and other forms of entertainment throughout the day and evening to lure punters through the doors. Circus Circus have a Trapeze group performing above the main casino area every twenty minutes or so” said Ray

Above: “Until you come to Vegas, it’s very hard to imagine just how much money and effort has gone into creating these individual world’s of fantasy” observed Ray. “Take the Venetian Hotel for example. From the outside, it is a complete copy of the buildings in St. Marks Square (left), including a replica of the tower, with all of the bridges over the fake canals, on which you can actually take rides on the gondola’s!” he told me. Every part of the interior has been replicated to the same degree” (right) added Ray

Below: Is it real, or is it Vegas? It is often hard to know as the creations are very authentic – this is inside the casino complex at The Venetian and comes complete with the sky, sounds and smells of Italy

Above: One of the best times to see Vegas is at night – “We watched the spectacular, co-ordinated music and fountain display at The Bellagio” (left) said Ray, as he stood outside the Hotel which has been made famous by the ‘Ocean’s’ movie series (right)

Below: One of the reasons that people have sometimes fled to Vegas has been to get married spontaneously – “We rode an elevator at the Stratosphere with a couple who had just got married minutes before” said Ray. “I hope they have more luck with each other than some people in the casino’s do with their gambling”

Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is located in the central Sierra Nevada of California. It takes approximately 3-4 hours to drive to the park from San Francisco and approximately 6 hours from Los Angeles. The 1,189 square mile park is roughly the size of Rhode Island and contains thousands of lakes and ponds, 1,600 miles of streams, 800 miles of hiking trails, and 350 miles of roads. Two federally designated wild and scenic rivers, the Merced and the Tuolumne, begin within Yosemite’s borders and flow westward through the Sierra foothills, into the central valley of California. Annual park visitation exceeds 3.5 million, with most visitor use concentrated in the seven square mile area of Yosemite Valley. “After the insanity of Las Vegas, both Nikki and I were very keen to return to nature” said Ray. “We had quite a long drive from there, needing an overnight stop at a motel en route, but it was truly worth the wait” added our traveller.

Above: On their way to Yosemite, Ray and Nikki passed this huge windfarm at the Tehachapi Pass along Highway 58 on their way to Bakersfield for an overnight stop. The Tehachapi Pass is one of the windiest areas in the world. The winds through the pass average 14 to 20 miles per hour from one year to the next. Wind speeds vary with the terrain, season, and time of the day

Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite is internationally recognized for its spectacular granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, Giant Sequoia groves and biological diversity. Almost 95% of the park is designated wilderness. Although not the first designated national park, Yosemite was a focal point in the development of the national park idea, largely owing to the work of people like John Muir and Galen Clark. Yosemite has an elevation range from 2,000 to 13,114 feet. Of California’s 7,000 plant species, about 50% occur in the Sierra Nevada and more than 20% within Yosemite. There is suitable habitat or documentation for more than 160 rare plants in the park, with rare local geologic formations and unique soils characterising the restricted ranges many of these plants occupy. “Unfortunately, we were coming here at the worst time of year as far as the weather was concerned and heavy snowfalls were severely inhibiting our chances of hiking on the best trails inside the park” said our global traveller. “We had to compromise and pick some of the shorter, lower elevation walks which will have to do until we can return!” he told me.

Above: The outdoors always seems to bring out the child in Ray, who remembers what it feels like to be six years old and have a great big park to play in – “Yippee!” says our traveller

Below: This was the scene confronting Ray and Nikki as they approached the park from the south along the high elevation Highway 41 – “We spoke to the park rangers and realised that the road was unpassable for us (without snow chains and four wheel drive)” said Ray. “We decided to return to the village of Oakhurst and see if we could get some snow chains or find an alternative route into the vast park” he recalled

Above: The ‘Elevation 5000 feet’ sign is obscured by heavy snowfalls along Highway 41

Below: 24 hours later and things are looking up, as Ray and Nikki find a different way into the park – “We discovered that we could get in there along the lower elevation Highway 140 through Mariposa (left). It took about an hour longer and we had snow chains on board in case the weather turned, but in the end we didn’t need them” said Ray. Once inside Yosemite Valley, Ray proceeded with the serious, grown-up business of making and throwing snowballs (right)

Above: Nikki stands and admires one of the most iconic images in Yosemite National Park – the magnificent Half Dome. The geology of the Yosemite area is characterized by granitic rocks and remnants of older rock. About 10 million years ago, the Sierra Nevada was uplifted and then tilted to form its relatively gentle western slopes and the more dramatic eastern slopes. The uplift increased the steepness of stream and river beds, resulting in formation of deep, narrow canyons. About 1 million years ago, snow and ice accumulated, forming glaciers at the higher alpine meadows that moved down the river valleys. The downslope movement of the ice masses cut and sculpted the U-shaped valley that attracts so many visitors to its scenic vistas today

Below: Yosemite Falls – the highest waterfall in North America

To hear Ray talking about the Yosemite Falls, watch the short video clip below:

Above: Whilst in the Yosemite area, our two explorers found the exact geographical centre of California, near Bass Lake - “Been there, done that, tick” says Nikki as she reads the inscription on the stone which marks the spot

Below: “I just love the American style mailboxes” said Ray, who sent us this picture of a whole row of them along Highway 140

Above: Only in America! The dog wash is lined up alongside the car wash, so you can drive through and do both things at once!

Below: To board their flight to Seattle, Ray and Nikki had one day to drive from Yosemite to Sacramento Airport – “We drove through the most amazing countryside along Highway 49. The road climbed and descended, twisted and turned and there were a few spectacular views, like the one below from ‘Fremont’s Fort” said Ray

Above and below: The Wild West still exists! Travelling along Highway 49, Ray and Nikki made an unscheduled stop in the tiny little town of Coulterville – “We stopped in this bar without realising that we had stumbled on the oldest wooden saloon bar (above) still in use in California” recalled Ray. Part of the Hotel Jeffery (below), they have been serving drinks since 1851

Seattle

What, I wondered, had caused Ray to make a special trip to Seattle while he was in California? “Its a good question Nick. Ordinarily, it would not have made sense, but there is an exciting business in Seattle that I have been in telephone and email contact with for a number of years and when I discovered that there was a direct flight available from Sacramento, I decided to take a couple of days out to go and meet the people I have been speaking to. Luckily for Nikki and me, an American friend who we met whilst travelling through Vietnam in 2006 lives in the city and when we told her we were coming, she kindly invited us to stay” explained Ray. “The first and last time I was in the city was back in 1996, whilst it was Nikki’s first visit” added Ray.

Seattle is only a one hour direct flight from Sacramento (both circled in red, above) which made it easy for our global nomad to attend a business meeting there, as well as catch up with the wonderful Quita St.John, who met Ray and Nikki in Vietnam in 2006 (below, right)

On their arrival in Seattle, Quita came to the airport to meet our two travellers. “It was really great of her to come and get us” said Nikki, “especially as we had no idea where in the city she lived” she told me. “Quita also had an interesting invitation for us, as we discovered that we had all been invited to a costume party that evening to celebrate the last ever episode of a TV series called The L-Word” said Nikki. “The L-Word is an American and Canadian co-production television drama series on Showtime portraying the lives of a group of lesbian, bisexual and transgender men and women and their friends, family and lovers in the trendy Los Angeles area of West Hollywood, California. The show ran from 2004 to 2009. As we were going to the party dressed as one of our favourite characters from the programme, we needed Quita to give us a crash course in the shows history” Nikki told me. But what about Ray’s costume, I asked? “Apparently, there was at least one male character called Tim in the first series (of five) who was written out after his partner left him for another woman, so I decided to go to the party as him, with Quita advising me on the right look” recalled Ray.

Above: Ray (in the green hoodie at the back) joins Nikki (centre) and Quita (squatting in front of Nikki) and all the other guests at the ‘L Word’ party. Everyone came dressed up as their favourite character from the show - “It was quite amusing taking Ray with us to the party” said Nikki. “It is probably the only time he has been to an event where he is the only guy surrounded by thirty women, where we all knew from the outset that none of them would fancy him!” she laughed

Below: To get into ‘character’, everyone brought all sorts of different clothes and a few wigs, which gave our follically challenged traveller an opportunity to see if a different look might suit him – first, the brown, curly, permed look (left), then how about blonde? (right)

Above: The wigs definitely look much better on Nikki (left) and Quita (right)

Below: Our two travellers in costume as their characters – Nikki as the posh English woman called ’Helen’ and Ray as swimming coach ‘Tim’. Not surprsingly, the sexy actors and gritty realism in the programme has been as appealing to straight men as it has to lesbian women – “I had never heard of it before I came here” said Ray, “but now, I think I could happily watch more of it, and if you take a look at the video clip for Series 4 above, you will understand why!”  said Ray

Seattle is the most populous city in the state of Washington. The encompassing Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metropolitan area is the 15th largest in the United States, and the largest in the Pacific Northwest. A coastal city and major seaport, it is located in the western part of the state on an isthmus between Puget Sound (an arm of the Pacific Ocean) and Lake Washington, about 96 miles south of the Canada – United States border. By 2007 Census estimates, the city has a municipal population of around 600,000 making it the twenty-fourth largest city by population in the US. “It is a very creative place, with a thriving arts scene” said Ray. “We discovered that Seattle is the birthplace of rock legend Jimi Hendrix and grunge music, including the following bands: Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, The Presidents of the United States of America and Nirvana. Seattle has a reputation for heavy coffee consumption; coffee companies founded or based in Seattle include Starbucks, Seattle’s Best Coffee, and Tully’s. There are also many successful independent artisanal espresso roasters and cafes” Ray told me.

Above: The downtown Seattle skyline, with the Space Needle in the centre (left). The city has about 58 clear days a year weather wise, with most of them between June and September. Between October and May, it is cloudy or partly cloudy six out of every seven days. The Space Needle, dating from the Century 21 Exposition (1962), is Seattle’s most recognizable landmark, having been featured in the logo of the television show Frasier and the backgrounds of the television series Grey’s Anatomy and iCarly, and films such as Sleepless in Seattle. In 1917, the Smith Tower in Pioneer Square was the tallest building in this part of America (right)

Seattle Snapshots

Above: The tall dark building in the centre is the Columbia Tower. At 73 storeys, it is the tallest building in the Seattle skyline and an ideal place to get some great views over the city – “Our friend Quita used to work in the small, red brick building in the centre” Ray told me

Below: Because it is the tallest building, it has become the home of an unusual annual competition for firemen in the city. Every year, they race to the top of the stairs, fully clothed in their protective gear, attempting to beat the record time, which currently stands at around 7 minutes

Above and below: The incredible views from the top of the Columbia Tower

Above: Seattle has its own troll! Known as the Fremont Troll or the Troll Under the Bridge, it is a piece of whimsical public art in the Fremont neighborhood, located on N. 36th Street at Troll Avenue N., under the north end of the Aurora Bridge. The idea of a troll living under a bridge is derived from the Scandinavian folk tale “Three Billy Goats Gruff.” – “It is clutching an actual Volkswagen Beetle, as if it had just swiped it from the roadway above” said Ray 

Below: The Troll is 5.5 metres high, weighs two tons, and is made of steel, wire and concrete. It was also featured in the movie Ten Things I Hate About You

Above: The Sunday market at Fremont attracts many visitors to it’s eclectic collection of stallholders (left), whilst the statue of Lenin (right) also raises a few eyebrows! The statue is actually on sale, at a  bargain price of $250,000

Below: Nikki wanders around Pike Place Fish Market as the weather takes a turn for the worse ….

Above: …. and then comes inside for a closer look at the freshly caught fare on offer

Below: Three things Seattle is famous for – Frasier, fish and coffee! Nikki stands outside the very first Starbucks shop ever, in Pike Place market

Above: The 5th Avenue entrance of the funky Seattle Public Library (left) and Ray on the even funkier luminous green elevators inside (right) – “The building is a contemporary design masterpiece” said Ray

Below: “This place is very cool – it is about as far away from the inside of a conventional library as you could possibly get” observed Ray

On their last day in Seattle, I caught up with our two travellers to find out more from Ray about his business appointment. “My meeting with the people at Fierce Conversations went extremely well” Ray told me. “Based on what I knew from reading Susan Scott’s best selling book and having met the people who work in her organisation, I am very impressed with what they are doing in the business world and thinking about ways in which I could get involved” he told me.

Fierce is a company that trains people in how to communicate well. Their philosophy is simple – Whilst no single conversation is guaranteed to change the trajectory of a career, a company, a relationship or a life, any single conversation can. “I have always loved the idea of being able to communicate authentically and powerfully, not just for myself but for people in general. After many years of practising this myself, I would like to train or facilitate others to do the same and this is one way I could potentially do this” said Ray. “It is something I will be giving more thought to over the next few months” added our global nomad.

Above: Ray attended his meeting at this office building in Bellevue, just north of the downtown area, where Fierce Conversations are currently based

Below: On his way up to Seattle, Ray was seen by our photographer refreshing himself with Susan Scott’s brilliant book, Fierce Conversations – “I can recommend the book to anyone who thinks they would like to improve the results they get from their communication at work” said Ray. “I first read it seven years ago and it’s what brought me here” he added

Above: Seattle at night is a visual treat

Below: Ray and Nikki were able to see this amazing view of the summit of Mount Rainier poking through the clouds, from their aircraft as they departed for Sacramento to continue their tour of northern California

Editors Note: Thanks once again to Nick Elandimer for yet another superb issue of The Daily Explorer. Nick will be writing for us once more in our next issue, which is due online in a few days, as Ray and Nikki return to Sacramento to catch up with friends, make a brief visit to Lake Tahoe, and then head south for the city by the bay – San Francisco. As well as exploring this wonderful city, our travellers also managed to visit Carmel, Monterey, Point Lobos and the Big Sur along the picturesque Pacific Coast Highway. Read all about it exclusively in the next issue of The Daily Explorer!

Caption Competition

We have a winner for our first competition in 2009. We asked readers to look at the picture below, taken by Ray in the Sacred Garden in Lumbini (Nepal), and come up with a humorous caption to match what is going on in the photograph. The winning caption was sent in to us by none other than charming Seattle resident Quita St. John. Our congratulations to Quita and many thanks to all of our readers who sent in captions – they were all of a very high standard! The winning caption is:

“No, really, Your Holiness, we’re all stuck!  We thought this was the introduction to meditation, not the advanced!”

New York Marathon 2009

For readers who missed our last couple of issues, Ray has decided to fulfil yet another of his lifetime ambitions and complete a marathon in 2009. “When I was trekking in the Himalayas at the end of last year, I discovered that I have a huge apetite for physical challenges” said our nomadic adventurer. “This year, I wanted to undertake something that I normally think of as ’impossible’, partly for the mental discipline of transcending my own limiting beliefs, partly as a major investment in my health as I get ready to enter my fifties and partly to raise money for people who need it” explained Ray. “Running in the New York Marathon on 1st November is the goal that I have chosen and I am delighted to say that I have secured my place to run. I will be raising funds to support the World Cancer Research Fund, the Namaste Childrens Home in Nepal and the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, where I will also be doing my training” said our excited traveller.

Above: Ray’s marathon mentor, Matt Campbell

In the coming issues of The Daily Explorer, we will bring you all the news and pictures as Ray starts his five months of training in order to be ready for the big day in November. “It is my first marathon, so naturally, I am a bit nervous” he told me. “I am also very excited about it, to say the least. “In my mind, I have a list of  “Things to do before I die”, a bit like my own “Bucket List” I suppose. One of these is to “Run a Marathon by the time I am 50″ and since I will be 49 this year, time is of the essence, so I decided it was now or never” he explained to me. “My training goal is to get ready so that I am able to complete the race in a time of four hours or less. Fortunately for me, Matt Campbell (above), a friend who lives in Chiangmai, has run six marathons and has agreed to be my mentor!” said our grateful virgin runner. ”Naturally, I will be in touch with everyone in due course and asking for your support, as I intend to raise loads of money for the charities I would like to support” said Ray.

That’s about it for this issue. We aim to maintain our high standards of journalism and presentation at The Daily Explorer, so please keep sending us your ideas to help us improve it. You can use the comments box online, or email ‘Mozzie’ or any of our correspondents at thedailyexplorer@gmail.com

MOZZIE BYTE

Above: The majestic Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco – find out more about Ray and Nikki’s visit to the city by the bay in our next issue, due online in a few days. We will keep you posted!

Arizona: March 2009

MOZZIE BYTE (Editor): A warm welcome back to all our Daily Explorer readers and greetings to those of you who are joining us for the first time. To our regulars, many thanks for viewing our online publication and for giving us your feedback.  Over 10,000 visitors have been to see our site since we launched just over a year ago, for the latest information from Ray as he explores different parts of the world. If you are new to this site and would like to know more about what’s in our archives, check out some of our Previous Issues. We aim to maintain our high standards of journalism and presentation at The Daily Explorer, so please keep sending us your ideas to help us improve it. You can use the comments box online, or email Ray, ‘Mozzie’ or any of our correspondents at thedailyexplorer@gmail.com

In our fourth issue of 2009, we celebrate the return of our top American guest correspondent Nick Elandimer (above), who first worked with our team in November 2007. Hailing from New York, he is one of the most experienced online journalists of his generation and brings us the latest news and pictures as Ray returns to the USA after a brief stopover in London. Find out what happened when Ray met up with his friends in Sacramento and visited Sedona for the annual Film Festival. The awesome Grand Canyon was also on his itinerary. We have all of the details. Plus, we have a reminder about our first caption competition of 2009 and an update from Ray as he begins preparing for his first ever marathon – yes, marathon - in New York this coming November.

In our last issue, Dolly Lama followed Ray as returned from Tibet to Nepal, to complete his three month tour by visiting Lumbini – the birthplace of the Buddha. Whist he was there, he also explored Nagarkot and Bhaktapur on the outskirts of Kathmandu before leaving Nepal for the UK. If you missed it, you can read it now at: Namaste Nepal

Above: Ray observes a group of Buddhist monks who have gathered in the Sacred Garden at Lumbini to meditate. Lumbini is the birthplace of the Buddha and one of the holiest places in Nepal. You can read more about it now at: Namaste Nepal

As I had not seen or spoken to Ray since he was last in the USA (see California Dreaming) about a year ago, I was interested to find out what had made him come all the way from Nepal for a relatively short visit to the United States. “It’s a good question, Nick” said Ray. “I spent much of last year in countries where the infrastructure is vastly inferior compared to England and other western countries. After three months in Nepal, with power cuts for 16 hours every day, heavy pollution and crumbling roads, I felt rather exhausted. As I was thinking of going directly to India, where these problems would most likely be the same or worse, I decided a couple of weeks break in the UK would be great for rest and re-couperation. As Nikki was also in the UK with her family, it meant I would be able to see her again before she headed back to her base in Chiangmai (Thailand), as well see my own family and friends before heading out to India” explained our global nomad. “So I flew to London with this plan in mind without realising that when I got there, it would all change” recalled Ray.

Above: Back in London – “It is so great to be in a place that is familiar for just a little while” said Ray. “In London, everything works pretty well compared to what I have been used to in the last few months. In the past, I complained a lot when I lived here, but now I think that people who live in England generally have a pretty good infrastructure and quality of life” he told me

Below: Whatever the time of year, there is always so much going on in England’s vibrant capital city – “Seeing London from a visitors perspective is a great experience” said Ray. “For example, I visited Chinatown to meet Nikki and (her good friend) Nigel Shilton and discovered that the Chinese New Year celebrations were in full swing” (left). “Nigel is a previous winner of a Daliy Explorer caption competition and it was great to see him again after a long absence. We decided to hang out for a while at Soho’s cool Bar Italia” said Ray, who sent us this picture of Nigel and Nikki chatting away inside the famous coffee shop

Knowing Ray has been living nomadically for over three years, I wondered what it felt like to be back in the place that used to be his home after such a long time. “Well  Nick, it is not as strange as you might think, probably because I have been back a few times since I set off in November 2005″ said Ray. “With each visit, I have come to appreciate the important things more and more. Seeing my family is really fantastic and I always feel quite re-juvenated from staying at my brothers home. Fortunately, it was his birthday when I was there so I was able to celebrate with him” added our traveller. “My niece and nephew are also growing up fast and I really like being able to touch base with them and find out where they are as their lives unfold” said Ray.

Below: Ray’s brother Paul (left) tries on a new pair of diving goggles – “I was very lucky that the timing of my visit co-incided with his birthday. As he was about to set off to Sharm El Sheikh with the family for a scuba diving holiday, I chose to give him a new pair of goggles and a snorkel for his trip, and I believe they were very well utilised” (right) said Ray

Above: Ray’s 10 year old nephew, Daniel (on the left of the three players in red), played his first competitive Sunday morning soccer match for the Barnes Eagles whilst Ray was in town – “It was great to see Dan make his debut, especially as he scored his team’s only goal of the match” said Ray

Below: Ray’s niece, 14 year old Rebecca completed her two week work experience with a firm of architects in Blackfriars whilst our traveller was visiting – “I am very impressed with her” said Ray. “She approached the whole thing with great diligence and professionalism (left) and finished off the two weeks by making cakes for everyone in the office whom she had been working with during her tenure” (right) he told me

Another person who Ray hooked up with in London was Howard Carter, founder and owner of the very successful Incognito brand of mosquito repelling products. “We met at the Spa in Ko Samui a couple of years ago whilst I was doing a seven day de-tox there” said Ray. “Howard was exhibiting his company and products at ‘Destinations 09′ – an international travel show at Earls Court, and he invited me to join him there. I have been using his product on my travels and can wholeheartedly say it is very effective – I think he wanted me to convey this message to as many potential customers as possible coming to the show” explained Ray. “By the time I got to meet Howard, which happened a few days into my visit, I started getting a sense that the plans I had made to travel through India were likely to change”. Curious to understand more, I asked Ray to explain what he meant.

“Being in London was a great opportunity to review my plan for the year and explore all of the options available. Through an email, I discovered details of an upcoming two day (personal development) workshop in San Francisco which I was very interested in attending. When I mentioned to Nikki that I was thinking of going to California, she got very excited about coming with me, as she had never been to the west coast of America. So the idea expanded from me going alone on a short visit to attend a workshop and visit friends, to a much longer month long road trip, with both of us touring California, with me attending the workshop towards the end” he explained. “At the same time this was going on, I was also considering the possibility of running in the New York marathon in November this year, which would require a radical re-think from me regarding this year’s travel schedule. With a commitment to five months of training being necessary, constantly moving and having no fixed routine simply would not work” added our global nomad.

Above: Ray meets Howard Carter (left) at the ‘Destinations 09′ international travel show at Earls Court – ” I am delighted that Howard’s business is going so well. He is a very charming, genuine chap and works tirelessly to be the best at what he does. He deserves all the success that he gets” said Ray

Below: For anyone travelling to countries where there is the possibility of getting bitten by insects, check out the highly informative Avoiding Bites page at the Incognito web site

Below: Ray met unexpectedly with new US President Barack Obama who happened to attend the Destinations 09 travel show – “Maybe it’s an omen?  Perhaps it is a clear sign that I should go to America” thought Ray

Whilst mulling over the future, Ray took full advantage of his impromptu visit to London by flying over to Switzerland for a day to visit his ex-wife, Charlotte. “Anyone who has read the story in Man of a Thousand Days, about how my nomadic life began, might remember that I used to run a consulting business in London with her when we were married” said Ray. “Unbelievably, this year is the fifth anniversary of our divorce and the world seems so different to how it looked back then, I can scarcely believe I am the same person” he told me. “Of all the things I am proud of in my life, one of the greatest is that we have been able to remain such close friends after the end of our marriage, especially as I do not believe this to be the case for many couples who decide to part. I have had plenty of time travelling to reflect on and enquire about this period of my life and it has enabled me to understand parts of myself much more clearly. Through sharing these with Charlie, we have both been able to navigate through a very difficult period of time between us. It was fantastic to see her, her husband and their two lovely children, albeit for a few short hours” said Ray.

Above: Just an hour away from Heathrow, Ray took full advantage of his trip to London and spent a day in Steckborn, near Zurich, visiting his ex-wife Charlotte

Below: Charlotte arranged for Ray to stay at this local hotel – a good example of traditional Swiss architecture

Above: Charlie, with baby Joey in the pushchair and the pretty village of Steckborn in the background – “I am really delighted that Charlie is happy in her life here and that we are still great friends. Although it was hard, our parting was a very catalytic event for me and opened the door to the life that I have now, which I absolutely love. Five years ago, when things were falling apart, it was hard to know that everything would be OK, but it does seem to have turned out brilliantly” said our optimistic traveller. “Charlie helped me immensely last year when my consulting business was sold, by agreeing to take part in the handover of our materials to the new owner, which I wanted to thank her for” said Ray. “The best thing is that when we get together now, we don’t make many references to our shared history, but actually spend most of our time talking about the things that are currently going on in both of our lives. Our relationship really affirms ny most basic belief that love can transform anything” he added

Below: Charlie and her husband Patrick have two delightful children – one year old Joey (left) and Lola (right), who is three

Returning from Switzerland, I asked Ray if he was any clearer about going to the United States, or whether he was still planning to go to India. “Having made the discovery that I can buy a relatively inexpensive flight ticket, I’ve decided that I am going to attend the workshop in San Francisco and take a month long road trip around California and Arizona with Nikki. In the few days I now have left before we depart, I have to make a final decision about running in the marathon and book a place in the race with an associated charity” said our highly organised traveller. “And there will still be time for me to catch up with a couple of particular people whom have been in my thoughts in recent weeks” he added. “Strangely, they nearly all have the same name – two Helen’s and one lovely lady called Helena” said our traveller.

Above: Helena Dennison (right), pictured here at home with her daughter Andrea (left) – “I met Helena over 25 years ago when we both worked at a company called Programmes and Andrea was a very young girl – I cannot believe she is all grown up with a son of her own!” said Ray. “I haven’t seen Helena for a long time and discovered last year that she had been reading The Daily Explorer, so I made a point of meeting her to get some feedback for Mozzie Byte and the team. For the last few years, she has been running a very successful landscape gardening company” he told me

Below: Another one of Ray’s old friends is the delightful Helen Coffin (left) – She was once a girlfriend of mine and was the best woman at my wedding, so our friendship goes back a long way” said Ray. We met at Somerset House near The Strand in London, which has a delightful little cafe and views over the River Thames. Ray and Nikki were also able to grab an evening with Helen Chilvers (right) – “She has appeared in The Daily Explorer many times so some of our readers may recognise her” said Ray. “As always, we spent a wonderful evening together and I am very pleased to hear that things are going well for her” he told me

Above: Soaking up the cultural scene in London – Nikki meets Ray outside the Duke of Yorks Theatre in St. Martin’s Lane to see a performance of Arthur Miller’s play “A View from the Bridge” – “It was a special treat for me as the daughter of some friends has a leading role in the play” said Ray. “Hayley Atwell, who is pictured in the poster with Ken Stott to the left of Nikki, has been in a couple of movies recently, including The Duchess and Brideshead Revisited. The chance to see her perform live was an opportunity too good to miss, especially as I was hoping to meet her father, who lives in California during my visit to America” said our traveller

As Ray was completing the last bits of packing for his trip to America, I called him in London to get his arrival details and find out if he had decided to run in the marathon in my home town of New York later this year. “Well Nick, you might be very pleased to hear that I am going to go for it and I have actually secured a place already” was his excited reply. “I have never run a marathon before, or any distance come to think of it – in fact I am not really a runner of any description” he told me. “But I have so enjoyed the physical challenge of trekking at altitude in the Himalayas and as I am in good shape healthwise, I reckon if I train properly over the coming 5-6 months that I will be able to complete it. And it gives me the first real opportunity in five years to raise some much needed money for a couple of charities. In due course, I will pass more information to you so that The Daily Explorer can let readers know who I am running for and how they can support me to help these organisations” said our soon-to-be (charity) marathon runner.

Above: Ready for take off – Ray and Nikki arrive at Heathrow to board their British Airways Boeing 747 to San Francisco, with a flight time of around 11 hours

Below: Nikki displays her unique ‘Ada Dollars’ at the airport – “One of my nicknames for Nikki is ‘Ada’, as she comes from the north of England” explained Ray. “It was a great opportunity to plan a little surprise for her and print up some money with her picture on it” he told me. “Maybe I could spend some of this in the casino’s in Las Vegas?” thinks Nikki ……

Regular readers of The Daily Explorer may remember that Ray visited Sacramento in November 2007 and spent some time with his very good friends, Nic and Regina Meredith. “Nic and I go back a long way and ironically, when I was going through my divorce in 2004, the two of us went to Sedona (in Arizona), where he met Regina who is now his wife! If anyone is interested in the story of how they met, and the fascinating work they do in running the Conscious Media Network, as well as learn about Sacramento, then you should take a look at one of the previous issues of The Daily Explorer, called California Dreaming” said Ray. “Nikki and I headed straight to Sacramento after arriving at San Francisco airport, leaving California the next day with Nic and Regina in their RV (mobile home) to attend the Sedona International Film Festival, which has been gaining popularity over the years and draws exciting film-makers from all over the world” said Ray.

Above: Map showing Sacramento, where Ray and Nikki had arranged their rendezvous with Nic and Regina before leaving California in the RV for the neighbouring state of Arizona. Later in their trip, our two travellers would be calling in at many of the places in California that you can see on the map, before finally reaching Oakland in the San Francisco Bay area for Ray to attend his two day, personal development workshop (more about this in our next issue)

Below: Nic, who used to work with Ray in the eighties in a company called Programmes, standing beside his ’home on wheels’ at an RV park in Bakersfield, California (see map above) en route to Sedona – “These vehicles are really well equipped, with a kitchen, toilet, shower, two double bedrooms and a lounge, with TV and DVD player!” said Ray. “Some of the people we met in Nepal last year would think they had died and gone to heaven if they ended up living in one of these” he told me

Above: One for the ladies! In 1991, Nic looked like the next George Michael (left). This was a distinct improvement from the long hair and beard he had been sporting in the late eighties, as shown in the picture on the right, with Ray’s ex colleagues John Arroyo (left) and Will Welch (centre)

Below: And today, Nic is more handsome than ever as he enjoys a lively evening of conversation with Ray, Nikki and wife Regina, over supper in their RV – “He has become a lovely man over the years I have known him and I am really impressed with the work that he does with Regina and their Conscious Media Network” said our global nomad. “For anyone interested in what is really going on in the world we live in, it is well worth a visit on the Internet”

Above: Crossing the border from California into Arizona, on the Interstate 40 Freeway about 2o miles south of Kingman, Ray saw this odd structure. “Looking like a cross between a giant golf ball and a spaceship, it has three levels and measures 40 feet in diameter. Lake Havasu Estates built it in 1976 as a restaurant and cocktail lounge for a land developer. However, the company went bankrupt and the sphere now serves as a private home. The owner has added aliens walking up the ramp and space ships. Sadly for us, it’s not open to the public” said Ray

Below: The red rocks of Sedona. Perhaps one of the most spectacular secrets of the world, it is located less than two hours north of Phoenix and two hours south of the Grand Canyon - “It was great to be back again and I enjoyed introducing Nikki to this unique town in the middle of the Arizona desert” Ray told me. “I cannot believe how beautiful this area is” said Nikki. The road trip from Sacramento took them around two days. Sedona has a population of around 12,000 and since the 1970’s, has been an art and tourist centre and a resort, retirement, and spiritual mecca. ‘Vortexes’, which adherents of New Age philosophy believe to be intense concentrations of spiritual energies, were identified here in the 1980’s, attracting numbers of metaphysical believers to the red rocks and mesas surrounding the town

The expanded 15th annual Sedona International Film Festival featured a week of Oscar-winning movies, directors and nominees. The increasingly popular festival has been attracting sell-out crowds of movie fans and a growing list of producers, directors, screenwriters and actors from both independent production companies and big-name movie companies with burgeoning independent divisions.

In total, visitors were able to see 135 films in a range of categories on six screens at the local movie theatre. I was interested to find out which films had caught the eye of our two travellers. “The best film was definitely a German sub-titled movie called “Revanche” said Nikki. “It is a dark, carefully crafted story of a man who plots to take revenge on a policeman who accidentally kills his girlfriend during an ill-conceived bank raid. He eventually realises that this would not really be the right thing to do, as she would not have been present at the crime scene if it had not been for his thoughtlessness. If any Daily Explorer readers are into art films, then this is a must see for you” she told me.

And what about Ray? “Well Nick, my favourite was a documentary called “The Wrecking Crew” said our film buff. “It was absolutely brilliant and opened my eyes to something that I had not known about before. Telling the story of his late father, director Dan Tedesco recalls the early to mid 1960’s in the pop music business, when artists such as The Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, Sonny & Cher, The Byrds, The Righteous Brothers, Nancy Sinatra, and the Fifth Dimension, topped the pop charts with songs like Up, Up and Away, Little Old Lady From Pasadena, Cherish, These Boots Are Made for Walking and Good Vibrations. The artists who sang these songs are household names, but the musicians who performed those hits were virtually unknown to the listening public and remain so today. The old studio musicians said these young players were going to “Wreck the music business” with their rock & roll, yet Tommy Tedesco, Hal Blaine, Earl Palmer, Carol Kaye, Joe Osborne and a select host of others remain some of the most recorded musicians in history. These talented young studio musicians were known within the industry as ‘The Wrecking Crew’ said our very well informed film festival attendee. “I never knew that these guys played the backing music to so many of the songs I heard growing up. The film featured 120 pieces of popular music and had us dancing in the aisles – it is definitely a hit” said Ray.

Above: Whilst it was the International Film Festival (left) that had attracted Ray and Nikki to Sedona, there are many other reasons for paying a visit there – “A personal one for me was the opportunity to say hello to an old English friend of mine called Paul Lawrence (right). He is an actor/artist who has lived in Sedona for 20 years and he featured in my Man of a Thousand Days story in 2008″ explained Ray

Below: The McDonald’s in Sedona is the only one in the world with teal arches. They are not yellow because the city thought they would mesh poorly with the surrounding red rocks. The first colour McDonald’s offered was teal, which the city accepted

Above: The Chapel of the Holy Cross, also known as the ‘Chapel in the Rock’ is one of the more unusual and very stunning attractions in Sedona

The Chapel of the Holy Cross is an iconic Catholic chapel built into the mesas of Sedona, designed by architect and sculptor Marguerite Brunswig Staude, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, from the firm of Anshen & Allen. The chapel is built on Coconino National Forest land. The construction supervisor was Fred Courkos, who built the chapel in 18 months at a cost of US$300,000. The chapel was completed in 1956 and rises 200 feet from the ground between two large red rock formations. One of the most distinctive features is a 90-foot cross, which can be seen from the ground along State Route 179. A massive stained glass window turns the chapel’s interior into a kaleidoscope of colour at certain times of the day. No services are held here, but it provides an ideal setting for spiritual reflection and prayer as well as incredible views of the Red Rocks.  “It really is a beautiful building, both in it’s simplicity of design and its integration with the rocks that surround it” said Ray. “The American Institute of Architects gave the Chapel its Award of Honour in 1957. In the sculptor’s words, “Though Catholic in faith, as a work of art the Chapel has a universal appeal. Its doors will ever be open to one and all, regardless of creed, that God may come to life in the souls of all men and be a living reality”. In 2007, citizens voted the Chapel to be one of the ‘Seven Man-Made Wonders of Arizona’.

Above: The guardian angel, found nestling in the small gardens at the Chapel of the Holy Cross

Below: Nikki takes a look at the awe inspiring landscape surrounding the Chapel as she prepares to enter the building for a closer look

Above: The distinctive 90-foot cross can be seen from the ground miles away along State Route 179. A massive stained glass window turns the chapel’s interior into a kaleidoscope of colour at certain times of the day

Below: Sedona’s main attraction is its stunning array of red sandstone formations, the ‘Red Rocks’ of Sedona. The formations appear to glow in brilliant orange and red when illuminated by the rising or setting sun and form a breathtaking backdrop for everything from spiritual pursuits to the hundreds of hiking and mountain biking trails. Sedona is named after Sedona Miller Schnebly (1877-1950), the wife of the city’s first postmaster, who was celebrated for her hospitality and industriousness

Above: The Amitabha Stupa in the heart of Sedona was completed and consecrated in 2004. It was constructed by Kunzang Palyul Choling, a center for Buddhist study and practice in the Nyingma tradition

Below: Anywhere you go in Sedona you will see fantastic scenery, but if you really want to see Sedona you need to get out on the trails and hike high into its red rocks or down into its canyons. Nikki (bottom, left) explores the ‘Courthouse Butte’ Loop. This trail circles Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock in the Village of Oak Creek

Above: “We’ll have a go at that tomorrow” thinks Ray as he stands at the Courthouse Butte and eyes up Cathedral Rock in the distance. The trail is one of the most popular in Sedona and takes hikers up a steep rock path to the ’saddle’ in its centre

Below: Cathedral Rock early the following day and Nikki leads the way as her and Ray hike up to the saddle – “The light early in the morning is outstanding and it is so peaceful, you cannot hear anything other than sounds of nature or your feet making contact with the rocks” recalled Ray. “The trail is about three quarters of a mile in length and quite steep” he observed

Above: The gigantic, towering red rock columns of Cathedral Rock cast their shadows in the early morning sunlight as Nikki (far right) sits in quiet contemplation and admires the sensational views

Below: Cathedral Rock, photographed from the river at Red Rock Crossing (the opposite side to the pictures above) - most of the famous photographs that get published all over the world are shot from this point. The sun shines an average of over 300 days of the year in Sedona – that’s more sunshine than Florida!

Catching up with Ray and Nikki in Sedona as they prepared to leave, I asked them how their visit had been. “Visually, this place is absolutely stunning” said Nikki. “But the great thing is that we could actually interact with what we could see and walk and climb amongst those gorgeous red rocks. The film festival provided us with a great opportunity to watch interesting movies from all over the world – quite  a surprise that we were so connected culturally yet so remote geographically. Now that I have been to Sedona, I can confirm this place does have a special, powerful energy, which I had heard about from others. I personally received a healing from Regina’s cousin, which had a very positive effect on me” added Nikki. “So I can understand why so many spiritual, artistic and creative people are drawn here – from what I can see, there are more healers and mystics than you can shake a shaman stick at!” laughed our traveller.

Above: The last day in Sedona and Nikki (left) has some fun at the Java Love Cafe with Paul Lawrence (orange shirt) whilst Nic and Regina enjoy some Java Love of a different kind! And in nearby Flagstaff, Ray discovers the best place in town for a haircut (right)

Below: Ray and Nikki get their first sighting of the famous Route 66 in Flagstaff (left) whilst en route to the Grand Canyon. The highway was officially removed from the United States Highway System on June 27, 1985 after it was decided the route was no longer relevant and has been replaced by the Interstate Highway System (the I-40 in Calfiornia and Arizona) – “I just loved singing the song “Get your kicks on Route 66” as we drove along” Ray told me on his arrival the Grand Canyon National Park (right)

The Grand Canyon immortalises the West in all its wildness. Spanning a monstrous 277 miles long, 18 miles wide and one mile deep, the never ending canyon is one of the great wonders of the world. And it is one of the only places on earth where you can actually walk though billions of years of geological history that are still in the making. “It is one of my favourite spots on the whole planet to visit” said Ray. “Whenever I arrive here – and this is my fifth visit – I am utterly speechless for a few minutes as the sheer awesome wonder of the place literally leaves me with nothing to say, which I am sure a few of my friends will find hard to believe” joked our global explorer. “As it was Nikki’s first visit, I persuaded her to keep her eyes closed as we pulled up at the first viewpoint on the south rim and let me lead her to the edge before opening them” recalled Ray. “Just like me, she was completely gobsmacked” he observed. “It is virtually impossible to find words that adequately convey the power of the experience” said Nikki, “which may not make sense to anyone who reads The Daily Explorer, but if you come here, you will know what I mean!”

Above: Nikki cannot quite believe her own eyes as she takes her first look at the Grand Canyon from the south rim – “When I opened my eyes, I could not quite comprehend what was there in front of me – this giant geographical phenomena just stretching out into the distance further than I could see, like nothing I have ever come across before” said Nikki ……

Below: ….. Ray sent us this picture to try and convey what Nikki was looking at – “I hope this gives our readers at least an idea of the magnitude. The photo has a visible range of 20-30 miles, less than 10% of the entire length of the canyon” he told me

Above: “Its great to be back” – says Ray, who is on his fifth visit to this awesome wonder of nature

Below: The Grand Canyon is also a fantastic place to see many different species of wildlife, like these deer that Ray and Nikki were able to get close to on their first day in the park

For our readers who are interested in geology, the Grand Canyon is a massive rift in the Colorado Plateau that exposes uplifted Proterozoic and Paleozoic strata, and is also one of the six distinct physiographic sections of the Colorado Plateau province. It is not the deepest canyon in the world – Cotahuasi Canyon (11,598 feet) and Colca Canyon (10,499 feet), both in Peru, and Hells Canyon (7,993 feet) on the Oregon-Idaho border, are all deeper – but Grand Canyon is known for its overwhelming size and its intricate and colorful landscape. Geologically, it is significant because of the thick sequence of ancient rocks that are beautifully preserved and exposed in the walls of the canyon. These rock layers record much of the early geologic history of the North American continent.

Uplift associated with mountain building events later moved these sediments thousands of feet upward and created the Colorado Plateau. The higher elevation has also resulted in greater precipitation in the Colorado River drainage area, but not enough to change the Grand Canyon area from being semi-arid. The uplift of the Colorado Plateau is uneven, and the north-south trending Kaibab Plateau that Grand Canyon bisects is over a thousand feet higher at the North Rim (about 1,000 feet) than at the South Rim. The principal consensus among geologists is that the Colorado River basin (of which the Grand Canyon is a part) has developed in the past 40 million years. A recent study places the origins of the canyon beginning some 17 million years ago. Previous estimates had placed the age of the canyon at 5 to 6 million years. The study, which was published in 2008 in the journal Science utilized uranium-lead dating to analyze calcite deposits found on the walls of nine caves throughout the canyon. Temperatures on the North Rim are generally lower than the South Rim because of the greater elevation (averaging 8,000 feet above sea level). Heavy rains are common on both rims during the summer months.

Although many people come here for the views, some are drawn by the plethora of hikes and trails available in the area. “Having trekked in the Himalayas around the Annapurna circuit last year, Nikki and I were very excited about getting into the canyon on foot. We researched all of the one day hikes with trailheads near the Canyon Village and chose the Bright Angel Trail” said Ray. “We discovered it would be possible for us to reach Plateau Point, some 6-7 miles from the south rim with a descent of over 3,000 feet, and return to the rim within a day, provided we set off early enough” he told me. “The first part of the trail is the steepest part, and was fairly slippery at the top as some of the winter snow that still remains there had turned to ice” recalled Ray.  The steep part ended by the time we reached the first rest station after about one and half miles. And by the time we reached the second rest stop at three miles, we had completed the descent. Then, there is a further walk of around three miles to Plateau Point. Although we did not have time to get down to it, the Colorado river is a further one a half miles from this point on the trail” said our global trekker.

Above: The winding pathway you can see in the centre of the photograph is the Bright Angel trail. The bottom of the picture is the starting point on the south rim of the Grand Canyon. From there, the trail descends some 3,000 feet and continues on to Plateau Point which is where the path ends (in the centre of the picture) and is just over six miles away from the rim

Below: Ray struggles to maintain his balance (left) as he descends the higher part of the trail, where snow and ice lay on the ground, whilst Nikki takes it all in her stride (right) as she comes close to reaching the first rest point after one and half miles

Above: Some of the amazing switchbacks along the Bright Angel trail

Below: The further they hiked from the south rim, in the background, the greener the landscape became. Nikki (left) is around five miles away from the rim at this point, where she made another siting of some wild deer (right)

Above: Nikki makes it from the south rim to Plateau Point in around three hours and joyously celebrates her arrival!

Below: Plateau Point is still a long way from the Colorado river – around one a half miles along the trail path

Above: Ray sits on top of a rock column and contemplates just how insignificant one individual life is when surrounded by millions of years of evolution – “These were here a long time before I arrived and will be here a long time after I am gone” he said philosophically

Below: “There are few sights that any living person can see that would be more inspirational or stunning than a sunset at the Grand Canyon” said our appreciative traveller

Editors Note: Our thanks to Nick Elandimer who has pulled together a fantastic set of images showing highlights of Ray and Nikki’s experiences in Arizona! During the second part of their tour, our two travellers plan to visit Las Vegas, Yosemite National Park, Lake Tahoe, Seattle and San Francisco and Nick will be right there with them. We look forward to the next instalment of their USA adventure!

Caption Competition

Our first competition of 2009 was announced in our last issue (“Namaste Nepal“) and is still open to readers who would like to enter. The winner will be announced in our next issue. All you have to do is look at the picture below, taken by Ray in the Sacred Garden in Lumbini, and come up with a humorous caption to match what is going on in the photograph. Please send your entries in an email to ‘Caption Competition’ at thedailyexplorer@gmail.com. You can send as many as you like!

Below: Our previous guest correspondent, Dolly Lama, came up with: “On your marks, get set…. go!” If you would like to enter your own caption, please send us an email at thedailyexplorer@gmail.com

New York Marathon 2009

For readers who missed our last issue, Ray has decided to fulfil yet another of his lifetime ambitions and complete a marathon in 2009. “When I was trekking in the Himalayas at the end of last year, I discovered that I have a huge apetite for physical challenges” said our nomadic adventurer. “This year, I wanted to undertake something that I normally think of as ’impossible’, partly for the mental discipline of transcending my own limiting beliefs and partly as a major investment in my health as I get ready to enter my fifties” explained Ray. “Running in the New York Marathon on 1st November is the goal that I have chosen and I am delighted to say that I have secured my place” said our excited traveller.

In the coming issues of The Daily Explorer, we will bring you all the news and pictures as Ray starts his five months of training in order to be ready for the big day in November. “It is my first marathon, so naturally, I am a bit nervous” he told me. “I am also very excited about it, to say the least. “In my mind, I have a list of  “Things to do before I die”, a bit like my own “Bucket List” I suppose. One of these is to “Run a Marathon by the time I am 50″ and since I will be 49 this year, time is of the essence, so I decided it was now or never” he explained to me. “When I leave the USA, I am going to spend 5-6 months in Thailand, training to get ready so that I am able to complete the race in a time of four hours or less. Fortunately for me, Matt Campbell, a friend who lives in Chiangmai, has run six marathons and has agreed to be my mentor!” said our grateful virgin runner. ”Naturally, I will be in touch with everyone in due course and asking for your support, as I intend to raise loads of money for a couple of charities. If any reader would like me to consider running for a cause that means something to you, I am open to suggestions. If you want to let me know, send me an email at thedailyexplorer@gmail.com” said Ray.

That’s about it for this issue. We aim to maintain our high standards of journalism and presentation at The Daily Explorer, so please keep sending us your ideas to help us improve it. You can use the comments box online, or email ‘Mozzie’ or any of our correspondents at thedailyexplorer@gmail.com

MOZZIE BYTE

From the man made wonders of Las Vegas (above) to the natural beauty of Yosemite National Park (below), make sure you check out the next issue of The Daily Explorer, due online in a couple of weeks. We will keep you posted!