National Geographic Traveler Rates Viva Venezuela Top 50 Tour of a Lifetime!

With all the cruddy news surrounding flight cancellations as a result of our least favourite volcano, National Geographic Traveler's announcement of their Top 50 Tours of a Lifetime couldn't have come at a better time. :)

BikeHike Adventures News

Each year, the Editorial Team at National Geographic Traveler magazine scours the globe "for the most authentic, most innovative, most immersive, best-guided, and most sustainable tours" says Senior Editor Norie Quintos. "The outfitters we selected have responded to travelers looking for more meaning and context." BikeHike Adventures' 9-day Viva Venezuela tour has been selected by the team as one of the Top 50 Tours of a Lifetime for 2010. The complete Top 50 list can be found in the May / June 2010 issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine on newsstands now, or online at http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/tours/.

Venezuela - Viva Venezuela (9 days)
Activities: Mountain Biking, Hiking, Rafting and Horseback Riding
2010 Trip Departure Dates: May 15 - May 23, Jun 19 - Jun 27, Jul 17 - Jul 25, Aug 28 - Sep 5, Sep 25 - Oct 3, Nov 13 - Nov 21, Dec 11 - Dec 19

Trip Highlights:

• Mountain biking across the dramatic backdrop of the Andean Mountains
• Wildlife viewing at Los Llanos Wildlife Reserve - scarlett ibis, giant capybaras and crocodiles
• Hiking to the San Jose de Mucuños Ruins along a network of back-country roads
• Blasting through class III rapids on the Acequia River

Detailed Itinerary: http://www.bikehike.com/venezuela/venezuela_trip01.html

- Anny Chih

BikeHike Adventures Nominated for World Travel Award 2010

We've got exciting news folks: BikeHike Adventures has been nominated for a World Travel Award in the category 'North America's Leading Tour Operator 2010'!

There are nine nominees in this category and as much as we love Mickey Mouse, we don't want Adventures by Disney to win again. So help us out and click HERE to vote for BikeHike Adventures. Thank you!

Voting Instructions:

1. Click on the following link: http://www.worldtravelawards.com/award-north-americas-leading-tour-operator-2010
2. Register to vote
3. Select the 'North America' category
4. Select the 'North America's Leading Tour Operator' category
5. Select BikeHike Adventures :)
6. Log out (you don't need to vote for every category)
   

And you're done!

Destination of the Month: Morocco

Why Morocco?

The sun is always shining somewhere in Morocco, and we can always use a bit of sun! Our destination for the month of March is Morocco not only because we're fans of alliteration, but because Morocco is one of the best destinations in the world if you want to escape to another place and time. March also marks the beginning of the ideal season to visit Morocco.

BikeHike Morocco Trips

Morocco Mountain Biker’s Dream (10 days)
Activities: Mountain Biking, Camel Riding
Trip Difficulty Rating: Challenging
This is the ultimate adventure for the mountain biking enthusiast; tons of biking, stunning scenery, and a challenge on the quads.

Morocco – Walking with The Nomads – Part 1 (10 days)
Activities: Trekking
Trip Difficulty Rating: Challenging
Live the life of a nomad on this 10 day trek through the mountains and valleys of Morocco. This adventure is slightly more challenging than Part 2, but includes an extra day of culture.

Morocco – Walking with The Nomads – Part 2 (9 days)
Activities: Trekking
Trip Difficulty Rating: Moderate
This trip is recommended for anyone who needs to escape the hustle and bustle of city life. The most difficult part of the journey back in time will be learning to live without internet, your cell phone, and regular showers. You'll come home with appreciation for both the little conveniences of city life, as well as the unique nomadic lifestyle.

Highlights of Morocco

Ait Benhaddou
It has served as a backdrop for many well-known films like Lawrence of Arabia, Jesus of Nazareth, and Gladiator. But even before it went Hollywood, this complex of adobe Kasbahs was well known as a stopping point along one of the busiest trade routes across the High Atlas. Ait Benhaddou is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, and is the most popular village in Morocco.

Authentic Cultural Encounters with Nomads
There are few places on earth where you can live the life of an authentic nomad. Morocco is one of those few. On either of our Walking with the Nomad adventures, you’ll live with and walk alongside a tribe of Berbers to discover their way of life.

Vibrant Markets and Alleyways
If you’ve ever wanted to take a travel photo worth printing in National Geographic, this is the place to try! The famous souks (markets) and alleyways of Morocco offer a feast for the eyes. You can lose yourself wandering from stall to stall sniffing the vegetables, examining hand-crafted souvenirs, and going snap-happy on the locals (remember to ask for permission first though if you’re planning on taking a close-up).

The Jebel Saghro (aka Jbel Saghro)
This remote and dramatic mountain range of Southern Morocco will leave you breathless. The region is best visited in the cooler season between October and April, and takes a full week to hike across the entire area.

Interesting Factoids:

• Morocco is one of two countries in Africa that are not part of the African Union, the other being Eritrea.
• Morocco has both a King and an elected parliament.
• The name ‘Berbers’ originated in 440BC when Romans gave them the nickname, which means ‘those who speak noisily or confusedly’.
• In Islamic teaching, Allah is sometimes embodied as a stranger, so for this reason unknown visitors are often given preferential treatment.
• In Muslim countries, the left hand is considered the dirty hand because it is the hand that is used after using the loo. For this reason, only use your right hand when eating, touching money, or shaking hands.
• It is impolite to decline meat at a Moroccan home, since meat is a luxury and the concept of vegetarianism does not fit into Moroccan culture.
• The window handles in taxis are often removed because of a commonly accepted myth that the wind makes you sick.
• Some superstitious Moroccans believe that the chameleon possesses magical powers. But unlike cultures that provide preferential treatment of magical creatures, Moroccans throw chameleons in wood-fired ovens and add chameleon meat and bones to food in their efforts to ward off misfortunes and restore fidelity (respectively). Poor chameleons...
  
• Camels (which are found in Morocco) have 3 eyelids to shield their eyes from sandstorms.
• In the southern Sahara, locals eat camel, gazelle and hedgehog meat.

Anny Chih

The 3 Rs of Being Green

In grade school you were probably taught that the 3 R's are Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. At BikeHike, we like to venture off the beaten track. So, we made up our own 3 R's:

Read
When purchasing goods and services, make sure you read the fine print. Is the packaging recyclable? Does the company do what it can to support the environment? Hopefully, the answer is yes.

BikeHike proudly supports sustainable tourism practices. You can read more about our dedication to sustainability HERE.

Roar
Did you just spot a litterbug on the trail? Kindly let him / her know that even paper takes up to 6 months to decompose, plastic bottles take between 5 to 10 years, and aluminum cans between 200 and 400 years. Littering isn't just unsightly; it causes harm to local wildlife that can mistake it for food, or get trapped in containers and plastic packaging.

BikeHike follows a strict "leave nothing" policy. All of our garbage leaves the trails with us for disposal in city waste centers. If we see other groups littering, they might just get a tap on the shoulder from one of our guides.

Rectify
We know it can be irritating, but sometimes people don't care enough about the environment to throw their garbage in the can. If you see litter on your streets, Mother Nature and your neighbours would appreciate it if you would toss that waste in the basket.

BikeHike staff members regularly take action to keep our cities clean by recycling that used newspaper on the street and putting garbage where it belongs.

Posting Pictures on Facebook

Ahoy Adventurists!

We received an e-mail this morning from one of our fabulous clients asking how to upload photos onto our Facebook Fan page. I logged onto my Facebook account and found that the 'upload photo' option definitely isn't obvious. I think a lot of people don't upload their travel pictures because of this, so I thought I'd shed a bit of light on the matter:

Normally when you upload a photo to your Facebook profile, you click on the Photos tab and either create an album or upload a photo to an existing album.

There is no 'upload' option in the Photos tab of a Facebook Fan page. Fans aren't allowed to upload entire albums (this is all Facebook - if we could, we'd allow easy album uploads).

Instead, to upload an individual picture you have to click on the picture icon underneath the text box where you can write a message on the Fan page wall (see picture below). Once you've uploaded your picture, click 'Share' to post it onto the Fan page. It will automatically appear in the Fan Photos album.

We hope to see more of your travel photos on the BikeHike Adventures Fan page! :)

-Anny Chih

Destination of the Month: Belize

Our feature destination of the month is none other than beautiful Belize!

Why: Belize is a tropical paradise with more than beach life to offer for adventurists. As one of the few destinations that offer entrance to the underworld, 300ft drops into the dark, and swims alongside rare manatees and reef sharks, Belize is a hot (in both senses of the word) destination from December - April.

Upcoming BikeHike Adventures in Belize
The Belize Blast starting every first Saturday of the month until May. You can start a new date with as few as two people.

Highlights of Belize

The Mayan Ruins of Xunantunich (pronounced "shoo-nahn-too-neech")
These ruins are arguably the most popular remnants of the Mayan civilization in Belize. The population in Xunantunich never exceeded 10,000 but they left a lasting impact with their architecture built in the 7th century AD.

Interesting Factoid: The friezes you see today at El Castillo are actually replicas; the originals are kept underneath for safekeeping.

Underwater Cave Systems
These dark caverns house more than stalactites, stalagmites and crytalline formations. The Maya believed that these caves were the homes of important dieties including the rain god, Chac. They would build ceremonial shrines for these gods and sometimes offer human sacrifices.

Interesting Factoid: According to Mayan beliefs, people were first created from corn dough taken from the flesh of the Maize God, the principal deity of creation. Mayans still consider themselves "corn people".

The Black Hole Drop
The abseil down this 300ft sinkhole called the Actun Loch Tunich takes you through forest canopy, past the mouth of a sacred Maya cave and down into a tropical forest paradise.

Interesting Factoid: One of the most popular questions people ask when they get to the bottom is "how do we get out?"

The Barrier Reef
The Belize Barrier Reef is the second longest continuous reef system in the world (the first is Australia's Great Barrier Reef). The reef can be accessed in Ambergris Caye, where rare manatees (aka sea cows) and reef sharks live. No need to worry about the sharks though, they're even more scared of people than we are of them.

Interesting Factoid: In the popular Disney movie Finding Nemo, Nemo's father stays male after his mother dies. In reality, if the head female clownfish dies, the head male clownfish will change its sex to become female.

Other Interesting Factoids About Belize

• Although many languages are spoken in Belize, it is the only country in South America where English is the official language.
• Over 40% of Belize's land is under legal protection.
• Belize's national anthem is "Land of the Free by the Carib Sea".
• Belize was known as the "British Honduras" until 1973.
  

Top 3 Warm and Romantic Destinations

With Valentines on February 14th and US Presidents Day holiday on the 15th, this is the perfect time to go on that romantic getaway. Here are our top three recommended destinations for that special trip for two:

Belize
The Belize Blast is one of our best selling trips during the winter holidays, and for good reason. The temperature is perfect this time of year, and our 9-day trek includes an even balance of exhilaration and relaxation with rappels down 300ft sinkholes, to snorkeling and manatee watching along the warm and sunny beaches of Ambergris Caye island.
This trip begins on the first Saturday of every month, but we can start a new trip just for you with as few as two people.
Read more about Belize, our Feature Destination of the Month.

Costa Rica
With four Costa Rica multi-sport adventures ranging from easy to challenging, this is one destination that has something for everyone!

Easy
Adventure Playground: Make Costa Rica your playground with 9-days of whitewater rafting, zip lining and sun tanning on the pristine beaches of Manual Antonio National Park. You’ll be reminded of what life was like before work existed.

Easy / Moderate
Costa Rican Adventure: This is one of our more customizable trips where animal lovers rejoice with dolphin watching, horseback riding and canopy tours in addition to whitewater rafting, hiking, and soaking in the calming hot springs of Tabacon.

Moderate
Turtles and Trails: If want to do more for the animals than watch them, this is the trip for you. Combining biking, hiking and white water rafting with voluntourism through the conservation of leatherback and green sea turtles, this adventure will have you coming home with a happy conscience.

Ultimate Adventure Medley: Take an extreme 10-day holiday you won’t forget on this adventure that combines relaxing in a hot spring, whitewater rafting in class 3-4 swells, sea kayaking through gurgling ocean turf, and biking down abandoned whitesand beaches. Come back with more stories than you can remember!

Challenging
Coast to Coast adventure: On this 15-day adrenaline rush, you’ll start on one end of Costa Rica and end up on the other solely by your own muscle-power. This is one of the most challenging and most rewarding expeditions we offer. Free bragging rights included.

Thailand
You’ll find yourself knee-deep in culture on both BikeHike Thailand adventures, Adventure Siam and Adventure with a Heart. Get closer to your special someone by volunteering together at a rural Thai school on Adventure with a Heart, or bond over a mutual appreciation of cultural exploration on the Adventure Siam.

Fight the Sleep Monster!

Just about everyone is getting back into the swing of things at work or school, which can be difficult after the food coma of the holidays.

By now, your few days of post-holiday lethargy sympathy are probably over. So how do you get that boost of energy that you so desperately need to get through these first couple of weeks and adjust back to normal?

Everyone has heard the usual “eat well, sleep lots, drink water, and don’t get stressed”. But, we’ve scoured the web and found some other ways to liberate yourself from fatigue that are a little more fun. Enjoy!

1. Wear comfy shoes. If your feet are tired, you’ll likely be feeling it too. So why not ditch the heels for some cushy loafers under the desk? Nobody will notice and those that do will just be jealous that they didn’t think of it first!
2. Close your eyes and place your forehead under a nice warm lamp. Pretend you’re in a far off tropical paradise and let the soothing begin. The heat and light from the lamp is supposed to be both calming and energizing.
3. Scrub away your worries. After your shower, scrub down your skin with either a rough washcloth or coarse sea salt. Not only will you have done your skin a favour by removing dead cells and toxins, but you’ll feel refreshed and ready to tackle the world with your new glowing complexion.
4. Brush your teeth. Dental hygiene is always important, and the tingling sensation from the toothpaste does wonders when you’re feeling groggy. The minty freshness is a plus too!
5. Go for a game of glow in the dark bowling. As Meg (Operations Director) says “who doesn’t love bowling?” ;) Doing something fun with friends lifts your spirits and will give you something to smile about the next morning when you’re stuck in traffic.
6. Try a detox. Trish (BikeHike founder) noticed that there were a lot more options on the market this week and has just started one today. Follow our tweets at @bikehiketravel to see how it’s going.
7. Our personal favourite: Plan a vacation! Even if you don’t have any vacation hours coming up, the simple act of planning for a big adventure is rejuvenating and such a great break from pushing paper. Click HERE for some inspiration.
8. Sing and dance like there’s nobody around! Singing at the top of your lungs while driving to work or dancing and skipping on your walk to the office is guaranteed to cheer you up.
9. It doesn’t have to be January 1st for you to take a dip in the deep blue. Take a polar bear swim to perk up before or after work. Just remember to bring a towel!
10. Eat a few guaranas. Each fruit has twice as much caffeine as a coffee bean and is about the same size. Be careful not to overdo it or get addicted though. This is the same fruit found in many energy drinks found on your supermarket shelves.
11. Avoid fruit (at least in the morning). Didn’t expect that one did you? Fruit has a lot of sugar, which is what you want to avoid in the morning so that you don’t crash before lunch.

If you try any of these, let us know how it goes! You can leave a comment on the blog, tweet us at @bikehiketravel or write on our Facebook Fanpage wall.

Anny Chih

How to Avoid Faux Pas In Foreign Countries

Everyone’s been there: that awkward situation when you’re attempting to speak a foreign language in a foreign country. You try to say something innocent like, “Can you please pass the ketchup?” and inevitably end up referring to some indecent body part. More often than not, the person you’re speaking to will laugh it off, but it’s still important not to offend new acquaintances, especially when they’re in charge of making your food. You’re apt to get a few extra germs in your meal.

Sometimes though, it’s not just how you say something, but that you even bring it up at all. When in Europe, especially if you’re a pub-goer, stay away from any topic concerning sports teams. If you are, however, in the mood for a bar fight, bring up the topic of football (soccer) and defend a team from a country other than the one you’re currently in.

Often even more insulting and ultimately embarrassing, are gestures with alternative meanings. A general rule to follow is to keep your hands by your sides until you know for certain exactly what you’re communicating. Here are a few to remember not to do:

• In Iran, never give the thumbs up sign. A horribly insulting gesture that means something to the drum of “sit on this”.
  
• In Turkey and Brazil, the “OK” sign is not okay.
  
• In Thailand, no head patting should occur. The head is considered sacred.
  
• In Malaysia or the Philippines, pointing is a no go. Gesturing with pursed lips or a closed fist is okay.
  

Giving gifts seems like it would be a safe zone; everyone likes getting presents don’t they? Even gifts can sometimes become horrible faux pas unless the conscious gift-giver has done their homework. Local customs can render some gifts that would seem innocuous. In Arab countries, no alcohol should been given as a gift; Muslims generally do not drink, or if they do, not in public and in China, clocks are seen as unlucky.

The moral of the story is, do your research. The more prepared you are and the more you know about the culture, the easier it will be not to offend anybody. The less you offend people, the more likely people will be to offer hospitality, and the more fun you’ll have. If all else fails, keep your mouth shut, your hands by your sides, and hope someone decides to feed you.