More power to you, your elbow and your camels. Wishing you Godspeed, a Happy Christmas in the desert and may Allah watch over your caravan safely in the weeks and
months ahead. It will be a great journey.

Who knows, by the time you get back, we may even have got the Royal Geographical Society exploring again!

Salaams,

Justin

The name of Strandberg is already well known for good reasons. His ambition is bottomless, his photography in many cases incomparable and his guts – in the words of a surgeon I know well – are beauties! I was privileged to introduce him at a remarkable talk he gave us in Norfolk. Do not underestimate this man.

Keep up the good work Mikael – those who have gone before know to some extent what you are going through. Cuchullaine got it right – let the grumblers and moaners grumble and moan till they are blue in the face. When they have done their trip of a lifetime we look forward to hearing about it.

God speed!

John Labouchere, FRGS, Founder Member, Long Riders’ Guild.

What’s wrong with that ?

He lectured on his expedition to Siberia, an area of the world I knew nothing about and although I have no intention of repeating his expedition I learned a lot about the region, history and people of that area. Had Mikael not conducted this expedition I would be less informed and somewhat poorer in my knowledge of the world. Is it not the duty of explorers to go out and then come back and educate people of their stories and adventures ?

Isn’t that what Mikael does ?

The element of his lecture that stuck out the most was that his expedition was not about himself – it was about the people he met along the way, their reaction to him, his interaction with them and the relationships he built up with them. As many of the land based the firsts have been eaten up by now (Everest, Poles etc.) isn’t modern exploration about forging relationships, bridging cultural divides and educating those unlikely, unwilling or unable to undertake difficult journeys (whether you want to call hem expeditions or not) ?

If you’re lucky enough to see Mikael give a talk then go and see him and meet him, he’s a great guy and very amenable and has a really great outlook on life and I’d hate to see him stop exploring and coming back and telling us his great stories.

This person who sent this email to you does not love Yemen. Real Yemeni’s love tourists – explorers – journalists – etc. etc. and on and on, and they love people that love them! They love attention and they love being hosts to everyone and anyone! sooo do not listen to the words of this worthless person, they have no real meaning what so ever…..

My first opinion is, since I myself have been an ex-pat in Saudi-Arabia (which I loved!), Dubai and Bahrain (I loved these countries less) and I stopped being one, I got fed up with the negative people, and started a life as as a traveler and in my job as a reporter and salesperson I have met many ex-pats. I have to say that especially English speaking ex-pats are cynical, tired of living an ex_pat life, and negative to anyone who shows optimism and they spend too much time watching satellite tv.

Secondly, go through his CV. For Christ sake, he has been honored as an explorer. Medals, books and so on. And the British Explorers Club thinks he is the contemporary best explorer in the world. Why shouldn´t he than call himself explorer? And why do you negative lot only focus on his upcoming venture, have you noticed what he has done up until now?

Please, leave your ex_pat lives and go home where you come from. And, Mikael, get on with your life. Don´t give them anymore air with their silly, poorly researched thoughts so full of negativism. I don´t even understand why you started this silly debate.

We are quite a few who have spent parts of our life travelling to different places, by different means.

Had our little adventures.

Seeing things from our original perspective gives a wider span to our experience.

However much we try we can never be locals. But we can drink, sleep, dress and eat like they do. And to some extent even talk and share the perspective on life.

What happened to the good taste in granting others their harmless pleasures.

Why shall it be a shame to use a gps or a satphone if we have the means or feel we need to. Is it something to die for?

The one who makes the trip has the right to his own formula, that is what it means to be independant. Self relient.

If you like the lokal cloathing why not don it, it is often appreciated and a way to feel more a part of the local picture, as well as a way to adopt to the climate.

Wish you a good trip Mikael.

Kind regards

Abdul

For myself – the reason I wear a Mongolian deel (traditional coat) in that country is because I feel it is the ultimate solution to their severe and unpredictable climate. The design has been worked out for centuries. If I had worn one the two times we were lost in the Gobi and if we had not found our way out, it would have prevented hypothermia that could have been a life-threatening issue.

Mongolians never go without their deel – even in the hottest weather. It serves as a blanket, a windbreak (double fabric across the chest), a raincoat, a sun protector and even a serviette during meals! (Nomads wipe their mouths across the skirt) And with the super long sleeves, a rider never needs gloves in winter, (the perfect answer for a travelling photographer – no gloves and a warm camera in his/her hand all the time.)

If it had not been for my winter deel – a fur lined deel – I could not have slept night after night comfortably in cold conditions which, after the end of September, were hovering at and below freezing. My nylon sleeping bag was cold to the touch, shifted continuously and made noise against my ears, interrupting my sleep greatly . Having the fur-lined coat on hand when we woke to ride in the snow was a real plus. It is actually foolish to consider travelling in the Mongolian countryside without one.

Unfortunately my riding helmet was a dead giveaway that I was not Mongolian and I cannot tell you the countless times I wanted (and should have) hidden it, to remain anonymous. I was a target for anyone who wanted to know details of what we were about, where we were going or had anything else in their minds like horse stealing or general theft.

And on the subject of travellers donning local hats and turbans, it must be remembered that head wear has been designed and adapted by local people for protection from the sun, wind and dust storms – for millennium. In European and North American cities we do not need head protection so we don’t think about it. Under extreme weather conditions like sand storms, not only does it become next to impossible to see without an unwrapped turban but it is also needed to help one breathe. A turban insulates; it is worn in the heat to keep the head cool and in the cold to keep the head warm.

About being given a local name? I believe it is the greatest compliment a person can have. In Mongolia, my Canadian birth name means absolutely nothing to Mongolian people. They have no association to the sound or spelling and therefore do not even try to remember. If they hear my Mongolian name “Altai” however, not only do they remember me and the name – but it bonds our friendship immediately.

My motto as a traveller is this: when you put your foot inside another country, you become an ambassador of sorts for your own country. Anything even as simple as being given a name affectionately by local people will firm up friendships and open many doors.

Thank you for your interest.

I have had more than 900 visits to this page since this debate began, but very few comments outside these above here. I welcome a debate on what is exploration. As we see above here, opinions are many. The only comments I have had, which I have not published, is one from an acquaintance of mine from the documentary scene, who was very unhappy with me, just because we didn´t do a deal on this Expedition, but it included too much personal things which you readers have nothing to do with. The other one not published, is the guy who wrote the first piece on which this blog report was set up. To create debate. If I was worried about critique, why would I than bring it up? Anyway this guy sent me another batch of anger, jealousy, threats and bitterness this morning, but signed under another name and email address, edward schissorhand this time, as to appear as it came from another person. I just want to say that everyone who leaves a comment, also leaves their real trace, an IP-address. Which have helped me to conclude that Aisha, who is a woman I have met there in lovely Sanaa, and the other a bloke with a British background. They know each other very well. For example, it is not only the IP-addresses, just half an hour after Edward Scissorhands second try to get published, she wrote her piece which ends with, I quote:

I truly hope you are posting all the comments you receive and not just those that support you fully!

So from now on, for an open and continued debate on a very important subject, please publish your proper E-mail addresses if you want to get published here.

Like Alistair, I just don´t know why you two spend so much energy on writing on this subject and why don´t you start your own blog about a subject which interest you and create awareness for what you think is right or wrong? Or is it maybe a case of that you don´t have that capacity? Spending too much time complaining about others maybe?

That is my last word on this issue!

M – aaah, life is great!