The Bodhi Tree

Politeness counts, even among bears. And with over four million hits, this video, of a polite Kodiak bear at Olympic Game Park in Washington state is all the rage online. I have nothing to add, other than, wow, this bear is really polite.

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Aussies have surfing (grrrrrr). The UK has rugby. The Americans have damn well what ever they like. And us Canucks? Well we do one thing really well…we do cold like no other country on Earth. Heck, it’s actually below zero in BC right now. For the adventure travel junkie this means one thing…Ski slopes!! Canadians might find even more comfort knowing that, according to numerous polls by international ski buffs, and this one among them, Canadians do skiing so well that we’re on top of the list. Check out the Ten Best Ski Resorts on Earth. And the winner is…Whistler Blackcomb!!!

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Virgin Group CEO and founder Richard Branson has never been one to shy away from adventure sports. And you might recall that, several months ago, we learned that he had his eye on crossing the English Channel for his 60th birthday. The adventurous billionaire was thwarted, temporarily, in those efforts by lack of winds. Yet evidently he’s still in training. According to this article, Branson and billionaire buddy and Google CEO Larry Page are hitting the waves at Branson’s privately owned Necker Island in the aptly named British Virgin Islands. Go get’em Richard.

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Caught in the doldrums of winter? Me too. It’s grey, it’s cold and I so can’t think about surfing right now. Fortunately us Canadians are a hardy breed and ne’er without an excuse to grab the skis and hit the slopes…whether on a mountain or, as you’ll see in this video, through the streets, back alleys, front yards and over things you generally shouldn’t jump. This is the funniest, most enjoyable video you’ll see all day. And the  best part? Right at the end, when he non-chalantly packs up his gear and boards the bus…the kids in Nelson BC will get a kick out of it…

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We’re near that time folks, where old man 2011 gets old and gray and eventually croaks. And in his place, 2012, and the promise of another exciting year to cross stuff off your bucket list and venture forth across the globe. Yup, you know where I’m goin’ with this…cue the crazy cats at Off Track Planet, it’s their list of the Top Backpacking Destinations for 2012!

Partying, adventure, sweet foods, name your pleasure, there’s a little something for everyone on this list. True to form, Off Track Planet gets off that beaten path, mostly, with a list of places that most of us have only heard in passing…Cricova, Moldova, anyone? Just the same, some great ideas here for backpackers and like-minded adventurers to trek across this crazy old planet and do it up in style next year. My money’s on Croatia. Hurry up, it won’t be a secret much longer. And you know what the Mayans say…everything shuts down on December 12, 2012! Yikes, I better hurry up and drive a Ferrari while I still can…

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In a world of complex and sometimes rocky relationships amongst us humans, is there anything more pure than the love between a dog and his master? This story brought me to tears.

Two weeks ago, a 68 year old Chinese man, Lao Pan, passed away. He lived alone with his little yellow dog in a small house in the village of Panjiatun, China. Upon his death, the villagers noticed his dog had mysteriously vanished. Well he hadn’t vanished…he’d just spent the past seven days by his master’s grave. Without food. The villagers noticed the dog’s loyalty and tried to coax him away from his master’s side so he could eat. But he wouldn’t budge. The villagers, so moved by the dog’s loyalty, are bringing him food at his vigil, and a permanent kennel is in the works, so he can remain with his master.

This isn’t the first dog to display such loyalty. Hachiko, an Akita owned by a Japanese professor, would faithfully greet his master at Shibuya train station in Tokyo in the 1930s. Then, when his master died at work, the dog showed up to meet his master, and returned every day for the next 14 years at the same time, faithfully waiting for his owner. His statue now stands just outside the spot where he waited each day, and Hachiko became an inspiration to the entire nation.

And Greyfriar’s Bobby was a little Skye Terrier in Edinburgh who valiantly stayed by John Gray, his master, also for 14 years after his master’s death. Gray was buried in an unmarked grave. Yet little Bobby found the spot where his master lay and left only for food. Gray’s friends and the kindly graveyard curator looked out for the pooch, feeding him and housing him on cold nights. But he’d always return to his master’s grave. And on his death, was buried close to his master.

If you’re a dog lover like me you’ll want a hanky when you watch this video. In closing, I leave you with the inscription on Bobby’s headstone:

“Let his loyalty and devotion be a lesson to us all.”

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We’re still in November, but look at the shopping malls and it’s pretty evident we’re already in ‘Christmas mode’, and beyond that, the promise of a new year. And with that, thoughts of things to cross off your bucket list before checking out of this life. We’re talking skydiving here folks, as in Off Track Planet’s list of the top ten places on Planet Earth to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. Interested? Better hurry up and get’er done – the Mayans claim the world is gonna end on December 12 of next year.

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The third in our triage of close encounters of the Marine kind off sunny California. And while we’ve seen some pretty funky sh*t on this blog, especially off the coast of California, I gotta say this one will make you soil yourself more than any other. The scene, a surfer lazily taking in a nice day off Santa Cruz, California. And then…watch. The third tag I’ve added to this post sums it up pretty nicely.

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You don’t really equate Portugal with massive waves, but big wave rider Garrett McNamara knew a sick wave when he saw one. So, he pulled a Bodhi and rode it. Now the video’s making the rounds, the general consensus is that the wave is 90 feet high and…if that’s true, you’re lookin’ at the biggest wave ever surfed. And I thought surfing Tofino was hard! McNamara, you might recall, surfed a wave caused by a falling glacier in Alaska a while back. Suffice to say, he’s got balls big enough to fit in a dump truck.

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He’s Russian and he’s in a mid-air dogfight resulting in an unplanned eject. We’ve seen that one before. But in the history of aerial dogfights, this one’s a first. And the video has gone viral.

The gist of it: Russian paraglider cruises over the Himalayas. All’s groovy, the video’s awesome. Then it happens – the guy gets unsanctimoniously rammed mid-air by a vulture who’s not too keen on sharing air space. Russian paraglider ejects, but the pissed off raptor gets stuck in the parachute. Fortunately, they’re both OK. But their egos? That’s another story. If only the vulture knew his territorial spat is making the rounds online…man…he’d blush.

Enjoy the video!

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