Trans African Adventure

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Soon I will embark on my 7 month trans-African expedition. I will first begin by traveling to Iceland to photograph the beautiful landscapes and geothermal activity. Then I will make my way to Morocco where I will meander overland through 14 western African countries, across the Sahara Desert, through jungles, and down one lane dirt roads that take an entire day to travel 10 miles. The trip will conclude in the beautiful coastal town of Cape Town, South Africa.

Like every adventure I go on, the closer the approach of the departure of this trip the more excited and giddy I become. Though for the first time, I have to admit, I am slightly more nervous about this trip. The length of this trip, the list of dangers, the political instability of these countries keeps me up at night daydreaming about how much I don't know about where I will be going and trying to think of what it will be like.
This trip has been a year in the making both planning and saving up for it. People keep asking about my motivation for this trip. Well, it came from my eastern African trip back in 08 when I was stood at the border crossing between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, unable to cross and was intimidated by how many border guards with AK 47's stood guard. It looked like we were entering a military base. There was this sense that crossing over and heading down the dirty road disappearing into the dense jungle was taking us into a whole new experience and higher level of adventure. It immediately grabbed my curiosity like some kid with matches and gasoline. Western Africa is full of rare wildlife, beautiful cultures, amazing landscapes, and is about as raw a place left on earth.
Spontaneity brings excitement to my travels. I usually have a game plan to keep things organized but I never want to know that much about where I'm going. I love being surprised by the thrill of discovering something for the first time.

Like any photographer I strive to share parts of the world that are rarely seen by most travelers. For the first time I am going to include a blog so people can follow along with my daily challenges and experiences. It will be clearly obvious that writing isn't my forte, so I apologize before hand for my lack of grammar and spelling. These posts will be raw emotions from my trip, which will probably included lots of profanity and stories that most might find offensive, so I apologize for that as well. My writing is like my stories I tell around the campfire, I am very passionate about certain things in life. I'm easily stimulated by small things such as sunsets and thunderstorms. The more I travel the more depressed I get about how fast the world is changing and I want to experience it before mankind steam rolls it for personal gain.

I invite you to follow along with my adventure. I want to touch that adventurous side in everyone. Get you to get out and create your own amazing experiences. Life is like an unwritten book, where each day you get to write by choice how the story unfolds.

Someone asked me recently that I was crazy for doing this trip, that is was "crazy dangerous." I told them, well then you should follow along on my blog because it should make for some serious entertainment.
"Unless your living life on the edge, you’re taking up too much room." -Unknown.

If you would like to contribute to my trip please visit my photography website.

Naknek Alaska

At the moment I'm waiting out a storm in Naknek Alaska, before we head out commercial fishing. If the salmon were making everyone's nets smoke, then we would be forced to push through it, but since numbers are still low most of the fleet is sticking this ride out, tied up to the dock or still haven't been put into the water. No use getting the crap beat out of you, wasting diesel, all for no fish. So that means I get the fun of hanging out in fun Naknek for a few more days. Time here seems to slow, slooow,sloooooooow to a crawl when you have nothing to do.

Naknek is a small native-fishing town. Gateway to Bristol Bay if you fly into King Salmon. Not much to it besides a few bars, some canneries, a lot of bears, and a small town with lots of character, but a heart beat that is barely staying alive. If it wasn't for summer fishing this town might dry up like so many small towns that have fallen to the times. There is the famous Red Dog Bar, where all the fishermen tend to hang out, get into some bar fights, and talk fishing stories. Great place to meet some crazy characters. Fishermen are some tough sob's and never stop making me laugh and entertain me with there ways. I would vote for a Alaskan boat captain for president in a heartbeat. They might be nuts, but you know what to expect from them, they have more integrity than most people I know, live life to the fullest, understand the value of working hard, don't take shit, and are great leaders.

One thing you have to watch out for walking around is drunk drivers. Drugs and booze flow through these types of towns. Last year I watched a drunk guy ride his four wheeler into the bushes and almost kill himself. The area is flat, harsh winters keep the trees stunted, only the Naknek River running through town creates some interesting land formations, so I don't blame them. Alcohol takes the pain away.

The canneries in town are super busy at the moment, loads and loads of people from poor parts of the world are flown up here to work shit jobs for shit pay. You can't help but feel for them. They work the slime line woking tough work conditions filleting and canning the millions of fish that come from our boats. Our boat is docked in the cannery so we are lucky to have the use of mug up. Mug up is a break time, where you can get a snack and fill your coffee mug. 10:15, 3:15, and 8:15, are exciting times of the day. Not much else to do.

Every day more workers are flown here from places from all over the world. Last year during the swine flu epidemic, most fishermen where working fast to get their boats ready and head out to sea before the bus loads of workers showed up from Mexico.

Till we go fishing we are staying in the Trident Cannery bunk house. A small room with a few bunk beds and a stack of playboys and some posters of some naked women on the walls, left over from years of fishermen staying in it. So when your not working on the boat, down time is taken up by reading books, drinking beer, and sexually frustrating yourself looking at porn mags over and over. I guess the quote written in the men's bathroom stall by some fisherman, put things into perspective out here. "Think about it, no matter how hard life gets, it will never get shittier than this moment right now."

Commercial Fishing Bristol Bay, Alaska

Click to view photos of Salmon Industry in Bristol Bay

It's a night time opening, the seas are rough, waves pound your boat, some splashing over the side. Rain and wind sting your face, chilling you down to your bone. You're tired, hands sore, but heart is pounding. You're ready to go.

Standing on the back of the boat with net in hand, you wait for the captains call. Other boats lay waiting as well, some spending the last few seconds trying to get better positions. Time ticks by, tick tick tick.

Then your captain yells go!. You throw the net out the back and the net unwinds out the back, your adrenaline pumps. Fish start hitting the net even before the whole net has been laid out. The net begins to smoke as thousands of salmon swim into it and get caught. It's going to be a great pay day.


It's fishing time in Alaska, so I'm heading out to commercial fish and document the red salmon fishing industry in Bristol Bay. I'll be on a 32 foot fishing boat for about 5 weeks. Bristol Bay is located in the Bering Sea, between Alaska and Russia. It's the most productive salmon fishery in the world. Tens of millions of salmon return every year to this area, to spawn.

Working as a deck hand on a fishing boat is tough work. You work long hours with little rest, fish through rough seas, and dangerous working conditions. When the run is in, it's time to fish and the place just explodes with activity. Captains fight for position, deck hands lay out 150 yards of net. It's like destruction derby, boats plow into each other, nets get wrapped up in propellers. Everyone fighting for a great payday. Over the weeks your hands and shoulders strengthen, your mental toughness increases, and have one hell of a time. For those of you who love adventure this is the job for you.

Click to view photos of Salmon Industry in Bristol Bay

Denali National Park

The Park bus slowly starts to make the climb up Stony Hill, all eye's scanning the hillside for signs of wildlife, binoculars in hand, cameras ready, suspense thick enough to cut with a knife. It's a crystal clear day, not a cloud in the ocean blue sky. The driver, a veteran of the park, has a smile on his face. The kind of smile someone has when he's concealing a secret only he knows.

The reason he comes back every year to drive this bus in the park, is part because he loves the outdoors and the wildlife, but also because of this exact moment that lies ahead, where he gets to share the experience of seeing the joy from those who come to the park. He glances up into the rear view mirror to witness the reactions on the visitors faces, just as the bus nears the crest of the hill.

Reaching the top, the largest mountain in North America, reveals itself from behind the hill like a curtain to the beginning of a show. One by one, each visitor lets out a gasp of amazement, as they view the massive 20,320 foot giant for the first time. Mt.Mckinley towers over the rest of the surrounding mountains, like some frozen granite cathedral, an Alaskan Taj Mahal.


Since I was young my parents have taken me up to Denali National Park to view Mt.Mckinley and it's animals. And in a few days I will be heading back there to take a friend who is visiting me, up to experience the park. To me it's more than just an amazing place to photograph and a great place to view Alaska's wildlife and beautiful scenery, it's spiritual.

My family and I back in the 80's, relaxing in the park, watching a grizzly bear mother and cub. I'm in the orange jacket looking through binoculars.


In 1907 Charles Sheldon a naturalist and hunter visited the area and was concerned about the future of the dall sheep and other large mammals from over hunting. After years of petitioning the US government to set aside this land, Mt.Mckinley National Park was formed in 1917. It wasn't till 1980 that the park boundaries were enlarged and it was renamed Denali National Park. Park officials over the years have maintained the hands off approach, to managing the wildlife, which has allowed natural up and down population cycles, that animals go through without human involvement.

The beauty of the park is not just the abundance of animals, it's the wide glacier eroded valleys, meandering river beds, and rolling hills covered in tundra. The park is the best place in north america and possibly the world to photograph wolves, massive bull moose with 70 plus inch antlers, and grizzly bears.

As I look forward to heading back up there, to photograph the parks animals and hike into the back country, a recent ruling eats at me. The elimination of a buffer zone that has helped to protect wolves that travel outside the invisible boundary of the park. Sadly, it's this abundance of trophy animals within the park, that has attracted man to suck from it like leaches. Trappers lay snares and traps along the park boundaries hoping to catch lynx, wolves, and any other animals that cross over the invisible line.

I eagerly wait to see if a pack of wolves that I spent a week photographing last fall, has survived the winter. Winter time is when trappers take the biggest toll on Denali's wildlife. The snow pack makes travel along the park boundary more easy. I have been told reports that trappers have taken many wolves this winter and one entire family. I fear my favorite wolf to photograph hasn't made it. A wolf that every morning when I hiked into the back country to photograph the pack, would walk right up to me and follow me like like a domesticated dog. One which laid down next to me one afternoon and we both took a nap during a snowy day last fall.

While I hunt myself and respect hunters and the revenue it brings to the state. I fully believe some places should be left alone. Set aside completely like a time capsule to preserve natures beauty from man's influence. Denali National Park is a treasure that you only fully appreciate after traveling the world like I have. I hope Alaskans will take pride in having Denali National Park in their state and fight to protect it in the future.


If you're interested in seeing photos of this wolf or other photos of Denali animals, visit my Alaskan Animals album by clicking on the Brian Montalbo photography website banner at the top or by copying and pasting this link

http://bmontalbo.zenfolio.com/p296215399

Food Fights + Human Nature = La Tomantina

In elementary school during lunch period, a few friends and I would regularly chuck food at each other when the lunch duty turned her back. Our adolescent way of rebelling against regulation and control. Most of time nothing came of it but us getting caught or ratted out and having to clean the lunch room.
One day the most beautiful thing happened. We didn't stop throwing food when the lunch duty caught us, but rather increased it. We completely disregarded any rules and authority, ignored the consequences and punishment, and made our statement. But instead of it being an isolated event, one kid after another joined in on our food fight, until like popcorn almost every kid in that lunch room was throwing food at each other, laughing and having a grand old time. We were joined together in solidarity in one large rebellious statement. The lunch time duty was so overwhelmed to do anything about it, had to retreat for re enforcements.

I learned something valuable about human nature that day.

This video is an example of how one person breaking from the norm can influence others to follow.



When I found out about a festival where you were encouraged to throw food, I was attracted to La Tomantina like a dung beetle to a huge pile of elephant poop.

Located in Bunol Spain, near Valencia, this festival is home to the largest food fight in the world. Twenty five thousand people from around the world, throwing ninety thousand pounds of tomatoes at each other for just over an hour. Sound like fun?

Those of you who are stressed out from work, was always told not to play with your food and sick of it, or just want to have fun, make your way to La Tomantina. It's held on the last Wednesday of August every year.

Here's how it goes. Everyone gathers into one narrow street which has a wooden pole with a big chunk of ham at the top. The event doesn't start until someone gets the ham off the top. After many failed attempts, finally someone reaches the top and a rocket is shot off to symbolize the trucks full of tomatoes are on their way. Until the tomatoes arrive a huge t-shirt fight begins. It hurts! The street is very narrow so when the trucks come through, get ready to be packed in and make sure not to get run over. Five dump trucks make their way down the street, stopping only to dump their load of thousands of pounds of tomatoes. By the end of the fight, there is about 6 inches of tomatoes crushed under your feet. Enough to almost swim in it.

Tips. A lot of people where goggles because you get smacked in the eye a lot. I recommend it because I didn't wear them and I could barely see I had so many tomatoes in my face.

Dos Equis' Most Interesting Man in the World Move over.

Funny College Application Letter

This is an actual essay written by a college applicant. The author, Hugh Gallagher, now attends NYU.

Essay: In order for the admissions staff of our college to get to know you, the applicant, better, we ask that you answer the following question: Are there any significant experiences you have had, or accomplishments you have realized, that have helped to define you as a person?

I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row.

I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook Thirty-Minute Brownies in twenty minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru.

Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. I play bluegrass cello, I was scouted by the Mets, I am the subject of numerous documentaries. When I'm bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang gliding. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge.

I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. I don't perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. I have been caller number nine and have won the weekend passes. Last summer, I toured New Jersey with a traveling centrifugal-force demonstration. I bat .400. My deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. Children trust me.

I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I have performed several covert operations for the CIA. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me.

I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid. On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. Years ago, I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary four course meals using only a mouli and a toaster oven. I breed prizewinning clams. I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin. I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis.

But I have not yet gone to college.


http://www.richardpettinger.com/economics/funny_exam_answers/funny_college_letter

Rafting the Nile

If you are ever in Uganda and looking to experience the Nile at it's best. Make your way to the head waters, just below Lake Victoria. Don't worry fishermen have killed all the hippos and crocodiles in this area, so you don't have to worry about them when you fall out. Though, how bad ass would that be if that was just another element to rafting it.
This part of the Nile actually has some vertical to it, unlike the lower sections, which creates some monster sections of rapids, including the largest commercial white water hole in the world. Just ask your guide to portage around the impassable class six rapids and put in just under them.
There is also a 3 meter waterfall that you can try your luck at. Other than that, enjoy paddling your ass off for most of it. It has long sections of flat water.
Try the bungee jump at the beginning. If you do it topless it's free. Who ever came up with that one is a genius. Cheers!



Adrift Rafting Company http://adrift.ug/