The Mergui Archipelago is one of the last untouched tropical paradises on Earth. Only a few hundred miles from the packed tourist hotspots of Phuket and Ko Samui, Thailand – there has been almost no development here. The Archipelago was paced off limits to outsiders – even citizens of Burma – by the government for over 50 years. The 800 islands receive only 2000 visitors a year – mostly divers . One must obtain a permit ( in addition to the visa ) from the Ministry of Tourism .

ArcticTropic stayed at the Myanmar Andaman Resort ( Some Good Pictures ). Comfortable bungalows with air conditioning. I was one of 3 guests there.

Macleod Island ( many of the islands still retain their old British names ) is not easy to get to . One must fly from Yangon via Air KBZ. The fight stops in Yawe and Miyek along the way to Kawthaung. Foreigners are not allowed to drive north of Kawthaung, the southernmost point in Myanmar. After numerous formalities the resort will transport you by speedboat – a 2 to 3 hour journey ,depending on waves. It is also possible to take a ferry from Ranong,Thailand to Kawthaung.

One week in Namibia barely scratches the surface. ArcticTropic was there in October, 2013 for the Adventure Travel Trade Association annual conferences in the capital city of Windhoek and the small seaside city of Swakopmund. At least weeks is needed to see the country properly.

After Namibia , ArcticTropic had less than a week to explore the vast territory of South Africa. 3 days in Cape Town was plenty, but the 1000 mile,1600 km journey back to Johannesburg via the Wynlands,the Great Karoo and the South Coast was quite a feat, meaning many hours in the car.

On a hot spring afternoon in Namib Naukluft Park, ArcticTropic and fellow adventurer travel companies embarked on a horse safari covering many kilometers in the desert. THe trip was organized by Chameleon Holidays Travel in conjunction with the ATTA Summit. An edited version of this adventure is soon to follow – this is raw footage.

Coming down 1050m ( 4000 ft) Table Mountain in Cape Town on a beautiful spring morning n November,2013. Cape Town had just exited a long cold winter that saw snow on top of the mountain for the first time in many years Edited footage will soon be available.

Looking slightly out of place Swakopmund is thoroughly German town that looks as if it could be a neighborhood in Hamburg or Bremen, but instead is one of the remotest ” cities ” in the world perched between the barren sand dunes of the Kalahari and the frigid South Atlantic Ocean. Along with nearby Walvis Bay it is 200 miles from the next town and is one of the only settlements between Angola and South Africa.

Der Kaiser is fondly remembered.

German Southwest Africa was taken over by the British Empire after World War !, but German is still spoken today all throughout Namibia in additoin to English , Afrikaans and many local languages.

A lighthouse warns ships away from the treacherous Skeleton Coast.

Just past the town line. Truly one of the Ends of the Earth.

Mongolia – with only 2.5 million people in 600,000 spare miles is the most sparsely populated country on Earth. The center of the Asian Continent is an empty spot on the globe !

The GoPro headmount is a great way to capture the reality of a walk along the Great Wall at Jingshangling.

From Shanghai we flew two hours South to Guilin – the main city of GuangXi Autonomous Province. Bordering Vietnam, the area has very hot,humid summers and cool foggy winters. Above ,we journey down the Li RIver towards Yangshuo. The cone shaped karst mountains begin here and are prevalent though Northern Vietnam and into Thailand.

On the banks of the Li River in Guilin.

Guilin, at 3 million people, is considered a large town or small city by Chinese standards.

Yangshuo is considered a village, at 300,000.

The area is very fertile,with rice paddies everywhere.

Rich in all cultures.

Some of the world’s most fantastic views.

A Fish Pedicure.

In a Very Peaceful Temple.

We have been in Shanghai for the past two days and just now the photo uploading is working properly. Getting here was not easy. Our connecting flight from Beijing was cancelled ( as were all flights to Shanghai ) and we had to take an overnight train. Today we leave for Guilin and the wilds of Guanxi Province,South China. Here are some random photos. ArcticTropic will catch up when we arrive in Hong Kong late next week. We have been shooting beautiful video with the GoPro, but the videos would take hours to upload on slow hotel speeds.

Lamasery Ulanbaatar.

Roadside on the way back to Ulanbataar.

At the Statue of Genghis Khan.

Boom Town Ulanbaatar.

On the Plexiglass floor 1000 feet above Pudong from the Shanghai TV Tower,