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MY ADVENTURES OF LIFE

02
Feb 2012
By Aaron

I am not an advice column. I am not an expert in human behavior. I am simply a guy who has traveled the world, seen lots of history, made plenty of mistakes, been hurt by those I thought would only help, lived with the poor, and dined with the rich. I am simply a guy with a new found happiness, a new found perspective. Here is the point of view from my adventurous life.

Over the course of this blog, I have always tried to give my point of view from my perspective in life and offer you the opportunity to evaluate, grow, get motivated, make changes to your own life, and/or simply agree with it. Recently, while traveling alone for my longest period to date, I have come to terms with the adventures life has given me and the avenues it is allowing me to take in the future. I have friends, ex-girlfriends, family members, and random strangers to all thank for helping me understand, avoid, and gather perspective from. All based on the mistakes they have made, are making, or avoid making. Death is real and if things happened to you tomorrow, preventing you from doing what your doing now, would you have changed the way you were living your life? I did and here are my new founding’s…

It was recently on my first trip with other Cancer Survivors/Future Cancer Survivors, that all of this was reinforced. While traveling through New Zealand, filming more adventures and my new TV series, I have been trying to raise awareness for an organization called, CanTeen. CanTeen helps Teens faced with Cancer, continue to grow, gain new perspectives, and allow others to help them during the difficult process. Having searched for the past 2 years for the right organization to benefit, I finally found it. You see, I have yet to really talk among others directly effected by Cancer and how I can relate to them. Even more so, I have yet to really volunteer my time for others. I spent so much time before I had cancer worrying about my self and materialistic things, that I lost track of what true happiness was about. I always said that, ’One Day’ I will give back. Just never did. If you are comfortable with your life but feel unsatisfied, perhaps this next part is for you.

Having traveled to over 40 countries the past 2 years, I feel like I have a decent grip on peoples perspectives and the world that surrounds them. The one question I get asked a lot is, ‘what is the best advice you can give to those not satisfied with what life is offering them.’ The answer from me is always the same. ‘If you can learn to appreciate the little things in life and explain your way of life truthfully, then your taking advantage of every moment.’

I realize this is very deep but here is why it works for me. In order to appreciate the little things in life, you have to appreciate the things most people take for granted. Having traveled the world, I have realized there are so many things to appreciate in the world for free, than to worry about making so much money. My life before Cancer was about making money. Now, its about seeing more things in life to appreciate what little money is required. Which brings me to being truthful about the way I choose to live life and make a living at it. The day I stop focusing on how much I could get, money or possession, the better I found myself associating with things and people who allowed me to see and appreciate just that. One came with the other as I couldn’t see it without either. If I thought about everything that ever made me argue, fight, or upset, it usually was associated with something or someone, associated with decisions they made revolving around immoral revenue, untrustworthy relationships, or just overall lack of happiness with who they are. That’s my two cents and here is how it was recently reinforced….

Two weeks ago, I invited some of these teens to join me on one of America’s Cup boats in Auckland, New Zealand to go sailing. It was here my friends, that out of all the adventures I have done to date, this one was the most rewarding. Giving others an opportunity to do something they have never done, was the ultimate high. Similar to the excitement of jumping out of a plane or running with the bulls, giving back was no different. Seeing the look of happiness on their faces was more than I could ever get from one of my own adventures.

I look back at my life before I got hit with Cancer and the way I chose to live it. I would just go through my daily routine, making money, going out with friends, saying ‘one day,’ I will be ready for this or that. ‘One day,’ when I have x amount of money I will move here. ‘One day,’ when I meet one person, I will be happy ever after. ‘One day,’ when I am older, I will be ready to settle down.

Well for me, that ‘one day’ was then, yesterday, and today. That ‘one day,’ allowed me to realize that it doesn’t have to be ‘one day’. ‘One Day’ becomes my ‘Every Day’ now, and if I died tomorrow, I would feel as if it was full of meaningful days and life.

If you want more information on the CanTeen you can simply keep following my journey with them on this blog or visit them here, www.canteen.co.nz

Having done so many adventures, my most rewarding adventure to date, was that of life. If your looking for the same, try asking yourself what if you decided to make the change today? I could then tell you, your adventures of life, will begin too….

Thanks for allowing me to find my adventures in life!

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Finding Adventure in Japan

28
Dec 2011
By Aaron

So is the title a question or statement?  After 5 days there, I am here to say, it’s a statement.  What started off as a quest on the fly, as usual, ends up with another trip that took its course, as Rolf Potts would say.  So without further ado, here is the 411.

1-Culture Shock-  Yet again, another country hits me off my rocker.  Picture NYC, but without the understanding of facial expressions, language, or the ability to read any information.  Period!  Either way, this is a true glimpse in my opinion of the future and that alone is an adventure in itself.

2-Attempting to Vagabond-Quite possibly, the toughest location for me to date.  There is nothing cheap about getting around here and unless you speak the language, its next to impossible to travel hack this country on your first go around.  I saw very few westerners and not one typical hotels or mom/pop accommodation.

3-Iwatayama Kyoto Monkey Park-Simply awesome.  If a city and Tokyo is not your thing, you MUST give the suburbs a try.  Exploring Japan is similar to the size of New Zealand, only you can use the train system to access everything.  However, you will need your YENS (money) as the one way ride from Tokyo to Kyoto (2 hours) is around 175 USD.  Once there, you will get a chance to visit all of the local hot spots, including my favorite animal interaction to date.

In summary, the Japanese people are extremely nice to the extent of the Kiwis from New Zealand.  Regardless of the language barriers, that makes it well worth the culture shock.  Understanding not every adventure has to be adrenaline will hold true in Japan.  It is one place few Zen can be found along the road, less tourist travel.

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How To Flashpack In A Camper

06
Oct 2011
By Aaron

Greetings from the future, my spaceship has landed!  Sounds funny?  Well most of it is exactly true.  Ahead of most of my readers in time zone, I have traveled 2300 Kilometers over 8 days and continued to do business as normal.  While exploring, camping, wine tasting, fishing, huntings, and a few adventures, throughout the South Island of New Zealand, this is the way to do it.  That is right, I circled my way around, while flash packing, in my spaceship.  Now…let me explain…

 

I was recently given the opportunity to travel around in a rental van called, “The Spaceship” .  At first glance its an ordinary van but once this thing has hit the road and you are ready for a rest/camp/picnic, it becomes the Spaceship.  With some additional equipment this vehicle becomes a mini-camper with a stove, cookware, full size bed, curtains, picnic chairs, table that is covered by an attachable add-on canvas top, and even your own DVD player.

 

You are allowed to stop at various ‘Space Stations’, throughout New Zealand and swap out the 2 complimentary dvd’s for others at no charge.  You are also permitted to trade them with any other spaceships you find on the road.  Knowing that car rentals can be pricey especially with deposits, this is another plus.  There isn’t a bond or hold on your credit card for the amount of damage that may occur.  This has often been the case and presents some flash-packers with a challenge of getting those funds back on the card, in a timely manner.  The price of this vehicle is even cheaper than your typical car rental.  It is also available in other countries.  Something I am sure to try out again.   I added a mobile USB hook up to my laptop and was able to email as needed from some of the most remote areas in New Zealand.  If you are a flash-packer who has wants to still camp and explore, this is my pick.  Freedom camping is not really permitted but you can pull this ship up to various sites that are camper friendly for 1/10 of the cost of a hotel.   If you really want to get a laugh, make sure you tell the receptionist, “Your spaceship has landed, where is the best place to put it”.  From the future…Aaron.

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Travel Hacking Adventures In Rotorua

02
Oct 2011
By Aaron

9am Tuesday, Mad Travel -
“Do you have experience mountain biking, there are a few levels of expertise and I wouldn’t want Adventure Aaron to get hurt?” said Sarah, the manager of Mad Travel. I replied, “No worries, I have tons!” Little did I know, I was in way over my head and anything goes in this country. Having only ridden a bike when I was about 10 years old, this was a whole new ball game. It is here, only in this very country, that you don’t have to worry about the level of liability from an operator standpoint.  After all, you can do any adventure you want, at any risk level you choose. If you get hurt, it is your own gringo fault, as this is New Zealand, which is exactly why I love it!

As I make my way from the top of New Zealand to the South, I find my first main stopping point to be in Rotorua. It was here I originally filmed the episode for ‘Alive!’, last January. If you are interested in seeing the video you can see it here where you can see some of the activities. Note-This is just a segment of last years filming, the full episode can be seen here-

http://www.outsidetelevision.com/shows/alive


Now back again, here is my top 10 list of adventures in Rotorua. Located about 4 hours south of the major airport, Auckland, its here you can explore the thermal activity, explore the indigenous Maori Community, and get the adventures of a lifetime!

My Top Adventures In Rotorua, in no particular order.

Mountain Bike Rotorua- Bike through the redwoods and either go guided or just rent the bikes here. Make sure you pick your proper course or you will end up over the handle bars, like I did. RULE OF ADVISE, DO NOT BRAKE BEFORE THE JUMP!
Quad Zone-Brent and his crew will be happy to show you the bush and if you play your cards on a raining day, its will be perfect. Make sure you ask Brent about the “Kiwi ingenuity!”
Kaitiaki Adventures-These boys are beast! If you want to raft, they got it. If you want to step it up a notch, go Sledging…and if you have big ones, do the Heli-Sledge! My second time was just as hard as the first time, but the fun level is through the roof.
Squeeze and Jet Boat-Ultimate culture and adrenaline experience and you can do both adventures in the same location
Luge-Speaks for itself, no age restrictions
Agroventures-Have a few hours, get in a few of the best adventures all in one spot. Make sure you try the Jet Boat course.
Nzone-Quite far the classy group of people I have ever met. They cut no corners here as this sky diving jump is the highest around. Do the 15,000 foot jump and get the pictures and video after it. Its the jump and experience of a lifetime and their overall package gets two major thumbs up from me.
Ogo-Go flying down a hill in a big plastic ball, need I say more???
Clearwater Cruise-One of my favorites. This Yacht caters to all income levels, if you want to simply rent a boat or let the masters take over, Ian and Pauli will be sure to show you the ropes. Its the hot water beach I was after and they help me find it.

Kerosene Creek (FREE!)-But you will need to find this on your own as it is not a popular place and I would prefer to keep it that way! :)

So how do you travel hack this region? Simple, go here, Mad Travel Shop at 1103 Hinemoa Street or go here, http://nomadshostels.com/

Tell them you want to do these and/or other activities and they will help you arrange it for FREE. They have a working relationship with over 100 adventures in Rotorua and can even provide you any discounts or promotions that may apply, including free pick up and drop off. Up next, the ultimate way to flashback while traveling, camper style!

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Running With The Bulls

25
Aug 2011
By Aaron

“Run Baby Run!!!!” Those were the last words my fellow American friend told me, before I boarded the flight to Spain. I have always heard of this event and never really registered the idea of how dangerous it may be. With “Running With The Bulls” on my 2011 Bucket List, I knew this is the one event, that would push my comfort zone. There will be more video to come, as this is part of the second season of “Alive!”, but I wanted to provide you an uncut point of view from the stadium. I have been doing a lot of adventures recently, as many of you know, but this one was the most surreal. Most of my adventures last an average or 1-2 minutes, full of adrenaline or culture shock. This however, lasted an average of 20 minutes!

It all began as I started my way running down the old stone pavement to the stadium. You see, when the gun fires, the bulls are released. The object for me was to get into the stadium to experience the “Gladiator” feel, as I now call it. The only problem with this is, the doors do not open until the bulls are about 100 feet away from the stadium. This means at some point, if you want to get in the stadium, the bulls are going to steam past you. The doors will then close as the last bull enters. If you are lucky enough to be one of the few hundreds of the thousands running to get in…you get to experience this. I am pleased to say, here is the uncut version of inside the stadium. Note, I jumped over the wall, back down again, and then back over again! To me, this is one adventure, I couldn’t face. It is one thing to run around in the stadium as the bulls circle and charge, it is another thing to get on your knees and go head to head with the bull as it comes back into the stadium. What you are about to see is the release of another bull into the stadium. After the running of the bulls, they release the bulls into the stadium for everyone’s entertainment. Here is one of the craziest things I have ever captured on film. Special thanks to GoPro for Sponsoring this camera. It is with this camera you will see more, great footage, soon.

Around 1.22 is where the actual jump begins.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8cWHVclCK0

Category: Adventures  3 Comments

Eating The New Hottest Pepper In The World

12
Aug 2011
By Aaron

Not every adventure has to be adrenaline and here is the proof. I recently had a chance to hop my way over to Australia, to meet the founders of ‘The Chilli Factory’. They are home to the Scorpion Butch T Pepper and its now the official Guinness Book of World Record, Hottest Pepper in the World!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSIHq4OgxvM


With the help of Alex and Marcel, the founders of this adventure and factory, I attempted to be one of the few to eat the whole thing. If you thought your wings were hot or that local hot sauce you have, is the best in the world,brace yourself! I went through about 20 minutes of waves of hotness. Words can not describe how hot this pepper is so please enjoy this video. Having traveled the world tasting some of the hottest things people have to offer, this is officially it. Unlike most hot sauces, this is a “good hot” and one that I will recommend to all, regardless of your tolerance. Enjoy!

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Kayaking with 2 time Gold Medalist, Greg Barton

20
Jun 2011
By Aaron

3am pst, Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean….

Watching ‘Dhani Tackles the Globe’ on a Delta Airlines monitor, I sit, my legs slightly bent back at a 90 degree angle, now known to me as, the “Kayak” style.  I then take another glance at my airline meal, pushing the potatoes over and going with the omelet, inhaling the slow carbohydrates.  Following the guidelines of the Tim Ferriss book, The 4 hour body, I also take a swig of my second glass of red wine.  You see, it is this diet and style I am now using to prepare.   What takes most people years to prepare for, I am doing over the next month.  Even better, I am doing it as I continue to travel the world, not in an actual kayak.  One of my items this year is to set a world record and after much debate of trying to eat 4 pickled eggs in a minute, I pick this one.  ‘The Longest Solo Journey in a Kayak’.  As Dahani continues to tackle another challenge on my TV monitor, I continue to get more motivated and excited about my upcoming challenge, even at 3am on a 16 hour airplane.  After all, I just wrapped my first training session with two time kayaking gold medalist, Greg Barton.  With my little experience, Greg provided great insight and a great kayak, to help me paddle my way up the entire distance of the east coast.  It is my attempt to set a Guinness world record, and it’s Epic Kayak that believes I have a chance.  With Epic Kayaks as my sponsor, I had a chance to sit down with the president of Epic Kayaks who also happens to be the first American to ever get a gold medal in this sport.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95D7W2obESc

Join me for the official launch party as I paddle in the kayak for an estimated 3 months.  Creating awareness for Cancer, I am going to prove that if you put your mind to your new perspective, anything is possible.

 

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