Alastair Bland

Alastair Bland

 

Alastair Bland is a journalist based in San Francisco who writes about the environment, agriculture, science and food.

A game of chess on a fold-up travel board can break the ice between strangers in strange lands.

Holiday Gift Ideas for the Adventure Traveler

A chess set, soccer ball, bear spray and other items, even dog food, make the list of gifts to give your favorite hardened traveler

In Nepal, the Lambrecht family of Sebastopol, California is loving life and local transport.

Have Kids, Will Travel

"We were travelers. It was in our blood, and the idea that we would ever stop traveling just because we had kids never sat well with us"

Felicity Aston, shown here in Iceland, is currently attempting cross Antarctica alone.

Farthest South: News from a Solo Antarctic Adventurer

Aston is in no-man's land, where schedules and responsibility carry little relevance, but she is bound by one logistic: "I can't miss the last plane out"

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The Most Pungent Prize: Hunting the Truffle

“As a journalist working on a story about truffles, it felt like risky business. There’s a lot of cash flowing around, there’s a black market”

Books on Bike Perfection and Women’s Bike-Won Freedom

Women's clothing was a problem, and to efficiently ride a bike there was only one thing to do: Take it off

Facing the Void: Ellee Thalheimer stands before a high pass near Sampeyre, Italy after an ascent of several thousand feet.

Women and the Way of the Pedal-empowered

Susan B. Anthony said bicycling "emancipates women than anything else in the world. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel"

You never know what you will find on the beaches of Malarrimo.

The Wonders that Wash Ashore: Malarrimo Beach

The attraction of beachcombing is that one isn't perusing a garbage dump; much of what one sifts through on a stretch of sand are valuables lost at sea

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Into a Desert Place: A Talk With Graham Mackintosh

In remote fishing camps, a few older fishermen remember a red-haired Englishman who tramped through 30 years ago, disappearing around the next point

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Into a Desert Place: A Talk With Graham Mackintosh

In remote fishing camps along the shoreline, a few older fishermen remember a red-haired Englishman who tramped through 30 years ago, disappearing around the next point.

Wild campers must beware of landmines in the Balkans - though locals may only warn of bears.

Crying Wolf Among Motor Vehicles and Landmines

Five drunk young men—the first visibly intoxicated men I think I've seen in Turkey—began dancing in the highway to Turkish music from the car’s radio

Wild camping is first-class lodging in rural Turkey, where dinner is had in bed and nights are passed beneath the stars.

Zen and the Art of Sleeping Anywhere

By camping wild, we bypass unloading the luggage, taking off our shoes at the doorstep, and all the other logistics of dwelling in a well-groomed society

The author with his packed bicycle at San Francisco International Airport at the outset of the journey.

Beam Me Home, Please

Putting one’s means of transportation into a box while miles of travel remain is as clever as stepping into a shopping bag and attempting to carry oneself

The setting sun showers Spil Dag National Park in a dusky, rosy red.

The Final Sprint to Istanbul

The townspeople ogled the tourist he’d captured. “From America,” the cop boasted, like he’d shot me at 400 yards with a rifle

Though apples are the nation's most popular fruit, they are relatively worthless in Sonoma County, California.

California’s Disappearing Apple Orchards

In Sonoma County, apple growers battle against the wine industry and cheap Chinese imports

Figs like this one, so ripe it's bursting, dangle by the millions along the roadsides near Izmir and Aydin.

The Figs and Mountains of Izmir

Travel horizontally in any direction and you see no change in landscape; Siberia remains Siberia from Finland to Kamchatka

The author runs on empty as he pushes his bike over rough terrain in the Murat Mountains.

Rose Hips and Hard Times

Sultan packs me a goody bag with tomatoes, cheese and peppers so hot I can’t even touch them. I suggest paying and she tilts her head back—"not a chance.”

Sunlight bursts through a ceiling of rainclouds above the lonely west shore of Lake Burdur.

Gandhi’s Wisdom Falls Short

Then, from behind me, came a staccato war cry—“Aaaack!”—as my host sent a boot into the dog’s rib cage

American backpacker Julia Pasternack shares a moment with two Turkish gentlemen.

Tips for Women Traveling in Turkey

One tourist says Turkey may be the friendliest nation she's experienced. Another was called a "witchy woman." What's your experience?

The author stands amidst weirdness in the Cappadocian village of Zelve.

Cappadocia’s Fairy Chimneys and Cave Dwellings

Doorways still lead into cool, cozy chambers where people grilled kebabs, served tea and worshiped until 1952

They may look friendly, but be warned: These village men will smother travelers with kindliness and drown them in tea.

The Long and Bumpy Road to Cappadocia

Of all the bizarre landscapes created by water, wind and time, Cappadocia is among the strangest

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