Exciting news! The Kumbh Mela documentary now has subtitles in English, French, Spanish and Italian. Click on the CC button and choose which language you want.
Bonne nouvelles!! Kumbh Mela documentaire a maintenant sous-titres français. Cliquez sur le bouton cc et choisissez française.
Buenas noticias. Kumbh Mela documental cuenta ahora con subtítulos en español. Haga clic en el botón cc y seleccione español.
Buone notizie. Kumbh Mela documentario ha ora sottotitoli in italiano. Fare clic sul pulsante cc e scegli italiano.
BAFFIN ISLAND CLIMATE CHANGE PROJECT 2010
It's been an incredible winter here in the UK. It's the wettest winter on record bringing flooding to many parts of southern England. It has also been surprisingly mild (average of 5.2C), making it one of the warmest winters on record. This is in stark contrast with Northern America which has been locked in a polar vortex bringing temperatures down to -40C for extended periods of time. These unprecedented conditions have been linked to climate change.
This reminds me of a video project I conducted a few years ago on our summer expedition to Baffin Island 2010. For us, climate change has always been a 'hot' topic and I took the opportunity on this expedition to ask the members, in the midst of one of the most beautiful places in the world and undoubtedly one of the places most at risk from changes in the climate, about this topic. I asked them 'Why should we care if the climate changes?' And in part two I asked them to discuss 'What needs to happen in order for us as a society to live more sustainably?'
See what the members answered in this video below, now edited for 2014:
In August 2010, a team of students, graduates and outdoor instructors spent one month on Baffin Island, trekking over 300km over tundra, morraine and glaciers.
During the expedition I asked them: Why should we care if the climate changes?
The Act of Killing
I don't normally write about other media on here but sometimes something strikes me so deeply that I have to share it. I saw 'The Act of Killing' by Joshua Oppenheimer last year, a 3.5 hour directors cut, with an interview with Joshua beforehand. He described filming the movie as if "I'd wandered into Germany 40 years after the holocaust, only to find the Nazis still in power."
I have to say I smirked at this description, but for the next 3.5 hours my jaw dropped and my heart contorted into every shape imaginable. He had described it perfectly. This is a story of a revolution and of a genocide. This is a story of the victors relishing in their might and of the rest of the population afraid of their own shadows. This is the story of Indonesia today!
Some might say that they do not wish to hear such sad and horrible stories but this is not some fictional tale. This is history. This is what has happened during many of our lifetimes. We do not have the right to look away. It's our duty to at least know this story and Joshua Oppenheimer describes it ingeniously in this film. This is essential viewing.
Read about the film in Joshua's own words in The Guardian:
“I’d wandered into Germany 40 years after the holocaust, only to find the Nazis still in power.”
THE KUMBH MELA 2013 - The Largest Human Festival Ever
In 2013 as I was travelling through India I was invited by a respected holy man to attend the largest human festival that has every occurred.
I spent eight days and nights at the festival which was attended by 100 million people. The experience was one of the most incredible I have ever witnessed.
Horizontal Limits
The world is once again in peril, there is just some extreme mountaineering between paradise and certain Armageddon. Will Good prevail over Evil?
During our Baffin Island 2010 expedition we found some time to create a parody of a film we love to hate, 'Vertical Limits'.
With a very basic script and planning this film was made possible only with the amazing improvisational acting by the actors. The time limits were such that even the bags that they are wearing are about 30kg each... our full expedition weight. The whole sequence was made in less than an hour and then we continued on our way getting in the requisite 15-20km in that we had to walk that day.
The Big Screen
Showed the first screening of my Kumbh Mela video this evening in Bristol. After a couple more cuts it'll be up here.
MY GRANDMOTHER: GOMIBEN SHAH
This is the story of my grandmother. A story stretching over three continents - starting afresh each time with nothing more than the family bond to keep going. A story of resilience and stoical acceptance in the face of the winds of change they were subjected to.
But more than just her story this is my parents story and my story too - where I've come from and the values that have been imprinted on me.
An Interview with a Holy Man
Muktanandji is a sadhu (holy man) from Gujarat, India. He has dedicated his life to serving the local community - improving the livelihoods of the impoverished villagers.
He was kind enough to allow me to set up an interview with him. Here he describes his spirituality and his work, where it all began and his vision for the future.
The 5 Most Beautiful Secluded Places
Delighted to have some our Baffin Island footage appearing in Buzzfeed's latests video! I guess I've certainly been to at least one of the most beautiful places in the world!
South Pole Polar Panel
Really pleased to be part of the polar panel for Antony's South Pole expedition. This is attempting to push the boundaries of interactivity with schools. Not only will school children get the opportunity to ask questions directly to Antony but also to a panel of experts ranging from explorers, scientists to nutritionists.
If any schools want to be involved with this project, visit: http://www.eteteachers.org/
Polar Panel for Antony's south pole expedition
Polio, LSD and Meditation
I met this guy a couple of months ago. He holds a group meditation session once a week for vipassana meditators. I've slowly learned about his life which has been far from normal. Having been stricken with Polio at the age of one his world was suddenly rearranged forever. He is now 69 and he's created a website on his autobiography which in his own words is "a peculiar mixture of crime, physics, LSD, travel, secondary school teaching and, very importantly, meditation."
His autobiography is free to download from his website and there is an audio version too.
Go to http://benevolencejwest.weebly.com/
"If you know of anyone working with the blind or partially sighted, please direct them to the site above. Also, anyone with a physical disability might find my story of interest.
For anyone more interested in the meditation aspects, that starts on CD5. "
Good Luck Antony
Yesterday I was invited to the civic send off of Antony Jinman on his solo South Pole bid leaving on Sunday. That will be 730 miles over 60 days, alone on the coldest and windiest continent. Good Luck!
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-11/13/south-pole-expedition-music
Duncan, Antony and Vijay at the civic send off in Plymouth.
Baffin Island on UKClimbing
A photo from our 2010 Summer Baffin Island Expedition has made it onto this week's top 10 on UKClimbing.com
EC Bristol Drinks with Vijay Shah: 7th November
I'll be giving a talk at Explorer's Connect: Bristol on the 7th November. See link below for more details:
EC Drinks with Vijay Shah
What did you do today?
Sorry for all the wait, but there will be a little more waiting as there is so much footage I need to get through. But here's a little snippet of things to come...
Baffin Island 2011: Life Inside the Tent
Farewell India
The evolution of emotions on the last few days of a trip typically follows the same pattern. It starts of with excitement, following onto the planning stage, then as the flight date moves ever closer, melancholy sets in and finally weariness. The last stage can lead to some rash decisions being made and in these cases, expensive decisions (for which I am far too sensible to do).
It's hard to separate oneself from these emotions and tap into the endless inspiration that they can give to the writer. These emotions are a literary fountain but the plug is often sealed and the writer, weighed down with weariness does not having the strength to pull. I don't have the strength to pull even though this time I told myself it would be different. Alas all I have left is a trickle from this fountain.
I have survived India, pretty much unscathed. I have no terrible stories to tell but hell do I have some exciting ones. I said once that India confused me into silence, that was at the beginning of the trip, the beginning of a journey. This has been a journey of discovery more than of the usual sort; discovering not only my ancestral past, but my own past, answering questions I have had since childhood. And in this respect India does not disappoint. Yet it is not India that has done the work. India is, just as a mountain is. The beauty in the poetry etched out from mountaineers has come from within, squeezed out by their experiences and hardships on the mountain and that is what India does to the traveller. I have expressed some of these profound moments in photos and texts, others remain tucked away in my diary but the vast majority remain within me, dissipating slowly into the ether with time.
Now as I sit in Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi and my laptop battery slowly dies I bid farewell to India and prepare to be transported into a different dimension and time. I hope some of the lessons I have learnt stay with me. Tolerance. Patience. Impermanence.
Wedding Crashers
Like the side alleys of main shopping streets, the valleys off of the main touristed routes in the Indian Himalayas remain innoncent of the humdrums of mass tourist transport. A refreshing breath of crisp mountain air after the stale smell of towns competing for the tourist dollar and offering not much else. And like the side alleys off of the main shopping streets they are actually very easy to get to. Welcome to Chamba Valley.
As we walked into the village of Kugti at 2600m which clings to side of a steep gorge we had actually stumbled into the middle of a great wedding celebration. During the celebrations the organisers feed the entire village. It goes without saying and a true testament to the hospitality of the mountain follk that we were immediately asked to sit and that we MUST eat with them. Rice and curries were piled onto our thin throw away plates in such frequency and quantities that had we not insisted for them to stop the mountain of rice would have been higher than the 6000m snow capped peaks towering all around us.
Another adventure awaited us that evening when we left to climb up to the 3000m Hindu temple that was meant to be open and well supplied for cold and weary travellers needing a place to sleep and another wedding we ended up in the following day... but that story is for another time.
Two Years Ago Today
As I am waking up in the Himalayas I turn on my computer to see this wonderful email. Great moments come from a lot of hard work. The memories are priceless: Antony, Vijay,
If memory serves me - 2 years ago today we woke up to find a glorious day as we started down the Norman Glacier. Remember the night before was dark, snow falling and we couldnt quite make out our surroundings?
We awoke to blue skies and granite faced walls looking back at us. It was dead quiet with valleys covered in soft clouds below us.
That was a special day. Just wanted to highlight that.
regards,
Dunca
Penny Ice Cap
Self Immolation
Yesterday I joined a candle light vigil in memory of two monks who self immolated the day before (24th April). The two young monks, both in their twenties, died at the scene from their injuries. Since 2009, as many as 117 Tibetans living under China's rule have set themselves on fire demanding freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile. McLeod Ganj, India, the home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government in exile is probably the the only place that such a large gathering of Tibetans can happen without fear of oppression to pray for the fallen and protest against the Chinese occupation of Tibet.
We met at the main square at 6pm and walked around the city with candles singing prayers before ending up at the Tsuglagkhang Temple (residence of the Dalai Lama) where more prayers were sung and commemoration was given to the two young monks.
It was impossible not to sympathise with the dispair amongst the Tibetans. They are not just fighting against an all powerful overlord but an increasingly indifferent international community
I will let these few photos that I took (with my broken camera) speak the words.
More information on the Free Tibet movement and how you can participate at (www.freetibet.org).
