Kick Life's Ass

Sleep off the Beaten Path - Extreme Lodging

In an effort to step off the beaten path, I encourage everyone to stay in a hotel or bed and breakfast that isn’t on the typical tourist brochure.

Some examples of such exotic lodging:

The Northern Rail Train car Bed and Breakfast
This B&B features 18 elegant northwoods, Victorian, oriental & safari themed guestrooms housed in actual train cars and connected by a charming enclosed platform.

Costa Rica Tree House Lodge
This Tree House has two rooms and can sleep up to 6 people. The upstairs room has a private bathroom and a twin bed and the bathroom is built around a 100+ year-old tree, which is still growing around the house.

Jules’ Undersea Lodge
To enter the Lodge, one must actually scuba dive 21 feet beneath the surface of the sea. Jules’ really is underwater. Diving through the tropical mangrove habitat of the Emerald Lagoon and approaching the world’s only underwater hotel is quite an experience.

For more great exotic lodging, visit Extreme Lodging

Favela Tours

While not everyone’s cup of tea, for those seeking a bit of adventure while being reminded of how many people in the world live in poverty, take a favela tour.

A favela is the Brazilian equivalent of a shanty town, which is generally found on the edge of the city. They have electricity, but often not formally.

Favelas are constructed from a variety of materials, ranging from bricks to garbage. Many favelas are very close and very cramped. They are plagued by sewage, crime and hygiene problems. Although many of the most infamous are located in Rio de Janeiro, there are favelas in almost every large Brazilian town. In Rio one in every four Cariocas (as the inhabitants are called) lives in a slum.

For additional information, click here

AJ Hackett Cairns - World Class Bungy Jumping

The spectacular site in Cairns is a very special place, featuring the worlds first purpose built tower for Bungy Jumping and the only bungy operation on the planet that offers 16 different jump styles from traditional swan dives to riding off the roof on a BMX Bike.

The tower has been constructed 20 minutes north of Cairns in the middle of the rainforest. Featuring a pond below for water touches, waterfalls and Australian wildlife such as snakes, goannas and native birds.

From the top you can see out over the Northern Beaches and out to the Great Barrier Reef, so when you’re on the edge ready to jump suck in the view as it looks quite different on the rebound!

AJ Hackett Cairns
McGregor Road, Smithfield
PO Box 700, Smithfield QLD 4878
BOOKINGS: +61 (0)7 4057 7188
FREECALL: 1800 622 888 (Aust only)

Click here to visit official website

Tiger’s Nest Monastery

Taktshang is the most famous of monasteries in Bhutan. It hangs on a cliff at 3,120 metres (10,200 feet), some 700 meters (2,300 feet) above the bottom of Paro valley. Famous visitors include Ngawang Namgyal in the 17th century and Milarepa.

The name means "Tiger's nest", the legend being that Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) flew there on the back of a tiger. The monastery includes seven temples which can all be visited. The monastery suffered several blazes and is a recent restoration. Climbing to the monastery is on foot or mule.

Bhutan

For more information - search "Bhutan tours"

Glacier Dog Sled Tours

Glacier Dog Sled Tours, The Oldest Glacier Dog Mushing operation and only Helicopter Dog Mushing operator in Seward, Alaska.

Pristine beauty, majestic mountains and ancient glaciers are seemingly within arm's reach as you near your destination... the Godwin Glacier! A breathtaking view of Resurrection Bay and glacier-carved mountains unfold to this unspoiled wilderness, home to mountain goats, bears, moose and eagles that may be spotted along the way.

On the glacier, wait to share an essential part of Alaskan culture . . . Alaska dog mushing! Experienced guides explain that Seward, Alaska was the historical start of the famous Iditarod Sled Dog Trail. Hear unique personal accounts of their own Iditarod races and back country experiences. As they answer your questions you feel the excitement as the team is hooked up, then... you're off!

Imagine yourself standing on the runners of a dog sled with a team of huskies loping across the ancient snowfield nestled among the peaks of the Chugach range. The lure of the trail and thrill of driving a dog team creates the ultimate Alaskan vacation!

Godwin Glacier Dog Sled Tours
P.O. Box 2711
Seward, AK 99664
T 907-224-8239

Click here to visit official website

Explore Middle Earth - Mammoth Cave

The first hour of the trip consists of walking, crawling and squeezing through the historic "Mammoth Cave" area. Then groups pass through the "Middle Earth" area which was discovered in 1980.

Here there is mostly walking through nearly knee deep, sticky cave clay (high top shoes are a must) and the scenery is incredibly beautiful. The remainder of the trip consists of exploring the horizontal fissures in the "Cave of the Quills" area and a quick, 70-foot rafting trip across "Tom's Lake." The trip concludes with passages filled with "goo," more beautiful crystalline rooms, and then ascending ladders to sunshine and showers.

Get your adrenalin pumping on our thrilling and challenging underground adventures.

Underground Adventures
P. O. Box 78, Vallecito, CA 95251
209 736-2708

Click here for official website

Climb Denali - Mount McKinley

Climb Denali / Mount McKinley with the best - Mountain Madness

Denali is North America’s highest and most impressive mountain. From the town of Talkeetna, Alaska, you fly to the Kahiltna Glacier where you prepare for the ascent. The classic West Buttress route on Denali requires only intermediate technical climbing skills, but perseverance, intense physical exertion, teamwork and patient acclimatization are all necessary for this climb.

This unforgettable climb has long been regarded as a great expedition challenge, comparable to the Himalayan giants.

Mountain Madness Inc.
3018 SW Charlestown Street
Seattle, WA  98126
Phone: (206) 937-8389
(800)-328-5925

Click here to visit official website

* I was privileged and honored to know Scott Fisher, the founder of Mountain Madness who lost his life atop Mt. Everest doing what he loved most, kicking life’s ass. Scott remains strong in my memory as he personified success, passion and had a lust for life rarely seen, but NEVER forgotten.

-Jim

Running of the Bulls - Pamplona Bull Run

The Running of the Bulls is a practice that involves teasing or tormenting bulls to enrage them, then running in front of bulls that have been let loose on a course of a sectioned-off subset of a town's streets.

The most famous running of the bulls is that of the nine-day festival of San Fermín in Pamplona, although they are held in towns and villages across Spain during the fiesta season, usually in the run-up to the corrida, or bull-fight, and in some cities in southern France, most notably Bayonne. Unlike bull fights, which are performed by professionals, anyone may participate in an encierro. Injuries are common, both to the participants who may be gored or trampled, and to the bulls, whose hooves grip poorly on the paved or cobbled street surfaces.

The origin of this custom is the transport of the bulls from the off-site corrals where they had spent the night to the bullring where they would be killed in the evening. Youngsters would jump among them to show off their bravado.

Click here to visit website for video and more info

Polar Bear Adventure

Located on the western shore of Hudson Bay and not accessible by road lies the small northern seaport of Churchill, Manitoba. Traveling on a Tundra Buggy is the most comfortable and safe way to experience a polar bear tour in the bears natural environment.

Plan to go to Churchill during October or November when the bears are slowly congregating along the coast, anticipating the winter freeze-up of Hudson Bay. When the Bay freezes, the polar bears can get onto the ice to hunt their favourite meal, ringed seal.

With over 25 years of successful subarctic experience, The Tundra Buggy Adventure is the best way to view and photograph the polar bears of Churchill, Manitoba. Choose from either a Churchill Hotel- or Tundra Buggy Lodge-based stay. Providing exclusive access to the polar bears at Cape Churchill inside Wapusk National Park. Fulfill your expectations of snow, ice and polar bears.

Box 40063 RPO Nairn
Winnipeg, MB
Canada R2L 2G2
International Phone: 1 (204) 949-2050
Toll Free North America: 1(800) 663-9832

Click here to visit official website

Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving

The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving teaches thrill seekers and current or aspiring racers how to drive like the pros! Their racing school features a 60 acre purpose-built racing facility - something other car racing schools can't claim. Courses range from four hours to four days and we have beginner driving courses designed for people wanting a thrill of a lifetime and advanced racing courses for experienced racers or professionals. Our GM supplied driving school features the 2007 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe and Corvette ZO6, Cadillac CTS and CTS-V, Pontiac Grand Prix GXP, and the Pontiac GTO.

Bondurant School of HPD
20000 S Maricopa Rd
Gate 3
Chandler, AZ 85226
1-800-842-RACE

Click here to visit official website

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Hotels off the beaten path - Extreme Lodging