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In the build up to the ALife4Sale auction, several people suggested that I should either read the book or see the movie, "Into The Wild". It's a great movie, and I highly recommend it to anyone dissatisfied with their lot in life, or questioning what life is about. The main character in the story, Christopher McCandless, comes to an eventual and tragic realisation, and I guess that this truth is something that I have already realised long ago. What Chris realises is that "Happiness is only real when shared", and I feel exactly the same! So if you want to join in with any of the activities or travels I am planning, you would be more than welcome to do so. Do you want to achieve any of the same goals as me? Are you going to any of the same festivals? Or do you just want to meet up for a beer or a coffee? Then come and JOIN IN. You can contact me through the "Contact Me" page. It would really help in sorting emails if you could select the "Joining In" option for the subject line of your message. Take a look at the "Plan" for an outline of my itinery, and see also the "Calendar" and "Map" for further details of upcoming travels and activities. Hope to see you soon! Ian "Joining In" update - November 2009 So far I have achieved 63 of my goals, and have been joined on many of them by other people, which has been great fun. Each of the goals listed below links to the full blog write-up of the achievement of that particular goal:- Goal 1 - Snowboard at SkiDubai I met up with Mark, a friend from Perth at SkiDubai, and he did a ski lesson while I went snowboarding. Afterwards I met up with Jeff and Socorro (website contacts), US ex-pats living in Abu Dhabi, who showed me round for a day or two. Goal 2 - Big bungee jump My friend Melanie and her two kids came along to Pont de l'Artuby in France, and Mel did the jump too. Goal 3 - Christ of the Deep Mel and I travelled to Italy, and dived together to see the statue of Christ, Cristo degli Abyssi. Goal 4 - Paraglide Mel's dad introduced me to his paragliding mates, and I did the course with five other French guys, who were great fun. Goal 5 - Tomatina I travelled with my friend Paula, originally from Perth but currently living in London, through Spain. In Valencia we stayed with Graham and family (website contacts), and Graham and his daughter Maria came along to get covered in tomatoes. Goal 6 - Eiffel Tower I met up with Philippe and Emmanuel (website contacts) at the base of the Eiffel Tower, and the three of us climbed it together. Goal 7 - Dive off swimming pool top board My friend Notty came along as official undercover cameraman for the dive off the top board at the Dolphin Centre in Darlington Goal 8 - Oktoberfest In Munich I met up with James, a friend from Perth, for a beer or two, and also met up with Dawn and Diane (website contacts) to go to Oktoberfest itself. I also met up with Peter (website contact), and after our road trip to Austria, we went back to Munich for more beer. Goal 9 - Statue of Liberty (NY) In New York, Lilly and her family (website contacts) offered me accomodation, and the whole family came along to see the Statue of Liberty. At the statue we also met up with Stef, another website contact. Goal 10 - Kingda Ka Linda and her husband Brian (website contacts) made me welcome in New Jersey, and Linda took me along to Six Flags Adventure World to ride the amazing Kingda Ka rollercoaster. Goal 11 - Niagara Jordan (website contact) acted as my guide in Toronto, and he and Rachel took me down to Niagara Falls to see the waterfall. Goal 12 - Sort out my tattoo Josh (website contact) offered to do a new tattoo for me, and did a great job! Goal 13 - Have a hawk land on my hand and eat Aaron (website contact) was my initial contact for this goal, and although I did not meet him, the two days spent with Bob, Michael, Misha and all the others involved were fantastic. Goal 14 - See the Grand Canyon This was the first goal I achieved on my own, and as the sun set over the canyon I felt pretty lonely. Happiness is only real unless shared! Goal 15 - See Mount Rushmore I also saw Mount Rushmore on my own, as the guy I was supposed to meet there was unable to come, unfortunately. Goal 16 - Las Vegas In Las Vegas I stayed with Simon (website contact) and Myles, who showed me around, and also got a tour from my artistic friend Misty (another website contact) Goal 17 - Skydive in a wind tunnel I finally got to meet Evan, who did quite a bit of publicity work for my ALife4Sale website, and we went to Perris Skydive Centre together, where Evan did his first tandem jump, and I tried out the wind tunnel. Goal 18 - Drive across America on Route 66 I met so many people on my journey across the States from Chicago to LA, including Diane, Aileen (website contact), Josh (website contact), Sue (website contact) and Nanc, Michelle (website contact), Rose (website contact), Sharon (website contact), and many, many more. Goal 19 - Los Angeles LA was great fun, and I got to meet Evan, Brandon, Ari (website contact), Yvette (website contact), and John (website contact) Goal 20 - Juggle with fire clubs What an amazing experience to juggle with Vova Galchenko, arranged for me by Mark (website contact) Goal 21 - San Francisco In San Francisco I got a thorough guided tour from Susan (website contact), met with Cindy (website contact) and her family to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, and went sailing on the bay with Isabel and her amazing and inspiring friends. Goal 22 - Gallop on a horse along a beach at sunset Debbie (website contact) arranged this activity for me, and Paul made it a reality Goal 23 - Spend a night in a haunted house - alone! This was another activity that Debbie arranged for me, and was made possible by the kindness of Kelli and Riley, but the very nature of the goal means that I achieved it on my own! Goal 24 - Work in a soup kitchen on Xmas day In Vancouver I stayed with Denise (website contact) and Duncan, met up with Jason (website contact) and Merryn, and Christina (website contact) and Amy Goal 25 - Go on a dog-sled ride in the wilderness This was made possible by Moe (website contact) up in Whitehorse, where I spent an incredible week. Goal 26 - Snowboard at Whistler I met up again with Jason, and his friend Jonathon, and we spent a great day on the slopes together. Goal 27 - See an active volcano Debbie back in Oregon helped to organise this for me, and with the help of Becky at the Big Island Visitors Bureau, and Danny, the guide at Hawaii Forest and Trail, I had an excellent day out. Goal 28 - Dive with manta rays The night dive was done in the company of a group of other divers, particularly Harvey, who let me use his photos, and Jason who shared an awesome few minutes with me at the end of the dive. Goal 29 - Take the controls of a helicopter I met Kyle while out on the adventurous Captain Zodiac trip. He just happened to be a helicopter instructor, and offered to take me for a lesson. Goal 30 - Ride the long surf at Hawaii Matt and Jackie (website contacts) were my fantastic hosts for my stay in Waikiki, and both came along to join in the fun in the surf. Goal 31 - Get Paula Campbell into top 10 in a Google search Unfortunately I never met Anthony, whose help was invaluable on this goal, even though I passed through his home town of Toronto. Hopefully next time! Goal 32 - Sleep in a Japanese capsule hotel My visit to Tokyo was made so much easier because of the wonderful kindness of Connie (website contact) and her family, who put me up for my stay there. Goal 33 - Hammerhead shark reef At Yonaguni, the western-most point of Japan, I met a wonderful group of divers, who joined me in the water on this exciting goal. Goal 34 - Sell my life How many people have I met through this goal? Thanks to all who have joined in and helped out with this whole thing. Goal 35 - Dive with whales Doug, who runs Reef Encounters in Okinawa, organised this for me, and a few of his friends came along too. What a day! One of the most outstanding moments of my life! Goal 36 - Ice sculptures - Sapporo Yuki Matsuri Unfortunately this was one of those goals that I had to achieve alone. I knew a couple of other people going to the festival, but because of my other plans, dates did not quite coincide. Goal 37 - Go to Israelite Bay My friend Andrew and I enjoyed a much more adventurous journey than we ever expected as we headed down south. Goal 38 - Ride a motorbike at over 250km (150mph) on a public road A couple of good friends helped out with this speedy goal, but wish to remain nameless, for obvious reasons! Goal 39 - See Uluru I met up with friends Pam and Ces in central Australia, although I had to climb the rock on my own, as neither of them wished to do so!! Goal 40 - Learn to play didgeridoo I joined a class in Fremantle to learn to play the didge. My friend Mel and her two daughters came to do a lesson too one week. Goal 41 - Learn to kitesurf My friend Andrew, who came to Israelite Bay with me, is a keen kitesurfer. He put me in touch with the kiteboarding school in Perth. Goal 42 - See a 10m+ whaleshark Kat from Ningaloo Blue contacted me and invited me up to Exmouth to swim with these giant creatures. Mel also flew up to join me for my second day with the whalesharks. Goal 43 - Attend the Cannes Film Festival I met so many people in Cannes, and had so much help in achieving this awesome goal, although I actually had to go to the premiere and climb the red-carpeted steps on my own! It was still an incredible experience! Goal 44 - Learn to speak conversational French I have had quite a bit of help with my French, most notably from Mel, and I learned some great terms from her dad, Jean-Claude. I also got some good help from Valerie and family during my time in Cannes. Goal 45 - Cheese Rolling Festival in Gloucester My brother Martin joined me as a competitor in the first race of the day, and we were accompanied by Rachel and Sutty, who helped us celebrate afterwards. Goal 46 - Meet Richard Branson Martin came along again with me into central London to drop me off, and got to meet Sir Richard too. Goal 47 - Ride the "Wall Of Death" Colin Furze has built his own Wall Of Death in a field, and he and his friends spent a patient weekend teaching me how to ride it. Goal 48 - Do a wingwalk I was staying with my brother Martin and Rachel when I achieved this goal, but unfortunately they couldn't come along on the day, so I was flying solo on this one.... well, not exactly, Mike the pilot was there with me too, of course! Goal 49 - San Fermin Bull Run Festival Michael contacted me with an accomodation offer, and I ended up staying with Mike, Willy, Nick, Fipps, Ivy, Kurtiss, and later arrivals Muna and Carmen. I also did my first bull run with John, who had interviewed me the day before. Goal 50 - Greenpeace, go aboard the Rainbow Warrior After the hectic week in Pamplona I was glad to have a few days on my own to catch up on some much needed sleep, and went on my own to see the Rainbow Warrior. There I was hosted by Marta, Isabel, Mehdi, and many others from the friendly crew aboard. Goal 51 - Stay a night in an underwater hotel Cari was my wonderful Florida guide and companion, but did not want to do any diving, so the night underwater was spent alone. Goal 52 - Pyramid at Chichén Itzá My quick trip down to Mexico was made alone. Goal 53 - Bonneville Speed Week My friend Susan, who showed me around San Francisco last year came with me to Bonneville to see the amazing vehicles racing there. Goal 54 - Bobsleigh run Susan also came as far as Salt Lake City too, where I also met Tiffany, Clay and Tom. Tiffany and her two kids, Ben and Hannah came along to Olympic Park, but Susan was the only one who actually rode in the bobsled with me! Goal 55 - Bognor Regis Birdman Michelle in Worthing offered to help out with accomodation, and flight preparations. On the day quite a few others came along to support, including my brother Martin along with Rachel, Rob, and even one of the other Ian Ushers came along with his wife to give some encouragement. Goal 56 - Whitewater rafting My companions in the raft were Val, Eric, and Tim, all of whom were joining me for my "7 Peaks in 7 Days" goal. Val's cousin Diane also joined us for the trip down river. Goal 57 - "7 Peaks in 7 Days" As this was a week-long goal, ther was plenty of opportunity to join in, and more people did so than on any other goal so far. Those that took part for some or all of the challenge were:- Val, Eric, and Tim, Brenda, Jackie, Bryan and Dylan, Laura and Brian, Loren and Lisa, Bob, Patrick, Jerry and Mary, Paul, Justin, John, Amanda, Jonathon and Camilla, Eric and Aletha, Jack and Susan, Bruce, Jerry, Kevin and Tim. Goal 58 - Play in a $1,000 poker game I met with Justin, who had joined me on a couple of the climbs in Colorado a week or two before, when I was in Las Vegas. However, poker is pretty-much a solo game, and I played this hand on my own. Goal 59 - Meet 10 new people from ALife4Sale I have made so many new friends and met some wonderful people since beginning this adventure, that it would be impossible to list them all here. Ten people from my list of new people that I wanted to meet are:- Misty, Evan, Yvette, Brandon, John, David, Moe, Matthew, Richard and Eric. Goal 60 - Skydive from either a helicopter or a balloon I travelled alone to the "Chicks Rock" skydive boogie at Skydive Elsinore, but as always at a dropzone, you are never alone for long. Three of us jumped from the helicopter on our load. Goal 61 - Bit part in a Hollywood movie Although I went along to play my big scene alone, I met quite a few of my other fellow actors there. Goal 62 - Memorise the poem "If..." I went to Real Cheap Sports in Ventura to talk about my adventures so far. It was the perfect opportunity to try out my newly memorised poem. Among those in the audience were friends old and new, Evan, John, and Doug. Goal 63 - Dia de Muertos I travelled alone down to Oaxaco in Mexico, but staying in backpacker hostels means that you are never alone for long. Essi was my companion on the trip to Xoxocotlan cemetery on the night of the 31st october. Goal 64 - Walk on the Great Wall Of China Lancy contacted me via the website after one of her assignments for an English lesson was to sumarise an article about a guy from Australia who put his whole life up for sale on eBay. talk about taking your homework seriously! After my first day on the wall in the mist and snow, Lancy and I had an awesome two days in perfect conditions at a remote section of the wall. Goal 65 - Ride an elephant I met Irene just an hour or so before the elephant parade was about to begin, and we decided to pool resources and share an "elephant taxi" between us for the journey to the Elephant Buffet Breakfast. Goal 66 - Elephant Round-Up I met Irene again just befor the elephant show was about to begin, and we both pretended to be press photographers, ending up with some great seats for the show finale! Goal 67 - Red crabs march I stayed with my first couchsurfing host Braydon on Christmas Island. He was the perfect guide, as he works for the National Parks, and took me to see this amazing spectacle, joined by many of the other people I had met on this friendly island. Goal 68 - See an iceberg I stayed first with Magnus, and then Hildur for my stay in Iceland. Unfortunately both were working on the days when I took a trip to see Jokulsarlon, the Glacier Lagoon at the base of vatnajokul, Europe's largest glacier. Goal 69 - See the Northern Lights On the same trip to see the icebergs, I was lucky enough to see the Northern Lights, but once again had to enjoy this on my own, as my local friends had to deal with the inconvenience of having to go to work! Goal 70 - See Table Mountain I met with Martin and Rachel down in Cape Town, and we travelled for a week or so together. Martin and I climbed Table Mountain and met Rachel at the top. Goal 71 - Shark cage dive Martin and I went out from Gansbaai, and spent an hour or so side by side in the cage, trying to glimpse the big sharks through the murky water. Goal 72 - Ride an ostrich Martin climbed aboard an ostrich for a photo, but after seeing me fall off when I rode it, he decided that sitting was enough for him. A wise choice, I hurt my ribs quite badly!! Goal 73 - See Victoria Falls My first view of the Falls was on my own, but when I crossed into Zambia I met Cameron at my hostel, and we went and sipped beers, watching the sun set over the spectacular Zambezi River. Goal 74 - See the statues on Easter Island I met Annette at a couchsurfers' dinner, and the next day we hired a car to tour the island, visiting several of the amazing moai sites. As you can see from the list above, so many of the people who have joined in are people who have simply got in touch with me via the website, so if you fancy joining in with anything, please do not hesitate to contact me through the "Contact Me" page. The "Joining In 100 Goals Fantasy League" Just for fun I started to tot up how many people have taken part in more than one of the 100 goals, and there are actually quite a few. Below is a league table of people who have come along to support, or even join in with more than one of the goals:-
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- Goal 75 - Machu Picchu challenges!!
07 Feb 2010 - Mal de altura!
04 Feb 2010 - Machu Pichu misery.
02 Feb 2010
- Fly Cuzco to Iguazu
09 Feb 2010 - Iguazu Falls
10 Feb 2010 - Fly to Rio
11 Feb 2010
- Machu Picchu
08 Feb 2010 - Val flies Lima to Cuzco
04 Feb 2010 - Val arrives Lima, Peru
03 Feb 2010
- Victoria Falls to Easter Island in days - fantastic!
by tacobet - Re: The Buried Life
by ianusher - The Buried Life
by tacobet
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