International Mankini Challenge

On a daily basis our panel of international judges are scouring your contributions for the very finest of pictures. Selection for this coveted title is based on: level of risk to life of Mankinist from offended locals, extremes of climactic conditions, remoteness of location, package size and definition, quality and originality of photographic composition and amount of fiscal recompense proffered.

Current holder: Malph – Ciuidad Perdida, Colombia

It kicked off in the South of France and started to gain substance in South and Central America. Now, thanks to three more fine young men (bringing the current tally to six Challengers in total), the International Mankini Challenge (IMC) is gathering pace around the world.

It takes a special kind of man to cast aside conventional clothing, concern of what others may think or say and don the luminous green thread that is the mankini. We know it’s not big or clever and we know it’s unsightly, but in a world where far too many people take themselves and life too seriously and where in the last year or so there’s been little to smile about, we’re trying to raise people’s spirits.

So I salute you Nick Ferris who wore the mankini in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, after presiding over his friends wedding. I salute you Kevin Oliver who wore the mankini to a fancy dress party in Manly, Australia. And a big salute to you Andrew ‘Chicken’ Hunter who wore a purple version of the mankini in New Zealand whilst ice climbing the Fox Glacier, canyon swinging in Queenstown and zorbing and bungee jumping in Rotorua! I know what it takes and you have my admiration. I have a feeling we could be seeing more of your exploits in the mankini soon gentlemen as we continue our quest to mankini every country of the world.

I hope seeing these great guys step up to the challenge has inspired some of you to take part and send your pictures in to us. If not, then I hope at least it puts a smile, or maybe a grimace, on your face.

Click here to see Nick’s mankini photos
Click here to see Kevin’s mankini photos
Click here to see Andrew’s mankini photos

Remember, you can follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/mankinimalph and join our Facebook Group at http://tinyurl.com/lypvja, as well as follow my (Malph) exploits on STA Travel’s website. Please keep spreading the word.

I love backpacking around the world. The chance to travel to new countries, meet new people, better understand what the world actually is and undertake experiences that make me feel truely alive. Add to this the International Mankini Challenge and the last 13 months of my life have been one of the most fun, daring and enjoyable I’ve had. I also love to share my experiences and the knowledge I’ve gained with others, when asked (last thing I want to be is a travel bore), hoping it will inspire them to take the plunge and reap the benefits of backpacking. However there are three things I hear uttered by new, naive and/or non-travellers that I’m afraid drive me nuts!

1. “You’re so lucky!”

A comment that can be found on many a backpacker’s Facebook albums. Balderdash is what I say to it! Not to travel is easier than travelling and a lot of people confuse backpackers with being lucky because they’ve taken the decision and made the effort to make their dreams a reality.

“I don’t have the money”, “I’ve got a job”, “I’ve no one to go with” etc are all lame excuses as far as I’m concerned. If you really want to travel and see what the world has to offer then save money, leave your job and go on your own! I’ve met people in $80,000 of debt who’ve spent 3 years saving a travel fund and delayed repayments for a year so they can live their dream. Leaving your job is the easy part and by the time you’re back it’s likely that things will be a lot better than they are now. In fact you have have gained new skills or a new direction that elp you get a better and more fulfilling job! And backpacking on your own is the only way to travel in my opinion. You’re master of your own destiny and go anywhere you want.

In essence too many people are ready to put up barriers as to why they can’t do something rather than look as to how something can be achieved. All it requires is a change in mindset.

2. “It dangerous there”

Hearing this said is my number one pet peeve. If I’d listened to this while backpacking around South and Central America recently I’d have missed going to Colombia, the jewel in South America’s crown in my opinion – where anything you could ever want to see/do, you can here (trekking to the Lost City, the beautiful town of Salento, the Manizales coffee plantations, the salsa of Cali, the partying and stunning women of Medellin, the culture and beauty of Bogota, the extreme sports of San Gil, the Caribbean beaches of Parque Nacional Tayrona, the diving in Taganga, the history of Cartagena, the Amazon area of Leticia). and some of the nicest people you’re likely to meet).

Colombia isn’t the only country to suffer from the dangerous tag. I could name countless other countries that travellers miss out based on what they or a friend/family can remember reading in the media in the past. Unfortunately people are too quick to dismiss on this basis and don’t take the time to find out more about what a country is like now. Seemingly they then are in the habit of propagating this viewpoint until it becomes ‘fact’.

The best way I’ve found to illustrate the case for Colombia and countries like it is this. If you only believed what you read in the press about the USA then you wouldn’t go there either. Ater all, who would want to go to a country that declares war on others at the drop of a hat, where kids are all fat and shoot each other at school everyday, where street crime is rife and where you’re probably going to die in a hurricane or forest fire?

The fact is we know there’s more to the USA as information is more readily available. If people spent a little longer looking into countries where it wasn’t, they may not looked shocked when I tell them that in the five weeks I was in Colombia I didn’t meet one traveller who had either been mugged or had things stolen when there. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying break the bling out, I’m saying even in your own country there are dangers, just use your common sense.

3. “Back to the real world”

What is the real world? Where is it? Why does the life you left to go backpacking have to be the real world and the one you experience travelling be fantasy? Your life is what you make it, we all have choices. If you want a conventional life with a career, house and family, then fine – good luck to you. But if you want something else, like my friend Alex who left his career as a Management Consultant behind to sail to Latin America and start a hostel in Bogota, then all the best to you in creating your new ‘real world’. You have my upmost respect.

So get your video camera out, make the best film for the STA World Traveller Intern, pack the mankini and send us the pictures!

You can also follow us on twitter and/or join the International Mankini Challenge Facebook Group.

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The birthplace of the Mankini may have been in Sacha Baron Cohen’s head, but the place that made it famous is Hollywood and the film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. For a Mankini, Hollywood is Mecca. It’s the closest it can get to its creator and is the spiritual home of green lycra. For the International Mankini Challenge (IMC) the pièce de résistance would be a picture with God Himself, Sacha Baron Cohen. But could he be reached?

When you travel you have the good fortune to meet people from all sorts of countries and walks of life. If you listen when people are talking about themselves you’ll also pick up valuable pieces of information that may not only be interesting, but may prove useful to you or a friend in future. And if you don’t listen, then posting a request for help on your Facebook status or on twitter account can often help you out. I tried all these avenues to try and get hold of Mr Sacha Baron Cohen and was lucky enough to snag a friend of a friend who knew him and a mate who knew his agent, manager and publicist’s names.

Now a friend of Sacha may have limited influence with a man with a profile as big as his, but a manager, agent and publicist… If you watch the US show Entourage then you’ll know how this dynamic works between ‘E’, Ari Gold and Shauna. The manager manages the day to day affairs for the client and pushes the agent to get the best deal and opportunities for them. The agent negociates with the studios in trying to secure the roles his client wants while trying to raise his client’s equity in the movie business. The publicist on the other hand tries to build a public image of the client through various media that makes him more employable. And so I dropped these guys emails, no doubt all bigwigs in their respective agencies, doubting I’d get a response.

Arriving at LAX after 11 months in Latin America I was braced for my own ‘Cultural Learnings of America’. Coming back into ‘the modern world’ was sure to be a shock judging by how overwhealmed I felt about my first Walmart experience in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. However I had the benefit of staying with a good friend from London who now lives in Los Angeles (LA) and with him we put our heads together for alternative LA picture opportunities as back up. The list read as follows:

As well as being a fountain of knowledge on LA landmarks, my friend also works and is connected in the entertainment business. Thus over the week of my stay he’d arranged for me to play football at singer Robbie Williams house, get VIP passes to Universal Studios and go to an LA Lakers basketball match. I supplemented this by speaking to a contact of mine (before traveling I worked in sport) to get us access to the five day old VIP Hyde Lounge Staples Centre at the game where, it turned out, a certain Mr David Beckham and his LA Galaxy teamates would be celebrating the fact they had reached the Major League Soccer (MLS) final!

After taking into account the fact I wanted something synonomous with LA, somewhere I wouldn’t risk running into kids or getting lynched by security or the cops and something relevant to the Borat film, as well as would make a good picture, I settled on the Hollywood sign!

Sure, a picture with Robbie on the pitch at his house would have been cool, but he was in the UK (the chances hey?) promoting his new album Reality Killed The Video Star. It would have been rude to do it without his permission. A shot with Becks would also have been awesome, but this wasn’t the right environment and to be honest I think he gets bothered enough. I wanted to let him chill and enjoy his night with his team mates. And so I found myself travelling up Beachwood, the best street to get a view of the Hollywood sign, one Saturday. It’s a pretty residential area and home to the rich, famous and private security firms! However after some expert navigation by H, we found the spot!

Unobstructed views of the Hollywood sign are hard to get, especially ones without the rest of LA’s tourist population at your heels. But we’d found such a place. With the light fading I slipped into the straps and we picked our spot. After a couple of trial shots I stripped off and we got the shots and 15-20 seconds after I got my kit back on a patrol car rolled by… phew. Upon checking the rear mankini pictures I noticed that the label was out. After so many shots I’ve become a bit of a perfectionist and so after a brief look around I whipped the gear off again and we got some more arse shots. Boom – done!

It may not be Sacha, Becks or Robbie – but nonetheless it’s Hollywood and I’m pleased to get a shot such as this with an icon such as the famous sign.

See the pictures here.

Just a brief post to wish you all the best for 2010 and to let you know that a new Mankini unfortunately didn’t make it into Santa’s sack this year.

Undetered however, and joined by a 6ft man in a all in one blue lyra Morph suit, I played Mankini Santa to a group of fellow backpackers in San Telmo, Buenos Aires in Argentina. The pictures below are a brief snapshot of the joy brought by Mankini and Morph Santa. Who says they’re not real?!

Happy New Year!

On December 8th 2008 the International Mankini Challenge was launched. By Christmas it was still in its infancy with only France and Brazil having been Mankinied leaving a list of 16 countries(ish) left to do. Now, a year on, 15 countries in total have been visited by Mankini Malph with a further two, Australia and England, completed by you guys. So what is the Christmas message for 2009?

While you’re at home ripping open the wrapping paper hoping for the STA Travel vouchers you wanted, the new backpack or the Merrel walking boots, spare a thought for me as I sit with my new travel friends in Buenos Aires (Argentina) hoping one of them has had the forsight to buy me a new Mankini.

The old green lycra number with its loose threads, questionable stains (not my doing, a symptom of being stuffed in a backpack with random other stuff) and perishing elastic has seen better days. Travelling in my backpack and going through numerous hot washes at local Lavanderias has not helped matters. However it’s done me proud and no doubt will continue to hold its own (and mine) during the festive period, but like everyone, it needs a break at some time.

And so as you start to think about making your New Year’s resolutions for 2010 please could you please promise me one thing… that you’ll either actively join the revolution that is the International Mankini Challenge, bringing a smile (although more often it’s a grimace) to others’ faces, or that you’ll encourage others to take up the challenge by buying them a Christmas Mankini (there’s a link on the site for you to be able to do this – you’d be amazed at how often I’m actually asked where you can get one)?!

At the end of the day there are 172 countries left to do, and unlike Santa I can’t get around these all in one night and so need your help. Remember, we’ll both benefit. I’ll get the satisfaction of completing a very difficult challenge and you’ll get to see the pictures that always raise a smile on those hard days in the office.

Happy Christmas to you all and thank you so much for all your support and comments. Find below a taste of what will be happening in San Telmo, Buenos Aires this Christmas as it was last. These mankini pictures were taken at Hostel Clan in Buenos Aires in 2008 as I was acclimatising to the mankini.

So this has nothing to do with the International Mankini Challenge, but more with the funny things you see when you´re travelling – so please bear with me.

As you´ll all no doubt have seen, a lot has been written in recent weeks about Tiger Woods and his infidelity. Most recently, and following his announcement that he is to take an indefinite break from playing golf, attention has been focussed on his sponsors and whether they will continue to support him. With a reported $100m of Tiger´s income coming from sponsor endorsements and ‘only’ $23m coming from golf tournaments, their decisions are important ones to the world´s number one golfer as he looks to repair his public image and to a far lesser extent, maintain his income while out of professional competition.

This focus has sharpened in the last week with the news that Gatorade is to drop a Tiger Woods-endorsed product (though they say the decision to do this was prior to recent events), Gillette are to limit his role and Accenture are to drop him altogether.

It´s not all doom and gloom for Tiger though as sponsors including Nike, Tag Heuer, TLC Vision, Electronic Arts and Netjets have publically stated they´ll continue their sponsorship of Tiger. Although in saying that, while Tiger currently seems to be enjoying support from the majority of his backers, US media figures show `the last prime-time advert featuring the 33-year-old golfer was a 30-second Gillette item on 29 November´.

So while the majority are backing Tiger Woods verbally, sponsors don´t necessarily seem to be following that up in the way they’re using him publicly. However having seen this Accenture billboard advert in San Francisco airport on December 4th, he may well be better off without their backing at all!

If you can´t read the strapline at the bottom it says “We know what it takes to be a Tiger. Talk to us to see how we can help.” Obviously this offer isn´t now open to Tiger himself. Indeed if Tiger is to follow Accenture´s example, running away may seem the best option. And so I would beg to differ with Rick Burton, a professor of sports management at Syracuse University, who told the Associated Press “(Accenture) had tied everything in their campaign to Tiger Woods. If he’s not golfing, those ads don’t make sense.” I don´t know about you, but it seems to make sense to me!

The beaches of Tulum, diving in Cozumel, the colonial towns of Merida and Campeche, the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza (one of the modern wonders of the world) and Palenque, the waterfall of Aqua Azul, Canyon Sumidero near San Cristobel, the Mexican pipeline in the surfing mecca of Puerto Escondido, the Day of the Dead festival in Oaxaca, the massive cactus fields near Puebla, Lucha Libre (Mexican wrestling), Frida Kahlo’s House, Mexico City’s Zocalo and the Azteca Stadium were all good options to Mankini in Mexico. However the winner was the ancient Aztec city of Teotihuacan, home to the third highest pyramid in the world (after Egypt’s) and the most visited of Mexico’s archaeological sites.

Swine flu aside, Mexico has a lot to offer a traveler, be they backpackers or vactioners, with an array of both natural and man-made wonders. Unfortunately many visitors don’t get out of the all inclusive resorts in Cancun or Playa del Carmen. But those travellers who have enough gumption to do so will be duly rewarded.

I was in Mexico for 5 weeks and missed a lot of what it had to offer, such is the vastness of the country and the diversity of activities it offers. Eleven months into my trip I have to be honest and say I was a little travel weary. I had volcano, waterfall, hot spring and ruin fatigue to mention a few, so spoilt have I been. But Mexico surprised me and revitalised my enthusiasm by offering things that were different to what I’d seen and done before in Central and South America.

With so much to see and do I looked for something fresh to add to the Mankini gallery. Arriving at my final destination in Latin America, Mexico City, and seeing the Lucha Libre adverts and the people’s love of the sport I knew it had to be this. Mankini in a mask Nacho Libre style, Jack Black would be proud. And so it was on a Friday night that and my merry band of men and I set off to Arena Mexico having purchased an array of suitable masks to get into the evening. Following the mask-clad masses we had no trouble finding the stadium and posed for pictures before climbing the stairs to the arena that was to witness a Lucha Libre outfit that the world had never had the pleasure of experiencing before. But then disaster struck ….

Security in all of Latin America tends to be heavy on the vision, but light on the action if you get my drift. However this was all about to change. Upon getting the pat down at the entrance the Federal Policia found my camera. Pulling it out and sealing it in a plastic bag they gave me a ticket explaining I could collect it at the end of the show – no pictures here sir! Nooooooo!

Feeling a sense of despair it was relieved when my Aussie mate Mei said they hadn’t found the camera in her bag! Joy oh joy! That was ’til she tried to turn it on and the battery immediately died! The Mankini God who had looked down so fondly on me now seemed to be frowning. However with little lycra to wipe the tears away I put a brave face on things and resolved to find something even better than pantomime wrestlers to grace the Mankini with.

After a long weekend of walking tours, bakery visits, museum viewings and a couple of cactus based beverages with NotInc Tours I decided to take on the biggest of Mexico’s archaeological sites (both in size and the number of visits it receives, which is saying something considering the number of ruins in this region) – the pyramids of Teotihuacan, an ancient Aztec city (though they didn’t build it, but rather they found it. No one really knows who constructed this impressive city). The only issue was who was going to be my photographer? All the people I had met had left, and I was leaving on Wednesday!

I had two choices, fail at the penultimate hurdle and my 18th location, or grow some balls and hit the site solo and convince some generous soul that taking a picture of a strange skinhead in a small piece of luminous green lycra really was a good idea and that I wasn’t weird at all! Really this was no choice, I had to go and see what happened!

Teotihuacan is known best for its two big pyramids, the Pyramid of the Moon and the Pyramid of the Sun (the third largest in the world at 65 metres after those in Egypt). For me it was go big or go home! There’s a great view from the Pyramid of the Moon over to the Pyramid of the Sun. The only problem with this was that there was also a man from the Federal Policia who had a handgun and who looked pretty angry with how cold and windy it seemed to be. However what this view also afforded me was the luxury of scouting some other possible locations, and from what I could see there may well be another option!

Having met an artist collective called The Black Heart Gang from South Africa, who were over in Mexico to talk at an art conference before heading to LA to shoot a commercial, I broached the requirement I had. After wiping the tears from their eyes (I’m not sure if that was because of the wind or my request) they agreed to use their keen professional eye to help me complete my challenge – awesome! And so craftily using a couple of temples as shields from prying eyes, we got the shots required! While it was pretty damn cold and late in the day, this probably worked for me by minimising the number of other tourists. Let me tell you though, relieved is not the word as to how I feel and I can’t thank the guys of the The Black Heart Gang enough in helping me get within reach of completing my challenge!

So 20 hours later and I was headed to the airport for my final destination, and the home of the Mankini, Los Angeles! Would Sacha Baron Cohen’s agent reply to my email request of a picture with Sacha?

You can also follow my exploits on twitter by visiting http://www.twitter.com/mankinimalph

See the Mexico pictures here.

At 28 years old I set out on my first extended backpacking adventure taking in South Africa, South East Asia and California (USA) in a little under five months. At 32 I decided to travel for longer still undertaking the International Mankini Challenge and being an STA Travel Explorer in Latin America and beyond. As I come towards the end of this trip I wonder if this will be my last as a backpacker or if I have any more travelling in me given my age.

In 2006 I left the UK for what turned out to be a great adventure. Compared to a lot of friends my trip was overdue by 6-10 years as they had travelled either side of university. Despite having 6 months free after university before I started on a graduate programme however, I decided to work in the university bar to extend my student life rather than check out STA Travel to see what was on offer overseas. Why you may ask? Because I didn’t have a latent desire to travel at the time and, to be honest, the thought of backpacking around the world scared me.

Nine years on and I wonder if my second trip will be my last as a ‘proper’ backpacker. During my first trip I noticed in hostels, on tours and on the buses in between that I was either the oldest or one of the oldest travellers in my group. This didn’t worry me unduly as I often get aged four years younger than I am and I was still below the magic 30 barrier. Also, aside from the occasional friendly jibe, I was accepted without question by my fellow explorers. Second time around and it’s rare that I’m not the oldest out of the travellers in my posse. While Latin America, especially Central America, attracts a generally older crowd than SE Asia and South Africa, there are still a small number of people in their 30’s travelling.

As I mentioned in my earlier post The changing face of backpacking – travelling in 2009, on this trip I’ve noticed a trend of second time backpackers, like myself, and generally a much larger percentage of older travellers i.e. early 30’s and above. But I wonder if this trend will continue in line with my ageing or if it will soon reach a plateau and I will be considered to old to backpack in the traditional ways?

Now I’m sure there are people out there who will say that you’re never too old to backpack and you can do anything you want no matter how old you are. Others will say mid to late 30’s nowadays isn’t even old. And to those people I would say I largely agree. However for me backpacking is about travelling around the world by staying in hostels (or camping, couchsurfing etc), using public transport (or ridesharing on craig’s list) to get from A to B, not denying yourself any new experiences or opportunities to submerge yourself in a country’s culture (whether that be going to the Carnival in Brazil or Volcano boarding in Nicaragua) and meeting people from all over the world. While using public transport generally isn’t too much of an issue whatever your age, though some journeys I’ve experienced definitely suit the younger and fitter person, there are certain challenges to staying in a hostel and meeting new people and not denying yourself the opportunity to undertake new experiences when you are older.

Whether you’re 18 and just left home, or 21/2 and just finished university, you revel in being away and not having your parents looking over your shoulder. There is a lot that goes on while travelling that never makes its way on to Facebook statuses and twitter feeds for fear of others deeming it not appropriate. From my perspective as a 32 year old, it matters not how old you are, but what you’re like as a person as to whether I want to hang out with you or not when I’m backpacking. But as a younger person the perceived age of someone undoubtedly plays a part in whether you’re invited to the bar or asked if you want to join them on a tour or excursion.

You only have to people watch while in a hostel to see how lone older travellers are treated with a sense of trepidation, and I’m no different from from an 18 year old in this. They are spoken to initially in the same way that a friend of your parents may be. While this is polite, it generally lacks rapour or results in an invite to your current backpacker social group. You’ll often see the older traveller eating on their own, being the one who speaks to the travel guide more than anyone else as they seek some sort of companionship (the guide has to talk to them as it’s their job) and the one who goes to bed early.

Rarely is this treatment malicious, but hostels are seen as a reserve of the young. Questions are asked as to why older backpackers are staying in hostels and not hotels. Unfair stereotypes can also be applied as people shy away from any social interaction or try to limit the amount of time they spend with the more mature traveller. A lot of times this is because younger travellers feel they can’t relax and say and do as they please.

Apart from the opportunity to socialise with fellow younger backpackers in a way that is genuine and not awkward, I wonder whether a lot of the activities I’ve undertaken in Latin America I’d still physically be able to do over a sustained period, or even want to do, in 5 years time. Trekking to the Lost City in Colombia, cycling the World’s Most Dangerous Road in Bolivia and climbing up Volcano Villarrica in Chile to name a few (and all wearing the Mankini may I add), is not for the faint hearted. Experiences like this have been a key part of why I love to travel and why I have had such an amazing trip. Like a professional athlete, the idea of undertaking lesser challenges doesn’t hold the same appeal.

And so as I sit here in San Francisco 11.5 months into my trip and after what has been a great two weeks in the United States so far, I’m left to wonder if my first Thanksgiving will be my last as a proper backpacker and if the International Mankini Challenge will have started and ended with this trip or if as a future lone older traveller I’ll be able to find other backpackers to take the pictures without thinking I’m a weird old pervert!

The former British colony of Belize, in Central America, was once famed for being a pirate haven. Now it’s now better known for the diving around its cayes, specifically the world famous Blue Hole and the second largest coral reef in the world. And so the first underwater Mankiniing of a country seemed appropriate.

With only a week planned for Belize (it’s a beautiful, but a little rich for my budget) my main concern was being able to get a dive in. September/October is bang in the middle of hurricane season and so there are few divers around. I had the added challenge of getting an underwater camera and someone to take pictures of me! My fears were to prove unfounded though as I headed out to Caye Caulker with Dan, a Swedish lad I met in Flores (Guatemala), who both wanted to dive and had an underwater camera – thank you Mankini God!

The Blue Hole is a 125m deep sink hole in the Caribbean Sea. Once above water, the Blue Hole was a limestone cave whose roof fell in once sea levels rose and it was submerged. Divers go down to depths of about 40m here to swim through the stalactites and stalagmites and see the Belize Reef Sharks that frequent it. It’s about two hours by boat from Caye Caulker and so Blue Hole dives consist of three tanks, taking in the world’s second largest reef on the other two to make the most of the day.

Heading out with Frenchie’s Dive Shop I was told by the guy on land that the temperature could get a little cold in the hole (so to speak) as we go so deep (sorry, this is loaded with unintentional innuendo). Having never been beyond 31m before, and with there being a very real danger of nitrogen narcosis for Dan (my photographer) and me, it was the obvious decision to concentrate on enjoying the dive and monitoring our depth rather than worrying about getting pictures of me in the Mankini.

While it would have been great to get a shot here, it proved a wise decision. Being at that depth in a 300m wide hole meant the light was pretty minimal and so getting a good picture would have been tough. Add to this an 8 minute bottom time and it would have been a dive that neither of us would really have been able to properly enjoy.

Back onboard the dive boat, with the relief and joy of having completed the famous Blue Hole without incident however, I introduced the Mankini to my fellow divers – much to their amusement. Kitted up I rolled back into the sea to dive Half Moon Caye.

Belize’s diving and snorkeling is some of the best in the world because of it’s abundance of large fish (they eat well here). While this is usually a bonus, with only eye catching neon green lycra between my ‘worm’ and the big hungry fish, I was a little nervous of unwanted aquatic attention and relations – especially from the massive barracuda who aren’t shy and can be aggressive!
To cut a long story short(er) both the dives at Half Moon Caye and The Aquarium were done without any fish related incidents. The only damage done was to my fellow divers’ eyes.

Thanks again to all those involved for making the first underwater mankiniing of a country a reality! And now it’s on to Mexico for the last Mankiniing of my trip in Latin America – arrrrribbbbaaa!

Check out the Belize mankini photo gallery by clicking here.

What started out as a bet by my friends seems to have caught the imagination of the world. Let me share some stats from The International Mankini Challenge (IMC) website.

Number of countries Mankiniied to date – 18 (and 4 more soon to be announced)

Number of people who have taken up the IMC to date – 3 (another couple to be announced soon)

Number of countries from where people have visited the website – 72

Number of new (i.e. doesn´ t include returning) unique visitors per week – 104

Number of sites with links to the IMC – 99

Average time spent on the site – 2 minutes 18 seconds

Average pages viewed – 3

This is a great start, but there´s obviously a long way to go. Thanks very much for your support so far, but please keep telling people about the The International Mankini Challenge and please countinue to show your support by following us on www.twitter.com/mankinimalph, on Facebook by joining the IMC group and on the Mankini on a Mission page at statravelbuzz.co.uk.