International Mankini Challenge

Well, when I say ‘we’ I of course mean Malph.

So the votes are in and over fifty percent of you thought that the best Mankini pics for Costa Rica would involve Malph throwing himself down a zipline/death slide.

I for one am a little worried about the composure of the shots. I’m just thinking. Malph, g-string, shots taken from below, legs held high. Hmmm…

Watch this space.

Having left Colombia for Panama, the obvious choice for the debut of the International Mankini Challenge in Central America was The Panama Canal. I’m pretty sure if you asked anyone to name anything else of note in Panama they’d struggle (don’t get me wrong, it’s a very pretty country).

While this may have been an easy choice, it is not a easy location to Mankini. Consider the fact that the Panama Canal is the biggest industry in the country (and therefore has a large workforce to avoid) with 14,400 vessels having passed through it in 2008 alone. Also consider that there’s not a lot else to see or do in Panama City and so tourists gravitate towards this one sight (meaning it’s always busy). Finally, think about the fact that Panamanian culture prefers you to cover up rather than…umm…uncover (so avoiding security is key as this may test their sense of humour)?

So the strategy was simple, get to the Miraflores Lock before opening so as to be the first person up on the viewing platform thus ensuring I could get some clean shots (i.e. without others in the background) of the canal and the Mankini. This would also minimise the risk of offending anyone or running into any children (I always try and minimise the risk of kids seeing me doing this).

The results you can see for yourself. Success! Whilst they may not be the most picturesque in the gallery, they have achieved what they needed to. Proof I wore the Mankini at the Panama Canal. What they don’t show is the rush to get my clothes back on as a huge tour group emptied from the lift onto the viewing deck where we were, or the workmen who spotted us!

But then it wouldn’t be a challenge if it was easy though hey?

See the photos here

I first met Dave Cornthwaite at a friend’s flat in London. He was crashing on the sofa whilst promoting his first book, Boardfree, the epic tale of his world record breaking 5 month journey skateboarding across Australia.

Like a lot of people who leave University, I had gone into a graduate scheme at a large corporation in London. Again, like a lot of ‘young executives’ in London, after the two year honeymoon period I dreamed of getting out of London and doing ’something else’. Meeting Dave was an inspiration, I’m not embarrassed to say that; here was a guy who had gone out and done something different. He hadn’t just dreamed about it on the tube on his way to work, he’d actually got up off his arse and achieved something.

I think this is where maybe the first seeds of the International Mankini Challenge were sown. Although at this point I had no idea that in less than two years I’d be heading off to Latin America with a green string, I did know that I wanted to do something different and challenging, that I could look back on and either be proud of or could laugh about. I don’t have the mental amplitude to do a physical challenge and so I knew then that it would have to be something that required daring and cheek (no pun intended) rather than months of training.

I’m sure there are people who can relate to this. We spend more time putting barriers in our way by giving reasons as to why we can’t do something than thinking about how we can achieve it. There’s a great Brazilian writer called Paulo Coelho who in his book, ‘The Pilgrimage’, talks about this common human trait of giving up our dreams through the self justification of ‘maturing’. It’s well worth a read as I can’t do it justice!

Anyway, as a personification of someone who refuses to ‘mature’ conventionally, Dave is soon to embark on yet another challenge. He intends to paddle over 9000 miles in two years in The Great Big Paddle. I hope you’ll join me in supporting him on his latest quest.

The Internet is a great source of information, but when you ask it how many official countries there are in the world you get some very different answers. With this in mind, when I was told by my captain on the sail from Colombia to Panama that the San Blas Islands is in fact a sovereign state and not officially part of Panama, my shipmates were only to keen to see the Mankini broken out. How could I disappoint and miss the chance to add another ´country´to the list?

San Blas is a collection of 365 desert islands populated by the Kuna tribe and coconut trees. Usually one family per island is resident and it´s their job to look after the island, trading fish and coconuts with anyone in the vicinity. Despite the vast number of islands in the archipelago, they more or less all look the same however – paradise! So without an `iconic location´ to get the shot at, I decided to get the picture at the most unique island I could.

Measuring 10 metres by 30 metres with five coconut trees and no inhabitants, I managed to avoid the normal challenges of security and unwanted public attention. With a temperature of 30C it was also one of the most climatically friendly to the Mankini shot. However being an 8 hour sail from Panama and then a 15 minute row in shallow waters surrounded by dangerous reef, it was by no means a walk in the park!

See the photos here

Well, no website is truly complete without a logo and thanks to Jason Roberts of thinnk.com, we now have ours. I’m loving the circular pun in the strapline:

Thanks Jase.

2400 steps, 44km, 18 river crossings and 5 days later and the Colombia Mankini pictures have been delivered, much to the surprise of the Colombian Military!

Taking Mankini shots is difficult at the best of times, especially when travelling on your own. Trying to build trust with strangers to explain to them what you’re doing and why they should take a picture for you can be a challenge in itself. Luckily I had 3 days trekking before we arrived at Ciudad Perdida (The Lost City) to persuade my comrades I wasn’t a weirdo. However speaking little Spanish I had to bank on the incumbent Colombian soldiers to be so bored that they’d find this funny, lend me their guns and not run me out of town. Fortunately they did.

From my personal perspective, these are the best shots yet and definitely took the most effort to achieve. While they didn’t involve extremes of temperature, the trek itself is no easy stroll through the hills.

See the photos here.

It’s Panama next and the Panama Canal is the obvious picture choice. Not the quietest of locations to do this, but no one promised it would be easy. Anyone got any ideas for Costa Rica?