International Mankini Challenge

Whilst scanning the world of twitter for Mankini chatter I came across a blog entry from www.loneleeplanet.com that says that “Borat’s Mankini Swimsuit a Hit in Japan”. Whilst the images of the ladies in question point to PhotoShop, it did make me smile and so I thought I’d share it with you.

The author, Reesan (and Aussie who spends his time between Australia and Japan), says about his blog that “whilst you are likely to find anything on this blog, the main theme is about exposing wacky Japan.” This claim is backed up by his blog post “Shūkan Asahi and the Mankini”, a popular general-interest magazine that is displaying some ladies in Mankini’s that is definitely genuine.

While these ladies can’t be classed as official entrants into the International Mankini Challenge, I’d suggest that next time you’re in Japan with your Mankini that you look them up!

So with the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver (Canada) now upon us, could there be a better time than now to send in your own Mankini Winter Olympic pictures and videos? In the first event we have James Hurst entering the Men’s Downhill Skiing.

James was in Morzine, France, when the mankini video was taken and did the downhill in aid of Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research. If you like and appreciate the bravery James showed in wearing the mankini to ski in, you can donate money towards Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research by going to James Hurst’s Just Giving page: http://www.justgiving.com/James-hurst-mankini-skirun. Well done James and good luck with the fund raising.

The last stop on my epic 13 month adventure around Latin and North America was Uruguay. Famous for… Well it was going to be hard to find somewhere in Uruguay to Mankini that the world would know by sight. So I decided to do it in a place that Uruguayans would know well – the beach and surf mecca of Punta del Diablo.

Uruguay is often forgotten by travellers to South America and without meaning to be nasty, I can see why. Don’t get me wrong, the quaintness of Colonia del Sacramento is appealing but wears thin after a day. Punta del Este is good if you want a St Tropez kind of feel (and can afford it). Montevideo… well, if you’re going to Uruguay, skip the capital as it’s as dull as it is grey! And let’s just say that Uruguay is far from being cheap, especially on a backpacker’s budget. In summary, neighbours Brazil and Argentina really put Uruguay in the shade.

However the small surf and beach town Punta del Diablo (Devil’s Point) is a little gem and so with a little over a week to spend in all of Uruguay I caught the ferry from Buenos Aires (Argentina) ticking off Colonia and Montevideo quickly on the way to some beach time. While in Montevideo I’d run into national hero Jose Gervasio Artigas, or should I say his monument in the main plaza. And so upon coming across another statue in honour of “the father of Uruguayan independence” in Punta del Diablo (and actually on the point itself), my decision was made for me as to where to take the mankini picture.

Punta del Diablo is a sprawling and unplanned sleepy town of sandy roads, cabins with sea views and no street lights or signs. It’s a chilled place where crime isn’t a problem and where all the local fisherman worry about is having enough money for a beer at the end of the day – so an ideal place to relax.

So it struck me as strange that with all this surfing and relaxing going on that people mustered the energy to wander out to the point to see, put plainly, what is a very average monument. Having myself fallen into the Latin American trait of “mañana” I kept putting off the mankini picture choosing to sunbathe and read instead (after a personal tally of 18 countries you can start to get a bit blasé about throwing on the lycra). So you can imagine how pleased I was when on my last day it was overcast and everyone in town decided to go see the monument (for some reason) and sit around drinking their mate (tea popular in Argentina and Uruguay – not a friend!).

Reunited with Abbey, veteran mankini photographer of 6 countries, we waited for the worst of the human traffic to pass before I shrugged off the boardies and climbed up on the plinth to join Jose. We tried to make the pics a little more interesting, whilst not wanting to offend any of Jose’s countrymen in the process, so I hope you like them.

See the Uruguay Mankini pictures here.

Until the next time …

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.