The Trail Less Traveled

Join Mandela as she wanders around a chaotic cooking competition in Southwestern India a stones throw from the Arabian Sea. Mandela interviews numerous chefs from all regions of India in regards to their geographic location, technique, favorite spices, lineage & available ingredients. Covering masalas, doshas, roti, biryani, alcoholic coconut beverages, vegetable curries & tandori meats. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on location in South Africa, this episode features a series of interviews featuring diverse cultural perspectives on Apartheid and South African history. During the Apartheid regime, humans were classified into three categories: 1. White 2. Coloured 3. BlackWe will speak with individuals representing all these categories and learn about their unique perspective on Apartheid, South African history and how the nation can move forward. Listeners can also enjoy some of the music which changed the nation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded on the land of the Gubbi Gubbi tribe in eastern Australia, we join an elder on top of a mountain where smoke signals were used between surrounding tribes for communication. We learn about the numerous similarities between Indigenous Aboriginal Australians and the First Nations Peoples of the Americas. We then walk down into the jungle to sit on the edge of a creek beside an ancient path which dates back tens of thousands of years. Sitting alongside numerous artifacts, we learn about initiation practices, animal totems, the law of the land and specifically how the indigenous Aboriginal Australians lived in harmony with the land and animals for hundreds of thousands of years prior to the arrival of Captain Cook. Alex Bond is a descendant of one of the last chiefs in this area of Australia, he is an activist, musician and storyteller. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are invited into the home of a female elder by the name of Aunty Hope O'Chin. We will take a cultural, historical and musical look at some of the 250 unique groups of Indigenous Aboriginal Australians. She also explains how to coexist, respect and heal communities and the planet. Aunt Hope was kind enough to share her family's tragic history inside government camps and her peoples fight for human rights. This is a great interview and excellent anthropological documentation.The interview was recorded on the land of the Gubbi Gubbi tribe in eastern Australia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This interview features Mourad El Baggare, who was born in the desert of Western Sahara. Mourad came to Marrakech at age 14 to become a businessman. Mourad now travels through North and West Africa collecting ceremonial masks which he sells to tourists and art collectors in Morocco. Mourad plays traditional music from the Sahara to end each segment after speaking eloquently regarding nomadic lifestyle, culture, food, dress, celestial navigation and philosophy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Doc" Steve Nicholson was a part of the early rafting descents of the Omo and Blue Nile in Ethiopia in the mid 70s. He started running the Grand Canyon in the early 70s and has run rivers in California, Oregon and Idaho. Doc often is seen rowing a wooden dory. Doc continues to guide whitewater expeditions well into his 70s. Doc practice dentistry for 35 years, he has his private pilot license and flies his own plane to the various rivers he guides on seasonally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode was recorded on a rooftop in the Medina of Marrakech, Morocco. It features an interview with Diego Ibanez, who was born in Arequipa, Peru. Diego is one of the worlds most extreme whitewater kayakers/rafters and has guided on the Futaleufú and Zambezi along with most the class V rivers in Peru. Diego and Mandela guided whitewater together in Morocco's Middle Atlas Mountains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tommy Cummins was born in 1944 and grew up in the south. He was shot twice during the Civil Rights and went on to work as a security guard for Ronald Reagan. Tommy has been through a lot in his life, in this interview he talks about his experiences with racism while playing pro baseball for the Pirates in addition to the racism he experienced as an undercover officer with the LAPD. Tommy's son, Chase, also joins the conversation and speaks with his father about the racism he experiences daily. The matter is lightened up occasionally with a few stories including his love for restoring classic cars and the time Tommy saved a young Michael Jackson from drowning in his swimming pool. Tommy lives in Kingman, Arizona and manages to keep laughing and fighting for civil rights on a daily basis.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode was recorded on an extremely remote private nature reserve at the most southern point of Africa where Mandela grew up and spent much of her childhood. In this episode we speak with Mandela's cousin, Amy Mocke, a school teacher and professional poisonous snake expert and handler. Amy sometimes helps people move cobras and other extremely dangerous snakes when they are in gardens, houses, barns and garages. Amy is also an animal rights activist and caretaker for many species of animals who deserve a second chance. In this episode, Amy speaks about the ecology and human history of South Africa with a focus on snakes, sharks, whales and other vital species who live in the land, sea and sky. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This show was recorded in the Backpack Hostel, located in the heart of Cape Town, South Africa. Mandela sits down with, Lee Harris, one of the owners of this multi-award winning backpacker & African travel center. Lee shares the story of starting this hostel with her best friend in 1990 during an Apartheid government.The Backpack has won countless awards including Best Hostel in South Africa for 2020. The Backpack is an award winning, Fair Trade hostel that invests in people and communities, giving meaningful and relaxed travel experiences. The Backpack are proud members of Pack for a Purpose, an initiative that allows travelers like you to make a lasting impact in the community at your travel destination. If you save just a few kilos of space in your suitcase and bring supplies for our community project, the GCU Academy, you’ll make a priceless impact in the lives of our local children and families. Once we are able to travel again, The Trail Less Traveled highly recommends a visit to South Africa's

During this interview we speak with Lucy, a refugee from Kenya who makes hand made sandals in Green Market Square, a place where slaves were traded in the 1600s.We also meetup with my good friend, Kipandi, a Rastafarian Olympic long distance runner from Kenya, who now dedicates his life to caring for the pigeons of the city.We will stand on the corner of the Bo-Kaap, an area of Cape Town formerly known as the Malay Quarter. It is a former township, situated above the city centre and is a historical centre of Cape Malay culture in Cape Town. Bo-Kaap is known for its brightly coloured homes and cobbled stoned streets. The area is traditionally a multicultural neighborhood which currently faces gentrification from the city. We will stand on the corner with a group of Muslim woman who are protesting their continued struggle with Apartheid. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode was recorded in the Mojave Desert at the base of the Grand Wash Cliffs, which mark the geological end of the Grand Canyon. Some of the best interviews take forever to record and this one is no different... for ten years, Mandela has been trying to sit down with the legend himself, Mr. Carl Rice. Carl is a professional Hollywood stunt man & Grand Canyon river guide. Carl was the stunt man for Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones: The Crystal Skull. Carl reflects on spiritual growth through reading and running some of the worlds biggest and most technical whitewater from California to the Zambezi in Southern Africa. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This show was recorded on the nature reserve where Mandela grew up at the most southern point of Africa. This interview features Mandela's cousin, Fleur van Eeden, an award winning world renowned stunt woman who has done the main stunts for Mad Max, Tomb Raider and many more. Fleur specializes in full body burns, cable work, martial arts, weaponry, horse stunts, high falls and much more. During this episode, Fleur talks about the training that goes into her work and how to prepare mentally before jumping off a moving train or getting exploded out of a 6-story building window. Fleur has doubled Charlize Theron, Meryl Streep, Drew Barrymore, Lena Headley and Helen Mirren among many other Hollywood A listers. Fleur also helped the South African Stunt Performers Association with winning the Guinness World Record for the most amount of people on fire for the longest period of time. During this interview, she talks about what happens behind the scenes and the immense training that goes into being a stunt woman. She

This episode was recorded on my family farm in South Africa's western cape. The interview features my good friend, Elna Fourie, who grew up on a farm located on the other side of the mountains. Elna studied cheese making in France and has been in high demand as a cheese maker in South Africa for the past 18 years. Elna won first prize for best aged Gouda in the country of South Africa in 2019. I do believe you will all enjoy this episode about growing up on a farm in South Africa, what a day in the life of a jersey cow is like, and exactly how different types of cheese are made. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Doreen stokes lives in Plains, Montana with her husband on 84 acres. She has been a reforestation contractor for over 30 years, planting trees all over the Pacific Northwest. Her greatest passions are surfing, mostly in Costa Rica these days, although she grew up in New Jersey where she started her surfing adventures. Doreen leads safaris in Tanzania, East Africa... where she has initiated tree planting and water projects at the Maasai school in Losirwa. She invites you to join her on safari where you can give back by planting trees on the school grounds. Contact her at: herbs@blackfoot.netIn this episode we talk about how you might go about planting a tree in your area and how it immediately starts to combat CO2 and climate change. Doreen speaks at length about hunter gatherer tribes in east Africa as well as wildlife conservation regarding the plight of the African elephant and rhino. This is a beautiful episode and you'll walk away wanting to start planting trees... be it one tree every year on y

This interviews features an in depth look at nomadic life in the largest desert on earth. Featuring men from Arabic, Bedouin, Berber & Tuareg tribes who were born and raised in a nomadic family utilizing camels and constant movement as a way of life. From the games they would play as children while herding goats to the staple items one must have in order to survive, including camel milk, dates, salted meat, wells, celestial navigation, turbans and family. Learn why being a nomad teaches you patience and hospitality. Learn why stress doesn't exist in a nomad's life. This interview will take you into a carpeted tent under some of the tallest sand-dunes in the world during a full moon while the sand-storms blow to the West.This will forever remain one of my most cherished recordings.We have so much to learn from how the nomadic tribes survive and exist in the Sahara Desert. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mohammed Ait Bahadou was born and raised in the Sahara Desert and now calls Marrakech his home. Mohammed grew up in a mud hut in the desert and sold fossils to tourists before starting his own business running cultural tours around Morocco. Mohammad is fluent in 8 languages including: English, French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Arabic, Berber & Italian. He has raving fans who are now friends, all over the world. In this interview, Mohammed tells the history of Morocco, Islam, culture, food, table manners and some tips and highlights on Morocco for those who wish to travel there. For more info check out www.moroccooneearthtours.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode features an interview with three individuals from various backgrounds who reflect on culture in Morocco & the Sahara Desert. Mabrouk was born and raised in the Sahara and gives us incredible insight into how nomads use celestial navigation, camels & turbans. Abdul was born in Marrakech and lived 16 years in New York City... he reflects on the differences between culture in the USA & Morocco. Ahmed was born in Oman & has a lot to say about the lack of freedom of speech in Morocco as well as his craving for equality in his country. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Boo Curry is a native of Missoula who graduated from the University of Montana and works as a bird field biologist. Boo has been studying African culture and music for over 14 years. She is one of the founding mothers of Missoula's very own, "Djebe Bara" African dance and music community. For this interview, Boo interviewed her friend and fellow musician, Oumar Keita. Oumar is a native of Guinea, West Africa. He is known for his extensive knowledge of music and history. Oumar showed an interest in traditional music and began singing at an early age. He continues to sing and write traditional music but can also rap in Malinke, Susu and French. Oumar Keita plays traditional instruments like the bolon, gnoni and N’gongoma, which accompany his singing.Since 2009 he has been a musician in the nationally recognized Ballet Saamato of Conakry, Guinea. Primarily a dundun player, Oumar is also a dancer and djembe player. For the past 2 years, he played with Wofa percussion in Conakry.To study with Boo and Oumar Ke

Dara Guedem grew up in Ivory Coast but was born in a small village in Chad. She came to Montana via Senegal in 2007 chasing family & education. It was always been a dream for her family to receive an education in English and Guedem has since graduated from the University of Montana. She continues to live and pursue adventures in Missoula. In this interview, Guedem talks about the history of Chad including personal experiences with civil war and rebels coming into her village. Guedem also shares the emotion of experiencing snow for the first time and a shares a few tips for Africans who are immigrating to the USA Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.