Vanessa having fun at the gun range

Back before we started running our Underground adventure tours, Vanessa and I scouted out all of the locations we had planned to take clients to. One of her favorites (oddly) was the gun range located at the Airborne commando school about an hour outside of Phnom Penh. She had a fun time on that scout. Check out the picks below.

The Kukuri house, Kathmandu, Nepal

Back about 3 years a go or so I made my 3rd pilgrimage to Nepal and the various Kukuri knife shops in Kathmandu and Pokkarah. I have worked with many Nepalese during my years as a security contractor in the Middle east, Afghanistan and North Africa. Nearly all of the Nepalese carried a Kukuri knife with them on the job. I have always liked the style and history of the blade.

I have attached a few pictures of blades direct from the knife factory outside of Kathmandu.

Citadel Knife shop

A few years back when I was living in Cambodia with Vanessa and running my Underground adventure tours. I would take the clients to the Citadel Knife shop in Phnom Penh. The quality blades were a bit to pricey for most folks on the tour but a few of the guys would buy 1 or 2 as a novelty item.

Established in 1999 by Dominique Eluere, Citadel is a name familiar to knife aficionados worldwide. Its birthplace is in Phnom Penh and this fascinating store produces a collection of folding, combat, hunting, kitchen and table knives, all constructed in Cambodia, which take between six hours and two months to make. If you are a knife fan and ever find yourself in Phnom Penh,Visit the workshop for an up-close view.

Tony Roed Knives

For any of you pimps interested Tony Roed Just finished this one $70 plus $6.95 shipping once he makes a sheath. 1095 high carbon modified great river style.

send me an email at pathfindertom@gmail.com , if interested in this blade or others.

Tony made knives and tool for the reality TV show "Dude your screwed" and has consulted on many others. I highly recommend his blades.

Tomahawk

Ginseng

I have been looking forward to Ginseng season all summer. I will be fun to hit the woods tomorrow and harvesting a bunch of it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_ginseng

Log cabin restoration

Over the past few months I have been bumming around the wilderness and rural areas of the eastern USA, from Maine to North Carolina. Recently, I found a piece of rural property for sale with a 100+ year old cabin on it. I am attempting to purchase the cabin. I would like to dismantle it and move it to my property for restoration. It might prove to be an interesting and fun project.

Tomahawk Adventure tour - Central Luzon

I have been running adventure tours in the Philippines and Cambodia for some time now. It is Always a good time, the foot travel is pretty tough at times but the scenery is spectacular and so it the food our guides and me cook up. I have posted numerous photos below of a recent trip into the central highlands of Luzon. Michael Schwarz is the photographer.

See you on the trail!

Tomahawk

"Solitude" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone.
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
Sing, and the hills will answer;
Sigh, it is lost on the air.
The echoes bound to a joyful sound,
But shrink from voicing care.

Rejoice, and men will seek you;
Grieve, and they turn and go.
They want full measure of all your pleasure,
But they do not need your woe.
Be glad, and your friends are many;
Be sad, and you lose them all.
There are none to decline your nectared wine,
But alone you must drink life's gall.

Feast, and your halls are crowded;
Fast, and the world goes by.
Succeed and give, and it helps you live,
But no man can help you die.
There is room in the halls of pleasure
For a long and lordly train,
But one by one we must all file on
Through the narrow aisles of pain.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Wildlife of Thailand

Check out the awesome website by L. Bruce Kekule, about the animals of Thailand.

http://brucekekule.com/camera_trapping/a-black-leopard-passes-my-camera-trap/

Gun Museum, Siem Reap, Cambodia

A while back I was bumming around Cambodia. Actually, I was employed to teaching English to the Fire and rescue crew at the Siem Reap international Airport. "SR" is a small town with not much to do except get drunk and take in some of the local historical museums etc.

One saturday, I hired a "tuktuk" to take me to the local Military museum where i was able to look at and actually handle some of the obsolete weapons from the ww2 era to the Vietnam conflict. It was interesting. As a military trained Armorer, I have an interest in fire arms especially the older weapons. At the museum, I was able to perform a function check on an old M16A1 rifle (see picture), I have no doubt that after a few replacement parts and a good cleaning this weapon could be made to fire. I wondered how this American issue weapon ended up in a Museum in Cambodia, Im sure it would be an interesting story. I have posted below a little information for you on this weapon and its current variants.

(From Wikipedia)

The M16 rifle, officially designated Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16, is a United States military adaptation of the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle. The original M16 was a select-fire, 5.56×45mm rifle with a 20-round magazine.
In 1964, the M16 entered American military service and the following year was deployed for jungle warfare operations during the Vietnam War. In 1969, the M16A1 replaced the M14 rifle to become the U.S. military's standard service rifle. The M16A1 improvements include a bolt-assist, chrome plated bore and a new 30-round magazine. In 1983, the USMC adopted the M16A2 rifle and the U.S. Army adopted it in 1986. The M16A2 fires the improved 5.56×45mm NATO (M855/SS109) cartridge and has a new adjustable rear sight, case deflector, heavy barrel, improved handguard, pistol grip and buttstock, as well as a semi-auto and three-round burst only fire selector. Adopted in 1998, the M16A4 is the fourth generation of the M16 series. It is equipped with a removable carrying handle and Picatinny rail for mounting optics and other ancillary devices.
The M16 has also been widely adopted by other militaries around the world. Total worldwide production of M16s has been approximately 8 million, making it the most-produced firearm of its 5.56 mm caliber. The U.S. Army has largely replaced the M16 in combat units with the shorter and lighter M4 carbine, and the U.S. Marine Corps approved a similar change in October 2015.