Canoeing the entire Congo river… and living to tell the tale

King Congo … Phil poling his way through the vast Bangweulu swamp. Click on the magnifying glass to see the river in the early morning mist. Photographs: Phil Harwood

I was alone in the middle of deepest, darkest Congo. Worse still, I was being chased by eight angry tribesmen in two dugout canoes – and they were gaining on me.

"Mazungu … Mazunguuu!" came the screams from behind. "Give us money!" They were all standing up and paddling like men possessed. The nearest guy had a huge machete at his waist. I had been paddling as though my life depended on it. As though? It did depend on it! The fear was rapidly growing within me, demanding an answer to the primeval question: fight or flight?

The word mazungu, white man, was being screamed and repeated along both banks. It was disconcerting, to say the least. I felt like a wolf that had inadvertently strolled into a farming community and was being hunted down. I had to go faster. But now, after paddling my heart out to the point of near exhaustion, I turned around and saw the nearest dugout canoe was less than 20m away. So close that I could see the whites of the men's eyes and their teeth bared in a contorted, hate-filled travesty of a smile. What was it going to be: roll over and expose my soft underbelly, or put up a fight? It was the venom in the next cry of "Mazungu" that made me decide. I grabbed my machete …

Thanks to winning a travelling fellowship and grant from the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, I was on my way to making the first source to sea descent of the Congo river through the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo. From the true source in north-east Zambia, the Congo river is just short of 3,000 miles long and the eighth longest river in the world, with a flow rate and drainage area second only to the Amazon. It flows through savannah, swamp and dense tropical rainforest, crossing the equator twice before finally draining into the Atlantic.

Holiday Travel Diaries: Sofía Sánchez Barrenechea, Claiborne Swanson Frank, and more

If, like us, you had visions of African beaches and Shanghai sunsets dancing in your heads this holiday season, then consider those visions realized—virtually at least. In our second installment of holiday travel diaries, some of our favorite adventurers share pictures from their enviable winter vacations. Biking along beaches, touring temples—and meeting an elephant!—were all on the itinerary for art director Sofía Sánchez Barrenechea, while entrepreneur Hannah Bronfman and vbeauté founder Julie Macklowe both made the proverbial (but enviable) pilgrimage to St. Barth’s. Vogue.com Contributing PhotographerClaiborne Swanson Frank opted to take it easy in sunny Naples, Florida, a trip surrounded by family and topped off with a decadent birthday cake, but it was back to the ranch (and back in the saddle again) for Vênsette founder Lauren Remington Platt,

Bucket List: Visiting Park Guell in Barcelona

Hi Bucket List Nation, Letizia of Letizia Barcelona here. Today I’ll be a complete tourist, I’m taking you to Park Guell, one of my favorite places in Barcelona, even though it’s always crowded! I’m always impressed by the beauty of the garden complex, the crazy architecture of the buildings and each time I discover some new detail I hadn’t noticed before. Park Guell was supposed to be an ideal city, designed by Antonio Gaudi and commissioned by Eusebi Guell, a wealthy businessman who wanted to create a super stylish park. At the end, the cost was so high that the final project -maybe too ambitious- was abandoned and the park is now property of the city of Barcelona. The entrance is free.

Let’s see the photos now

Living the Bollywood Experience

Hey BLN, Letizia here of Letizia Barcelona. I have already shared some of my experiences in India visiting the poor man’s Taj Mahal and Ellora Caves, but I haven’t told you yet about my Bollywood Experience!

Oh I wanted to be a part of the Indian dream so bad!

We had arrived in Mumbay for 2 weeks, and I had already heard about other European people who got the chance to make a small appearance in an Indian movie, and I just couldn’t live Mumbay without visiting the Bollywood studios.

Weekender: Hidden LA

{Lake Hollywood is my favorite new find. You can walk across the bridge and get a perfect view of the Hollywood sign.}

Living in a big city has its advantages; everyone is always discussing the hidden gems that make Los Angeles such a quirky place to live. A friend from Dallas was visiting this weekend, and we decided to plan an entire day of finding hidden/unique things in the city. We explored Lake Hollywood, tried gourmet popsicles, shopped for exotic spices, and even managed to carve out a few hours for a makeover.