This weekend, I have taken the opportunity to go away to do a couple of long distance runs ( 2 hrs each) to boost my fitness. The weather has been all glorious sunshine. Yesterday, I ran by a gently meandering river.I did not see another soul for miles. With the Prodigy on full blast (`Breathe `is awesome running song),and the ground carpeted by snowdrops, it was an exhilarating experience.
That said, though , I am now getting itchy feet. This has nothing to do with the runing, I hasten to add!
Last night , I met up with Anthony at the pub, and this formed one of the topics of discussion.
`I feel like I need to get going off somewhere soon, I miss the Jungles and Mountains. I am seriously bored by the daily grind` I said. `I understand, mate .` I know you need to organise a new expedition, but you have to be realistic. You told me yourself that you never go into debt for these things, so you will just have to save and wait, like you planned, unless you get that `lucky break` you have been dreaming of....`
`Anyway, ` he said ,`enough of that ` I want to ask you a question`. `Go on, ` I said. `Why is it that no woman has ever lived with me for more than a year?` `What?` I said laughing `No I am serious`. He said . They all seem to go before then`. As he listed his exes, I realised he was right.
I thought hard. `Well, when I lived at your place, you used to make those `sock nests`.They might be a factor.` He laughed..`But I like taking off my socks when I`m watching T.V! He exclaimed.`Maybe , but little piles of socks around the sofa , combined with black and white documentaries on `Tanks of the Second World War`, are not going to do it for most ladies`,I said.
`It should though really`, sighed Anthony. `I guess I will never truly understand women`.
`The nests are staying though.For they are what maketh the man!

On Friday ,I went out for a few beers with two good friends Keith and Anthony.Keith is a veteran of some of my previous expeditions, whilst Anthony regularly enjoys trekking with me in the Peak District, and has attended survival training courses with me in the Brecon Beacons. Whilst I do not expect either of them to be accompanying me on any of my next expeditions, it is always useful to have considered opinions on potential routes to traverse , and equipment to bring.In this case ,we were discussing an area of the Indian-Bangladeshi Border that I am considering travelling to this year, on the lookout for the Mande -Burung, or Indian Yeti.

After we had discussed options and routes, and mooted some of the other potential ideas for expeditions ,our minds turned to other more frivolous matters, and we hit a Club. After several beers, and I cannot recall how,we started talking about which was the worst chocolate in the selection box. `For me, `I said, it has to be Coffee cream. The mixture of a sweet yet ultimately bitter taste, is always a dissapointment`. `Nah, said Keith, you guys have got it all wrong, Nougar has to be the worst. `No no no , said Anthony,displaying a passion only someone who has had a little to much to drink can have for these matters. `Cracknell is definately the worst!!`
`What is Cracknell?`I said `You Know -you bite into what looks like this lovely long chocolate, and just under the surface is this nasty toffee filled with sharp bits of rotten peanut.Together, they form an evil combination, that sticks to the back of your teeth. Thus, you hate the stuff, and yet it LINGERS for ages` Don`t just take my word for it, hey you guys`, you must hate Cracknell too`,he said and began to regale a couple at the bar about it.
`Leave confectionary boy to it,` I said, and Keith and I went and ordered a couple more drinks.
By now it was 2 a.m. A work colleague of Keith`s recognised him and came over. He was about 20. `Wow I have seen you guys around quite a bit recently, and you party hard, he said.`thanks`,said Keith. `Yeah, ` he went on, I hope I can party like that when I get to your age`,He added ,before scooting off to join his mates. `Cheeky bastard!`, said Keith , slugging back his Jack.
At that point, a girl came over to me.Tall , with long blonde hair and blue eyes, she could only be described as a genuine beauty. `Would you like to dance?` She said through a smile. `Sure`, I said smiling back , `lets go.`
We hit the dance floor .The girl moved like liquid , writhing and gyrating across the dancefloor.
Suddenly, as the record stopped, so did she .`Thanks , that was great, but I have to go now, she said ,fluttering her eyes, and she turned towards the door.
Then, I felt another arm around my shoulder. However this time, it was one of consolation.It was Anthony.
`Cracknell` , he said shaking his head.
`Yeah, man Cracknell` I replied, as we both watched her go...

Paypal should be up and running soon.I will let you know when.

Firstly, I would like to say a big thank you to Mr.Thomas E Finley, who very kindly sent me some excellent Sasquatch art this week. I would definately like to turn my attention to some serious personal field research on Sasquatch. Whilst I was filming `China`s Wildman` for Monsterquest, I spent a lot of time talking to Dr.Jeff Meldrum about the subject.I made a vow then to go on the hunt for Sasquatch one day. I have no firm plans yet, but I am optimistic that the opportunity will present itself.
Dave Archer is always on the look out for kit, and on Saturday, he phoned me to say that he had secured some excellent new camo gear for us. Being self funded , kit is a serious and expensive business . For example, the jacket I bought for the Himalayas last year, which I really needed, cost me about 400 bucks.
I suppose my resolution has been hardened by the news this week that scientists reckon that half the worlds primate species now face extinction. On the same day, my guides in Indonesia, reported a fresh sighting of the Orang-Pendek in Sumatra. One of the values I tried to impart in my book ,was that time is running out for some of these cryptids. For some , such as the Mongolian Almas, I cam to the conclusion that they were already past the point of saving, and woud surely slide to extinction.Some, however, may just be hanging on. In my experience ,`leaving them alone` just isnt an option. Verifiable scientific proof , combined then with organised human conservation, are their only hope,no matter how hopless it seems. Looking at these latest results on primates, I will admit that that the situation seems desperate.However, I , will have to continue trying, because I believe so passionately in their existence.
I was pondering this melancholic news , when my five year old daughter Ella , brought me back to Earth, as she so often does. I have been looking after her today, and we went to buy some `supplies` of our own at the local Supermarket. As ever, there was an odious queue . Like all Brits, I bore it stoically, and joined it, engaging in some gentle banter with others in the line about the wait. Two minutes before we got to the end of the line Ella said in a loud voice, ` Daddy I want a poo!"
`Just wait two minutes darling,` I said. `The toilets are only just at the end of the Supermarket , and we are nearly at the front now`, I muttered this a little nervously, for I know that Ella will argue to get her own way.This time however, Ella said nothing,but looked at me with reproachful eyes. Shortly afterwards, we arrived at the front .As I went to pay ,Ella picked her moment `I really wanted a poo, she said to the woman on the till, `but Daddy wouldn`t take me so I had to SUCK it back in!` I smiled weakly at the woman on the till. She stared sternly back. I packed my things quickly and left, left to the chuckles of the queue behind me, feeling like the worlds worst parent.
`That will teach YOU Daddy , ` said Ella, as she broke into some sweets.
I lead expeditions all over the world. I am often responssible for the lives of others. Yet I find myself convincingly out foxed by my daughter.............

This week I had the first opportunity to download and listen to the excellent interview Tim Binnal did with me .I really enjoyed it, and Tim and I get on very well together.
I am back in my old job now so, with less travelling I will be able to knuckle down to more training.I am clearly very committed !I went to the gym this morning. Nothing unusual in that ,I hear you cry. No,except last night I was on the lash with my old friend Andy Sanderson, a veteran of many of my expeditions a few years back. Andy is in the Royal Navy, so because he has been away on his ship, this is the first time we have had to meet up together in over six months. A pub in Didsbury (Manchester U.K.) we know serves some excellent scrumpy, and we ended up there.
Over a few jars, I explained to him what had happened on my recent expedition to Sumatra, and how both Dave and Sahar had had a sighting of the Orang-Pendek. I also reminded him of his own `close encounter` with another of the Sumatran Jungles rare animals, the Tiger.
We had been in the Jungle for three weeks, primarily eating the local bitter tasting fish. Which are curried. For breakfast , lunch and dinner. Not surprisingly, we both had bad guts. In the middle of the night, Andy shakes me `Ad ,Ad, I need to go for a crap` he says. There was no surpressing the urge, given our diets! `Okay ,I said, `I will shine a light in the direction of the bog` Our toilet, a hole in the ground, was located about 150 yards from camp, through some rattan bushes . Andy gets to the other side, drops his trousers and `begins` .At that point, he hears an almighty `ROAAAR` behind him . Crapping himself in more ways than one, he rushes back to me .He was obviously very alarmed by the time he got back. `I thought I was a goner there ,Ad ` He said.
`Yeah` I said , `but it would have been worse for me.I would have had to tell your Mum how you died!!
After we finished laughing about this ,Andy said `I bet you are going to put this story on your damn website tomorrow` . Yes I did Andy .But take heart, at last I didnt put what we did for the REST of the night up!!

P.S. You cheeky devils at the Natwest Bank. I know you adore me, its simply no good disguising my valentines card as a bank statement...........

I am narrowing it down people. Last weekend I went for a long hike in the Peak District to chew over where I want to go next, and took some time out to watch a herd of red deer feeding.
One of the key factors is obviously cash, so I am grateful for the comment given about setting up a PayPal account. I will look into doing this over the next few weeks.
Today , more than ever I am itching to go again. I have a definate vibe that good news is on the way soon......

Well, I am back to my old job as of Monday. To sweeten my return , I have decided to begin planning my next adventures this weekend. I have some very exciting prospects ahead, we will have to see what comes to fruition. Rest assured though, I will be going on another adventure just as soon as I can. As ever, its always a case of money and time. What could I achieve if I did this for a living?
At the moment that is only a dream. In the meantime , back to planning how to get round the jungle for a month with twenty pounds in your pocket!

I spent the weekend in London, having a great time, as is always the case when I visit my friends `down south`.
On Saturday morning, a little groggy from the Friday night, standing in the backgarden, I was surprised to see two green parakeets squawking in some trees in the garden next door!
I had heard that parrots had escaped and bred in the the U.K, but I had never before seen them in the `wild`. I was speaking to Michelle , who is a local resident about this later, and she said that they were very common in her area of London(Osterley) and in Twickenham as well. I think it had me bemused all the more at the time, as I had seen a very similar one almost exactly a year to the day, fly over the rooftop of my Hotel in Kathmandu when I first arrived there. I have never seen any in Manchester!
After escaping captivity,(reputedly in the 1970`s), roughly 100,000 of these birds are estimated to be living in the U.K., mainly in the South East of England.
In the same tree, another non -indigenous species, the grey squirrel, was scurrying about its business.
As many of you are aware, there was much speculation about whether the sightings of Alien Big Cats in the U.K. were initially as a result of people releasing their pets after the introduction of the Dangerous Wild Animals Act in 1976. Species such as the Lynx for example, which were indigenous to these shores( until we hunted them out of existence),would have no problem adapting to our countryside.
I wish all ABC researchers the best of luck with their quests.I am with you.

As an update, I was in touch with Todd again at the back end of last week. He expects the DNA testing on the hairs brought back from Sumatra, to be completed in the next two weeks.

Over the last few weeks, going to work has proved to be an arduous business. A mile or so down the road from me , the lowest temperature in England was recorded at minus 18! I am now wearing the gear I bought for the Himalayas to walk to the local park!
Public transport has obviously been badly affected, with many trains cancelled. Indeed ,last week I witnessed the bizarre site of men wearing the now de rigeur commuter uniform of suits and wellies ,fighting to squeeze themselves on my very overcrowded train the other day. The Guard had to go outside, and wave the angry mitten chewing , wolly hat brigade, away.
Meanwhile , the bored ,or just those who can`t get to work, have begun to craft increasing numbers of unusual snowmen. I saw one in a bikini the other day , which I found strangely attractive.
I hope the snow melts soon........

The time between Christmas and New Year in the U.K. is a kind of wierd twilight time, where nothing much seems to happen. I have been at work, but judging by my empty train carriage, very few other people are. In fact ,most people in the U.K. seem to spend this time watching rubbish t.v. or films they have seen before , whilst arguing with overstaying relatives ,or bored kids.
There is also one other important tradition that must be mentioned. That is, the deriding and taking back of rubbish gifts. Maybe its my imagination , but do half the dogs in Manchester smell of cheap aftershave at the moment? What real purpose has Talc to mankind? Do the buyers of talc look at their relatives and think `she /he is a bit tubby , they might get chapped bits, better buy them some talc to sort it out?`
If in doubt ,go for a gift voucher I say. Here is an example why:
Yesterday, one of my friends phoned me to say that his wife was not talking to him because she had `0verreacted` to her Christmas gift.
"What did you buy her ?" I asked.
"A towel, you know, that one you and Damian suggested I get her when we were in the pub last week". H e said.

"Not the one that says `Arse ` on one side and `Face` on the other?" I said.
" Yeah. That one. I though she would find it funny .But she didn`t. Where are we going on New Years Eve , Adam?"

As well as stuffing our faces, Christmas is traditionally a time we think of others.I want to take this opportunity to tell you about Dr.Joe Harvey.
I first met Dr.Harvey in Impfondo ( Congo) whilst I was travelling to the Likoula swampland to look for the Mokele-Membe, the Congo dinosaur. He and the other American missionaries there were kind enough to put me and my team up while we waited for onwards transport. It was an incredibly dangerous place, right on the edge of a war zone. At night, the bright yellow glow of artillery flares lit up the sky.During the day, I saw combatants exchanging fire across the Umbangi river, only a few hundred yards from where we were staying.
Yet this did not deter Dr.Harvey.Whether you share his beliefs or not, I have no doubt in my mind that he was doing real good for the community.There were originally two foreign Doctors;but one had died of cerebral malaria. Undaunted, Dr.Harvey carried on.
Returning from the swamps a month or so later, I helped out at the hospital. At one stage a woman came in with a dreadful abcess in her stomach.I and another man comforted her, while Joe performed surgery. The other man helping out had been badly disfigured by Leprosy-giving the appearance that his face had collapsed on one side.As I looked outside at the ever expanding queue weaving its way around the little hospital, I realised that this man was all these people had.
That night I went to a bar on the other side of town.It has to be the roughest joint this side of Moss Icely !(Star Wars). As the evening wore on `soldiers`, turned up with their weapons, and after a few drinks ,began shooting them in the air!The following night ,I spent with Dr Harvey, his family and the other family there. We sang Xmas carols around a little silver tree they had brought from home.
As we sang `Silent Night` I could hear the Kalashnikov fire getting nearer, and nearer. Everytime I hear that Carol now, I always think of that moment,captured in my mind forever, of decent caring people stuggling against violence, horror and disease. Stood around a little tree singing songs while guns blazed around them ,risking their lives for others. Doing good.....
Have a fantastic Christmas everyone!