Business & Life Strategies

What I enjoy in life is setting myself huge unbelievable challenges in life and figuring out a way to conquer them. Generally this is in the fields of Entrepreneurship, traveling, mountain climbing but I also have a passion for all things Engineering and Science.

If your keen on entrepreneurship or exploration or if you’ve just a curious mind keep reading …

bryanclarke

Visiting #Newgrange 🇮🇪 monument a couple of

Visiting #Newgrange 🇮🇪 monument a couple of weeks ago in the ancient east of Ireland. Build around 3200BC Newgrange is one of the oldest known monolithic monuments in the world, it's been carbon dated to 500 years older than the great #Pyramids of #Giza and 1000 years older than #Stonehenge
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The engineering and astronomy knowledge of our ancestors from over 5000 years ago was mindboggling. During the winter solstice the sun enters deep into the chamber. The only time of the year this happens. It's still very much a mystery how they moved these massive stones from tens of km away and to engineer this monument to allow only one week a year when the sun enters this chamber. #tourismIreland #Ireland .
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Fun Fact ... the reason I'm holding my jacket awkwardly is because I ripped an inconvenient hole in my jeans running up the sister monument at Knowth 😂🤣

Spending a few days at the office in El Segundo, C

Spending a few days at the office in El Segundo, California and catching up with a few good buddies! 🇺🇸

Smashed the highest mountain in Ireland over the w

Smashed the highest mountain in Ireland over the weekend #Carrauntoohil ☘️ (Corrán Tuathail) at an altitude of 1038m (3407ft) in wasn't easy. #Kerry #Killarney #tourismireland
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Ascending up the steep devil's ladder and taking a hard right up to the summit by 9am followed by a descent halfway and another ascent up the sister peak to get the trail down.
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Car park to car park in about 4hrs 45mins, take that hostel dude who said it would take us 5 hours 🤣😂 #WeDontDoAverage

Hill of Crosses in #Lituania 🇱🇹 basically a

Hill of Crosses in #Lituania 🇱🇹 basically a hill full of Crosses like the name suggests! By my count there is probably 100 trillion crosses +/- 1 or 2 ... there is definitely a lot 😬 quite a unique spot.
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Trakai castle pretty cool looking castle on its own island.
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Užupis Republic a very unique self declared republic in the middle of #Vilinus that has it's own constitution written on the walls... even one written in Irish! #ADogHasTheRightToBeADog No.12

"Nothing f*cks you harder than time." - Davos Seaw

"Nothing f*cks you harder than time." - Davos Seaworth #GameOfThrones
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#KingsLanding #RedKeep #Dubrovnik #Croatia 🇭🇷

The Kasbah! #Algiers #Algeria 🇩🇿

The Kasbah! #Algiers #Algeria 🇩🇿

Checking out Rundale Palace in southern #Latvia 🇱🇻 on my way from #Riga to Vilinus .
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Catching up on some 📸 from my recent trip

Today is a pretty important day for me....today I'

Today is a pretty important day for me....today I've become the exact same age (to the day) as my father on the day he died.
My father was one of the most driven people around and I've still a long way to go before I can catch up on all he was able to achieve in his short life! Here's to not wasting the short time we've got. 👊🤛

#SanMarino 🇸🇲 basically a small Italy within

#SanMarino 🇸🇲 basically a small Italy within a big Italy! Just on top of a mountain.
Pretty amazing all the same with stunning views, old forts, big machetes and crossbows for sale, duck stores and FIFA outdoors at 5am in the night after @manvclock bribed the Cuban barman to keep it open for another hour to try and finally win a game 😂

Ahaggar National Park in the deep south of Algeria

Ahaggar National Park in the deep south of Algeria right beside the Niger, Mali and Libyan borders. Magnificent Desolation! #Tamanrasset #Algeria .
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Great place to end 10 days in Algeria visiting Algiers, Cherchell, Tipasa, Constantine, Tagit and Tamanrasset.
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You can see how big Algeria is being the 10th biggest country in the world and the biggest in Africa after Sudan was broken up.

Dappling in some amateur photography. . Two birds

Dappling in some amateur photography.
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Two birds tucking into some delicious Slovenian cream cake...one looking pretty suspicious, while the other is caught mid-flight. Shot at #LakeBled in #Slovenia
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Any feedback from photographers much appreciated ... 1/1000 F/5.6 ISO 1000
Sony a6000
Standard camera lens
No post production except cropping

I was planning a few days to check out #Beirut 🇱🇧 and meet some friends. The last time I went here was on a day trip from Damascus in Syria but a few days before I was due to fly in the protests kicked off in Beirut ... The reason, a new WhatsApp tax ... but in reality the protests turned into so much more than that ... a protest against systemic corruption!
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The situation in the first couple of days were quite crazy so maybe I should of changed my flights but alas I had my inwards and outward flights booked so decided to go ahead. .
It ended up being so worth it and I got to hang with some really cool people and enjoy the peaceful protests. Which really turned into more of a party at least for a foreigner like myself but obviously taken far more serious by the Lebanese.
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There was lots of roadblocks all over the city by the protesters for all the right reasons so I was forced to get a Moto Taxi everywhere but no complaints from me! 😝 They definitely need them in more places! Although a little stretchy sometimes with a few close calls! 🛵

Had an afternoon floating in the world's saltiest

Had an afternoon floating in the world's saltiest lake #LacAssal it felt far more saltier than the Dead Sea! Also the lowest point in Africa at -155 metres. Even got myself a #Djibouti 🇩🇯 footie jersey! .
Djibouti is a small country in the horn of Africa that's on the convergence of 3 tectonic plates... The country is literally been ripped apart. But it makes for some amazing geological features. It's also home to about 5 or 6 foreign military bases including US, China, France, Spain, Italy, Japan...

Exploring #Doha #Qatar 🇶🇦 . My Indian driver

Exploring #Doha #Qatar 🇶🇦 .
My Indian driver was pretty quiet to begin with unless he was trying to sell me something else if course, like a desert Safari...but once you gave that guy a camera to take a quick photo of you against the Doha skyline ... He turned 180° into a proper professional photographer! Left me feeling like Adriana Lima at the Victoria Secret fashion show 🤣
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Incredible that this skyline was built in about 16 years, before there was nothing in that area of the city. Just north of the center is the Pearl a man-made island which even has it's own version of Venice! That being Italy, not the Cali one 😬. Although it wasn't quite the same. They also have re-developed the old part of the city including the souk which now comes with a giant thumb or is it a toe 🤔 .
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Damn it was hot do. A lot of money was put into this city including the new national museum which recently opened.

#Tagit the desert oasis, where the sand dunes meet

#Tagit the desert oasis, where the sand dunes meets the rocks just across from the Moroccan border in the central West of #Algeria #Sahara

Just kicking a little footie in the national stadi

Just kicking a little footie in the national stadium of the world's newest country #Juba #SouthSudan 🇸🇸 .
Yes that's a barge sunk in #TheNile river in the second photo 🤣 been there for years apparently!
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When landing at Juba airport I've never seen so much UN and WFP vehicles and Jets on the tarmac. Unfortunately South Sudan has been a bit of a disaster after getting independence in 2011 from Sudan to the north with Civil War and horrible conditions throughout the country.
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Also this has to be the most paranoid country in the world for taking pictures I've heard stories of people being questioned for hours and threatening jail time for very innocent photos in South Sudan...you need to buy a photo taking permit which is quite hard and beauracratic to get. I managed to sneak a couple not that there is too much of interest at least in Juba city although there is some cool trips outside the city but they run $800+/day

A Mediterranean island split into two countries. T

A Mediterranean island split into two countries. This selection are generally Southern #Cyprus 🇨🇾 or the Republic of Cyprus. An independent nation part of the EU and the northern part a disputed territory which is only recognized by Turkey
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The capital city of Nicosia is split in two where the border crosses right through the city splitting the very different sides apart. The southern side being very Greek and the northern side very Turkish. Soldiers guard the narrow streets on the way to the barbed wire borders. With two walkable crossing points in the city, visiting both, the one in the very centre being by far the most popular.
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I also got to briefly visit #Paphos in the South West of the island. .
The last two times I was here were on a lads essentially drinking holiday in #AyiaNapa in the South East. So I felt I had to come back #Starskys #CastleClub anyone! 🤣 Then a family holiday in the exact same accomodation 😕 Along with Irish football legend Kevin Hunt!

So this happened ... it wasn't exactly planned but

So this happened ... it wasn't exactly planned but I looked it up the night before to see if it was possible and thankfully/or regretfully (after some bruised hips and other ailements 😂) it was possible!
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The 2019 Red Bull Cliff Diving takes place off this bridge next week (Aug24)so the water line is pretty low giving maximum jump height of about 25 metres (82ft), where you reach a top speed of 80+km/hr (50 miles/hr). If you were to land on your back it would be like falling 13 metres onto concrete. Even with my reasonable jump I came out in a good amount of pain but it cleared away pretty quickly.
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You need to talk to the Mostar Diving club to receive training before the jump. We trained close by on a 10 metre high board, which for me was around the highest I'd jumped before maybe once or twice, that height was probably enough for me, not sure what I was thinking with this jump 😁 but now I'm an official Mostar Diving club member for life after sign up payment of coarse but this is used for upkeep of the bridge etc and feels good to be park of this club. So far more ppl have climbed Everest than jumped.
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#OldBridge #Mostar #Bosnia & #Herzegovina 🇧🇦 #Bosnia&Herzegovina #OldBridgeMostar #MostarDivingClub
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Hanging out with the famous Hyena man in #Harar ea

Hanging out with the famous Hyena man in #Harar eastern #Ethiopia 🇪🇹 This female hyena hoping on my back has a bite force twice that of a lion at 7584 kPa (1100 psi) they are highly aggressive animals with the females being by far the most dominant with 3x the testosterone of the male Hyenas.
This female is one of a pack of about 5 with us at tonight's feeding. This man has been feeding these Hyenas outside Harar old town for decades hence they are tamer than they're wilder counterparts 30km outside the city. In and around Harar there seems to be an understanding with the surrounding Hyenas that they will be fed by this man, preventing any humans or young children being attacked by the Hyenas!

Exchanging money in #Hargeisha the capital of the

Exchanging money in #Hargeisha the capital of the unrecognised country of #Somaliland
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I travelled up to Somaliland overland from Ethiopia on the way up to Berbera on the coast, stopping along the way to see some of the most untouched Cave paintings in the world.
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Recognised by the UN as being part of Somalia proper (from 2photos ago). But Somaliland which is located in the northern part of Somalia just across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen. Somaliland has its own laws, currency, football team (although not recognised by FIFA) they play other unrecognised countries like Sealand (an old oil rig of the coast of England) which Somaliland getting their very first win at 2-0 🤣

#Argentina 🇦🇷 - Country 100!!! . Finally mad

#Argentina 🇦🇷 - Country 100!!!
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Finally made it to this major milestone and what better way to mark the occasion than by summiting the highest mountain in the country.
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#Aconcagua being 6,962 metres also happens to be the highest mountain in South America, the Americas, the Southern and Western Hemispheres ... In short it's the highest mountain in the world outside the Hiymalayas and a few Central Asian mountains.
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Having assumed we'd have a relatively ok ride weather wise, having gone in the peak season ... It was a long 2 weeks on the #mountain (including acclimatisation) waiting for the weather and wind to change for the better.
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Having said that we ended up summiting in -30°C and 80kph winds (15-20kph being perfect, 50kph+ being reserved for the pros!) Then transversing the mountain in these winds with crampons on for the first time made me have second thoughts.
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In the end I got to the #summit, being the highest person in the world at that time ... since it's winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
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It's was a hard slog to the summit but in the end I had to rush it and drop my bag to "sprint" the last 150m or so. Leaving very little energy for the decent which I was mostly on my butt for. 😂
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Only thing left to do the following day was walk from 5600m to 2500m and 35km out of the National Park and bus it back to #Mendoza
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Was great to have this experience with our Russian agency @elbrustours and Micha, Victor and Dimitri as guides. As well as fellow friends and climbers @manvsclock (who is on the mend), @onestep4ward, Paul, Dave, Craig, Nikita, Maurice
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On to Buenos Aires now for a couple of days ...
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#SevenSummits

Treking around the tiny nation of #Bahrain 🇧🇭 in the Persian gulf. Spent a few days exploring #Manama the capital as well as the rest of the island.
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Checked out a nice McLaren and Rolls Royce parked outside my hotel #baller #NotMine 😕 As well as the Grand Mosque where I got a new religion class! It was actually probably the best explanation of Islam I've ever got.
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Then it was off to check out the old Portugese fort and the rest of the island. The Bahrain F1 Grand Prix 🏎️ stadium as well as the first oil well in Bahrain and therefor the Middle East, since Bahrain was the first country in the region to discover oil.
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Then lastly the so called "Tree of Life" which is a tree in the middle of the desert, past all the oil wells where everyone including scientists don't know how the tree has survived for hundreds or maybe a thousand years with no obvious water source including underground. #trees 🌳.
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Then onwards to the next destination ...

First time back in Canada in about 8 years! Such a

First time back in Canada in about 8 years! Such a country and an amazing weekend with awesome people! Vancouver you still need to sort out your taxi problems 😆 🇨🇦 #Vancouver

Overlooking oldtown #Tallin #Estonia 🇪🇪 Some

Overlooking oldtown #Tallin #Estonia 🇪🇪 Some great people in this city and a couple of wild adventures 😆

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