1. Since walking 1,000 miles across the Empty Quarter, I have lost all feeling in my toes meaning they get so cold that I have to sleep in socks at night.
2. On more than one occasion I have opted to wear my boxer shorts on my head for warmth as opposed to their designed function.
3. In a rough bar in Tanzania I once received a phone call via the phone at the bar with a warning from an anonymous caller that if I did not leave immediately then I would be beaten and robbed.
4. The food I have squeamishly wimped out of eating include decomposed shark (Iceland), scorpions on a stick (China), and near-formed chicken foetus' still in the egg (Philippines).
5. During truly desperate times on an ultra marathon, squidgy banana makes an admirable Vaseline substitute for treating chafed bottoms.
6. The most bored audience member I have seen at one of my talks thought she was coming along to a talk about "Recycling Round the World" not a talk about "Cycling Round the World"
7. Cycling up a mountain in Ecuador, I was punched in the head by the driver of an overtaking lorry. Enraged I gave chase. Unfortunately my top speed of 8mph was marginally trumped by his getaway speed of about 9mph. He grinned in his wing mirror and gave me "the finger" throughout the farcically slow, unsuccessful pursuit.
Alastair Humphreys is an adventurer, blogger and motivational speaker. He is also the brains behind Night of Adventure, where an eclectic collection of adventurers tell tales to raise money for Hope and Homes for Children.
As luck would have it, the next Night of Adventure is in London on March 11th, 2013. (Vue Cinema, Leicester Square. £20.) You'll find more information and tickets here.
