If you were on a plane and received a frantic call about your ailing best friend, what would you do? This is what Michael Bonocore did.“I don’t know what’s wrong with him!” my mother screamed over the phone while the flight attendants on my plane began making final checks before takeoff, long after locking the aircraft and door making it impossible for me to exit.

THE ZAMBEZI AND WHITE NILE are two of the best big water paddling runs in the world. In the following photos, Henry Munter gives a whitewater boater’s view of the rivers and some of their surrounding culture.1Victoria FallsBen Beddingham paddling at the base of Victoria Falls, Zambezi River. All photos by Henry Munter2Number 9Mikey Amos grew up on the Zambezi, but number 9, & 34;Commercial Suicide& 34; gets him going every time.

***Copyright: Please visit the photographer links for licensing conditions for each photo. Some are available through a Creative Commons license, but many are copyrighted against unauthorized use. We were granted special permission to feature them in this Matador photo essay. ***1Salar de Uyuni, BoliviaThe largest salt flat in the world reflects the sky during the wet season.

Emmy Award-winning Equitrekking is a travel series that explores the world on horsebackThe world looks different from five feet higher. Well-produced and catering to a special niche of traveler, Equitrekking calls to mind how transformative different modes of transportation are on travel experiences.

Rolly the Clown helped me hitch a ride to the mine.If I were going to do this by the numbers, I’d have to start with three hitched rides, one clown kissed, 15 confessions that I’m from the United States, and countless generous people who are kind to a foreign traveler in need of a hand.I found myself in La Serena, Chile yesterday, less than five hours from the site of the rescue.

Chris Burkard and crew spend weeks, months, even years planning expeditions that result in some of the perfect days captured here. Just don’t ask them to tell you where they are.CaribbeanI was hostage to a group of wave-thirsty surfers who bought a ticket for me to a secret destination. My first glance out the window told me we were arriving in the Caribbean, but from the moment the plane touched the ground to our final destination it was a series of turns I could not remember if my life depended on it.