I had always thought that I was an adventure-loving guy, until last month. I had turned forty four in February and that day I sat down to review all the adventures I had in my forty four years of life. I realized that I hadn’t a single outdoor adventure worth recounting except the t three months I spent alone in the Andamans two years ago. I had roughed out on a ten-day solo road trip across the Andamans in the last month of my stay. This was the only adventure I had in my life. But that ten day trip is enough for a lifetime and I will write about it some other time.
I live most of my adventures in the mind as well as through magazines like National Geographic Adventure and other travel magazines. I believe when we dream of some things our eye is quick to catch words or things associated with them. On Sunday my eye caught the word ‘Adventure’ on a magazine lying under a heap of other magazines. When I pulled it out I found it was the June/July 2006 issue of “National Geographic Adventure” magazine. I wordlessly handed the twenty rupees the guy asked for it I was impatient to get back home and flip through it.
I finally went through the entire magazine today and spent a couple of hours mooning over the wonderful places described in the magazine. Two articles caught my attention and the bonus of reading one of them was that I found a new writer I want to read more of. One of the articles was by Michael Shnayerson on Wade Davis, an ethno-botanist
What I liked most in Shnayerson's fascinating article was the picture of Wade Davis’ fantastic study, a tiny circular room with a long table filled with books, laptops etc lining the wall all around. It is the sort of study I would like to have someday. The other thing I liked about him was his deep concern for the environment and for the ancient culture of tribals and aborigines in places like Peru, Borneo and Tibet. He speaks passionately about the threat they are facing from modernity and how soon we would lose all the ancient wisdom they possessed. It is a depressing thought.
Wade Davis is the author of nine books including ‘One River’ a best-selling book about his travels with Tim Plowman, a researcher, and another bestseller ‘The Serpent and the Rainbow’ which was made into a film. I have written down these titles in my to-buy list. He is currently at work on a documentary titled ‘Light at the Edge of the World’. I wish there were more people like him to bring to light our vanishing heritage.
The other article I liked reading in the NGA was the one about a long trip in Mozambique by Paul Kvinta. It was great writing and stunning pictures of the Mozambique landscape. He writes how philanthropists like Greg Carr are chipping in to rebuild the war ravaged wildlife reserves like Gorongosa. It was an optimistic article about how our own efforts can conserve our fragile world.
I am glad I found this magazine. It is worth more than the twenty rupees I paid for it. If I cannot go on adventurous trips I try to compensate by reading about them hence the fascination with magazines like Conde Nast Traveler, National Geographic and books like Linda Greenlaw’s ‘The Hungry Ocean-Swordfish Captain’s Journey’, ‘A Year in Provence’, ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’ and so on.
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