Westworld BC - Fall 2009 - Robin Esrock: Travel Lessons From Modern Gonzo
I hate Robin Esrock. I always choose CSI reruns over Word Travels, the nifty television show he co-hosts that sees him jetting around the world doing amazing things in the hunt for a story. (Testing bulletproof vests in Colombia. Getting radioactive in Chernobyl.) I’ve blocked his blog, Modern Gonzo, all chocked full of ribald tales of his off-the-beaten path adventures. (Testing Ferraris and Lamborghinis in Italy. Shopping for bikinis in Rio.) I’ve even cancelled my subscription to the Sydney Morning Herald, lest one of his dozens of entertaining and informative articles appear and ruin my breakfast (“Vampires in Zanzibar”, eh?) Truth be told, this assignment was just a pretense for us to meet so I could break his other kneecap and steal his job – and his identity. Although chances are he would have turned that into an article, too. (Physio in the Bahamas.)
All joking aside, a broken kneecap is actually the reason Esrock is riding the jetstream he is today. Back in 2004, the Jo’burg native J-school grad was in the corporate express lane, producing websites, pimping musicians and generally being miserable, when he and his Spanish scooter were sideswiped by a careless motorist. The resulting insurance payout would catalyze a dramatic year-long around-the-world backpacking adventure, and the accompanying clever and quirky Modern Gonzo website (his nom de plume in homage to his hero Hunter S. Thompson) that he designed primarily to keep his Grandma back in South Africa apprised of his whereabouts, quickly attracted worldwide traffic. It also led to a regular column in the Vancouver Sun, to published stories in a dozen major newspapers from Dallas to Dubai, to a series of cross country talks – and ultimately to his own TV show.
Like proper travel writers do, we meet over booze at Me and Julio’s, a popular drinking spot on Vancouver’s culturally diverse Commercial Drive. (Robin lives next door above the Ethiopian restaurant, and I like to come to the East Side from Kits to pretend like I’m travelling.) It’s just a week before Esrock is to leave for South America to start filming the third season of Word Travels (snowboarding in Chile, no less). Friendly, easy-going and with a South African accent smooth like butter, it’s easy to see how he slides in and out of countries and cultures with ease. Five years and 55 countries since he first set out, Esrock’s obviously still got a travel bug that no amount of inoculations seems to have killed. He has also gathered a backpack full of experience and wisdom that belies his wiry 34-year-old frame. With the sparkly eye and the practiced tongue of a skilled TV host, he eloquently spills insights that I hastily scribble down in my faithful Moleskine notebook…
How many Lonely Planets do you own? “Ah, I never travel with guidebooks. I don’t like reading someone telling me about a colourful little town. I want to discover that for myself. Guidebooks create expectation - without expectation you won’t get disappointed.”
What have you learned from all of this travel? “I’ve boiled it down to four things: 1. Wherever you are is where you’re supposed to be. 2. Listen to your instincts. 3. People would rather help you than hurt you. 4. Smile - with a smile, it’s amazing what you can get away with.
There certainly can’t be much left on your ‘bucket list’? “One thing - Everest base camp, and I don’t know even know why! The Ferrari-Lamborghini thing was on there, but I just did that…”
Unlimited time and funds - what would you do? “You know, I would do exactly what I’m doing now - and that’s a beautiful thing. However, I would make a few small changes… I would bring my girlfriend - and I’d bring a couple friends… Hell, I’d bring all my friends! And I would travel at a much grander, slower pace.
Why do you write so prolifically? “Mostly just to remember it all. I look forward to sitting in a rocking chair on the porch near the end of my days and saying, ‘Yup, been there…’”
How can I be more like you? “I always hear people say, ‘I’d love to do that, but…’ But what? What is holding us back? Chances are it’s usually fear. Take away that fear and we can actually do a sh**load of stuff.”
–Jeff Topham
Word Travels - Saturdays @ 12pm ET on OLN
http://www.moderngonzo.com/
CHECK Word Travels on Nat Geo Adventure Channel WHEN?
CHECK Word Travels just announced to air on CITY TV this fall. WHEN?