The National Geographic Adventure Blog has a very interesting interview up today with Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Nicholas Kristof, who has made a living journeying to some of the most far-flung and dangerous places on Earth to report on a wide range of topics.
In the interview, Kristof talks about a variety of topics, like sneaking into the Sudan with Kofi Annan, the perils of carrying $50k in cash in Afghanistan, and much more. He’s been to over 140 countries, often times having to sneak in across borders to pursue his stories on genocide, poverty, slavery, and more, and at times, his life has been legitimately at risk just for being some place he shouldn’t.
So, what country sticks out as his favorite place on Earth? Kristof was especially enchanted with Vanuatu, where he visited the island of Tanna. A place where life hasn’t changed much over the years, and the people living there still have a traditional way of life. The reporter says that there is a theology on the island built up around someone named “John Frum” who visited the place years ago, and demonstrated technology to the natives that was so impressive, they worshipped him as a god. This visitor supposedly visited the region around the time of WWII and is still seen as a bit of cult figure there to this day.
Very interesting read. This guy has seen things and been to places that most of us wouldn’t want to even approach. He’s led a very adventurous life, as you can imagine, and he’s always willing to go after the story he things needs to be told.
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This interview was published in whole in the most recent issue of the magazine. I enjoyed it so much, I read it three times. The guy has real guts to do what he does. I wonder what his family thinks about it.
I agree Willy. It’s a great interview, and I have a lot of respect for Nicholas. The man seems fearless in the face of a lot of truly dangerous situations.