Journeys to Impossible Places: In Life and Every Adventure

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Brilliantly vivid and passionately written. Lots of genuine jaw dropping moments, perhaps even more so than when watching the documentaries.

Journeys to Impossible Places by Simon Reeve - Signed Edition Journeys to Impossible Places by Simon Reeve - Signed Edition

In his 2018 autobiography, Step by Step, which detailed his formative years, Simon revealed he wasn’t born to a family of adventurers, and didn’t board a plane until he was an adult.Myself, and Jonathan, a cameraman I work with a lot, have literally pinched each other at times because we cannot believe we get to do this. What a privilege it is. We’ve lived several lives and that’s an incredible thing when lots of people feel tied to a certain life. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience – the local community. Simon shares what his unique experiences and encounters have taught him, and the deeper lessons he draws from joy and raw grief in his personal life, from desperate struggles with his own fertility and head health, from wise friends, fatherhood, inspiring villagers, brave fighters, his beloved dogs, and a thoughtful Indian sadhu. The endless facts about how our natural world is being threatened makes for quite harrowing reading and will, hopefully, inspire change. Like its predecessor, it is a story of Reeve’s personal life and travels, but this is primarily focussed on the filming of his Tropic of Cancer and Indian Ocean series. Reading about Reeve’s travels was fascinating, as it felt that by this point in his career he had become more confident as a documentary maker as he gained further experience.

Journeys to Impossible Places by Simon Reeve | Waterstones

Simon admits he has genuine moments of disbelief that he’s managed to carve a life of adventure and exploration, going so far as to claim: ‘I still feel I don’t deserve this life’. Women used to give birth vertically (using gravity to help them) until male doctors changed the practice for their own comfortIf I’m not, then what we’re shooting isn’t strong enough quite frankly. I need to have my buttons tweaked and my preconceptions affected, definitely. That’s a really important part of the programmes. So, research goes on beforehand, sometimes for many months, but the interactions with people aren’t scripted. We just have to try and get the best we can out of every situation, so nobody’s time is wasted, least of all the viewers.’ I simply adore this man and have been a fan for many years now. Having read his previous book Step By Step, I wasn’t sure if he was able to equal it, but he does just that and more, following him into the next stage of his life and travels.

Journeys to Impossible Places by Simon Reeve | Goodreads

Alongside all this Simon Reeve tells stories from his journeys around the equator, tropics of Capricorn and Cancer , the Indian Ocean and along Sacred Rivers. The need to safeguard our seas, our wildlife, and indigenous communities is made very clear throughout, and the stories Reeve tells in this book somehow make the whole issue very up-close and very urgent. Simons own vulnerability and candidness about his struggles I find particularly endearing and raw. He does not possess a stuffy privileged view of the world, and his travels convey his real honest enthusiasm for both the world, and the people around it. He comes across eager to seize every, and any, opportunity to learn about other cultures to our own, and give a voice to the marginalised. The accounts of his travels are addictive. They are at times dangerous but also humorous - played in-part by the people he meets - however, they also call into question the way we are treating our planet. He inspires me to travel more and seek out even more of an authentic experience. I hadn’t realised there was a value in sharing in life’s stories before I wrote the first volume. People reacted so warmly and so beautifully, so I had no hesitation sharing these stories of struggling to create a little bit of life myself because that was the biggest impossible journey of my recent existence, and I couldn’t really talk about my life without that. Reading more about the subject saw my frustration turn to anger – fertility is on a downward spiral and we’re being poisoned by the modern world. Some experts believe the sperm counts of western men have fallen by more than 50% over recent decades and that their defectiveness is on the rise. Meanwhile, others believe the number of miscarriages is increasing and that egg quality is in steep decline. I’d always assumed we’d have a large litter, but in an instant I realised the prospect of that was all but gone. Of course, I’d wanted to keep up my adventures and was nervous about the responsibilities that would come with fatherhood. But having children had always been a priority. My wife and I had long had the opportunity. But for some reason we hadn’t taken it.

I’d recommend also watching his relevant travel documentaries afterwards to fully place the scenarios and places he talks about. It is a nice accompaniment to visualise these landscapes for yourself. Priority booking for Barbican members opens from 10am Thu 2 Sep 2021. Priority booking links will be shared via the Members' newsletter. Please get in touch if you haven't received it. The most fatal flaw is that Simon is under the impression he is personally interesting, not 'famous' due to the destinations and individuals he meets. Simon's expendability and dislike character normally work in his favour in this line of work. I don't care if his life is in danger as he travels, because of his past responsibility of alleged second-degree murder, or at least manslaughter (he sold knives knowingly to violent thugs who then murdered others with them - something he never even contemplates a need to atone for or self-blame).

Journeys to Impossible Places - Linghams Booksellers Journeys to Impossible Places - Linghams Booksellers

I set out to “proof read” this series to see if it would be appropriate for my 10-year-old son. I was concerned that the elements may be too mature for him, even though it states it was for ages 9-16… Simon shares what his unique experiences and encounters have taught him, and the deeper lessons he draws from joy and raw grief in his personal life, from desperate struggles with his own fertility and head health, from wise friends, fatherhood, inspiring villagers, brave fighters, his beloved dogs and a thoughtful Indian sadhu.

At its core I find the book is quite life-affirming, peppered with huge moments in his own personal life, and finishing with a beautiful written letter promise to his young son that even made me choke up. The travel, which Simon brings so to life that you feel you are there with him. Seeing, feeling, smelling and tasting it all for yourself. He effectively combines the genre of travel writing with investigative journalism, and brings to light little-known conflicts and events from around the world.' - Perceptive Travel I’m a mission-oriented, goal-focussed person. Often the projects I work on are complex and overwhelming and it’s my job to make sure problems are overcome. As I listened to her prognosis I felt powerless, our future slipping out of my hands. Receiving this information, I was totally unequipped. Tourism in Durban causes much killing of marine life due to efforts to keep sharks away from swimmers