PAST PURSUITS
Thursday November 6, 2008
Adventurer Josh Bernstein explores ancient mysteriesin travelogue
by: Jennifer Chen jennifer@mediacorp.com.sg
It's easy to sell Josh Bernstein, the host of travelogue Into the Unknown with Josh Bernstein, as a real life Indiana Jones.
Like the whip-wielding fictitious adventurer, Bernstein has travelled the world in search of relics and, in a series to be shown on Discovery Channel next Monday, he will be delving into mysteries such as the existence of Noah's Ark and Timbuktu's mythical "City of Gold".
The image is not so easy to sell, however, if the man himself adamantly rejects the label. "Indiana Jones is a Hollywood creation," says Bernstein, 37, in a telephone interview. "This is real life. I explore and I learn and I make mistakes."
His explorations have taken him to Peru to investigate the sudden disappearance of the Chachapoya tribe in the 16th century, and into the depths of Papua New Guinea to witness a secret mummification ritual.
If the themes of the travel series revolve around serious matters, it's not only because Bernstein, who majored in anthropology and psychology at Cornell University, wants to satisfy his intellectual curiosity. He also hopes the show will be an antidote to some of the shows offered on television today.
"I think there's a lot of television today that is not educational. It's just pure entertainment and it can be frivolous," he says. "Hopefully, at the end of this programme, people will have learned something."
And ideally, this great knowledge will lead to great wanderlust. Says Bernstein: "My hope is, after seeing the beautiful sights, people will be inspired to travel the world and see these places for themselves."
He divides his time between his flat in New York and his 6.5m yurt in Utah. That's the tent used by Mongolian nomads. He has a bigger, 9m, yurt, which he uses as a store for the Boulder Outdoor Survival School that he heads.
His best tip for fellow adventurers on how to survive in the wilderness? "The number one criterion for survival in almost every case is the will to live," Bernstein says. "Most people who die do not die from exposure. They die from giving up."
"And then it helps to have certain skills, how to provide shelter, fire or water for yourself. These are some of the stuff we teach at the school."
Into the Unknown with Josh Bernstein airs every Monday, starting next week, on Discovery Channel(StarHub Ch 12) at 11pm.
There is also another article of Josh on The Straits Time Newspaper, Singapore, Life section, 7 November 2008 edition which also promotes his new program on Discovery Channel and the content is almost similiar. I would post it on my blog later :>
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