Colonel John Blashford-Snell: 'I remember eating roast monkey in Zaire – it's not my favourite meat'
How often do you travel?
I go on a couple of expeditions per year plus I travel frequently to Jersey, which is my ancestral home. So maybe three or four other trips as well as that per year for lectures.
My idea of nightlife? Sitting in a hide with a glass of scotch watching animals
I’ve been very fortunate to have flown on Concorde a few times when I was working with a lecture agency. Inside the plane, I remember there was a speedometer on the wall. When you reached a certain speed there was a slight jolt as if someone had given you a push from behind and then there was total silence, as if you had left the sound behind. So it’d be quiet for the entire flight and it wasn’t until you approached landing, there’d be a jolt as the plane slowed down and all the noises would start again. It was a memorable experience.
What do you need for a perfect holiday?
Peace and quiet, good food, and plenty of wildlife, which is what I really love.
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Your earliest memory of travelling abroad?
A day trip to St Malo in France while I was in school in Jersey. I remember the food was rather good.
When did you first start exploring?
After my initial training in the British Army, I was posted in Cyprus. I stayed there after I was married and got involved in the local archaeological club. They were surveying lost ruins on the seabeds in the area, and as one of my jobs in the army was to run a diving team for the Royal Engineers, we did some diving in Roman and Greek wrecks between 1957 and 1960.
Your most adventurous travel experience?
The Blue Nile expedition of 1968. We were lucky to get out alive. You can face all sorts of wild animals but it is a completely different situation when you’re facing people with guns trying to kill you. We also did some other expeditions before this one, including two huge other expeditions in Ethiopia.
Most remote place you've been?
Part of western Mongolia, which I visited first in 1990 for work. We were there most recently last July. I’ve visited the Antarctic too, but as a lecturer on a cruise ship rather than to explore the region.
Your most relaxing destination?
New Zealand. It is such a beautiful country. I’ve been on holiday there before and also on expeditions. My father was ordained in Dunedin, and my parents lived for a time on South Island.
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Best holiday ever?
A trip to Nepal in 1976 where I was doing some whitewater rafting, and my family joined me. We stayed in Tiger Tops, a historic lodge, and my two young daughters fell in love with riding elephants and seeing wildlife.
Favourite expedition destinations?
South America, Burma and Mongolia. They fascinate me, as each has some pretty untouched regions to explore. In terms of a holiday, I would choose El Karama, a private reserve in Kenya’s Laikipia district, which we visited last autumn. It is one of the most idyllic places in the world.
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Have you ever been on a safari?
Not on a luxury safari as such, but I’ve undertaken many expeditions where surveying and assessing wildlife is part of the remit.
Favourite hotel?
The Peponi on Lamu Island in Kenya is beautiful. The food is excellent food and there is a lovely beach offering serene sea views.
A post shared by @peponi_hotel on Oct 9, 2016 at 9:24pm PDT
Favourite city?
London, as I know it well.
Favourite restaurant?
The Oyster Box Beach Bar in St Brelade’s Bay, Jersey.
Most memorable meal abroad?
I certainly remember eating roast monkey in Zaire [now the Congo] and Panama but it's not my favourite meat. I’ve eaten insects given to me by Aboriginal groups in the Northern Territories of Australia. Those tasted like warm avocados.
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Favourite pub?
The Coppleridge Inn in our local village of Motcombe is good. I used to love the Sherlock Holmes in Northumberland Street when I was working a lot in London.
Best place for nightlife?
My idea of nightlife is to sit in a hide, behind an image intensifier, in Nepal, sipping a glass of Scotch and watching animals coming down to drink at a waterhole through the night. What could be better?
Worst travel experience?
In the 1960s, I was in a [de Havilland Canada DHC-2] Beaver aircraft flying in Panama when the engine cut out and we went into a terrifying dive. Fortunately, the engine restarted about 500 feet above the ground, which was a small miracle. The rookie pilot had forgotten to switch fuel tanks. Hence the drama.
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In 2005, I was travelling by bus in Bolivia at night along a notoriously dangerous stretch of road. Unfortunately for us, the driver lost control of the vehicle, and for 20 seconds the vehicle careered alarmingly towards the 500ft-cliff drop on the edge of the road. The second driver managed to steer the vehicle into the cliff, so we crashed but got away with our lives.
Favourite airline?
American Airlines is my favourite. The least favourites have since gone out of business. One time I almost boarded a commercial flight in the north of Bolivia but it was full. So we had to charter a private single engine plane instead to get us to the nearest international airport - Trinidad Airport. When we flew into it, I spotted the plane we were originally meant to catch had crashed into a swamp just a mile from the runway, simply because it hadn’t had enough fuel in it.
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Best piece of travel advice for explorers?
Keep a steady nerve and be patient. It takes up to two years to prepare fully for an expedition.
Best travel tip?
Wear a shirt and tie as that increases your chances of getting an upgrade.
Your one travel essential?
A Swiss army knife.
What do you hate about trips away?
Packing. For an expedition, I start the process a few days before we leave as it takes so long and is so complex.
Where next?
Southern Columbia in May for an expedition to deliver an ambulance boat. I will be in Kenya early next year at Mount Kenya for another expedition for charity and wildlife conservation work.
A Life in Exploration, a talk by John Blashford-Snell, takes place this Saturday (March 25) at 6pm at the Oxford Literary Festival. For tickets, see oxfordliteraryfestival.org.His autobiography, Something Lost Behind the Ranges, is out now (johnblashfordsnell.org.uk).
Interview by Roz Lewis
