That's Why We Travel, Isn't It?

Filed in archive Videos on October 24, 2007

Despite the efforts of egotistical millionaires and extreme sports marketers, adventure travel is still nothing more than a fringe activity. Plenty of trekkers make their way around Nepal's well-worn circuits, but few venture off the beaten path.

Enter Gaurav Jani. The Mumbai based documentary filmmaker decide to film a solo trip of himself when he could not arrange funding for a larger production. The result turned out to be more than he could have hoped for.



Though it seems that Mr. Jani is not shy when it comes to self-congratulation, much of it is well deserved. motorcycle touring is a popular, especially in wilderness regions. However, Jani's touring is a little more extreme than the average ride. But, what comes through, at least in the trailer for the film, is not the physical feat of riding at high altitudes for 5,000km, but the spirit of exploration that seems to drive Jani. Whether he meant to or not, that spirit is what comes through in his film, at least in the trailer. This spirit is defined by a kind of innocent curiosity that comes from seeing things for the first time. Perhaps are travels aren't as dramatic as Jani's, but that chance to view things with that kind of curiosity is why we travel, isn't it?