EXPLORER

A veteran traveler and filmmaker chronicles his adventurous life.

In his latest book, Allen (b. 1960) discusses what being an explorer means to him and attempts to set the record straight about the 2017 headlines that reported him missing in Papua New Guinea. He begins by recalling a childhood captivated by stories of faraway lands and voyages of discovery across the centuries. Regarding early explorers, he writes, “they seemed to feel it keenly; the sense that something in themselves or the world was missing.” Although he touches on other trips, Allen focuses mostly on his time spent in PNG, candidly sharing his memories and diary entries from the time. During his first trip there in the 1980s, he developed a close relationship with the Kandengei people and participated in a rite of passage involving the “Crocodile Nest,” which they believe transforms boys into men. On a return trip, the author had an encounter with the Yaifo people, which he believes is the last tribe to have no contact with the outside world. After coming to the realization that he “was seeking something that lay beyond an ever-receding horizon,” Allen made the decision to return home, settle down, and start a family. At the same time, he felt regret for leaving the Yaifo people, believing that they were soon to experience their “dying days.” Three decades later, the opportunity arose for him to return to PNG to help create a documentary for the BBC. Before the trip was cut short, Allen learned that the Yaifo people may have survived after all, and he felt compelled to complete his journey, returning to PNG alone. At this point, Allen took on unnecessary risks and was initially reported as missing. However, his intentions become apparent as he recounts his experience and addresses the media hype surrounding his “rescue” by helicopter.

A compelling story about the need to satisfy one’s yearnings at all costs.