In the Guardian's article, explorers, travel writers and tour operators remember some of their favourite travel moments…
Keeping company in the article with the likes of Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Benedict Allen, Rob (MD of Sky2Sea), remembers his first ever expedition to the jungles of Sumatra:
"In the early 90s I spent two years on expeditions in Indonesia – Kalimantan, Sumatra, Java – mainly leading conservation projects to save orang-utans, rhinos and the rainforest. In Sumatra, I got lost and was found by Bruce Parry, as it happens, who I’m still friends with. I'd had no food or water for two days and had to overnight in a swamp – thankfully I found a sweet in my back pocket at midnight. I headed here straight out of university, and despite limited technical jungle experience, wanted to combine travel with worthwhile projects. I stayed for a long time and Bruce Parry became somewhat of a mentor.
We were at the northern tip of Sumatra, in the southern Aceh (northern Aceh is where the troubles are), on a rhino conservation project clearing forest trails. It's stunning; you've got magnificent coastline with leatherback turtles, jungles right down to the
beach, and a spine of volcanic mountains running down the middle of it. The terrain is inhospitable, but the people are the reverse.
Getting lost was a pivotal point my life – it could have made or broken me. You go through various stages when you're lost. Firstly: "I'm not really lost." Second: Panic. Then you generally go into meltdown, tripping over stuff and praying in earnest. Bruce, along with the chief scientist, finally found me at 8pm. I came back and decided I needed to learn all about survival in the jungle, so it wouldn't happen again."
Since then, Rob has indeed learnt all there is to know about jungle survival. He has gone from getting lost, to being an expedition leader, to in-country manager, to running a conservation charity, to running bespoke expedition company Sky2Sea International.
Rob is a jungle expert. He is also a desert expert to boot; a logistics expert; and a management expert. Production companies wanting to film in extremes rely on his know-how, as do countless other individuals and groups wanting an adventure of a lifetime.
Thanks to a well-timed discovery of a young (and ever so slightly lost) Rob by Bruce Parry, we can enjoy fantastic adventures with an expert: Rob and his dedicated team lead the field in all that is expedition.
