Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25122
ROBERT, WHAT IS YOUR MOTIVAnON TO ENTER THE OANGER ZONE? I like to go to places where I don't know what the outcome will be. I also like to go to places no other travelers go. The way I travel is about overcoming a lot of obstacles that keep others out. When I get there, the people are surprised and I establish a rapport that journalists don't have. You have to go to talk to people to find out what's really going on. People shouldn't believe what they hear on the news; they should go and will form their own opinions. The more people who go and see what's going on, the more they see solutions for world problems. I try to explain what real travel and adventure is all about-it has some serious consequences (as well as some serious benefits). I do what I do, and other people do what they do. There is a big difference between doing something because you truly believe in it and doing it because it's perceived as cool. I go to travel and discover, and I write down what I see. Sometimes my writing and the resulting reaction is popular. Sometimes it isn't. When you go somewhere, forget what people think you should do, just do something meaningful and rewarding. HOW DO YOU GRAPPLE WITH THE FACT THAT WHEN YOU LEAVE THE DANGER ZONE YOU CAN RETREAT TO YOUR COMFORTABLE, SAFE WESTERN EXISTENCE? I am an American tourist. I accept it. That's who I am. I don't try to blend in or dodge tough questions. Just as I don't expect the people I am meeting to change their opinion or lifestyle to benefit me. But I do use my privileged position to help others understand the world and what is going on. YOU GO TO AFRICA EVERY YEAR. WHY DO YOU KEEP GOING BACK? Africa is life, Africa is death. The closest I've ever come to dying was in Africa. On the front lines with the SPLA in Sudan, plunging underwater into roaring rivers trapped in a Land Rover. Being stoned by a angry crowd when trying to save three American girls who decided to dress like Madonna in an Islamic country. Holding on for dear life in the back of a SWAT team BMW screaming through the townships, machine guns at the ready, pistols shoved between the seat and crotch. Being shot at for no reason on a lazy day on the Niger. The list goes on, the stories are many. If you are lucky, you too will understand and learn to love Africa and respect it. Check out Robert Young Pelton's The World's Most Dangerous Places on the Discovery Network and the Travel Channel. •