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EXCESS BAGGAGE
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09 September听2006听
ISLANDS听
The Galapagos Islands are famous for their wildlife which includes the land and marine iguanas, giant tortoises, the flightless cormorant, the blue footed booby and of course the finches that inspired Darwin to form his ideas on natural selection.听 However they are equally rich in unique plant life, like the daisy tree, and spectacular geology, with several active volcanoes.
Fascinating attractions like these are drawing an increasing numbers of tourists.听 John McCarthy finds out how the delicate ecological balance of the place is coping with the rising local population and influx of visitors?听 He is joined by Paul D Stewart, author of Galapagos: The Islands that Changed the World and David Horwell, tour operator and co-author of Galapagos Wildlife: A Visitor's guide.
THE BLIND TRAVELLER -听 (1786 - 1857)
In the early 1800s, when much of the world remained uncharted, the most accomplished traveller of all time was a man named James Holman both intermittently crippled by arthritis and permanently blind, he nevertheless travelled alone visiting all the continents - witnessing an uprising in China, fighting slave trading in Africa and being arrested as a spy in Siberia.
In his book A sense of the World, Jason Roberts, explains how he unearthed and researched the fascinating story of the blind traveller, whose accounts had made him a best selling author in his day although he is now largely forgotten.
Presented by John McCarthy
Photo: Tortoise
This week's guests:听
Paul D Stewart is the principle author of Galapagos: the Islands that Changed the World which accompanies the upcoming three part 大象传媒2 documentary series 'Galapagos'.
Paul first went to the Galapagos in 1985 and lived there with his family last year during the filming of the 大象传媒2 series.
Paul worked in the听 at Oxford University and also with David Attenborough on Life of Mammals, Planet Earth, Blue Planet.听 He writes for scientific and conservation journals and produces films documentaries for the 大象传媒 Natural History unit.
Galapagos: the Islands that Changed the World
Publisher: 大象传媒 Books
ISBN: 0563493569
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David Horwell is a tour operator and runs听听which takes small groups to South America and the Galapagos. David also takes photographs of and writes on the islands. He has co-authored Galapagos Wildlife.听
David has been fascinated by the islands since hearing of them through Darwin 's writings.听 In 1978 he saw an advertisement in a university bulletin asking for nature guides in Galapagos and got the job on the strength of his interest in science and languages. Since the creation of the Galapagos National Park by the Ecuadorian government tourists always have to be accompanied by a guide who enforces the rules and imparts knowledge about the place.
Galapagos Wildlife: A Visitor's guide by David Horwell and Pete Oxford
Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides
ISBN: 1841621005
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听lives in Northern California.听 He is the inaugural winner of the Van Zorn Price for emerging writers and has written for publications including the Village Voice, McSweeney's and the San Francisco Chronicle.听
His book A Sense of the World - How a Blind Man Became History's Greatest Traveller tells the story of James Holman (1786-1857).听 James achieved near mythic status as "The Blind Traveller" embarking on adventures that included sledging through Siberia, fighting the slave trade off the African Coast, and blazing paths through the Australian outback.听 Although famed in his day, he was all but forgotten a century later.
A Sense of the World - How a Blind Man Became History's Greatest Traveller
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
ISBN: 0743239660听
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| PRESENTER BIOGRAPHIES |
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 Sandi Toksvig:
The daughter of a foreign correspondent, Sandi has been travelling all her life more info |
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John McCarthy is a widely travelled journalist and presenter with a particular interest in the Middle East.
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