Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine March 2014 | Page 108
106
Explore | Interview
INTERVIEW
© Simon Enderby / Scubazoo.com
STEVE
BACKSHALL
BORN TO
BE WILD
Adventurer and natural
history presenter Steve
Backshall took time out from
filming his new Deadly
Pole to
Pole series to speak to Colours
about expeditions that have
taken him across the world in
search of the extraordinary.
Interview by Karen Donald
“I first discovered Indonesia with my
parents at the age of 12. They both worked
for airlines and we visited many exotic
locations. When I was 18, I spent four
extraordinary months travelling Nusa
Tengarra. I love the diversity of Indonesia;
each island is like a different country –
it feels like a hundred countries in one.”
Steve has been passionate about the wild
world ever since he was a babe in arms.
Childhood dreams led Backshall on the
journey of a lifetime. It all began after
a rainy-day visit with his family to an
exhibition of artefacts from Papua New
Guinea. With his imagination running
wild, Backshall waited until he was old
enough, then left England and set off to
explore the jungles of Irian Jaya.
“After graduating from university I began
writing for the Rough Guides travel series,
which then led on to television work.