The Journey That Changed Me: Jini Reddy

The Journey That Changed Me: Jini Reddy

From trekking in Nepal to exploring Iran and Pakistan, author Jini Reddy entertains us with stories of the journeys that changed her

If there ever was a mysterious international woman, she would probably have been a lot like Jini Reddy. A British author and journalist, Jini has lived in London, Montreal, Hong Kong, Provence and Tbilisi.

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She traveled under armed guard to the Kalash Valleys of Pakistan, completed the Annapurna Circuit on a whim and settled in a men's hostel in the daunting city of Delhi.

As an author, Jini has won a British Guild of Travel Writers Award for her debut, Wild Times, and was recently named one of National Geographic's Women of Impact.

In her new book, Wanderland, Jini combines nature writing, personal reflection and memoir to chronicle her search for the magical in the landscape. Here she tells us about the journey that changed her.

Wanderland is a unique piece of travel literature. Who is this for?

Wanderland is about my search for magic in the landscape. I've been a travel writer for a long time and have always been drawn to magic and mysticism. I was also very inspired by people from indigenous cultures that I met on my travels. They spoke of communion with the sentient forces of nature and I found that fascinating. I wanted to know if it was possible for me, as a normal person, to experience this kind of connection.

I ended up on a fairly unorthodox path through various landscapes in Britain and had unusual encounters and experiences. I would say the book is suitable for anyone interested in spirituality, mysticism, hiking and nature more broadly.

I love fiction and tried to make a story out of it. It was also important to me that my book was accessible, relatable and fun. It doesn't fit easily into a genre, but I've never liked boxing! I definitely don't feel like I fit into anything.

As someone who finds solace in nature, how are you dealing with lockdown?

I'm lucky to have a garden and a quiet forest at the end of my street. Every morning I go for a walk there and sometimes I let go of my fears, sometimes I just enjoy this particularly intense spring we are having.

alt=“The author Jini Reddy rides a bike”>Jini ReddyJini Reddy gets on her bike

I also have a bike, which helps, and I live in a very green part of town. But not everyone has a garden or woodland or access to parkland. Experiencing a lockdown from a high-rise requires a whole different level of resilience.

You've said you feel welcome in nature, but you also acknowledge that there are barriers for working-class people and people of color. Why is it important to go into nature?

I think the barriers are often rooted in socioeconomic factors. And we have to consider the history of land ownership in the country - it's overwhelmingly white, right? All of these things impact and shape the perception of places and the reception you may receive.

I was a travel writer, so I'm used to traveling to new places and feeling like an outsider, and I'm okay with that. However, at times I have felt hyper-visible and uncomfortable in the UK, my birthplace. But that would never stop me from researching. And nature doesn't judge, you know? The relationship between you and the nature or landscape around you is a deeply personal thing.

I think we need to get some fresh air in our lungs. Being outside gives you a new perspective and that's good for mental health. Coasts, rivers, mountains, parks and meadows are beautiful places to stay. Our soul needs beauty. I think in the modern world it's all too easy to forget that we humans are part of nature.

Let's turn to the journey that changed you. Which region influenced you the most?

In terms of trips that have really changed me, it would have to be my first big trip to Asia. I was in my 20s and left a good job in publishing to volunteer in Nepal. I had very vague plans, no credit card, £500, no phone and no accommodation. The friend of the friend who I thought would meet me at the airport was nowhere to be found. The first 24 hours were a shock to my system and I grew up fast!

The next day, I consulted the Oracle (my Lonely Planet guide) and decided to hike the Annapurna Circuit, a 21-day trek that crosses a 5,500 m (18,044 ft) mountain pass, one of the highest in Nepal. Alone, never done more than one hike in the Peak District.

alt="View of the Annapurna Circuit">Zzvet/ShutterstockView of the Annapurna Circuit

Luckily, I went to a lecture on altitude sickness and realized I would be overwhelmed. Coincidentally, I met a guy from Yorkshire on the same day and we hiked together. Crossing this pass, Thorung La, was the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life, physically speaking.

In terms of how it has changed me, I have developed greater confidence in my ability to travel and take care of myself alone in unfamiliar, distant environments.

I think Iran also had a big influence on me. My experience was so contradictory to everything I had read in the press. Iranians are so warm-hearted, so poetic, so fun-loving! I loved the rural landscapes and the cities I traveled to. I was completely enchanted. I really feel for the Iranians who are so fun-loving and yet live with the limitations they have.

alt="A trip to Iran had a big impact on Jini Reddy">Anujak Jaimook/ShutterstockAgha Bozorg Mosque in Kashan, Iran

I had the same feeling in Pakistan. An exceptionally beautiful country full of wonderful, warm-hearted people. I visited the Kalash Valleys and on this occasion had an armed escort consisting of four bodyguards with Kalasnikovs, as the Taliban were known to be passing through the area. I remember one guy pulled out a tattered picture of Princess Diana. Apparently she had gone to his village and so they had renamed the village “Diana” in her honor.

Which trip would you like to repeat?

I would like to return to Namibia. It was a real lesson in the power of raw, wild nature. It was humiliating. I would love to see a group of inner city kids in this environment; to see what impact this might have on their outlook on life.

There was a place near the border with Angola - I had flown in with a pilot in a tiny plane - and when we landed, all I could see for miles was this rolling, peach-colored sand. And no people. I thought I was hallucinating.

Do you still have a dream destination that you haven't seen yet?

I would like to travel to the Faroe Islands or Finland or the Canadian Yukon or the Northwest Territories. I'm feeling quite drawn to the north these days!

alt="Puffins relaxing in Mykines, Faroe Islands">Atlas & BootsThe Faroe Islands are high on Reddy's to-see list

Travel guide or not travel guide?

Oh, I love travel guides. I just wouldn't follow them to the letter! I recommend Bradt. And not just because they published my first book, Wild Times. The founder, Hilary Bradt, is a very interesting woman.

Are you a planner or a spectator?

A bit of both. These days I like to know where I live, but I don't have a choice of things to see. I'm more interested in connecting with a place on a deeper and more magical level.

I set an intention and send out the thought before I leave that I am there to honor the spirit of the place I am. It works for me – there are always moments of pure enchantment when I travel with this mindset.

Hotel or hostel (or camping)?

I prefer Airbnb and independent eco-lodges, cottages or retreats. I've done my share of camping, but lugging around gear isn't appealing these days. I've stayed in the most spartan hostels in India; Once the only place I could find was a bed in a men's hostel in Delhi. Not an experience I would want to repeat.

I've also stayed in incredibly glamorous, even palatial accommodation and really enjoyed it! But I don't need it. I enjoy being in places where conservation and community are part of the ethos.

What was your most important travel experience?

This is very difficult. Almost impossible. Namibia comes to mind. I loved these vast, rugged landscapes, the earthy colors. It's just surreally beautiful and drives all thoughts out of your head.

We have to ask: you appeared nude in Guardian Travel. How?

I was alone looking for nature in the Pyrenees. I fasted and camped wild on a mountaintop for five days. It was scorching hot, midsummer. There was no one there and I thought, why do I even care about clothes? So I took a photo of myself using a self-timer on my camera. (I didn't have my phone with me. I had left it to the guide who brought me here.)

I did a piece for Metro and this was the photo they took. Five years later and here we are in lockdown and The Guardian was looking for articles on isolation travel and so I suggested my Pyrenees story. I literally had the one photo: the naked one!

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-o1x7bH5Ko/

After all, why travel?

It's in my DNA. My father was an avid traveler. He and my mother lived in a few countries, so I must have inherited the gene. It has always felt like second nature to me. These days I'm very interested in doing research closer to home, not just because of my carbon footprint, but because I'm drawn to it now.

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Robert Macfarlane describes Jini Reddy's Wanderland as "a funny, gentle, original and very modern search for the magical (not the mythical) in the British countryside that both made me laugh and moved me." Wanderland is now available in hardcover.

Main image: Rapitpunt/Shutterstock

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