The journey that has changed me: Jini Reddy

The journey that has changed me: Jini Reddy

from trekking in Nepal to the exploration of Iran and Pakistan, the author Jini Reddy maintains us with stories about the trips that you have changed

If there was ever a mysterious international woman, she would probably have been very similar to Jini Reddy. As a British author and journalist, Jini lived in London, Montreal, Hong Kong, Provence and Tiflis

alt = “Author Jini Reddy smiles”>

she traveled into the Kalash valleys in Pakistan under armed guard, completed the Annapurna Circuit out of a mood and settled in a men's home in the discouraging city of Delhi.

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

In her new book "Wanderland", Jini combines natural writing, personal reflection and memoirs to record her search for the magical in the landscape. Here she tells us about the journey that she has changed.

Wanderland is a unique piece of travel literature. Who is that?

Wanderland is about my search for magic in the landscape. I was a travel writer for a long time and always felt attracted to magic and mysticism. I was also very inspired by people from indigenous cultures that I had met on my travels. They spoke of community with the sensitive powers of nature and I found it fascinating. I wanted to know whether it would be possible for me as a normal person to experience this type of connection.

I landed on a fairly unorthodox path through various landscapes in the UK and had unusual encounters and experiences. I would say that the book is suitable for everyone who is interested in spirituality, mysticism, hiking and nature in a broader sense.

I love fiction and tried to make a story out of it. It was also important to me that my book is accessible and understandable and is fun. It doesn't fit so easily in a genre, but I've never liked boxes! I definitely don't have the feeling of fitting in anything.

How do you go as someone who finds consolation in nature with the lockdown?

I am lucky that I have a garden and a quiet forest at the end of my street. I go for a walk there every morning, and sometimes I let go of my fear, sometimes I just enjoy the particularly intense spring we have.

alt = “The author Jini Reddy runs bicycle”> Jini Reddy Jini Reddy rises on her bike

I also have a bike that helps and I live in a very green district. But not everyone has a garden or forest or access to a park landscape. Experience a lockdown from a high -rise requires a completely different level of resistance.

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

I think that the barriers are often rooted in socio -economic factors. And we have to take into account the history of land ownership in the country - it is mostly white, isn't it? All of these things have an impact and shape the perception of places and the reception that they may receive.

I was a travel writer, so I'm used to traveling to new places and feeling like an outsider, and I agree. Sometimes I felt in Great Britain, my place of birth, but is hyper-visible and uncomfortable. But that would never stop me from researching. And nature doesn't judge, do you know? The relationship between you and nature or the landscape around you is a deeply personal thing.

I think we have to get fresh air into our lungs. To be outside gives you a new perspective and that is good for mental health. Coasts, rivers, mountains, parks and meadows are beautiful places to linger. Our soul needs beauty. I think in the modern world it is too easy to forget that we humans are part of nature.

we turn to the journey that she has changed. Which region has influenced it the most?

In terms of travel that really changed me, it should be my first big trip to Asia. I was in my twenties and left a good job in the publishing house to voluntarily get involved in Nepal. I had very vague plans, no credit card, 500 pounds, no telephone and no accommodation. The friend of the friend I thought that he would pick me up at the airport was nowhere to be found. The first 24 hours were a shock for my system and I was quickly grown up!

Alt = "View of the Annapurna Circuit"> ZZVET/Shutterstock View of the Annapurna Circuit

In terms of how it changed me, I have developed greater confidence in my ability to travel and take care of myself in unknown, 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, so poetic, so fun -loving! I loved the rural landscapes and the cities I traveled. I was totally enchanted. I really feel with the Iranians who are so fun -loving and still live with the restrictions they have.

alt = “A trip to Iran had a big influence on Jini Reddy”> Anujak Jaimook/Shutterstock Agha 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 Kalasch valleys and had an armed escort on this occasion, consisting of four bodyguards with Kalasnikov, since it was known that the Taliban moved through the area. I remember that one got a tattered picture of Princess Diana. Apparently she had gone to his village and so they had renamed the village in honor in "Diana".

Which trip do you want to repeat?

I would like to return to Namibia. It was a real lesson in the power of rough, wild nature. It was humiliating. I would like to see a group of children from the city center in this area; To see what effects this could have on your attitude to life.

There was a place near the border with Angola - I was flown in with a pilot in a tiny plane - and when we landed, everything I could see was this hilly, peach -colored sand. And no people. I thought I hallucinated.

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

I would like to travel to the Faroe Islands or to Finland or in the Canadian Yukon or the northwest territories. I feel pretty attracted to the north these days!

alt = "Parrot divers relax on Mykines, Faroe Islands"> Atlas & Boots The Faroe Islands are at the top of Reddy's to-Sea list

travel guide or not travel guide?

Oh, I think travel guide is great. I just wouldn't follow them faithfully! I recommend Brattt. And not only because you published my first book Wild Times. The founder, Hilary Bradt, is a very interesting woman.

Are you a planner or onlookers?

a little bit of both. Nowadays I like to know where I live, but I have no options for things I can see. I am more interested in connecting to a place on a deeper and magical level.

I set an intention and send out the thought before I start driving there to honor the spirit of the place where I am. It works for me - there are always moments pure enchantment when I think about it.

hotel or hostel (or camping)?

I prefer Airbnb and independent eco-lodges, cottages or retreats. I did my part while camping, but nowadays it is no longer attractive to carry equipment around. I stayed in the most Spartan hostels in India; Once was the only place I could find a bed in a men's home in Delhi. No experience that I want to repeat.

I also stayed in incredibly glamorous, even palace -like accommodations and really enjoyed it! But I don't need it. I like to stay in places where environmental protection and community are part of the ethos.

What was your most important travel experience?

That is very difficult. Almost impossible. Namibia comes to mind. I loved these wide, rugged landscapes, the earthy colors. It is simply surreal and drives out all thoughts out of your head.

We have to ask: You performed naked in Guardian Travel. How?

I was alone on natural search in the Pyrenees. I fasted and camped wild on a mountain summit for five days. It was brooding hot, midsummer. There was nobody there and I thought, why do I even take care of clothes? So I took a photo of me with a self -timer on my camera. (I didn't have my phone with me. I left it to the guide who had led me here.)

I made a piece for the metro and that was the photo you took. Five years later and here we are in Lockdown, and The Guardian searched for articles on the topic of isolation trips, and so I suggested my Pyrenees story. I literally had one photo: the naked!

https://www.instagram.com/p/b-o1x7bh5ko/

Finally, why travel?

It's in my DNA. My father was an enthusiastic traveler. He and my mother lived in some countries, so I must have inherited the gene. It always felt like a second nature for me. Nowadays I am very interested in researching my homeland, not only because of my CO2 footprint, but because it is now attracting me.

alt = “>

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

main picture: Rapitpunt/Shutterstock

  .