Usually one avoids activities that involve one of their biggest fears, no matter how irrational they may be. If you are afraid of heights you are probably not going to do the Toronto Sky Walk. I avoid the sections of Zoos where they keep the tarantulas because of the fear there may be an earthquake that causes the glass to break and for the hairy poisonous creatures to crawl on me. So one would assume that if your biggest fear was being in the middle of the ocean, with seasickness and in shark territory you would decline the offer to sail for months in the South Pacific.
Torre did initially refuse. Then she took the chance and decided to sail with her boyfriend on a tiny boat out into the great blue sea. I think about a few days on board she decided that the next time she saw land she was not getting off it, but yet, she found herself sailing around islands in the South Pacific, meeting new people, bonding with her boyfriend on a whole other level and yes, battling seasickness and the fear of drowning.
I loved this book, because it felt real. It wasn't all, yes I conquered my fear in a day and I am cured of all anxiety and have become this super adventurous person. While I will say that Torre is adventurous, she did not magically overcome her seasickness and feel perfectly comfortable out in the middle of the ocean. Like a normal human being, she struggled with her fears and even quit a few times. She experienced happiness, and wonder but at the same time annoyance for the "everything will be alright" stance her boyfriend took and anxiety about not having as much safety equipment as possible.
This book, captured what I can imagine was a real emotional roller coaster that Torre experienced and how she dealt with it. When she met her boyfriend she was on her own type of adventure (working in America, far away from her Australian home) and felt content to have adventures on land. I think this book is really good at pointing out that to be adventurous doesn't mean you have to love all types of travel or daring activities. Some people might fear road trips, because of the possibility of the car breaking down in the middle of nowhere and being out of cell phone range. There are some people that can scuba dive along side various types of marine life, but ask them to go on a hike up a volcano and they will say no.
I usually like to read travel type books while I am travelling but, it was nice to read this one while I am here at home for the time being and I think it encouraged me to have local adventures even if I would rather have them across the ocean.
Do you consider yourself an adventurous person? Do you like certain kinds of adventure? What are your fears? If you have read this book, would you embark on a trip like this, even if you had the same fears Torre did?
Happy Reading!Labels: Book Review, Travel Reads, Wanderlust Reads
