Erstellt am: 30. 3. 2015 - 14:10 Uhr
Johnny's Islands
I've discovered that I tend to return quite often to certain topics as a travel journalist; one of those is wildlife (for example, I just love penguins!).
Another is folklore and mythology, anything involving elves or whatnot gets me straight away (I love mythical creatures too. Especially fairy penguins!).
Best of all for me, though, is if I can have all of those things on an island.
I confess, I simply adore islands. Which got me thinking... Owing to my visit to the Falls Festival in Tasmania this New Year, I started 2015 physically on one of my favourite islands.
You can check out the program, here on FM4, tonight on FM4 Sleepless between 1-3 a.m.
If you miss the program, you can listen to it later via 7 days on demand!
Alternatively, you can also find it as a podcast on the Edge Radio website.
I happened to be acquainted with a radio host for Edge Radio, which is the alternative, youth and subculture station in Hobart, the capital of Tasmania.
This is going to sound crazy, but one morning I suddenly thought, Why not co-host a radio show about my favourite islands in the world, on one of those islands, and broadcast it in both Austria and Tasmania?!
I spoke with Melanie Page, a popular presenter on Edge Radio, and she agreed! And then FM4 did too! Yay! (And the rest, as they say, is history.)
Johnny Bliss, 2015
* If you want the full picture, incl. interview excerpts, however, you should really listen to the program.
To find out more about my time in Iceland, check out my web area; I have written quite a few articles!
We only had about an hour to play with, so naturally, some of my favourite islands have been omitted, but quite a few did make it in, and here are some short paragraphs about them*.
Island(s) #1: Iceland.
Oh, Iceland. This show would not be complete without a reference to the mystical island I have returned to most often since 2009. My record six visits to this volcanic landscape has included four amazing music festivals, one erupting volcano, an interview with the best and funniest mayor of a city ever, amazing northern lights, and plenty of puffins.
James Maddison 2010
Rosetta Lake Mills, 2014
Island(s) #2: Svalbard (Spitsbergen).
* And slightly fewer people
I have only been to Svalbard once, but it is a spooky, magical, and absurd enough place that it instantly won a spot in the top five. Aside from the presence of a good 3000+ polar bears*, Svalbard, located deep within the arctic circle, boasts ginormous glaciers, an abandoned Russian mining town, a fossilized rainforest, and a crazy law (!) against dying there.
Yup, that's right - it's illegal to die in Svalbard.
Also, the colourful characters you meet there might well have just stepped outside of an episode of Twin Peaks. Astonishing!
Johnny Bliss, 2014
Johnny Bliss, 2014
Johnny Bliss, 2014
Island(s) #3: The Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
Find out more about my time in the Andaman Islands here.
Although they technically belong to India, the Andaman & Nicobar Islands are so far out into the Indian Ocean that they are actually closer to Indonesia and Myanmar. They are populated, even today, by hunter-gatherer tribes who have chosen to shun contact with the outside world. While our idea of 'civilization' encroaches deeper and deeper into their territory (and quite a few of the tribes are slowly integrating), many people still do live there in the same way their ancestors have for thousands of years - so no cars, no electricity, nor even pants and shoes and so on.
There are amazing beaches and rainforest areas, and the lack of electrical light pollution means that at night you can see some of the most expansive beautiful starry skies, stretching out as far as the eye can see.
Johnny Bliss, 2014
Island(s) #4: Haida Gwaii.
* Even the lowest estimate is still six digits; so, in short, they have been there a very long time.
Find out more here.
Depending on who you ask, the indigenous people of Haida Gwaii have lived as many as 40,000 years on this beautiful pacific northwestern Canadian island archipelago*.
The local mythology, involving characters connected to the local ecosystem such as Raven, Eagle, Bear, and many others, is rich with history and art; although the culture suffered tremendously over the last couple of hundred years, the heritage of the people remains defiantly strong to this day.
Artwork and cultural history aside, the proximity of so much amazing wildlife, not to mention the beaches and stunning, moss-covered temperate rainforest, bring this island archipelago very comfortably into my top five.
Johnny Bliss, 2013
Johnny Bliss, 2013
Island(s) #5: Tasmania.
Naturally, a program about my favourite islands in the world, presented on one of those islands, would not be complete without including said island!
Tasmania is one of my favourite islands because it is just so darn beautiful; the landscape is stunning, with rolling green fields, mountains, and coastal area. There are more great camping and hiking areas than you can shake a fist at. On top of that, the people are lovely, and the weather is fresher than anywhere else in Australia, with regular Antarctic gusts coming in.
Also, wildlife.
Luke Middleton, 2014
Johnny Bliss, 2014
Johnny Bliss, 2015
Bonus Island #6: Tenerife (Gran Canarias).
A lot of what made Tenerife amazing for me was the insane astrophysics & astronomy conference I was attending at at the time.
However, there is no denying the unspoiled beauty of the coastline, or the aging volcanoes, forests and hiking land.
Tenerife, an obvious highlight of the Gran Canaria island chain, is a no-holds-barred natural paradise, with year-round warm(ish) temperatures, and a lovely character overall. Although it is located just off the coast of Morocco, it does belong to Spain, so if you cannot speak Spanish, be prepared to pantomime and gesticulate a lot.
Johnny Bliss, 2014
Well, that sums up today's edition of Johnny's Islands!