I'll survive

The globetrotting boy reporter is in town. Who if not us, fellow Gypsies, would rejoice more at Steven Spielberg’s concerted motion-capture tribute to that indefatigable traveler/sleuth called Tintin? He of the plus fours and the ginger quiff and the faithful fox terrier, who’s covered much land between the deep sea and the moon, has lent many a vicarious pleasure to the tribe of scribes (and not necessarily the ones on the crime beat!) everywhere. Tintin’s polyglot abilities and his ease with cultural disparities are something we could all choose to take a leaf out of. I don’t know if he’s counted in when they talk of comic superheroes, but to some of us, he is that: the quintessential survivor – bumbling and absent-minded now and then (oh those adorable break-into-a-sweat panels) – ever willing to learn, and quick with the instincts. Give him a neckerchief and he’s one of the Scouts (Tintin creator Hergé was a devoted Scout, so no coincidence there.)

The Scouts connection and the throbbing survivalist spirit have also to do with our Traveller of the Month. Youngest ever Chief Scout and host of Man vs Wild series on Discovery Channel, Bear Grylls’ life spells a-d-v-e-n-t-u-r-e. Making short shrift of impossible expeditions, near-fatal accidents, inclement weather and dangerous game, BG is a real hero.

But first let’s see you survive Asia’s cuisine like does our columnist Poh Huai Bin. Dog meat and snake blood, anyone? Read on also to know of some other ‘survivors’ – limited-edition collection of exclusive violins handcrafted by master luthier Antonio Stradivari in the early 18th century. Test your resolve to stay single after perusing through the pick of wedding venues listed by the been-there-set-it-up experts.  And let the luxury get to you with the prospect of lounging at sea in swish yachts.

Enjoy the read…

P.S. The usually-swearing Captain Haddock doled out some sage advice in the movie when he said ‘There are plenty of others willing to call you a failure. A fool. A loser. Don’t you ever say it of yourself. You send out the wrong signal, that is what people pick up. You care about something, you fight for it. You hit a wall, you push through it. There’s something you need to know about failure, Tintin. You can never let it defeat you.’

That’s our travel tip for the month… Godspeed.