Explorer, author, trail prospector & travel writer

With 59 hours to go, here’s more on the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ of A Tale Of Two Rivers

If you’re lucky enough to have a long weekend off for Easter, I hope you’ve got some fun things lined up for it!

As it happens, Tenny and I are at a good friend’s wedding in Shropshire, England, and I’m dashing off this post while getting dressed up in a borrowed suit to pretend I’m a respectable member of society when I’m actually a hobo.

Of course, being at a wedding is far from ideal when you’re in the last few hours of a massive fundraising campaign. But as a wise man/woman once said, “the perfect circumstances do not exist”.

We’re getting really close, both in terms of funds and deadline. I’ve got a horrible feeling it’ll come down to the last few hours – even minutes – of the campaign. Check out the running total here.

* * *

In the last few days I’ve had no end of new questions come in about the new films, Karun and Rio Santa Cruz, and the Kickstarter campaign to fund them.

Leon and I have responded by publishing a variety of articles, going into more detail on various aspects of the project.

On The Move Away From Cycle Touring

The first and biggest question is about cycling – or more specifically why I chose to branch out into trekking, kayaking and horse riding and make films about these different kinds of journeys.

I still love bicycle travel, don’t get me wrong. But there is life beyond the bike as well. Here are my thoughts on the subtle and not-so-subtle differences between cycling and these brand new modes of transport as ways of seeing the world.

More Frequently Asked Questions

Other questions have popped up frequently, too. Will I actually enjoy these films? What happens if you don’t reach the Kickstarter target? Why is the target so high? Why is the target so low? (There’s a lesson in there somewhere about perspective!)

These and more questions are all answered in this Q&AA (Questions & Attempted Answers) article.

The Iran Film (Which Couldn’t Be Better Timed)

To the films themselves, then. Iran’s suddenly become a hot topic again. With Iranian politics hitting centre stage this weekend, the world is focused on the nuclear deal and the rhetoric spinning off in all directions.

But there’s way more to Iran than politics – indeed, showing those other faces is at the core of my motivations to make the full length version of Karun.

But what’s it actually like to travel in Iran?

If you’d like a taste of this, and a look at what’s to come in the film, you can either check out the short version for free. Or reading’s more your thing today, have a look at the ‘Week In The Life‘ article I wrote for The Professional Hobo blog. Turns out a lot happens in a week in Iran.

The Santa Cruz Film (And That Unknown Environmental Calamity)

The other big story is that of the ill-fated Santa Cruz river valley in Patagonia, on which our second film will focus.

There have been even more questions about this. It’s a politically sensitive story with no coverage whatsoever in the English-language press, and our film could really expose what’s happening in Argentina.

If you’d like to know more about the environmental calamity that this film will explore, Leon has published an in-depth account of the journey and its ramifications for the excellent Sidetracked magazine.

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There’s just 59 hours left (at the time of posting) to pledge your support to the crowdfunding campaign and pre-order your copy of these two films.

If you’re on the fence about whether or not to get involved, do check out the articles above. My aim is to communicate our cause as clearly as possible and allow you to make that call, rather than pleading for donations for a pet project – that’s not what this is about.

If you have decided to pledge, but haven’t yet got round to it, time really is running out! There’ll be a final reminder on Monday, but why not pledge now and get it done?

Happy Easter!


Comments

3 responses to “With 59 hours to go, here’s more on the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ of A Tale Of Two Rivers”

  1. Michael avatar
    Michael

    Tom & Leon, really hoping you make it. I will check again Monday when next connected to see if I need to double my pledge I applaud your efforts to offer new perspectives. Regardless of whether we agree with the views it is always critical that independent and different opinions are given a platform to counteract the malaise of mainstream agenda management by the mass media. As travellers I suspect we would all rather read and individual’s opinion we disagreed with than five me too commentaries. Not to say I don’t enjoy your style but that’s hardly the point. you have earned our respect and trust with your previous work. If we care and you are close on Sunday, I challenge all of us to increase our pledges, to make this happen. All the best, here’s hoping I have 2 enlightening stories to watch later in the year.

  2. Michael Hill avatar
    Michael Hill

    As per my comment yesterday. Your getting close and I hope you make it. I did my it and doubled up to help close the gap. Best of luck.

    1. Thank you Michael, that’s really very good of you! We appreciate your encouragement 🙂

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