Kon Tiki

As recommended by Alex, I started reading Kon Tiki as part of my regimen for personal development (not actually happening). The premise of the book revolves around a Norweigan explorer's quest to prove the theory that people of Polynesia sailed from Peru, rather than Asia, on balsa wood rafts by reenacting the theorized expedition. After forming a six member crew of burly seasoned adventurers (such as a Swede who spent a significant amount of time in South American jungles doing research on native tribes or another man who was described to be everything I would imagine a Norweigan sailor to look like, complete with red, bushy facial hair). He describes a number of barriers and bureaucracy they had to go through in order to get access to the materials, government clearance, financing, etc for the trip. What surprised me is that the process they had to go through was not difficult at all (compared to contemporary times, at least)- while his theory was immediately dismissed by his colleagues, either his credentials are unquestionable or he is extremely charismatics managed to get everything he needed without any personal investment. He met with officials from from different organizations and countries, including the President (king?) of Peru, which granted him the support in the form of supplies, access to the naval base, equipment, "free passes", navigation tools, among many, many other things. In fact, these people were more than glad to offer their services, even soliciting the crew to test out prototypes for new technologies.

This project occurred over fifty years ago. I understand that things are not the same as they once were but doesn't this all seem too fantastical, to romantic to ever occur in real life? There is no way that this project could be carried out today. I also have a feeling that hardy, seasoned sailors and explorers are hard to come by, except, of course, in the case of reality tv..

It's hard to displace ourselves and think of a life that existed without modern technology. We are the generation of value menus, digital convergence and unnecessary consumption and will probably find it very difficult to spend one day without any of the above. Perhaps that is why I find it odd that there were so many people involved in the process of Kon Tiki- exploration and knowledge of the known world were their investments rather than raising GDP or finding ways to be more economically competitive.

Who wants to invest in my voyage?