Explorer halfway through journey to walk around the world

Summary

Paul Solomon, a National Geographic explorer, is trekking across the globe on foot for the 'Out of Eden Walk' project. In an interview with Stephanie Sy, Solomon discusses his journey through China amid the pandemic, encountering diverse cultures and traditional lifestyles. He shares insights on migration, emphasizing human movement as a survival tool. Despite challenges, Solomon finds inspiration in the kindness of strangers and the stories they share. His journey offers a unique perspective on global interconnectedness and the enduring spirit of humanity.

Takeaways

• 🌏 Paul Solomon, a National Geographic Explorer, is undertaking a global trek on foot called 'The Out of Eden Walk'.
• 🗺️ His journey has taken him through various countries, including Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, and currently, China.
• 😷 The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns have forced Solomon to adapt his route, navigating around COVID hotspots in China.
• 📚 Solomon encountered a poet in China who believes he is a reincarnation of an ancient Chinese poet, highlighting the rich cultural experiences on his journey.
• 🏞️ His trek through China's Yunnan province revealed a rural, pastoral economy, contrasting with the common international media portrayal of China as a highly industrialized nation.
• 🐎 He met people who still engage in traditional ways of life, such as horse traders moving cargo over mountains and subsistence farmers.
• 🌐 The media in the U.S. often focuses on the competition between the U.S. and China, but Solomon's experiences show a more nuanced view of Chinese society.
• 👥 Solomon's walk through Yunnan involved interactions with over 25 different minority communities, each with unique languages and cosmologies.
• 🏔️ The landscapes he traversed in China varied greatly, from tropical rainforests to high-altitude snowfields in the eastern Himalayas.
• 🚶‍♂️ Despite the challenges, Solomon finds energy and inspiration from the people he meets and their willingness to share their stories.
• 🌍 He emphasizes that human movement and migration are not problems but solutions, and a natural part of human history and survival.

Q & A

What is the name of the project Paul Solomon is undertaking?

The project is called 'Out of Eden Walk.'

What is the purpose of Paul Solomon's trek around the world?

Paul Solomon is trekking the globe on foot for a project to explore and understand the micro-level stories of the world and human migration.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected Paul Solomon's journey?

The pandemic has forced Paul to adapt his route, as he had to skirt around invisible boundaries of COVID hotspots in Western China.

What kind of encounter did Paul Solomon have in China that stood out to him?

Paul Solomon spent time with a poet who believes he is a reincarnation of an ancient Chinese poet, which was a unique and interesting experience for him.

What stereotypes about China did Paul Solomon have in his mind before his visit?

Paul had a stereotype of China as a country of megacities, robotic ports, massive traffic, and bullet trains, as portrayed by international media.

What surprised Paul Solomon about his journey through Southwestern China?

Paul was surprised to find rural, pastoral economies still existing in Yunnan province, with people engaged in manual work and traditional lifestyles.

How many different minority communities did Paul Solomon walk through in Yunnan province?

Paul Solomon walked through more than 25 different minority communities in Yunnan province.

What types of landscapes did Paul Solomon experience during his walk in China?

Paul experienced a range of landscapes from tropical rainforests to the snowfields of the Eastern Himalayas at over 14,000 feet.

How does Paul Solomon view human migration in the context of his project?

Paul views human migration as the oldest tool of coping and survival, and he does not see it as a problem but rather as a solution that societies need to adapt to.

What positive impact do people have on Paul Solomon's journey?

People along the way offer help and share their stories with Paul, which provides him with positive energy to continue his journey.

What does Paul Solomon suggest about the effectiveness of building walls to stop migration?

Paul suggests that building walls has never been a successful strategy to stop migration, citing the example of the Great Wall of China.

Outlines

00:00

🌏 Journey Amidst Pandemic Challenges

National Geographic Explorer Paul Solomon discusses his ongoing 'Out of Eden Walk' project, a global trek on foot. He shares his experiences walking through China during the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced him to adapt his route due to lockdowns and navigate around 'invisible boundaries' of high-risk zones. His journey has taken him through diverse landscapes and communities, from bustling cities to rural, pastoral areas, challenging his preconceived notions about China.

05:03

🏞️ Human Movement: A Tool of Survival

Paul Solomon reflects on the broader implications of human migration, drawing parallels to our nomadic past as a species. He emphasizes that movement has been a fundamental survival strategy for Homo sapiens for hundreds of thousands of years. Solomon does not view migration as a problem but as a solution to challenges such as war, economic hardship, and climate change. He suggests that societies should adapt to this reality rather than attempt to build walls to stop it, referencing the historical ineffectiveness of such barriers.

Keywords

💡National Geographic Explorer

National Geographic Explorer refers to an individual recognized by the National Geographic Society for their significant contributions to exploration, research, and education. In the script, Paul Solomon is identified as an explorer who is undertaking a global trek on foot, which is a central theme of the video.

💡Out of Eden Walk

The 'Out of Eden Walk' is a project undertaken by Paul Solomon, aiming to walk around the world on foot, starting from the Middle East and moving towards the Americas. It is a key concept in the video as it represents the journey and mission of the main character, illustrating the human spirit of exploration and discovery.

💡Pandemic

The term 'pandemic' refers to an outbreak of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area and affects an exceptionally high proportion of the population. In the script, Paul Solomon discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted his journey, forcing him to adapt his route and navigate through lockdowns and 'hot COVID zones'.

💡Yunnan Province

Yunnan Province is a region in Southwest China known for its diverse ethnic minorities and rich cultural heritage. In the script, Solomon describes his experience walking through Yunnan, highlighting the province's pastoral economies and its contrast to the stereotypical image of China as a highly industrialized nation.

💡Rural Economies

Rural economies are economic systems based on agriculture and small-scale production, often found in less urbanized areas. The script mentions Solomon's surprise at encountering rural economies in Yunnan, where people engage in traditional crafts and farming, contrasting with the image of China as a global industrial powerhouse.

💡Stereotype

A stereotype is a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. Solomon talks about his preconceived notions of China being challenged by the reality he experienced, particularly in Yunnan, where he found a different side of the country than what is often portrayed in international media.

💡Minority Communities

Minority communities refer to groups that are smaller in number compared to the rest of the population and often have distinct cultural, linguistic, or religious practices. The script mentions that Solomon walked through more than 25 different minority communities in Yunnan, each with their own language and sometimes their own cosmology, emphasizing the diversity within China.

💡Migration

Migration is the movement of people from one region or country to another with the intentions of settling, temporarily or permanently. The script discusses the theme of migration in the context of human history and current global issues, such as war, economic hardship, and climate change, which are pushing people to move from their homes.

💡Nomadic Lifestyle

A nomadic lifestyle is a way of living in which people move from place to place, often in search of food, water, or pasture for livestock. Solomon reflects on the privilege of choosing to live a nomadic life, contrasting it with the involuntary migration of millions of people who are forced to leave their homelands due to various crises.

💡Human Movement

Human movement, as discussed in the script, refers to the historical and ongoing patterns of human migration and travel. Solomon suggests that human movement is an ancient survival tool and a solution to challenges, rather than a problem, and that societies should adapt to this reality instead of trying to build walls to stop it.

Highlights

Paul Solomon, a National Geographic Explorer, is undertaking the 'Out of Eden Walk' project, trekking across the globe on foot.

Solomon's journey has taken him through various countries including Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Pakistan, and he's currently in Shaanxi Province in China.

The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns have forced Solomon to adapt his route, encountering invisible boundaries of COVID zones in China.

Solomon's experience in China has challenged his preconceived stereotypes, revealing a country with a mix of modernity and rural, pastoral economies.

He encountered diverse minority communities in Yunnan Province, each with their own language and cosmology.

Solomon's trek has taken him through varied landscapes, from tropical rainforests to the high snowfields of the Eastern Himalayas.

The project focuses on micro-level stories of the world, highlighting the similarities and differences among people globally.

Despite the challenges, Solomon finds positive energy from the kindness of strangers and the stories they share.

Solomon reflects on the nomadic lifestyle, acknowledging the privilege and the hardships faced by those who migrate out of necessity.

He discusses the role of human movement as a tool for coping and survival, emphasizing its importance throughout history.

Solomon does not romanticize the difficulties of migration but views it as a solution and a natural part of human history.

The explorer shares his insights on the futility of building walls to prevent migration, referencing historical and cultural examples.

Solomon's journey has given him a unique and profound view of the world, emphasizing the interconnectedness of human experiences.

He had an encounter with a poet who believes to be a reincarnation of an ancient Chinese poet, adding a cultural depth to his journey.

Solomon's trek has been a journey of adaptation and learning, with each step revealing new insights about the places and people he meets.

The explorer's experience in China has been marked by the contrast between the country's rapid development and its traditional ways of life.

Solomon's reflections on migration and human movement provide a broader perspective on current global issues and historical patterns.

Transcripts

W

MANY STEPS THEY TAKE EVERY DAY,

BUT IT IS A SAFE BET THEY ARE

NOT CLOSE TO PAUL SOLOMON, WHO

IS NOW TREKKING ACROSS

CHINA TO THESE IN POINT, THE

SOUTHERN TIP OF SOUTH AMERICA.

STEPHANIE SY RECENTLY SPOKE WITH

HIM ABOUT HIS PROGRESS.

STEPHANIE: THE NATIONAL

GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER IS TREKKING

THE GLOBE ON FOOT FOR A PROJECT

DUBBED THE "OUT OF EDEN WALK."

WE'VE CHECKED IN WITH PAUL ALONG

THE WAY, FROM GEORGIA,

KAZAKHSTAN, KYRGYZSTAN, AND

PAKISTAN, BUT IT'S BEEN SOME

TIME SINCE WE CAUGHT UP WITH

HIM.

AND PAUL JOINS US NOW FROM

SHAANXI PROVINCE IN CHINA. MY

FIRST QUESTION TO YOU, PAUL, IS

WHAT IT WAS LIKE DOING THIS

JOURNEY IN THE MIDST OF THE

PANDEMIC AND THE LOCKDOWNS?

I KNOW IT WASN'T THE PEAK AT

THAT POINT, BUT I'M CURIOUS HOW

THAT AFFECTED YOUR PLANS.

PAUL: I HAD TO ADAPT MY ROUTE.

THERE WERE PARTS THAT WERE

LOCKED DOWN.

AND SO MY WALKING ROUTE THROUGH

WESTERN CHINA LOOKS A LITTLE BIT

ERRATIC. THERE ARE NO MOUNTAINS

IN THE WAY, BUT THERE ARE THESE

INVISIBLE BOUNDARIES OF HOT

COVID ZONES THAT I HAD TO SKIRT

AROUND.

STEPHANIE: I READ IN ONE OF YOUR

DISPATCHES THAT YOU SPENT SOME

TIME WITH A POET THAT BELIEVES

HE'S AN INCARNATION OR

REINCARNATION OF AN ANCIENT

CHINESE POET.

THAT WAS REALLY INTERESTING.

WHAT OTHER STORIES AND ANECDOTES

AND PEOPLE HAVE REALLY STOOD OUT

FOR YOU WHILE YOU'VE BEEN IN

CHINA?

PAUL: THIS IS MY FIRST TIME IN

CHINA.

AND SO I HAD, TO SOME DEGREE IN

MY MIND, BUILT UP THIS

STEREOTYPE THIS KIND OF CARTOON

IMAGE OF CHINA THAT WE GET FROM

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

OF THE, YOU KNOW, THE FACTORY OF

THE WORLD, A COUNTRY OF

MEGACITIES OF TENS OF BILLIONS

OF PEOPLE, OF ROBOTIC PORTS, OF

MASSIVE TRAFFIC AND HIGHWAYS,

BULLET TRAINS, ALL OF THAT

EXISTS.

BUT WHAT STARTLED ME A BIT ABOUT

COMING FROM SOUTHWESTERN CHINA

IS THAT I'M COMING THROUGH A

FRONTIER PROVINCE OF YUNNAN,

IT'S ONE OF THESE LAST ENCLAVES

OF RURAL, PASTORAL ECONOMIES IN

CHINA, SO IT WAS VERY MUCH AN

AMAZEMENT TO ME TO WALK THROUGH

MOUNTAIN RANGES AND INTO VALLEYS

WHERE PEOPLE WERE STILL DOING,

YOU KNOW, TINKER, TAILOR,

CANDLESTICK MAKER KIND OF

ECONOMIES OR DOING THINGS WITH

YOUR HANDS.

MEETING PEOPLE LIKE HORSE

TRADERS WHO WERE STILL MOVING

CARGO BY HORSEBACK OVER

MOUNTAINS THROUGH YUNNAN

PROVINCE, PEOPLE DOING

SUBSISTENCE FARMING, PEOPLE WHO

WERE DOING ARTISANAL SORT OF

CRAFTS, WORKING VERY MUCH BY

MUSCLE POWER, NOT ROBOTICS.

STEPHANIE: SPEAKING ABOUT THAT

NARRATIVE, SO MUCH OF WHAT WE

HERE IN THE U.S. MEDIA THESE

DAYS IS ABOUT U.S. COMPETITION

WITH CHINA.

WHAT SHOULD VIEWERS UNDERSTAND

ABOUT THE CHINA THAT YOU'VE

ENCOUNTERED?

PAUL: IT SORT OF COMES WITH THE

TERRITORY OF CROSSING THE WORLD

ON FOOT.

YOU CAN'T REALLY SKIM OVER A

COUNTRY OR A CULTURE OR A

SOCIETY.

IT REALLY FORCES ME TO SLOW DOWN

MY OBSERVATIONS AND TO ABSORB

THE CHINA THAT I'M SEEING IN A

VERY SLOW, IMMERSIVE, NUANCED

LEVEL. [11.2S]

AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF MY WALK

THROUGH THE PROVINCE OF YUNNAN,

I WAS WALKING THROUGH MORE THAN

25 DIFFERENT MINORITY

COMMUNITIES THAT EACH HAD THEIR

OWN LANGUAGE.

THEY SOMETIMES HAD THEIR OWN

COSMOLOGIES.

I WAS WALKING THROUGH LANDSCAPES

THAT VARIED FROM TROPICAL

RAINFORESTS TO, YOU KNOW, THE

EASTERN HIMALAYAS, SNOWFIELDS UP

AROUND 14,000 PLUS FEET, WALKING

THROUGH TAOIST COMMUNITIES,

THROUGH BUDDHIST COMMUNITIES.

THIS PROJECT IS ABOUT THE

MICRO-LEVEL STORIES OF THE

WORLD.

YES, WE'RE EXTRAORDINARILY,

KALEIDOSCOPICALLY DIFFERENT, YOU

KNOW, BUT AT THE SAME TIME,

THE THINGS WE TALK ABOUT OUR

LIKE, 90% THE SAME.

STEPHANIE: HAVE YOU BECOME A

WEARY TRAVELER, OR DO YOU STILL

HAVE A LOT OF GAS IN THE TANK?

PAUL: I AM TALKING TO YOU FROM

10 YEARS IN, 12,000 MILES IN,

AND ALL ALONG THE WAY, PEOPLE

ARE HELPING ME.

THEY HAVE NO REASON TO, BUT THEY

REACH OUT THEIR HAND AND SAY,

HEY, DO YOU NEED ANYTHING FROM

DIRECTIONS TO THE NEXT VILLAGE

OR ACROSS THIS RIVER VALLEY, TO,

DO YOU NEED A GLASS OF WATER?

EVERY SINGLE TIME I AM

PRIVILEGED TO HEAR SOMEBODY'S

STORY THAT THEY'RE WILLING TO

SHARE IT WITH ME, GIVES ME

POSITIVE ENERGY TO TAKE THE NEXT

STEPS TO KEEP GOING.

STEPHANIE: IT IS ALSO A

PRIVILEGE TO BE ABLE TO CHOOSE

TO LIVE THIS SORT OF NOMADIC

LIFESTYLE.

AND I KNOW YOU HAVE ALSO WRITTEN

ABOUT THE TENS OF MILLIONS OF

PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD THAT DO

NOT HAVE A CHOICE, THEY FEEL,

BUT TO LEAVE THEIR HOMELAND.

YOU'VE WRITTEN ABOUT THAT AND

HAD SOME PROFOUND INSIGHT.

WE LIVE IN AN AGE OF MIGRATION.

IT COULD BE MASS VIOLENCE LIKE

WAR.

IT COULD BE ECONOMIC HARDSHIPS

AND INCREASINGLY CLIMATE CHANGE.

CLIMATE CRISES ARE PUSHING A

WHOLE NEW WAVE OF PEOPLE OUT OF

THEIR HOMES.

I HAVE NO ILLUSIONS ABOUT

ROMANTICIZING THE DIFFICULTIES

OF MIGRATION, BUT AT THE SAME

TIME, HOMO SAPIENS HAVE BEEN

RAMBLING AROUND THIS EARTH FOR

ABOUT 300,000 YEARS, AND UNTIL

ONLY ABOUT 10,000 OR 12,000

YEARS AGO, WE WERE DOING IT

CONSTANTLY, MOVING THE WAY TRUE

NOMADS DO FROM ENCAMPMENT TO

ENCAMPMENT, FROM LANDSCAPE TO

LANDSCAPE, FOLLOWING WILD

ANIMALS, FOLLOWING RESOURCES.

HUMAN MOVEMENT IS THE OLDEST

TOOL OF COPING AND SURVIVAL THAT

WE HAVE IN OUR TOOLKIT, AND I

DON'T SEE IT AS A PROBLEM, PER

SE, ON A BIG LEVEL.

IT'S A SOLUTION.

AND BOY, WE HAD BETTER START

GETTING USED TO IT BECAUSE I'M

NOT SURE OF ANY SOCIETY OR ANY

POLITY IN THE WORLD THROUGH TIME

THAT HAS EVER SUCCEEDED BUILDING

WALLS.

JUST ASK THE CHINESE.

STEPHANIE: WHAT A UNIQUE AND

PROFOUND VIEW YOU'VE GAINED OF

THE WORLD IN THE LAST 10 YEARS.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER