Traveling is one of the greatest experiences a person can have because you are discovering the unknown, extending your boundaries and cultivating yourself perpetually. However, when a person picks a destination to visit there is a strong chance that they will prepare their journey by reading a guidebook with a well defined itinerary. Their route will be buffered with small comforts and enough facilities to keep the neediest smiling till they return to the safety of home. Personally, I hate guidebooks. If I visit a foreign land, I want to immerse myself within the culture and see day to day life as the locals live it. Sadly, this experience is a rarity for travelers and the sight of poverty and pain in a developing country is not recommended by the tourist board.
As VICE magazine founder Shane Smith explains in the introduction to the VICE Guide to Travel, they have traveled to the strangest, scariest and most bizarre places so you don’t have to. Just slip this DVD into your player and watch David Choe search for the last dinosaur deep in the Congolese jungle. Experience life in the City of God Favela, Rio, with Trace Crutchfield. Pay a visit to the last two remaining souls of an Aryan utopia in Nueve Germania, Paraguay, with Derrick Beckles. Witness the devastation of Chernobyl with Pella Kagerman and Shane Smith. Browse the illegal arms market with Suroosh Alvi in Pakistan. See what has happened to the youth of Beirut with Shane Smith since the 15 year civil war. And finally, let your jaw drop as Shane Smith and Eddy Moretti meet a criminal turned real estate entrepreneur in Bulgaria who can supply them with a dirty bomb. Shit gets heavy.
VICE magazine never followed the trodden path of regular journalism by focusing on more degenerate aspects of human behavior and culture. The magazine is now taking it’s unique point of view to a global level by reporting on the scenes and people that the mainstream media forgot. In case the DVD doesn’t suffice to open your eyes and ears to the weird world around us, the VICE Guide to Travel comes with a 72 page book of photos and stories. View more cutting edge reports, plus your usual VICE supplied dose of crazy stuff at www.vbs.tv and www.viceland.com .
Ralph Lloyd-Davis