In the fourth retrospective on Stage 2 of the Pacific, I’m considering two of my favorite subjects – food and books. Both played a significant role in my voyage – mostly as bribes to myself to get through the next rowing shift. We all need our treats!
Favorite foods:
1. Wilderness Family Naturals products – a new sponsor – turned out to be a real winner. Loved the fact that the nuts were all sprouted and then dehydrated at low temperatures – super healthy. The chocolate syrup was a sweet treat, and the Coconut Powder was a fantastic addition to freeze-dried curries.
2. Also a huge fan of the Living Nutz donations – Bodacious Banana Bread walnuts, Passionate Pesto walnuts, Zesty Almond Bliss, and Absolute Chi Teriyaki Almonds.
3. The rawfood crackers made for me with love and pride by Marlene Depierre were fantastic. My favourites were the mock turkey (minced cashew nuts and cranberries), walnut pumpkin crackers (Mexican flavor), and “cookies” made with mango, banana, goji berries, dates, sunflower and pumpkin seeds – and the latest superfood, chia.
4. A few special treats bought for me in Hawaii by Lorrin Lee – Kopali Organics Dried Mango, Go Raw Spirulina Superchips, carob energy nuggets, and Sun Power Natural Chocolate Chip Cookies. All utterly delicious.
5. Plus, of course, my faithful Larabars. New favorite flavor is Peanut Butter Cookie, with Pecan Pie, Cinnamon Roll and Banana Bread following very close behind. With strategic rations of Jocalat Chocolate Coffee bars to get me through late evening rowing shifts.
Favorite books:
I listened to a total of 73 books on this voyage, thanks to Audible.com and Audible.co.uk – and Leo Laporte, who gave me his iPod with his own selection of books. Worthy of particular mention – in no particular order:
NON-FICTION
1. Long Walk to Freedom, by Nelson Mandela
Inspiring autobiography of a legend.
2. Lost on Planet China, by J Maarten Troost
Informative and amusing, a very personal view of contemporary China as it appears to the outsider.
3. Around Ireland with a Fridge, by Tony Hawks
An entertaining tale of eccentric British adventure.
4. Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortensen
An uplifting story of a man with a mission. If you liked Mountains Beyond Mountains, by Tracey Kidder, you’ll love this too.
5. Vet in Harness, by James Herriott
The entertaining adventures of a vet in the Yorkshire Dales in the 1930s. Provoked a strong yearning to live in a simpler time.
6. Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts
Epic – lasted me for days. Sometimes teeters on the brink of an ego trip, but generally a great story full of colourful characters and some interesting philosophical asides.
7. Hemingway Adventure, by Michael Palin
I listened to all of Michael Palin’s books, but this was my favorite for its insights into the fascinating character of Hemingway, coupled with Palin’s usual excellent travel writing.
8. Predictable Irrationality, by Dan Ariely
A fascinating insight into human psychology.
FICTION
9. The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho
Life-changing, and something new to discover every time I read it.
10. The Risk Pool, by Richard Russo
I love to lose myself in the small town dramas of Richard Russo’s books. Great characterisations.
11. The Time Traveller’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
A page-turner of a story, with thought-provoking themes of free will versus fate.
12. Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
An offbeat story of an underground London peopled by weird and wonderful characters. I will never again be able to stand on Earls Court station without thinking of the Earl and his court.
13. Siddartha, by Herman Hesse
A beautiful story of a quest for enlightenment. If you’ve read and enjoyed The Alchemist, try this one too.
Other Stuff:
And speaking of books, today a momentous occasion. I held a copy of a book in my hands, gazing at the cover. It read, Rowing The Atlantic, by Roz Savage. My baby. Very exciting. Book tour starts October 6, the official publication date.
Lots of travel at the moment. Thank heavens for those carbon offsets. Just arrived in Hawaii this morning on the red-eye from Fiji. I had planned to spend a week here, but there is just too much cool stuff happening in New York for Climate Week – the premiere of The Age Of Stupid, the Climate Ride from New York to DC, and the president of Kiribati there on an official visit. So I’m going. I just can’t stay away with so much eco-action going on. So tomorrow night I fly to San Francisco to exchange my warm weather clothes for autumn clothes, then straight on to New York. It’s all a bit crazy, but with Copenhagen just around the corner, there is no time to lose!
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Roz, so nice to see the list of foods and books … thank you for putting the time and effort into this.
I’m so glad you will be able to attend the New York screening of The Age of Stupid. Will watch for you on the red carpet — will there be a red carpet? As you probably know by now, I posted a comment about The Age of Stupid on your Massage Me Like a Pina Colada blog. As a reminder to Rozlings, the world premier of The Age of Stupid is Monday Sept 21, on night only.
Please visit The Age of Stupid home page and check local times for venues in Canada, Europe, Africa and Asia. In the US, please visit this page for cinemas in your city or a city nearby:
ET – 7:30 PM – LIVE from NY
CT – 6:30 PM – simulcast LIVE from NY
MT – 5:30 PM – simulcast LIVE from NY
PT – 8:00 PM – rebroadcast
Monday will be the only opportunity to see the film in a theatre. DVDs will be available at a later date.
I just now listened to Roz Rows 59: And Now The Land Portion. Sure is good to hear your voice without the distortions of the satphone. Welcome home and safe trip to NYC.
oops, I ran out of time in edit mode … here is a correction …
Please visit The Age of Stupid home page and scroll down the left hand side to Screenings By Country to check local times for venues in Africa, Asia, Australia Canada, Europe and South America.
Roz,
You might enjoy reading “The last voyage of the Lucette” by Douglas Robertson, if you haven’t read it yet. It is a true story of a family cast adrift in the Pacific Ocean for 38 days – in an open boat. Their yacht was hit and sunk by a pod of killer whales. It is an amazing story of survival.
Good luck with your book tour!
I tried one of those Jocalat Chocolate Coffee bars, and it kept me up for three straight days without needing sleep. 🙂 Although I have to admit that I really understood the universe (maybe for the first time ever) after that jolt of caffeine. 🙂 Just kidding, but I think I’ll stick with the regular Jocalat Chocolate. I can understand, however, how the Coffee ones were great for keeping you going when you were exhausted. My favorite regular Larabars are the Lemon Bar, and Cinnamon Roll. It’s interesting how different people seem to gravitate to different flavors. I also think it’s fascinating how the President of Kiribati will also be in New York. As “The Alchemist” would tell us, some things are just meant to be, and once you move yourself into harmony with the universe, amazing doors will open ….
And thanks Doug, for the info on “The Age of Stupid”.
Greetings To Roz – hope you’re feeling better.
Six iPods? Let’s see: Six for 104 days of rowing an average of – what – 10 hours per day? That’s 170 hours per iPod. They hold lots of “songs” but don’t know how many books. Guess at an average of 8 hours per book makes about 20 books per….
No, six is not excessive. No need to feel bad about it. You can always sell a few (signed of course) if you do feel guilty.
Roz, sorry you left Kiribati and not able to participate in the screening of The Age of Stupid there … but totally understand your whirl wind life coming up … and very happy you will be LIVE in NYC at the premier Monday. I just happened to come across the following on The Age of Stupid
Kiribati
1x screening
There may be only one screening in Kiribati – but it’s absolutely humungous. The FREE public screening of the film will be held in the Tarawa Sports Complex, with 5,000 seats will screen the film as part of a big event (6.30 pm to 9.00 pm). There will be a full programme of awareness and climate change entertainment: speeches by youth going to Copenhagen in December, dramas, dancers and songs: “Turn down the Heat”, Dancing in the Waves, Waters Do rise, Who will take my people?…
Eagle-eyed Stupid fans will remember Pelenise Alofa as the “climate witness” who spoke so movingly at the Oz/NZ premiere. Now she is the human dynamo who has organised the biggest Stupid screening anywhere in the world. “We are aiming to have 5,000 people, God willing! But I am optimistic because we are sending the information out to the churches, schools, government offices and our advertisement will be on air, tv and newspapers starting tomorrow … Thanks for this tool to use for campaign and also for the opportunity to serve and save my country.”
http://www.ageofstupid.net/
I’m all for saving the planet (and have been doing my bit for 70 years) but the reaction to this movie reminds me of nothing less than one of the hysterical pseudo-religious movements that have occured throughout history. I wonder how many of the people so enraptured actually know anything about climatology and how many are just following someone who happens to have caught their imagination.
When scientists who point out that the global temperature has been falling for the last nine years are accused of being “deniers” it becomes almost cult-like and even sinister.
On a slightly different note: Are the inhabitants of those numerous South-Sea atolls prepared for a tsunami caused, not by mankind, but by a submarine silt slide or earthquake?
Believe me, I’m not denying the need to take better care of the planet and deal more effectively with our garbage; I do think that arousing a movement bordering on hysteria can cause worse problems of a different kind.
Roz is presently in New York for the world premier of “The Age of Stupid”. As she was preparing for here whirl-wind trip from Honolulu to NYC, she did not have time to promote the film and asked me to post the details above. As a reminder, tonight is the night — see the times below. We are likely to see Roz on the big screen in the discussion that follows the film.
Please visit The Age of Stupid home page and scroll down the left hand side to Screenings By Country to check local times for venues in Africa, Asia, Australia Canada, Europe and South America. In the US, please visit this page for cinemas in your city or a city nearby:
ET – 7:30 PM – LIVE from NY
CT – 6:30 PM – simulcast LIVE from NY
MT – 5:30 PM – simulcast LIVE from NY
PT – 8:00 PM – rebroadcast
If you have time, watch The Making of The Age of Stupid. I think Roz would want us all to have the opportunity to see this to get insight to Franny’s motivation and passion for the message in this film. It’s nearly an hour long, but well worth the time, I believe.
Hi Roz,
I am so happy you completed your adventure successfully.
Thanks for the mention, again. 🙂 …Whole Foods Market and Down to Earth in Honolulu also deserve credit as where the organic foods came from.
I was so inspired by your row that I have an updated tribute page on you at http://lorrinleevideo.com/rozsavage …with my quickly put together video of your departure and your arrival video in Tarawa — plus my favorite quotes from you.
This page will be seen for years to come to inspire others to truly LIVE the LIFE of their dreams and to perhaps even write down their two obituaries.
Roz … Mahalo for your inspiration and influence in my life.
I wish you Health, great success, and all the Happiness you desire.
Your friend in Hawaii,
Lorrin Lee
Heya Roz,
What kind of headphones held up to the sweat & seawater?
Thx
100 days steady, clam, methodical days rowing and now frantic energetic running about! After Copenhagen I trust you’ll have at least some time to slow down again:) Jim Bell, Australia.
Awesome site! Best of luck on your adventures!
I’m taking a moment out of climate change day (or is it change climate change day?) to let you know more about those ‘carob energy nuggets’ you mention above. They’re a product of my family’s business. They’re popular with adventurers, and we’re happy to help you get your hands on some if you’re interested. Our points of sale area limited to land at this point 😉