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The greatest adventurers of the history.

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krisek Premium account Joined: Jan 08 Points: 84174 Posts: 203 Posted: 2008-11-17 17:38:00    I think Gengis Khan was a great traveller, too. And Wojtek Dabrowski, who must have been to almost all countries of this world (I think there are only DRC and Sierra Leone left for him to visit). --- Open your eyes. Free your mind. Touch lives. Sink into the different. Travel and belong. Profile photo: Palma de Mallorca. Reply    Reply with quote    Contact krisek   jorgesanchez Premium account Joined: May 05 Points: 41625 Posts: 77 Posted: 2008-11-17 17:38:00    Yes, indeed, Wojciech Dabrowski is an admirable traveller of our times, one of the very best, la crème de la crème. In the future, historians will refer to him as one of the best travellers of the XX and XXI century. For your guidance, according to his own records, he has not yet been in the following United Nations countries: 1 - Liberia 2 - Libya 3 - Sierra Leona 4 - DRC (ex Zaire) And he also wants to visit the following territories to complete his list of travel plans: 1 - Chagos islands, or BIOT -British Indian Ocean Territory- including Diego Garcia (very hard to get there, only in a sailing boat from Sri Lanka). 2 - Saint Pierre et Miquelon (very easy, probably this summer Wojciech will travel there in a regular flight from Halifax). 3 - Midway (it is only open once every five years for veteran of WWII. The last time that it was open was last year, so until 2012 will not be open again for war veterans and some tourists). 4 - Wake (very hard to fly there, only once every ten years the US Army offers a charter plane for war veterans and a few of curious and capricious tourists). So far Wojciech has visited 230 countries and territories out of 238, according to the ISO 3166-2 list (the term ISO means International Standard Organization, of Geneva). Just my 2 ducados (old Spanish golden coin) Jorge --- Bonum est faciendum et prosequendum, et malum vitandum. Reply    Reply with quote    Contact jorgesanchez   jorgesanchez Premium account Joined: May 05 Points: 41625 Posts: 77 Posted: 2008-11-17 17:38:00    Sorry, I have just realized that there is a mistake in Wojciech Dabrowski web page. I had a look at his page: http://www.kontynenty.net/s5lista.htm and there I saw that he had not been in Libya, because that country is not marked with yellow ink. But now, I read in Globo that he was in Libya in the year 1979, according to the following picture: http://www.globosapiens.net/wojtekd/picture-leptis-magna-ruins-10132.html So, he has only three United Countries left: Sierra Leone, Congo ex-Zaire and Liberia. I hope that soon he will fulfil his dream to visit every corner of our maravilloso planeta Tierra! Just my two doblones de oro (Spanish currency during the Catholic Kings times). jorge --- Bonum est faciendum et prosequendum, et malum vitandum. Reply    Reply with quote    Contact jorgesanchez   rip_drifter Premium account Joined: Dec 07 Points: 305 Posts: 29 Posted: 2008-11-17 17:38:00    Vasco da Gama Christopher Columbus Sherpa Tensing (as opposed to Hillary) Emile Gagnan (In partnership with Cousteau) Indiana Jones (OK, but it's a great name for an adventurer) --- Best Regards, Mike Bruin Reply    Reply with quote    Contact rip_drifter   redgeek Joined: Sep 08 Points: 8 Posts: 2 Posted: 2008-11-17 17:38:00    Wow, nice list. I needed punctually this. Thanks Reply    Reply with quote    Contact redgeek   aufgehts Premium account Joined: Apr 07 Points: 6377 Posts: 5 Posted: 2008-11-17 17:38:00    How about Genghis Khan? He certainly got around! --- Not all who wander are lost.. Reply    Reply with quote    Contact aufgehts   plancarpin Premium account Joined: Aug 08 Points: 3228 Posts: 28 Posted: 2008-11-17 17:38:00    Hi friends, I came a bit late on that post, for still some big travellers in history are missing (mostly linked with the so called Silk road) - the very fisrt with confirmed records was the ambassador (in the former sense, meaning actually a messenger) of king Mu, who, in 959 BC, left the bank of Yellow river (Henan province of today's China) to reach the Tarim bassin (today's Xinjiang), eastern Pamir and Persia. The story if this incredible travel was written between 5th and 4th century BC, and is, up to now, known as the very first travel book (in pinyin: Mu tianzi zhuan) During the reign of famous Emperor Qin Shi HuangDi (the one who orders the construction of the Great Wall among other important facts), he also asks one of his General to travel West to find the mythological Celestian Horses. The General is known as Zhang Qian, and travelled twice, round-trip, from Chang'An (today Xian) up to the Ferghana valley (at today's Uzbek and Kyrghyz border); first trip was between 138 and 125 BC, and second trip was between 119 and 115 Bc, leading him to the Illi Valley in Kazakhstan. THose 2 expeditions were the very starting point of commercial routes between China and Central Asia then Persia. - Then, it is mandatory to add the famous monk Xuan Zang, who left Xian in 629 AD, during the Tang Dynasty, heading to India, to get and translate buddhist texts. As it was impossible to cross the Himalaya, he travelled West on the former Silk Road , up to Afghanistan, then Samarkand, onto Pakistan and finally India. He cames back in 645AD. His statue today stan in front of the Great Goose Pagoda, in Xian. A very famous chinese book, " the journey to West during the Tand Dynasty" ( Dà Táng Xīyù Jì, in pinyin) relates his adventure and his known by all Chinese. then of course, came the Crusaders (1099 for the first one), then Genghis Khan and his 4 sons. Marco Polo is well known as one of the very big travellers; But we should not forget his father and uncle, Nicolo and Matteo, travelled even more, as they went twice to China! Before the Polo's travels, history gave the records of messengers from Pope Innocent IV, who left from Lyon in 1245 (26 years before Marco Polo) , in 4 consecutive ambassades (eventough one failed) - here are the names of the monks: 2 dominicans: - Brother André of Longjumeau who reached Tabriz (Persia) and came back 2 years later, and Brother Ascelin of Cremona who reached Caucasus. then, the franciscan John of Plan Carpin (my favourite, hehehe), who left Lyon in april 1245 and reached Karakorum, the mongol capitale one year later. He was the first European to achieve the Silk Road. He came back in Lyon in November 1247. Then came Guillaume of Rubrouck, also a franciscan monk and alos reached Karakorum in 1253/1254. He came back the year that Marco Polo was born. Then to make a long story short, we obviously have to add on the list: end of part one!!! --- One travels, not to change locations, but ideas. Hippolyte Taine (french philosopher) Reply    Reply with quote    Contact plancarpin   plancarpin Premium account Joined: Aug 08 Points: 3228 Posts: 28 Posted: 2008-11-17 17:38:00    part 2 further to part one, we have to add on the list: Jean of Montecarvino, Odoric of Pordenone, italian franciscan monk who, in 1328, was the first european to enter Tibet. Strange that nobody note the fabullous travels of Ibn Battuta, the muslim Marco Polo; He left Moroco in 1325 at the age of 22, and came back in Tangiers in 1353, after travelling an estimated 140.000 km; the last big traveller from the Middle age was Jean of Marignoli who was bishop in Khanbalik, the former name of Beijing, till he left China in 1347. in the modern time, apart from our Globo member Wojtek, already nominated, I would like to add my friends André Brugiroux, aged 71, from France, who visited all countries in the world, mostly by hich-hiking and the too modest Jorge Sanchez, who is second to none for his extraordinary trips around our planet. Purely for the record, today, the most travelled man on Earth is Charles Veley...Oh I leave you for now... I need to travel further! ;-) --- One travels, not to change locations, but ideas. Hippolyte Taine (french philosopher) Reply    Reply with quote    Contact plancarpin   jorgesanchez Premium account Joined: May 05 Points: 41625 Posts: 77 Posted: 2008-11-17 17:38:00    Jajajaja… everyone “barre para su casa”, as we say in Spanish. Everyone looks after his interests). Very good, Jean Philippe, you are a Travel History master. I propose: let us create a list of the 10 best travellers of the world, but without nationalisms, which are the present illness of our society, let us be neutral. Let us propose only la crème de la crème. I propose that list of the top ten: 1 – Hiuen Tsang (Chinese), also known as Xuanzang 2 – Plan Carpin (French) 3 – Ibn Batuta (Moroccan) 4 – Marco Polo, Venetia. (Although his relatives, Niccolo and Maffeo, father and uncle respectively, made an earlier journey to China, calling even in Samarqand, a place where Marco Polo would not go. Some Historians doubt that he really reached China, but described that country being in Crimea thanks to the tales of other unknown travellers. For instance, oif Marco Polo had really been in China, why he does not describe the Great Wall, the tea drink, the customs to wear very narrow shoes by the Chinese ladies… and many other facts that a true traveller would not omit in the description of China). 5 – Christopher Columbus (Genovese under Spanish) reached America many thousands of years later than the Siberian tribes crossing the Bering Strait, but anyway, he was the first European. 6 – Fernando Magellan (Portuguese under Spanish service), first circumnavigator of the world. 7 – Don Álvaro de Mendaña (Spanish). He discovered many archipelagos in Oceania. 8 – Juan Pobre de Zamora (Spanish) first backpacker to travel solo around the world. 9 – Richard Burton (England) 10 – André Brugiroux (French, born in 1937) the best traveller of the XX century, and still alive, and still travelling! I keep waiting for your ten top proposals. Just my two “real de a ocho”, or in English “pieces of eight” (old historical Spanish currency) --- Bonum est faciendum et prosequendum, et malum vitandum. Reply    Reply with quote    Contact jorgesanchez   plancarpin Premium account Joined: Aug 08 Points: 3228 Posts: 28 Posted: 2008-11-17 17:38:00    Dear Jorge, not my intention to play local! -) hehehe I just have a little knowledge on Silk road travellers and of Middle Age period I was pleased to share! for your list: to slightly correct you Jean de Plan Carpin was born in Italy, in the village of Pian del Carpine, which is today Maggione, close to Perugia.so let's admit he was Italian. top 10 list is a real task; If we only consider the length of travel (in both kilometers and years), the period when the travel took place, the way and purpose of travel (peaceful goal should be a must) and the benefit for mankind. I definitely agree with on the top 6 of the list; and for ranking as well, even tough giving first position to Xuan Zang may be strange for some historians. Then, I would like to add Odoric of Pordenone (Italian) , italian friar from Frioul, who travelled extentively between 1316 and 1330, from Venezia to Persia, India, China, Indochina, Sumatra, Borneo, Tibet, Mongolia and Russia. the book of his travel, written by William of Solagna, is just great. I also agree with you on Mendana, better than James Cook, and Zamora. And same for Richard Burton, betterthan Stanley or Livingstone. Maybe let us take André out of the list..he is still very fit and not yet part of History! I'm sure he will not blame us at all!! so you now have my 10 top travellers in History (and not a single frenchman) if conquests are travels, then hands up, the top 4 would be: Genghis Khan (and especially his General Subötai, Alexander the Great, Tamerlane and my favourite, Babur Shah. my contribution is worth the 2 marcs (Venezia currency) given as legacy by Odoric of Pordenone to his fellow traveller, the irish friar Jack. ;-) --- One travels, not to change locations, but ideas. Hippolyte Taine (french philosopher) Reply    Reply with quote    Contact plancarpin   Page: 1 2 3 4