“I choose to live and my disability won’t stop me from living the best life I can.” - an adventurous life of blind explorer and author
Christopher’s curiosity for discovering unknown and exotic places and food has led him onto several exciting expeditions. On one such adventure in 2013, Christopher found himself riding a tiny 150cc Vespa scooter on an epic journey through 21 countries starting from Cape Town, South Africa and ending up in Dublin, Ireland. During this journey he contracted a virus that eventually resulted in complete loss of sight. Even after this life-changing event Christopher has never stopped living a fulfilled life. He believes in a mantra that in an accessible world a blind man can do anything that a sighted man can do and has managed to travel worldwide. He has shared his life-changing experience in his best-selling book, ‘How I became the Blind Scooter Guy’. Christopher is also a professional speaker and has spoken on the TED stage and has also served as a coach for TEDx.
What attracts you to exploring adventurous places? What has changed in your planning after you lost your sight?C: For as long as I can recall, I have had something of an adiction to both exploring and discovering the unknown. I was a curious child who spent days dreaming of far flung places. Interesting sounds, fragrant scents, exotic tastes and the feel of excitement at finding different things. Although I dreamed of somehow making exploration into a carreer, after I completed my studies, I undertook a more normal carreer. Well, as normal as being employed as a chef can be considered normal. To keep the adventure alive, I used my culinary position to travel the world. As a development and training chef that specialized in working remote destinations, I got to work and live in exotic places. Although I enjoyed working as a chef and traveling the globe, I always yearned to become a travel and adventure writer. I guess to many hours reading Tintin books may have contributed.
After years of dreaming, contemplating and planning, I eventually plucked up the courage to make a carreer change and give it a go at becoming a writer. The problem was that I believed then, as I do now, that to write a really good travel and adventure story, one should live the tale before penning it. This is where my life turned upside down, inside out and the jway i see the world, changed forever.
In 2013, after an expedition, riding a little 150cc Vespa scooter, all the way from Cape Town, South Africa, up the contenent and accross Europe, to Dublin, Ireland, I contracted a virus that would eventually lead to my sight loss. This was of course the journey that I would write about in my first book, ‘How I became the Blind Scooter Guy’. I just had no idea that the story would become so much of a bigger tale. Not just one of travel and adventure, but one including a life changing turn.
Since loosing my sight and becoming totally blind with zero light perception, I have managed to travel the world by ocean and air, by road and rail. I have become a best selling published author, a travel journalist that has articles featured in numerous international travel magazines, a professional speaker that has both spoken on the TED stage and around the globe, a speaker coach for TEDx and perhaps most relevantly, something of an Accidental Accessibility Advocate. Today I live by the mantra that, in an Accessible world, a #BlindManCan do anything that a sighted person is able to.
In my recently published book, ‘ Sightless from Sicily to Southern France;, I tell the story of how I traveled in the footsteps of 19th century blind explorer, James Holman. This gave me a good perspective of challenges faced today versus those of years ago. Where Holman could no doubt have knocked on a strangers door late at night and been invited in for a meal and bed, today, I would likely be arrested. He could hear horse drawn cars coming over cobbled or gravel roads from miles away and people wore shoes back then that had hard soles, giving him a clear audio signal when they walked by. I found myself dodging electric cars and nearly avoiding being run down by joggers with soft rubber soled shoes. From hiking up to an active volcano, as Holman did on his first expedition, and kayaking on the Tiranean sea, to walking through a thick tuscan indigenous forest, my journey was extreme and challenging on a daily basis, albeit in a very different way to Holmans travels. I of course had the modern day convenience of air travel, fast trains, Uber, Google maps, Air BnB and with my trusty iPhone in hand, instant communication. Travel and adventures of today and yesteryear both come with their challenges and rewards, for me, being able to stay in communication is such a huge asset that it far outweighs any of the rewards that Holman would have had while traveling.
What challenges do you face when exploring different countries where accessibility can be an issue?C: There are little things that make life challenging when traveling. A disrespectful flight attendant or unhelpful security guard can make a day emotionally painful. Those wheelie suitcases getting drawn over a cobbled roadway freaks me out. What most sighted people dont realize is that as a blind person, the remaining four senses are essential as navigation tools. When loud music or screaming people prevent one from been able to use your sense of hearing effectively, this just makes navigation harder and moving slower.
What is your most memorable adventure trip and why?C: I have so many memorable adventures.i wish I could simply say that my Cape Town to Dublin trip was the best, but it was a tough journey. Traveling with the wrong people is torturous and the outcome of the expedition was of course my sight loss. It is a journey that had many highs and many lows. I try hard to remember only the good.
My recent adventure around the Tiranean sea in Holmans footsteps was fantastic. Traveling with my partner was such a pleasure and visiting places that I had traveled to before, without sight was interesting. I, at first, feared that I would ruin previous memories of these places. This was not the case at all. I actually saw them more clearly and through my sense of sound, smell, taste and touch, managed to notice so much more than I had before. For example, I noticed the difference in a church bells tolls from town to town, the texture of roadways and the feel of stone buildings built with local rock was not the same from village to village. Every town has a unique sound. Be it the varied accents, different styles of music and ways of moving about. Let me not begin to start on the difference in food choices. My journeys inevidably end up starting as multifaceted mobility meanders, but end up as epic tasting journeys. The outcome of the last trip in Europe was that my wife and I decided to bring a child into the world and this was a far more positive outcome at the end of a expedition than going blind. [My son, Tate Thomas Venter, was born on the 1st of February 2019]
How do you face obstacles in life? What keeps you moving forward?C: I like the saying by Bob Marley - "You never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice"
I think that people facing obstacles must realise as quickly as possible that the only way is forward. If you have dreams and goals, you can still reach them. It may be a little tougher and take a while longer, but with pacience, passion, perseverance and some sheer determination, you can turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones
What is the idea behind your book, “How I became the Blind Scooter Guy”?C: The idea behind my first book, “How I became the Blind Scooter Guy” was to live and share a story of adventure. The tale became one of betrayal, shock, disaster, tragedy and ultimately, triumph. The road that sight loss put me on is in my opinion, the one that I needed to be on. It has made me the person I am today and helped me become a better person.
What are your other hobbies?C: My hobbies before sight loss were things like Sailing, Scuba diving, Fishing and playing snooker. Although they have changed a little,, this is part of growing up and not only because of sight loss. Today I am still passionate about the sea and anything around it. On top or underneath. I like cooking, despite it being my job for so many years. Today I still do all the cooking at home. I enjoy some handyman work and building. Creating things is rewarding, whether in the kitchen or my workshop. When playing with my tools and building something, it can be frustrating, but the outcome always tops the effort. Well, almost always. Simple things like measuring and cutting a piece of timber can be a trying task for a blind dude like me. One can look at that as a challenge or something impossible. I say that nothing is impossible
and have never shyed away from a challenge. I have also become something of an accessibility buddy for many other newly blind people. Helping them learn things like tech. This gives me huge pleasure. Unfortunately I live in a region where support is limited. Offering help and assistance to people going through what I did, is an absolute pleasure.
I also enjoy training speakers. To help someone get the most out of their talks and time on the stage puts a big smile on my face.
Lastly, I am in awe of animals and animal welfare. I am the organizer and curator of an event later this year called, XploreX - adventurers sharing TALES for Tails. This is a fundraising initiative where 12 speakers will take to the stage and share stories of their exploits in aid of a local animal welfare organization called, African Tails. www.xplorex.co.za
What are some new places that you would love to visit?C: There are so many places I still plan to explore. I would love to see more of Turkey and plan to one day hike the Carmino de Santiago accrross Spain. I would also like to take my wife and son to Ireland as I really loved it there. I would not mind spending some time exploring South America. There are so many places on my bucket list. Greece is up there and so is New Zealand. I think though that a couple weeks chilling on an island would be good for me to.
I have a new big adventure planned for 2020. This will take me away from home and my family for a large chunk of the year and have me pushing the extremes to the limit. After this, I think an island chill out will be best. Cocktails and warm water.
What is your suggestion for families of children with disabilities to empower their children?C: Never treat your children differently to others. Let them play and be a little wild. Do whatever you have to, so they can get the best available education. Let them be curious and allow them to discover. Take away the TV and let them get dirty. Its ok if they fall and hurt themselves a little. Teach them that it is better to be different than all the same.
What tips/advice do you have for those in our community who are interested in exploring new places?C: Sometimes the biggest option when considering travel and adventure, is the cost. I always just save and buy the ticket. The rest falls into place. Never be afraid of the unknown. It can sometimes lead to the best times of your life. If you never get lost, you never will have the pleasure of finding your way. Besides, sometimes getting lost will take you places that will become the best treasured memories you have.
Any special message for our community?C: The world is an amazing place. The life you know and are most comfortable in, is not the only one. Go out and discover something new. Do not ever let your disability stop you from living. There are only three common denominators that all humans have. We are all born, we all live and we all die. My big question is about the inbetween part. How many really live? I choose to live and my disability wont stop me from living the best life I can.
