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BTKA #64 - Yossi Ghinsberg - Lost and Alone for 3 weeks Deep in the Amazon Jungle (audio only) — Transcript

by Matthew Tommasi · 16,618 words · 2,261 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00you're listening to the born to kick-ass
0:02podcast with Matt Tomasi and can be
0:05found at born to kick-ass comm slash
0:07episode 64 welcome to the born to
0:16kick-ass podcast where you're introduced
0:19to the most fascinating people on the
0:21planet learn the ingredients of
0:23greatness that you can apply to your
0:25life and now your host Matthew Tomasi
0:30[Music]
0:39Josi Ginsburg is an israeli australian
0:43adventurer musician tech entrepreneur
0:45author and motivational speaker in 1981
0:50Yossi ventured into the remote and
0:52uncharted Bolivian Amazon jungle with
0:55three other backpackers in search of
0:57adventure after a series of events and
1:00accidents Yossi was separated from the
1:03others and spent three weeks alone and
1:05lost deep in the Amazon Yossi was faced
1:09with tremendous hardships including
1:10almost drowning in whitewater rapids and
1:14going over waterfalls starvation
1:17hallucinations multiple full-body wounds
1:20trench foot coming face to face with a
1:23Jaguar at night being enveloped by tens
1:26of thousands of fire ants flooding being
1:29trapped torso deep in a swamp
1:32sleep deprivation all of which happened
1:35during the heaviest torrential rain
1:37season in a decade Yossi's famous story
1:40has now been made into a feature film
1:42called jungle which will be released in
1:452017 starring Daniel Radcliffe from
1:48Harry Potter foam Yossi goes into detail
1:52around his extraordinary experience
1:54enchants rescue and has since gained
1:56enlightened wisdom enjoy the interview
1:59[Music]
2:14Yossi Ginsberg
2:16welcome to the born to kick-ass podcast
2:20thank you I love I love I love this name
2:24and as I really I'm also honored to to
2:29make it into that list
2:30thank you that's that's so good now
2:32you've recently moved to Australia I
2:34believe it's not you sort of live not
2:36too far from where I live what made you
2:39move I want to move to Australia well
2:43first of all I'm Aussie you know my name
2:48is Josi so I call it the Aussie Aussie
2:51Aussie and I was born on April 25th
2:55which happens to be Anzac Day and I have
2:59an Australian passport so I call
3:02Australia home I came here in 1999 and I
3:08opened the clinic for the treatment
3:10detoxification rehabilitation and
3:13reintegration of opiate addicts I
3:16received a business visa and for three
3:19years I operated two clinics in that
3:22context while I was here I met my wife I
3:27married her we moved to Byron Bay we
3:30bought the property in the inter lens of
3:33and violin Shire and we lived there for
3:37seven years we left and been in Israel
3:40for nine years
3:41and my wife said it's time to go back
3:45home so we moved just about two months
3:48ago and we're back in the biggest small
3:51town in the known universe Mullumbimby
3:54haha yeah that's a great great area now
3:57I've read like today or all week I've
4:01been listening to your audiobook jungle
4:04and I've actually just finished it today
4:07it's an incredible it's an incredible
4:09story and you know I wanted to get you
4:12on the podcast and give you the
4:15opportunity of sort of sharing your
4:17story it's such an incredible story that
4:21it's almost hard to
4:22the things that you went through and you
4:24experienced you know if we sort of
4:26rewind back until like you're about 21
4:30at the time was that right that's right
4:33then can you give listeners like an
4:37overview of or start to share with us
4:41what made you want to go to Bolivia and
4:46in particular how did the seed of
4:50wanting to explore the Amazon jungle
4:53come about it came many many years
4:57before it wasn't exactly the Amazon
5:00jungle but I was really an avid reader
5:02and I loved adventure books and they
5:05inspired my imagination as a kid
5:08adolescent and I also have a tendency to
5:12daydream I always had this tendency so I
5:16I read a lot of adventures books and in
5:18my daydreams because I wasn't listening
5:20to the teachers I was just busy
5:22daydreaming I saw myself as a great
5:25Explorer you know like it was the Norse
5:29I mean the poles and the deserts but
5:32then I read one book and which is
5:36Papillon by Indonesia area and once I
5:40read that I decided where I'm going is
5:42the Amazon and I'm going to search for a
5:45tribe that was not explored before and
5:49then I'll try and be one of them and
5:53I'll integrate a fall in love with the
5:56daughter of the chief I'll marry her
5:58I'll find riches of gold by the lost
6:01treasures or gold and I will you know
6:06like have this amazing adventure and
6:08lonely lonely thing with it I was
6:10serious about it and when it was time
6:16which is after I was released from the
6:18military service I actually worked for a
6:23long way I worked a winter in Norway and
6:27and and and a spring in Alaska and the
6:32summer in New York so for a year I just
6:34worked to save money for this event
6:36and then I flew to Venezuela to search
6:39for Papillon himself because I knew that
6:41where he lived at that time there was no
6:44internet and I arrived just a few months
6:48after he died but I wanted to get his
6:50personal blessing the author of Papillon
6:53and rich Aria and from Venezuela down I
6:56was searching for that adventure I
6:58searched for it everywhere in Venezuela
7:01in Colombia and Ecuador in Peru I went
7:04into all the jungles and asking where
7:08can I find tribes and I did have a few
7:10adventures with tried in different
7:13places but they weren't unexplored tried
7:16yes so I started feeling that maybe the
7:19time of great adventure is already
7:20behind until one day in the streets of
7:24La Paz Bolivia I met an Austrian man
7:26that introduced himself as a geologist
7:28and he told me that that's what he does
7:31it goes into the Uncharted it looks for
7:33treasures and his way of finding
7:35treasures is by making contact with
7:38indigenous people especially ones that
7:41are not known to culture and through
7:43them he learns about the riches around I
7:45didn't know he was just a talented con
7:48artist
7:49the man basically sniffed my own dream
7:51and sold it back to me and I I just felt
7:56you know for that and I pleaded with him
7:59to take me on this great adventure and
8:02to have my friend two backpackers that
8:06met me you know the hostel they thought
8:08I'm crazy and trying to prevent me from
8:11growing they came with me to meet that
8:14Austrian geologist and they also fell in
8:17his truck so after that meeting we were
8:20foursome and the Austrian geologists the
8:24guy and three backpackers and Kevin Gail
8:28an American photographer 29 years old
8:31from Oregon like a really awesome
8:34country American strong man and
8:38passionate photographer
8:39Marcos from 28 years old and a school
8:43teacher from from a relatively small
8:46town in Switzerland Schaffhausen
8:48and that was on a sabbatical and myself
8:52just fresh out of the military service
8:55in Israel 22 years old and the Austrian
9:00geologist was from Austria it was 38
9:03years old that's how the foursome was
9:05formed and when you guys you know I made
9:09the decision to head into the jungle
9:10well you sort of wanted to go just like
9:13real deep into the jungle or just sort
9:16of around the outskirts of the jungle
9:18deal can you maybe talk about that
9:20absolutely no it was clear that we were
9:25going into the uncharted and we knew
9:27that and also we realized very soon what
9:30it means even before we left town
9:33because there were no maps of this area
9:35so we understood the meaning of what
9:37Uncharted means and the maps that we
9:40took was an aerial you know one to two
9:43hundred and fifty thousand kilometers so
9:45it was a you know just a very general
9:47map of the entire area and but the
9:51tributaries and the rivers and the
9:53mountain rages were marked and the
9:57geologists just placed a pen in one
10:01place and we said the tall Ramona's
10:03those indigenous people they live around
10:06this area and that's where we're going
10:08it was deep deep into the Uncharted far
10:11far from any and any civilization and so
10:16we knew we're going very very deep in
10:18how heavy were the packs that you were
10:20taking were you taking like all in
10:22addition to your clothes and your
10:24survival gear and I believe you guys had
10:26a shotgun as well did you were you
10:29carrying food and that as well with you
10:31and not really because the logic was
10:34that if we have a shotgun and we and we
10:39have rice and beans so the main dish
10:42will come from the forest and we'll hunt
10:45the lots of game in the forest Karl
10:47promised us and we will have plenty of
10:50food nobody goes hungry in the jungle
10:53they told us so oh we took was rice and
10:55beans and we relied on the shotgun for
11:00food
11:01well a bingo exactly like that I mean he
11:06did eventually but it wasn't as exotic
11:08as we thought because very soon we
11:12discovered that the staple food in the
11:14easiest hunt when you like in the jungle
11:17and monkeys
11:19so our staple food became became howler
11:23monkeys and spider monkeys if
11:26occasionally and a wild turkey and
11:30occasionally efficient and but monkeys
11:33we ate more than any other animal
11:37we ate once lost one time even a you
11:40know a frog but this caused also
11:44problems because Marcos the Swiss
11:48schoolteacher a just it was too delicate
11:51and and too loving to eat he lost weight
12:00and also lost respect and that was very
12:04that one one of the tragedies of offer
12:07adventure so prior to you heading into
12:11the jungle had you ever killed and
12:14prepared an animal prior to this the
12:18Amazon experience or was this sort of
12:21like a first your first gal would sort
12:25of you know killing killing animals and
12:28preparing them and eating them had you
12:31done that before or not yeah I was
12:35actually I made a living as a fisherman
12:38for a few years and I was spear fishing
12:42so and I was with spear fishing on a
12:46daily basis
12:47I was driving every day a few hours
12:49freediving and I was fishing a day and
12:53night I was literally I'm not joking and
12:57fighting sharks in the water because
13:01when you fish in the Red Sea and there's
13:04a lot of blood and it's infested with
13:05shark the Sharks come after you and you
13:07don't want to give them your catch so I
13:10even fought the Sharks and underwater
13:14and more a thread a lot of experience as
13:16a fisherman which involves killing
13:19because I realized the fish do want to
13:22live and they do bleed and they do run
13:25away
13:25and so I killed lots of bad fish
13:29I didn't kill and other animals thank
13:32God I didn't kill a man so I was three
13:35years in the Navy I was very fortunate
13:38not to wound or kill anybody as a
13:41soldier and but I've seen better wings
13:44killed you know wild goats in the desert
13:47and I ate with them insisted with them
13:49and there was some thrill in the kill I
13:54also in the jungle because we were so
13:56hungry
13:57and it was repulsing repulsive to kill
14:02to eat the first monkey but later we got
14:06used to it in first the biggest howler
14:08that we killed it was me that hunted him
14:12down I shot it I don't know there's
14:14going to make me very popular in today's
14:17environment and but understanding that
14:21the kill was in a way as well it was
14:25part of the wilderness we were deep deep
14:27in the wilderness it's it was almost we
14:30didn't belong in time it could have been
14:32any time it was so primal
14:34you know and there was a real need to
14:36survive this was real situation we were
14:38hungry we were working all day this was
14:41really wild deep nature we needed to eat
14:44and this was just the beginning you know
14:47it became as we'll get to the other
14:49parts were food was as I learned
14:54something very deep about food but that
14:57will come later what part of the monkey
15:00state is it like all the main muscle
15:03muscular part of the the monkeys like
15:06I'm getting on I'm sort of guessing
15:08biceps rump thigh calves are they yeah
15:14they sort of the main bits that you are
15:16a look the way you prepare a monkey you
15:22don't cook it you smoke it yeah so
15:25there's a certain way and you clean it
15:28first of all in the river then you burn
15:30it completely in the fire so all the
15:33ferries burn and then you fold it up in
15:36the slat way you just put the hands
15:39behind the head and you ties them with
15:41some you know like with some vine you do
15:44the same with the legs and you flatten
15:46the monkey and the monkey is totally
15:48open and you smoke it overnight and then
15:52you eat everything you just eat every
15:55single thing the tail the fingers a car
15:59also just broke the skull and put the
16:01brains into the suit
16:03in short you don't leave anything you
16:06just eat the entire thing yeah now um as
16:10you guys were setting off and hitting
16:13deeper and deeper into the jungle where
16:16like I wasn't quite sure about this like
16:20listening to the audiobook but were you
16:22heading along sort of trails at all you
16:27know like as you were eventually you you
16:30know came across you know village
16:32villages that were sort of deeper jungle
16:35were they were there sort of like trails
16:38and tracks heading to and from these
16:40places he visited you know the way it
16:42went is like we walked for days on a
16:44trail until the last community which is
16:47called as far Emma's after that
16:50community there was the worked well but
16:54those trails who actually led nowhere
16:57because there were 12 that were made by
16:59hunters from a sorry Amma that went into
17:01the forest and back to the village so
17:04they weren't leading anyway so the only
17:07way for us to navigate was actually to
17:09stick to the rivers and then to cross
17:12mountain range to find a water source
17:15that will lead us to a bigger water
17:17source until we'll identify the next
17:19river so we know where we are and
17:21basically it was
17:22the big rivers 3d series and and
17:26mountain ranges because there were no
17:28trace so absolutely no 12 E and s are
17:32Yama's the river well of course the most
17:35important guide and the river is
17:38actually it's it's complex because it's
17:42not the best way to and to walk just
17:45because sometimes especially at that
17:48time which I mean is when it start
17:51raining the rivers are high so there are
17:54no flyers which means you work in pretty
17:57dense bush near the river and most of
18:01the time we couldn't walk inside the
18:04river because there were too deep and
18:05Swift and in quicksand tributaries we
18:08could walk inside the water but this was
18:11actually very dangerous because you know
18:14a small accident like you know touring a
18:17ligament or kissing an ankle or you know
18:20it's it's very dangerous and also you
18:24get blisters and rushes and everything
18:27becomes they're wet so in the water
18:31outside the water it was a pretty
18:35extreme just to keep on walking it was
18:39on the verge of the rainy season I think
18:42we you know we entered the jungle
18:44something like the 3rd of November which
18:46is very late and yeah you guys you know
18:52walk for a number of days into the into
18:55the jungle and then I believe that you
18:58the you guys sort of came to a decision
19:01where you decided to turn back to one of
19:05the villages what was the reason for
19:08wanting to turn back
19:09it was hard working I didn't want to
19:12turn back we had to vote because Marcus
19:18basically gained the Swiss guy he first
19:24of all he didn't want to continue and
19:26secondly it couldn't continue the
19:29positive in want it was worried because
19:32we didn't we were supposed already to
19:35get to the
19:36but we didn't get even close to the
19:38village but at that stage I mean the
19:40indigenous tribe not the village that
19:42mysterious tribes that were supposed to
19:44make contact with and bettered esteridge
19:48we weren't sure if this tribe exists or
19:50not because we already learned that our
19:53guide is a cycle you know he's a
19:55pathological liar because he was
19:58changing the stories so we will surely
20:01see if he's kidding us to a replay so he
20:03just made it up
20:04and Marcus wasn't eating the game that
20:08we hunted and the rice and beans were
20:11running short it was really worried he
20:14wanted to go back on top of that he had
20:17the very bad rush which it wasn't rush
20:20it's more like a fungal infection more
20:22like an athlete's suit maybe a situation
20:25when wounds start opening on the feet
20:29and and it was painful and it was part
20:35of his downfall
20:36emotionally mentally and physically and
20:41spiritually you know it was very sad in
20:44a way yeah it was difficult to see the
20:47breakdown but on the other and it was
20:48the reason why we had to turn back and
20:51and give up her dream so so you made the
20:55decision all for if you hit it back that
20:58you still like deep in the jungle you
21:00headed back to one of the villages a
21:03left village
21:04yeah to the last point which is again
21:06that village sorry Yama the last really
21:09and was that where you guys decided to
21:13build a raft that's right yeah can you
21:16tell us about that sure yeah so select
21:20the cabins idea they said look you know
21:23now we reached the trail and we can put
21:28markers on mule with one of the
21:31indigenous people there and it will take
21:34him out to civilization to the place
21:35where an airplane will take him back to
21:37the path so Kevin said why don't we
21:41continue the adventure
21:42Marcus can evacuate from here and we
21:45will just continue the adventure because
21:48you know we felt
21:49disappointed and so we wanted to get
21:53more and we said we'll build a raft and
21:57run the entire river all the way to
21:59civilization run that wild river to Ichi
22:03so there was excitement about this new
22:06Advent adventure and markers then said
22:08no III want to continue I'm not going
22:12back and insisted which we didn't
22:15understand why but he insisted and we
22:20healed it and again all the four of us
22:22get on the raft it looks like a good
22:25week the villagers after you know we
22:28helped them build a raft for us made of
22:31balsa wood and then we render the balsa
22:37the raft downriver which that's where
22:41the really difficult part of the the
22:44journey begin so when you go a set off
22:46now on the raft were you sort of
22:49traveling for a number of days look on
22:53the raft and the river yeah there were a
22:56few short days the reason that they were
22:58short it was hell it was chaotic hell
23:01and even though car was crazy liar very
23:07colorful person it was really a master
23:11of the jungle this man was unbelievable
23:14with the knowledge of the rainforest the
23:16earth and especially with the use of the
23:18messages it did everything and we
23:20learned from him all the survival skill
23:22it was the master you know it could be
23:24find water on top of the mountain just
23:26by cutting one vine you would sure was
23:29the right route to eat allowed to
23:31collapse the palm tree that has the
23:33pound art that you can eat it would make
23:37fire even in the ring he could start
23:39fire and make dragon drink just it was a
23:42master of the element he would find the
23:44rubber tree and tough the rubber and fix
23:47the shoes we would take fishing line and
23:50and and solder the clothes it was really
23:53amazing but on the raft it was the only
23:57one that couldn't swim and he lost his
24:01power
24:02and it was really afraid of the water
24:04and it was noticeable and heaven came
24:07from Oregon from the dolls you know so
24:11above Portland and it was like really in
24:14nature he grew up and actually family
24:17ever you know in the summer they run a
24:20white water business on the rivers is
24:23like a professional whitewater rafter
24:26and they thought that it's all
24:28that the river is nothing is not even
24:30dangerous and all the trouble we ever
24:32because of this guide but the guide
24:34called refused to give Kevin the home
24:37they refused to let him lead and they
24:39were fighting between them in an extreme
24:43way that split us you know because
24:45Markos listened to call I listened to
24:47Kevin and we stopped talking to each
24:50other they were speaking German we were
24:53speaking English and we were four men
24:56shooting whitewater in a wild river but
24:59we were in two different languages and
25:01not talking to each other it was
25:04catastrophic
25:05it was so and the oars fell into the
25:09water and the poles break and wait every
25:11rock we fell into the water it was
25:13really dangerous on the other end the
25:16river is so fast it took us further away
25:18from civilization because the river is
25:21not like walking in the forest you don't
25:23you just turn and walk back one day down
25:25with is a big walk so that's what
25:29happened on the river now there's sort
25:32of like am a pivotal part in the story
25:36where on the only actual River there was
25:39a like a pass and they would Kyle was
25:43sort of saying that you know the the
25:45raft couldn't go through this really
25:47treacherous paths where there was really
25:51full-on Rapids and you know rocks just
25:53rocks everywhere and it was too
25:56dangerous yeah can you maybe tell us
25:58about that and the the accident that was
26:03pivotal okay you know this part is like
26:06the quite same it's famous because it's
26:10unpossible and it's possible in the dry
26:14season but in the rainy season it's
26:15important
26:16and we were in the rainy season already
26:18and so the initial plan was to stop
26:24before the Kenyan and the two would walk
26:30around it and wait on the other side and
26:33on every time the other two will release
26:36the rust into the Kenyan the other two
26:40will catch the raft on the other side
26:42which is you know like a couple of days
26:45walk is just to walk around it you know
26:47it's not the 30 minute and so it was a
26:51crazy idea just hard to get but when we
26:54got closer to it Carl said I don't trust
26:56you you know I'm not risking my life
26:59anymore so it I'm not continuing
27:02you want to die you die without me
27:05I'm just walking out of here through the
27:07jungle and he showed us a tributary and
27:10he said that if we follow this tributary
27:12by foot we will get to some with it up
27:15to some trail there is some village
27:18nothing is marked on the map and the
27:20from that village we'll be able to walk
27:22to civilization this was actually a
27:25relief because it was hell on there on
27:28the river and also we knew that in the
27:31jungle call knew what he was doing so I
27:35was relieved
27:37Marko seemed relieved car was you know I
27:41don't care what you do I'm out of here
27:44so Kevin yielded as well and then we
27:47stopped and we decided we'll get back
27:50into the jungle and walk family that
27:53cabin pulled me aside to the bush and he
27:58said it's listen you know let them walk
28:03alone you stay with me and let's
28:05continue on the raft and it convinced me
28:08and to join him on the raft and actually
28:12part from Marcus and cos this was pretty
28:17dramatic and I didn't want to do it but
28:21I said yes I never told him I didn't
28:23want to do it because
28:25I can I didn't I tried to explain but I
28:28was the youngest it was like the big guy
28:30the tough guy I was 22 he was 29 it was
28:34strong and you know we befriended each
28:37other and in a way I just you know I
28:39didn't want to disappoint disappointing
28:42him I didn't want to show him the time
28:43afraid I didn't want to let him down so
28:46more for that than for desire for more
28:50adventure I agreed to go with them if
28:54the problem was that when we came back
28:57and told that to Marcus and car Marcus
29:01said I'm not living here we asked my
29:03friends we stick together and that may
29:09be the heart of the story because we
29:11didn't agree and Kevin and I discussed
29:14it and we decided to tell him that we do
29:17not agree and it broke is hard and but
29:24the healed it and he agreed to live with
29:28scar and mark that's why we split it
29:31went with car and Kevin and I continued
29:34to know how many days into this
29:37adventure were you you know at this
29:39point where you and Carl we're going to
29:42continue on the raft down the river and
29:45I'm sorry you and Kevin and Carl and
29:48Marcus were gonna head on foot back the
29:50other way how many days into into this
29:54adventure were you at this point one
29:57month a month so you're a month into
30:01this Amazon adventure yeah at that
30:05moment you know looking back you know
30:07that was the last time you saw those two
30:11right yeah so those two when you guys
30:15headed off down the look on the raft
30:17that was actually the last time you saw
30:21Carl and Marcus that's right so they
30:27they were they just disappeared you know
30:29one knows what happened to them from
30:31there from that
30:33nobody knows yeah
30:35now when you and Kevin got on the raft
30:40tell us to step us through sort of the
30:44you know the the moments that sort of
30:48unfolded shortly thereafter okay
30:53so Kevin told me that Carl is probably
30:56lying and there is no Kenny you know
30:59because we didn't know this displays the
31:02impossible place of course wasn't on the
31:05map and we didn't know the river but
31:07Kevin said to be cautious just in case
31:09is not lying and I'll ask him exactly so
31:13Kevin sat with Liam and Carl explained
31:15to him how to stop before we get inside
31:19that kahan that box that world Kenyan is
31:23unpossible and full of waterfalls and
31:26Rapids and and and and parables you know
31:30like I know the the ice cave you know
31:33level of rusting you know just white
31:36water gushing and so you know and it was
31:41again we never been down this river it
31:44was pretty how can I say irresponsible
31:47what we did but we were supposed to see
31:50some signs like be an island and we'll
31:53see yes I'm sure of course this is total
31:55nonsense because the Amazon changes all
31:57the time you know island disappears
31:59shores disappears it depends on the
32:02level of the water and so anyway we were
32:04all very unexperienced in a so and we
32:09took the raft and the plan was to if
32:11there is the canyon to stop before the
32:13canyon three hours later you know like
32:18all that and very fast and we were just
32:21dragged into the Kenya and there was
32:24nothing that we can do to stop and we
32:26were just taken by the water inside that
32:28Canyon but at the entrance of this
32:31canyon which we had an accident and so
32:34the big rock and we couldn't avoid it we
32:37hit the rock the raft came out of the
32:40water and climbed on the truck and just
32:42hanging over Rapids and and stuck
32:46and we were trying you know like to
32:49actually release the rust from the rock
32:52but we couldn't no matter what we did
32:54the rough the pressure of the water kept
32:56and this is all in the middle of a
32:58raging raging whitewater and the
33:03pressure of the water is so big so we
33:06cannot shake the rest of the rock and
33:10when it started getting dark
33:12Kevin said I have no choice you ain't
33:16going to the raft I'll jump and I'll
33:18make it to the right bank
33:20throw me the rice bank was closer yeah
33:23throw me the machete I'll climb up the
33:27cliff I'll get to the fourth I'll cut
33:30some line I'll come down the cliffs I'll
33:32throw you the vials put both backpacks
33:34on you and I will pull you out so this
33:38was a crazy crazy crazy but there was no
33:40other thing and just Kevin did it it
33:42just jumped and miracle II he made it to
33:46the right bank and it was screaming
33:49throw me the machete throw me the shoes
33:51also he should be left with me so I
33:54started feeling that the raft was
33:56leaving the you know it Kevin's weight
33:59and the jump actually released the raft
34:02into the waterfall you know like all
34:04this rapids under the rock and I just
34:07managed to throw the shoes over to throw
34:10the machete over and then just erupted
34:12released and I just went down and the
34:15rough took me into there and you know
34:18down that waterfall Rapids and and very
34:23very quickly the rough just you know it
34:25sucked me under under the current and I
34:29was for a long long time just under
34:31water and just holding the raft when I
34:35was spit out again still holding the
34:38raft and this was the last time I saw
34:41Kevin Kevin was on the on the bank like
34:43about hundred and sixty meters back and
34:47he was screaming I was screaming the
34:51rust just kept the curve
34:54and from that moment on I didn't see
34:57Kevin and for something like 20 minutes
35:00or half an hour I just had the biggest
35:02ride I just went through I went through
35:07the canyon I think I'm the only known
35:09man to do it in in this in this
35:12in this season and and also I'll tell
35:17you the truth
35:18I didn't do anything as I couldn't do
35:21anything the raft broke to pieces so I
35:26lost the raft as well I lost all the
35:28equipment and I cannot explain it really
35:31and and this I'll tell you what I think
35:34which is this was one of the first
35:36miracle I experienced I should have died
35:39there so the actual the rapids that you
35:42survived
35:43would I extreme just like just extreme
35:46like rocks everywhere just full-on you
35:50know whitewash and was it just like
35:53really treacherous it was yes look it
35:58well I remember the raft exploding there
36:01was like a huge rock like an island I
36:03can I saw it from as far as I was I was
36:05just holding the raft and I saw myself
36:07just just like full speed running into a
36:11rock the rust exploded broke to pieces
36:15and I just don't know I just don't know
36:17how I found myself on the other side of
36:19the clock and many Rapids waterfalls
36:23rocks everywhere trees that were caught
36:26it look you know there was no way to get
36:28out of there alive and it was very easy
36:32to die again you just hit your head
36:34against something you just break an arm
36:36or you know and I came out and scratched
36:40and so I cannot just even explain how
36:44this happened and this was like three
36:46minutes this was more like 30 minutes
36:48you know so you survived the this rapid
36:55rate you know the raft exploding in the
36:57the river rapids incident what time of
37:01the day was this was this sort of like
37:03morning or afternoon
37:06now this was already evening this was
37:09already evening when I got you know and
37:12I finally managed to get out of the
37:13water
37:15hmm I was still you know at the end of
37:18this Canyon it was still very steep
37:21walls and very there was no Playa just
37:23you know a little a few rocks under the
37:26cliffs and so I spent the night between
37:29the rocks it was it was evening already
37:32when this happened that's that's the
37:34reason why we haven't jumped because it
37:36was getting dark and Kevin said we
37:39cannot stay in the water and and so all
37:42that happened already in that so not too
37:46far before that point you know you'd
37:48said goodbye to Marcos and Carl
37:50Kevin's now jumped off the raft and you
37:54survived this incredible ordeal and you
37:58know you've been washed further down the
38:00river and it's dark and you'll now by
38:03yourself
38:04what were you sort of thinking at that
38:07point you know it's like you're looking
38:08around and it's like you know I'm a
38:10month into this adventure and it's just
38:13gone - gone - and I'm a by myself
38:16now what was that if all you sort of
38:19thinking on that first night by yourself
38:21where Kevin you know he Kevin's gone and
38:24the other two are gone and you're in the
38:26middle of the Amazon jungle well we
38:27start nothing thin the main thing was in
38:31the morning I mean Kevin are gonna get
38:34together and everything is going to be
38:36fine that's was like the main sort I
38:38knew he was alive as I saw him out of
38:42the river I knew we were on the same
38:45Bank yeah we were both on the right bank
38:48of the river and I knew one more thing
38:50that will be running after me so I was
38:54sure I just have to undo that night and
38:58in the morning I'll get together with
39:01Kevin and you know we'll be fine
39:03together with Kevin we'll just handle
39:05the situation this was my state of mind
39:07or the lot of fear
39:08I was also completely wet I had no
39:11shelter and I had no provisions no fire
39:14nothing I just pushed my body between
39:16two rocks I didn't sleep all night I was
39:18just like
39:19and and you know cradled in my honor and
39:27waiting for the morning but it is or
39:31something else because in the middle of
39:33the night I started hearing drums and
39:37this was something that I never heard
39:39before and this really got me really
39:42scared and they kept on going all night
39:45you know like and this really scared the
39:48out of me I didn't know what was
39:50going on
39:50do you know what the drums with yeah in
39:54the morning I just kept hearing the
39:56drugs and at that stage there was
40:00nothing I could do there because I was
40:02under a cliff and I was just on the few
40:04rock so I had to climb up that cliff
40:07which was very dangerous
40:09you know like 20 30 meters climb on this
40:13wall until I got to the ridge and then I
40:17started climbing up towards the cabin
40:20but also towards the noise those drums
40:23kept on going and just about something
40:28like and with me there or something like
40:30that up the ridge and I looked down and
40:33I saw the drum it wasn't wrong those
40:36were logs from my own raft that were
40:39trapped in a way and obviously it will
40:43pull well - yeah yeah yeah and the logs
40:48were just beating against the rocks
40:50yeah and I realized that this was the
40:54drug and then I had hoped that maybe
40:57something survived something of the
41:00equipment and so I went down and there
41:04was nothing on that rust and but then I
41:09heard another noise which sounded like
41:11metallic noise and I jumped from rock to
41:15rock in that River making way upriver
41:18and about 50 meters further from the
41:22logs of the raft and again which for me
41:27is on the miracle can explain it and one
41:31of the bags and
41:33was angling there there were two empty
41:36thimbles
41:37and just can't can't just in cans and
41:41the flow to this and it was that
41:44metallic noise and I burst into tears
41:48yeah I pulled that little backpack from
41:53the water and I burst into tears yes it
41:55was like I couldn't believe that I found
41:57it if you see the picture of raging
41:59water between walls and this like little
42:04pack is waiting from your life with the
42:07rock log banging against the wall
42:10calling me I was just in tears and I
42:16pulled it out and there were some where
42:18you know there's some rice beans and
42:20mosquito net a red punch or a lighter a
42:24flashlight and some fishing lines and
42:28spray and repellent spray and that's
42:35about it
42:36oh and some medicine some medicine now
42:39what was your plan of action you know
42:41Kevin sort of down on the same Bank some
42:45distance or some time further down what
42:49was your sort of plan of action were you
42:51gonna head in the same direction as as
42:53from where you came was your main thing
42:57to sort of get dry or find shelter or
43:00just head back towards where you came
43:02from what was your your main sort of
43:04think that you can remember very clear
43:08you know I knew Kevin was operator and
43:11so I just thought sure I'm just gonna go
43:14towards Kevin I'm gonna climb on the
43:16rage against the river Africa and I know
43:20that Kevin is coming down it was above
43:22me so I need this Kevin is coming down
43:24to search for me so I went up you know
43:28to make ways and find him and I was just
43:30walking up the region screaming Kevin
43:32Kevin and hoping we'll meet soon and I I
43:39was sure that once we made this got the
43:42machete is the strong man is the
43:44experienced guy and
43:46so I knew that my only way to survive is
43:49to find him and then you know we'll be
43:52fine but I had to work the other way
43:54around you know like any civilization
43:55was not either but I walked up River
43:58because what my purpose was to find
44:00Kevin now you didn't find him the days
44:06sort of take started to take along you
44:10know you'd be walking through like
44:14full-on jungle looking out Uncharted
44:17jungle with no no tracks no trails
44:21well you just just sort of virgin jungle
44:24was it that's right
44:26what sort of animals did you encounter
44:29and at that stage I would see monkeys
44:32you know I would see I was looking for
44:37food there were snake but this was I
44:40just want to tell before the animal
44:43parts there was actually four days were
44:48you know I was like searching for Kevin
44:50in this four days I ate I think two
44:54snails and two palm trees when I say two
44:59palm trees that meant sitting under a
45:02palm tree and big eating the the roots
45:06with my fingernails until the palm color
45:09and then with the rock breaking the top
45:13of the palm to try to get to the heart
45:15of the palm so I can hit the heart of
45:17the pump and I realized that I am
45:21actually exhausting more energy than I
45:22am receiving by by doing that and so in
45:28this four days I ate the part from what
45:30I'm telling you
45:31I hate nothing you know I had rice and
45:34beans but and I had the lighter but it
45:37was raining so much that I couldn't
45:39start a fire
45:40and so I couldn't hear the ricin thing
45:43and then I didn't find Kevin and I
45:48actually climbed far enough that I could
45:51see the place of the accident so I knew
45:54that I will not find him anymore and
45:58that
45:59moment you know this was like my first
46:01moment of collapse you know when I
46:05realized that I'm alone for the first
46:08four days I believed I'm fine Kevin but
46:11on that force evening I just realized
46:16that I'm alone and that I would not find
46:19Kevin I thought Kevin that I thought
46:22Kevin jumped to the water after me and I
46:26thought it round in the water and then I
46:29realized I'm alone and I just totally
46:32collapse I knew I'm gonna die because my
46:35only hope was enough to find Kevin and
46:39so that was like you know a big night
46:44for me and like the dark night of my
46:48soul where really my lifelong dream
46:50really became the worst nightmare
46:52possible and then came the fifth day and
46:58I turned back you know I just started
47:01walking down river to work civilization
47:05which I knew was hundreds of kilometers
47:07away and I had no clue how many days but
47:14there was just no other place you know I
47:17just turned back and I started walking
47:20down river and so the first wild animal
47:27that I encountered was a deadly snake
47:30this was actually when I found my first
47:36ripe fruit and going down the ridge
47:41suddenly I found it fruit and miss all
47:44the time under a tree that is full of
47:47ripened fruit usually it's very very
47:49hard to climb trees in P Amazon but this
47:53one was close to the cliff so I could
47:55use the cliff to jump on there on the
47:57tree and somehow I got to the fruit but
48:01then on the first branch there was
48:04called fruit snakes it was very venomous
48:06and actually it just went for me and at
48:11that stage
48:12I just jumped off the tree and when I
48:16landed on the earth you know something
48:22happens that again I cannot exactly
48:24explain I can I can try to explain I
48:26think it's important but what happened
48:28was that I just found the stick and
48:30immediately ran back on the cliff
48:32jumped on the tree chased the snake in
48:35the tree hit it and the the snake fell
48:39off the tree
48:40I jumped again to the ground and I
48:42killed the snake and then I just
48:45immediately pulled the skin off I pulled
48:47the gutter off and I had the flesh of
48:49the deadly snake in my hand and I
48:54actually didn't know what happened I
48:56just didn't know how this happened
48:58because I was I couldn't deal with the
49:01situation two minutes before I was just
49:04a victim she's about to die a miserable
49:06death and there's no way in the world
49:08that I can survive in this environment
49:11and then five minutes later I just
49:14chased the deadliest skin the deadliest
49:17snake I killed it I skinned it and I was
49:21about to eat it alive I did it I didn't
49:25not for at no other reason that I was
49:29actually under a tree you lush with many
49:33right right and fruit so I put the dead
49:37snake in my in my bag thinking I'm
49:40losing I'm going to use it as a bait and
49:42then I just feasted on that on the fruit
49:46this was like my first meal in five days
49:49now what was it like I'm guessing the
49:53the scariest part and would have been at
49:55night it was that something that you
49:58were dreading you know you're trudging
50:01through you're lost in the middle of the
50:04Amazon jungle yeah you know you're sort
50:07of heading in a direction you know all
50:09day with no starving you know with you
50:14know night is coming what were you sort
50:18of were you dreading the thought of the
50:22approaching night
50:24yeah it was impossible impossible
50:27completely to to go through the night
50:30because during the day I wasn't afraid
50:34I really wasn't afraid again I can
50:37explain I think that I wasn't afraid
50:39because fear was countering productive
50:42for my survival so it wasn't me it was
50:46kind of like the survival mechanism and
50:48I just did hope and I was sure
50:51everything is going to be fine and I'll
50:53get to civilization it and I and it was
50:56naturally I didn't have to work myself
50:58up just to keep you know like I was
51:01during the day I was fine in terms of my
51:04spirit you know but at night it was just
51:07impossible and most of my nights I
51:11couldn't start a fire so I was lying in
51:14total darkness
51:15I had no machete so I couldn't make
51:18myself a proper lean-to or a Korra camp
51:21so basically I would find the buttress
51:24tree clean between the roots break some
51:27palm fronds and cover myself with palm
51:29fronds and and and sleep between the
51:32roots of the tree the thing is that
51:34night all the Nocturnals are out and
51:38actually the the big noise of the jungle
51:41comes at night including and the Jaguars
51:44and there were jug was around me all the
51:47time I rarely saw them but I did see
51:52their feces and I did see the Powell's
51:54and they were very close to me every
51:57night like in the morning I wish I would
52:00see a meter I had from a meter away from
52:02my head I would see the fresh part of
52:05the Jaguar so it was impossible to go
52:08through the night so what happened
52:10through the night I didn't sleep for
52:11three weeks
52:12I didn't sleep and my only way the only
52:16way that I survived was what saved me
52:20from school my ability to daydream
52:23that's literally what saved my life
52:26as I couldn't sleep and I needed to rest
52:28and the fear was overwhelming so I would
52:31just lie between the leaves and I would
52:34just scream movies
52:37in my head I would just loosen 8 tall
52:42the circumstances and in that way I was
52:45able to rest and just you know like
52:47avoid that fear did you um did you ever
52:51try and rest or even try to get some
52:56sleep during the day like at night you
52:59you really wouldn't have been able to
53:01sleep but the jus in the day trying you
53:05know utilize the daylight hours to try
53:08and recuperate somewhat or try and get
53:11your energy back a little bit only one
53:16time when I found a playa and actually I
53:19called it the Jaguar Playa because when
53:22I came to that it was very rare to find
53:25open flyers on the river because it was
53:28the midst of the rainy season this was
53:30already December and in retrospect if
53:33this was the worst rainy season in a
53:35decade it never stopped raining and so
53:38there are no flyers usually because the
53:40river is so high but I found one playa
53:43and it was a sunny day and I just took
53:46off my clothes and I just lay just to
53:50dry my skin and to dry my clothes I lay
53:53I think I also fainted for a minute
53:55there and so I maybe slept I remember
53:59fainting and I just woke up but it
54:02wasn't sleeping it was like really
54:03fainting and that's the only day that I
54:09remember resting during the day the
54:11other thing was with some mornings I
54:13would be reluctant to leave my my my
54:16little camp so even though like it was
54:19like dawn and the Sun was coming up I
54:21would just cradle under the few palm
54:23fronds and I've done a few more minutes
54:25and I would just linger in bed so to
54:28speak and before I got up and kept on
54:32walking here bad with mosquitos look at
54:37the bugs were the worst enemies you and
54:42I wasn't protected even though I had a
54:45mosquito repellent I actually wasted it
54:48on scaring a Jaguar and
54:51that story right repellent I did have a
54:54mosquito net but another night I was
54:58attacked by termites that turned all my
55:01mosquito net into holes they ate the
55:04mosquito net and also I fell and walking
55:10in the bush without the machete I was
55:12crushed so all my clothes and pants and
55:16shirt were torn and my body was exposed
55:19and I was bleeding from everywhere cause
55:22all the scratches never healed because I
55:24was wet all the time passing hail so not
55:27only mosquitoes also I upset you know
55:30like wasps and and and bees and
55:33sometimes I was like getting hundreds of
55:36bites from westin bees because I was
55:39trapped in in in in phony Bush and
55:44mosquitoes and also other insects some
55:51late larvae under my skin I was itching
55:53warmth on my body and also other has
55:56infected me was very deadly blood
56:00infection so for sure the insects were
56:04the worst kini tell us about the Jaguar
56:07incident with the mosquito repellent and
56:10what happened that was at night was it a
56:13Jaguar came out to you yeah could you
56:15hear you're coming up I could hear it
56:20but I put I took the flashlight and when
56:26I little the flashlight I saw it and and
56:30if I don't know I was maybe like five
56:33six meters from me yeah big for sure
56:45sure this wasn't like a little mountain
56:50lion this was a Jaguar yeah could easily
56:54kill me
56:56but you know the moment I put the
56:59flashlight he just like froze and I
57:04actually I I had a weapon
57:07the my only weapon this was I think my
57:09sixth night and I you know because I was
57:11you know perforated my so my only weapon
57:15was the mosquito repellent and the
57:18flashlight because I remembered that in
57:21one James Bond movie it killed the snake
57:24was burning some some spray and I tried
57:28it and I saw that indeed I can I can
57:31light the spray so I was I was living
57:34with the spray and and my lighter
57:38between my legs so I managed to and to
57:44get them and I lift up the the mosquito
57:47repellent and it created a big flame and
57:50I just held it until I could completely
57:54actually consumed pretty much both the
57:57mosquito repellent and the light there
57:59but there was no more Jaguar and after
58:05the flame and I just sat there and I was
58:09trembling all night that night I
58:11couldn't throw myself out with
58:14hallucination I was just trembling there
58:16crying and just trembling until the
58:20morning came you mentioned as well that
58:23that sort of time of year was it was
58:27just was it just continually raining was
58:29it a little just torrential downpours
58:30like all the time
58:37[Music]
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59:43and now back to the rest of the show you
59:47mentioned as well that that sort of time
59:50of year was it was just was it just
59:52continually raining was it a little just
59:54torrential downpours like all the time
59:57all the time and now the reason I say
1:00:01all the time is first of all it was the
1:00:04worst rainy season in a decade that's in
1:00:07retrospective but while I was there this
1:00:09was my of course first rainy season
1:00:12I come from an arid country I grew up in
1:00:15Israel yes I haven't seen anything like
1:00:17that we have two creeks that we call
1:00:20rivers you know the Jordan and the
1:00:23Elkhorn
1:00:24and so this was prevention rain spawns
1:00:30tropical rainforests that is mighty
1:00:33elements exploding non-stop and the
1:00:37nonstop means also if it stopped raining
1:00:40and under the canopy you couldn't feel
1:00:43the difference because there's so much
1:00:45rain absorbed in the canopy that the
1:00:49canopy for days keep on just dripping
1:00:51big and heavy drops yeah so under the
1:00:55canopy you're just all the time non-stop
1:00:58always totally totally wet
1:01:01that means also you cannot make it fire
1:01:04and not cook the rice and beans and not
1:01:08heal the wounds that are because they're
1:01:11wet and yeah and also the worst the
1:01:15worst the worst part of it was that my
1:01:19feet you know I just basically lost my
1:01:23entire skin and from my toes to the
1:01:28middle of my Sheen my skin I just lost
1:01:32my skin to this to fungal infection from
1:01:35all the moist and socks muddy socks
1:01:39rubbing the skin of my of my feet and I
1:01:43was just walking on raw flesh that was
1:01:47inflamed and passed and and and bleeding
1:01:51I actually couldn't deal with it and I
1:01:54never I just couldn't I just didn't take
1:01:57my socks off because underneath the
1:02:00socks there was nothing you know how
1:02:05much had you had did you endure the pine
1:02:09look I'm talking the physical pain yeah
1:02:13your fate destroyed you know many many
1:02:16dies or wakes of continually just being
1:02:20wet in the rain forest plus with all the
1:02:23wounds and stuff not to mention the the
1:02:27extreme hunger how did you deal with the
1:02:31the physical pain what was it did it
1:02:35just get to a point where you it was
1:02:37just painful all the time and you yeah
1:02:43how did you deal with it that's quite
1:02:47interesting and I didn't see it coming
1:02:50so it's basically in girls like that
1:02:53like the pain is unimaginable you know
1:02:57every apart from the wounds and you know
1:03:00many injuries in my body and the warmth
1:03:04eating me from under my skin and the
1:03:08worst thing was every step was shooting
1:03:11waves of pain and if by mistake I would
1:03:14step
1:03:15route I would you know it was
1:03:18excruciating uphill or downhill with
1:03:21more pressure on the feet I had to go
1:03:23down on my knees and elbows you know the
1:03:26pain was unimaginable but something
1:03:28happens nothing and that's not
1:03:31interesting and you discover that the
1:03:35pain is one thing you experience and the
1:03:39other things that you experience is
1:03:41misery and the difference between the
1:03:44pain in the misery is that the pain is
1:03:46in the feet and the body and the
1:03:48miseries in your head and the miracle
1:03:54that happens is that the misery stopped
1:03:56like I just stopped feeling sorry for
1:03:59myself and just stop you know you know
1:04:01like saying oh I can't take it anymore I
1:04:03don't deserve it I cannot endure that so
1:04:07just quiet and in my head and the pain
1:04:11remains alone it's a different
1:04:13experience it's like taking the sting
1:04:16out of it you know the pain is still
1:04:18there as painful as before but the
1:04:22misery disappears you just remain the
1:04:25thing there's no suffering of the pain
1:04:27the just and experience of the thing and
1:04:32this took a few days to reach this point
1:04:35and it was like a miracle because I had
1:04:38to keep on walking on this seat for
1:04:41weeks
1:04:42oh yes that's that's one you know
1:04:48there's things like that you can you
1:04:51cannot find out by reading a book you
1:04:54know you have to go through a lot of
1:04:56pain to reach that point you know but
1:04:58this was like quite amazing you know
1:05:02during the day were you sort of on the
1:05:05move sort of most of the most of the
1:05:08daylight hours or did you have sort of
1:05:11was that your plan sort of you know when
1:05:14that when the Sun sort of came up
1:05:16your plan was to continually move down
1:05:20yeah continue moving forward yeah III
1:05:25walked from let's say from dawn to dusk
1:05:28and dusk is coming as fast because you
1:05:33know the trees are very tall at the
1:05:35moment there's a bit of an angle on the
1:05:37Sun it's becoming very quickly
1:05:39dark in the rain forest and so I you
1:05:45know you know like like an hour before I
1:05:48already had my routine I developed
1:05:50routine so my routine was to around that
1:05:53time to search for buttress tree and I
1:05:57almost always found them and rose they
1:06:01almost create like they're very big so
1:06:03they create like a room with two walls
1:06:06and no ceiling but those walls around
1:06:10you and I would just clean the rot and
1:06:13bring my palm fronds and cover myself
1:06:16with the mosquito net and the poncho and
1:06:19that's how I warm myself I actually
1:06:22breathe I put the poncho upside down so
1:06:25the head and the hood is actually
1:06:29covering my face and this was partly
1:06:32ostrich strategy so I don't see anything
1:06:35nothing sees me and another part was I
1:06:38could warm myself by breathing into that
1:06:41food and so that I you know I but I
1:06:49walked until this point until dusk every
1:06:51day in the book you talk about you know
1:06:56hallucination like you had
1:06:58hallucinations and then I guess beyond
1:07:00that was really vivid I guess to escape
1:07:06from the pain and the the torment and
1:07:08the suffering that you were in you your
1:07:12mind would sort of conjure up fantasies
1:07:15and you'd escape into your own mind can
1:07:17you maybe talk about that
1:07:19yeah yeah as I said that's the only way
1:07:22I survive otherwise I wouldn't survive I
1:07:24needed to rest and by actually using
1:07:27this hallucination I really was cast out
1:07:32of that situation I was in my dream
1:07:34what were they doing I mean elucidation
1:07:38I made them up but they had you know
1:07:42they actually had some power of the
1:07:44world it was quite interesting there
1:07:46were about 4 of them and I would just
1:07:49repeat them so I made like four or five
1:07:52stories and I repeat them for example
1:07:54the first story I made is that Kevin is
1:07:58dead and I survived and now I'm flying
1:08:02to Oregon to meet his parents
1:08:05and tell him tell them about Kevin and
1:08:09so it was about arriving in Oregon and
1:08:13finding his parents and crying together
1:08:15with them and telling them the stories
1:08:17that Kevin told me that but then as I
1:08:21dreamt that this dream the second time
1:08:23of certai there was an accident in the
1:08:25dream so that the airplane instead of
1:08:29landing in Portland for some reason
1:08:34landed in Miami and I had no clue why
1:08:37but now I had to take the Greyhound bus
1:08:40from Miami to Portland so the entire
1:08:44dream was about stopping at know like
1:08:48eateries at fast food for three days so
1:08:52it was like just about stopping in this
1:08:54McDonald's and you know like whatever
1:08:58Kentucky Fried Chicken and just taking
1:09:01trays and piling them with food and
1:09:05eating the food all the dreams no matter
1:09:09which dream I had four or five of them I
1:09:11had once funny that me and my brother
1:09:13were running a ranch but then the cook
1:09:17left and so the entire dream became how
1:09:21I just interview cooks and each cook
1:09:24tells me so all my Lucy Nations they
1:09:28turn to be Lucy nation's about food
1:09:31and this was out of my control eating
1:09:34and yeah you also mentioned in the book
1:09:38that one of the hallucinations that you
1:09:42experienced was you had like a vision of
1:09:46a girl who actually accompanied you for
1:09:50a while this'll this was different
1:09:53this was actually not an hallucination
1:09:56and that that's actually very
1:09:58interesting this this this happen in
1:10:00different circumstances this happened
1:10:03during the day not and I and it happened
1:10:06in the one of the most dramatic moment
1:10:09and because on the on my 15th day there
1:10:16was a huge flood and the flood pushed me
1:10:19to the hills so I ran away to the hills
1:10:21to you know escape from the flood and I
1:10:25had to rest in the Hills for two days
1:10:27because the rotor you know was were so
1:10:30high I I needed to wait for the water to
1:10:34recede and after two days I was crawling
1:10:39down from the hill as I said I couldn't
1:10:42walk when it was steep inclination so I
1:10:46was crawling down on my elbows and and
1:10:50and it and see
1:10:51and then suddenly elbows and knees when
1:10:55suddenly I heard an airplane and at that
1:11:00stage this was 17 days into the ordeal
1:11:04IIIi was positive that this airplane is
1:11:07coming for me there were no planes
1:11:09passing in this part of the world I knew
1:11:12it this airplane came for me but I was
1:11:16trapped I was far from the river because
1:11:18of the flood I was under the canopy and
1:11:21I pulled the red poncho but there was no
1:11:24way that I can wave under the canopy
1:11:27with the rain poncho and the airplane
1:11:29just passed and just you know and
1:11:32disappeared and I was standing there and
1:11:35you know under the canopy with the
1:11:37poncho in my hand and I just collapsed
1:11:40like collapse that that surge of hope
1:11:45the worst thing that happened to me you
1:11:47know for 17 days I was strong but that
1:11:50moment of hope when the airplane passed
1:11:52above my head you know it's like
1:11:54something snapped in me and I just don't
1:11:57didn't want to continue anymore I just
1:11:59broke down completely and I cried and I
1:12:01started really praying and just to die
1:12:04you know I just didn't want to continue
1:12:06anymore at that stage I suddenly heard
1:12:10somebody else crying and I realized as a
1:12:12young woman next to me cry and then I
1:12:15opened my eyes and I saw her and then at
1:12:18that moment I suddenly realized that the
1:12:21earth plane may come back on the same
1:12:23track so then I started screaming get up
1:12:26we have to run to the river because if
1:12:29the airplane comes back there's still a
1:12:31chance to to be saved come on and I
1:12:33pulled her from the mat and I started
1:12:36running with her this girl was with me
1:12:39for two entire days and I just talked to
1:12:43her
1:12:43talk to her in voice you know nothing in
1:12:47my heart I just literally talked to her
1:12:49all day I pushed her I promised I'll
1:12:51take care of her and it's only after two
1:12:55days when I also made her place a
1:12:58physical place next to me to sleep I
1:13:00chose a wider tree allowing for two
1:13:04people to stay and I broke more palm
1:13:06floor front to cover her and then I I
1:13:11tried to hug her and then I realized I'm
1:13:14there's nobody there I'm arguing nobody
1:13:17and then I just was like shocked you
1:13:20know because I thought I just went mad
1:13:21this wasn't a hallucination
1:13:24you know I didn't make all my
1:13:26elucidation I made up but this it wasn't
1:13:30me that made it up you know like I
1:13:33experienced it but it wasn't like the
1:13:37other elucidation that was I knew I I
1:13:39did like this was I already saw at the
1:13:42time I'm a madman yeah that's a it's
1:13:46quite it's hard that's incredible - for
1:13:50me to try and get my head around you
1:13:52know that look this is this is a favor I
1:13:55want more safe thing to savor
1:13:58this was that it was genius I didn't
1:14:02make this up so this was you know
1:14:05imagination elucidation subconscious you
1:14:09know whatever Russian Alice can explain
1:14:12it but it wasn't my doing like I didn't
1:14:14plan it I didn't you know she suddenly
1:14:17appeared so if she appeared you know and
1:14:20even if she appeared from my unconscious
1:14:21imagination the amazing thing is that it
1:14:25was precise this was a vulnerable young
1:14:28woman that needed my help
1:14:31that's what saved my life you know
1:14:34actually somebody dependant on me that
1:14:37work made me get up and move at that
1:14:41point I couldn't take care of myself but
1:14:43the moment she was there I just got up
1:14:47and I just I had to take care of her
1:14:49what it was genius
1:14:52you know like and it wasn't my doing so
1:14:54I also I cannot explain exactly how it
1:14:59happened
1:14:59and to explain this phenomena but as I
1:15:03say it was very very precise it was
1:15:05genius because it saved my life
1:15:08can you talk about I believe you got
1:15:11trapped in a bog and you almost died in
1:15:14like the swamp yeah it was a you're sort
1:15:19of why snip sort of trapped in a in a
1:15:21swamp or a bog what happened there
1:15:24yeah well it happened twice in the same
1:15:28day I think it was my 19th thing yeah it
1:15:34was the 19th day and look after the 15th
1:15:39day which was the big flood things
1:15:41changed because until that I still found
1:15:44food like a fruit that fell off a tree
1:15:46or an egg in a nest that I would break
1:15:50and drink but after the flood the forest
1:15:54floor was completely washed so there was
1:15:57nothing to scavenge on there was you
1:16:00know for the last five days I eaten
1:16:01nothing nothing nothing at all
1:16:04and by that stage I was basically just
1:16:08skin hanging on on bones
1:16:12and also because of it was so wet
1:16:15I just couldn't recognize when the mud
1:16:17turned into a swamp and the swamp was
1:16:20very quick and you know the first time I
1:16:23sank and I actually after a few hours
1:16:27that I couldn't get out of the swamp I
1:16:30am I decided to kill myself and I told
1:16:36you the in the bag was also medicine
1:16:39it wasn't my medicine it was Kevin's
1:16:42medicine so III didn't know what was
1:16:44there but so were like I don't know
1:16:46maybe 50 pills and I thought I just
1:16:51swallowed them all together and but then
1:16:55I couldn't do it I couldn't do it
1:16:56because it was nineteen days you know I
1:16:59said it you know I should have done
1:17:01it on the first day I'm not gonna kill
1:17:03myself after 19 days you know and also I
1:17:06thought about my mother in that stage
1:17:09and I said no I'm not gonna kill myself
1:17:11so I what I did I just jumped into the
1:17:16mud with my upper body and basically I
1:17:19just swarm in the mud and somehow
1:17:21managed to drag myself out of it then
1:17:24came another slug and then I don't know
1:17:27how much I fought the other swamp until
1:17:29I got out of the other slop but by the
1:17:30time I got out of the other slop I just
1:17:33couldn't get up on my feet anymore I
1:17:35just was so exhausted and my feed was so
1:17:40ruined and I was just lying there
1:17:44exhausted and I just couldn't get on my
1:17:47feet again and at that stage I knew I'm
1:17:51dying and I knew I'm dying in the wrong
1:17:55place meaning under the canopy that if
1:17:58I'm collapsing I should collapse on a
1:18:01flier where an airplane can see me not
1:18:04under a canopy or for sure I'll die so I
1:18:08needed to get up and then I saw a tree
1:18:12that is covered with fire ants this is
1:18:17it's a certain tree called Palo Santo
1:18:20and that relief symbiotically was the
1:18:22fire and I knew that tree and I knew
1:18:25that
1:18:25how painful the fire ants are and in
1:18:28some instinctive way I just crawl to the
1:18:32tree and I got up and I just shook the
1:18:34tree and basically basically covered
1:18:37myself with fire ants
1:18:39and the fire and just you know burnt me
1:18:44and turned me the feeling was like like
1:18:46to be a human torch I was just burning
1:18:49you know my neck my arms all my exposed
1:18:52body covered with fire ants and that mad
1:18:56pain actually allowed me to get on my
1:18:59feet and actually float there was normal
1:19:02there was so much pain that I couldn't
1:19:04feel my feet anymore and like that I
1:19:08just I I didn't even this wasn't it
1:19:12wasn't my idea really it's just like
1:19:16something I knew I have to do so you use
1:19:18the getting covered by the fire ants and
1:19:21getting bitten everywhere that pine
1:19:24overrode the pain of like your fate and
1:19:28all the other wounds and stuff yeah on
1:19:34waves of pain you know like I kept on
1:19:36walking and again this is like you know
1:19:41it's hard hard to believe and I have
1:19:43things to say about it Matthew because
1:19:47you know talk about extreme achievers
1:19:51and really heroes and survivors I wasn't
1:19:57you know I was really just a kid and I
1:20:01know I had many dreams that I'm a hero
1:20:04and a great Explorer I wasn't ready for
1:20:08this
1:20:09nor did I believe that I can endure that
1:20:12what I discovered that it wasn't even me
1:20:14you know or it was me but this was a
1:20:19much stronger wiser me that didn't need
1:20:23my it it wasn't a process it was
1:20:27survival acting through me it's becoming
1:20:32an efficient machine of survival
1:20:35naturally and that's my biggest
1:20:37discovery about
1:20:39survival it's a natural condition in a
1:20:42real situation we're just awakened to it
1:20:45and we'll do anything to hang on to life
1:20:48and we'll be surprised how powerful our
1:20:51resilient are resourceful results who we
1:20:54are in real situation so this is
1:20:59actually my message also to the world to
1:21:03other people you know to trust that in a
1:21:06real situation they know what to do and
1:21:08they're strong enough and they will deal
1:21:10with it yeah you were three weeks lost
1:21:15in the jungle tell us about the rescue
1:21:19and and how you were found and tell us
1:21:22about that that day and the moment you
1:21:26realize that you're going to be rescued
1:21:31look Elliot this is like fiction could
1:21:37not invent such circumstances so what
1:21:42happens is that later on that 19th day I
1:21:45find a flyer finally so I know here I
1:21:51can collapse because it's an open flyer
1:21:53by the river and it's a big fly so
1:21:57actually the moment I reach the flyer
1:22:00I actually collapse and when I collapse
1:22:03I know I really know I'm not gonna stand
1:22:05by so crawling on that flyer I make my
1:22:12initial like the the letter Y by rolling
1:22:15and logs and rocks and creating a big
1:22:20letter Y on that flyer and then crawling
1:22:26away from the playa
1:22:27to the edge of the forest because I've
1:22:32now experienced one flood and I know how
1:22:36dangerous it can be to be close to the
1:22:38to the water so I dragged myself
1:22:41crawling away from the river and on the
1:22:45edge of the forest I lie down and the
1:22:50night passes
1:22:52and then comes the 20th day and I just
1:22:56don't move all day I just like that and
1:22:59then comes dusk and a dusk I suddenly
1:23:03hear that noise which is like like a
1:23:07buzz like you know it sounds like a fly
1:23:11but then it grows bigger and start
1:23:13sounding like a wasp you know running
1:23:15around my head and I'm you know deep in
1:23:19my hallucination but I hope in my eyes
1:23:21finally and I'm trying to look and chase
1:23:24this washed away and there's no way and
1:23:30then finally I raised my head and when I
1:23:34raised my head and looked around I see a
1:23:39boat being pushed pushed from the shore
1:23:42from that flyer into the river and
1:23:45people jump onto the boat and I see the
1:23:49boat going down river away from the
1:23:52flyer at the stage
1:23:55I mean I'm laughing how I'm just you
1:23:57know I'm not sure that it's a
1:23:58hallucination or not but I see that boat
1:24:01and I understand that this is the noise
1:24:03that I'm hearing but they're going away
1:24:05and so I drag myself and I jump on my
1:24:09feet and I strike the screen and I do
1:24:12not manage to scream you know like not
1:24:15no voice coming out of my mouth and I
1:24:18see and I cannot run after them it's all
1:24:20rocky and the boat is just going
1:24:23downriver and I stand there and you know
1:24:25just looking at that and again in an
1:24:30unexplainable way suddenly one of them
1:24:33turns that his head and looks back and
1:24:37then I hear a scream the Aussie don't
1:24:40move it's Kevin Kucha places on earth
1:24:49you know like the ledge it's hard to
1:24:53explain the complex and the emotion
1:24:55that's right in this very moment but I
1:25:00you know I was just you know the boat
1:25:03turned immediately in revving Kevin John
1:25:05in the event and it was screaming don't
1:25:09move don't move and then he came and you
1:25:13know we fell into each other arms and
1:25:15we're just both sobbing and sobbing and
1:25:18crying and crying and then there were
1:25:20three other people in the boat and one
1:25:23of them came it came with an open can of
1:25:25tuna and he asked me if I'm hungry
1:25:29like and I devoured that kind of two
1:25:33knives and he said come come quickly
1:25:34it's a very dangerous night and he came
1:25:39and carried me to the boat and put me in
1:25:40the boat and then they push it down
1:25:42river and we went for an hour before he
1:25:46found a safe place to camp but what's
1:25:49interesting about this story is you know
1:25:51it is the amazing story of Kevin and how
1:25:54he fought and came back for me but
1:25:57before I tell that I just want to tell
1:26:00you that they searched for three days
1:26:03about hundred and twenty kilometres of
1:26:06river and they stopped to turn the boat
1:26:11exactly where I collapsed and the reason
1:26:15why they stopped sir is because they
1:26:17couldn't turn the boat in the current
1:26:19they already decided to turn back but
1:26:23the river was too Swift and narrow to do
1:26:27the maneuver with the dugout canoe Tico
1:26:30the owner of the dugout canoe couldn't
1:26:32do it so he needed to land and as I
1:26:34explained there are no places to let its
1:26:36own high water so he was pushed pushed
1:26:40pushed until I found that flier he
1:26:42landed on the flier and they just jumped
1:26:46off the boat turned it and put him back
1:26:49into the current and this was the moment
1:26:52were Kevin burst into tears because we
1:26:55realized this is it
1:26:56they're turning back they didn't find me
1:26:58they second in the exact same place
1:27:01where I collapsed the night before on
1:27:04120 kilometers of river so that's why I
1:27:08say sometimes is not life is bigger than
1:27:10fiction
1:27:12yeah what are the odds it's incredible
1:27:14yeah that's um yeah such an incredible
1:27:19story could look if he could sum up that
1:27:23experience in a paragraph or something
1:27:26but was there a teaching that you you
1:27:32got from that or you know obviously he
1:27:35can't put it into words
1:27:36but what did you what what sort of
1:27:39teaching did you get from that or what
1:27:42did you learn from that in terms of
1:27:44being a human being and you know what
1:27:48humans are capable of and I have a lot
1:27:55to say about it because I actually make
1:27:57a living by inspiring mainly corporate
1:28:02audience and and my installation come
1:28:07not only but a lot from this story but
1:28:10from other adventure stories of my life
1:28:13so I can tell you many things the time
1:28:15that but the interesting thing you know
1:28:17to answer your question is that the
1:28:20lessons came with time and perspectives
1:28:25so it wasn't that I came out of the
1:28:27forest and I was enlightened just by the
1:28:29experience I actually was more confused
1:28:31if anything after the experience you
1:28:35know I actually had a real existential
1:28:39crisis and by the way I didn't have any
1:28:42other classes so I had no trauma my
1:28:45injuries it took a few months but my
1:28:48body you know healed and I wasn't
1:28:52injured mentally or psychologically I
1:28:55never the sessions with any therapist in
1:28:58my life in that context I never had even
1:29:01a single nightmare in my life about it
1:29:07and I never even thought that this was a
1:29:09nightmare you know it was a self
1:29:11awakening and so the crisis was
1:29:18existential because I didn't have
1:29:20answers
1:29:22question you know and it brought me four
1:29:27years of exploration by other adventures
1:29:31in the world physical but a lot of
1:29:33adventures in word adventures and and so
1:29:40when I talk today about my lessons from
1:29:42this experience I just want to be fair
1:29:44and say it comes with perspectives
1:29:46it's from the man that I am today and
1:29:49not from the kid twenty two years old
1:29:51that came out of this jungle and it took
1:29:55time for me to realize and bad so I can
1:30:01tell you in essence I told you already
1:30:04the one big thing is you know we are
1:30:08much much much stronger much smarter and
1:30:11able and capable than what we believe
1:30:16it's only death that actually makes us
1:30:19really appreciate life it's only the
1:30:22situation of lack that makes you
1:30:25appreciate what you have and and by what
1:30:28I have I mean two things first of all
1:30:31you know the basic food and shelter and
1:30:34security and secondly human connection
1:30:37and those things became sacred
1:30:40absolutely sacred until this day I
1:30:44always appreciate having a shelter and I
1:30:48always call it home no matter if I sleep
1:30:51somewhere for one night it's a home for
1:30:53me and I appreciate you know life itself
1:30:58for what it is I knew when I drowned in
1:31:01the river what you know you will give
1:31:04all the gold in the world for one price
1:31:08but yet when we when we breathe with you
1:31:12know we full of worries and complaints
1:31:15about our petty issues we don't we don't
1:31:19feel that every breath is pure gold and
1:31:22that every day and every meal is sacred
1:31:25and every true friend is a blessing and
1:31:28come you know so those basics are not
1:31:31basic for me anymore they're sacred
1:31:34also experiencing miracles you start
1:31:36seeing more miracles you know some
1:31:38people say you know I don't believe in
1:31:41miracle I also don't believe in miracles
1:31:44because I know when you know you're not
1:31:47a believer anymore you know so like
1:31:50fundamental things that have changed me
1:31:52and with years of inquiry
1:31:55you know they crystallize around some
1:31:58understanding and some teachings that I
1:32:00can pass to others and and I do that in
1:32:05terms of like empowerment dealing with
1:32:07adversity dealing with change and being
1:32:10the hero of your life story discovering
1:32:13your hero discovering the calling this
1:32:15into that with the girl understanding
1:32:17that by actually helping somebody else
1:32:19you find your true power you know
1:32:23there's lots of learning that I can
1:32:25derive from my story and this learning
1:32:27is a keep evolve as I grow as a human
1:32:29being I can go and tell the same story
1:32:31but find different teaching in it
1:32:34so it's also very allowing I'm not
1:32:37telling the story by regurgitating the
1:32:40same story of that 22 years old and I
1:32:43pretty much did today but in the context
1:32:46of when I speak to corporations about my
1:32:49adventure I tell a different story
1:32:51which is consistory is actually a
1:32:56vehicle for the teaching so you know and
1:33:00but it's all genuine and authentic and
1:33:03there's two stories this is my first
1:33:05story my second story is even more
1:33:07amazing because I went back to the same
1:33:09River and stayed there for three years I
1:33:13made it my home the very same reader was
1:33:16almost named my life in that jungle I
1:33:19went back and stayed there for three
1:33:21years and I made it my home so I have
1:33:25that adventure story as well taught me
1:33:28probably more and in the first one the
1:33:33guy they often still get back to why
1:33:36Yemen yeah yeah because I stayed there
1:33:39for three years to help the indigenous
1:33:42people that were in that boat and saved
1:33:44Kevin's life and saved my life I have
1:33:48then save their life by building a
1:33:50resort next to the village allowing them
1:33:53to make a living and they fully owned
1:33:58the resort and operate it and in the
1:34:00process I actually completed my original
1:34:04dream this is the most remote and
1:34:07isolated indigenous tribe in the entire
1:34:10region
1:34:10they're called the Utopia Mona and the
1:34:13opium owners they made me one of them I
1:34:17became one of the tribe I am a new
1:34:20chipiya Mona I did get married but I
1:34:24brought to my wife with me so but I give
1:34:26big Canaries there in the middle of the
1:34:28Amazon in the village in a shamanic
1:34:30ritual yeah I married my my girlfriend
1:34:34there in the village and I did find the
1:34:36gold as well because the gold was
1:34:39creating something that has changed the
1:34:42entire region and changed my life and
1:34:46enlightened me in that sense
1:34:48understanding the power of the forest
1:34:51and the wisdom of the forest and the
1:34:53indigenous people of the forest and
1:34:56taking that wisdom and bringing it to
1:34:58the world so this is like the pure gold
1:35:01this is the treasure so that child with
1:35:04this dream
1:35:05I actually fulfilled it it's quite
1:35:08amazing yeah that's yeah it's an
1:35:12incredible story and you also do like
1:35:17today you know consulting with
1:35:20businesses and Amazon survival skills
1:35:23for business that's right need to talk
1:35:27about that yeah yeah that's for me
1:35:31fascinating because I'm so passionate
1:35:33about it and I so believe in it and
1:35:36basically when you think about Amazon
1:35:38survival skills to business and the
1:35:41intuitive sort will be just fighting
1:35:43tusks and fingernails and just you know
1:35:46just the stronger survive it's very
1:35:50Darwinistic you know like his survival
1:35:53of the fittest it's a struggle it's a
1:35:56war it's a jungle out there but actually
1:35:59I lived for three years
1:36:02I discovered it is actually the opposite
1:36:04it's the opposite so it's true that it's
1:36:07the most intense competition on the
1:36:09planet because the Amazon is like on the
1:36:124% of the planet but about 50% of all
1:36:14species are concentrated that so it's
1:36:17true that that's the highest competition
1:36:19but what's interesting about this
1:36:21competition is that competition makes
1:36:24every species to be at the top of their
1:36:27game that's what happen as I explained
1:36:30it happened to me
1:36:31survival actually awakens you to be
1:36:34stronger better more focused and more
1:36:37calm do the right thing you know be wise
1:36:41all this happens naturally in a survival
1:36:43circumstances so this happens to all
1:36:46species and that's why the expression
1:36:49the survival of the fittest is
1:36:50completely meaningless because all the
1:36:56species are perfectly fit so the
1:36:58survival of the fittest means nothing
1:37:00when everybody is perfect to fit that's
1:37:03what happens in the Amazon all species
1:37:05become the best that they can be because
1:37:08of the competition so that's one
1:37:10interesting things that actually
1:37:11survival is good because survival is
1:37:14spontaneous and instantaneous big
1:37:17performance every business wants peak
1:37:20performance businesses should welcome
1:37:23survival because it turns the team the
1:37:26company is all to be wiser smart smarter
1:37:29consolidated and efficient however
1:37:37there's another interesting point that
1:37:41energy of peak performance is not
1:37:44invested in competing with another
1:37:47species so businesses they take this
1:37:51energy you know and competition is like
1:37:53almost a sacred value in business you
1:37:57know kill the competition eliminate the
1:38:00competition be better than the
1:38:02competition do whatever the competition
1:38:04is not willing to do and actually that's
1:38:07not the way the Amazon operate dog
1:38:10doubles and operates in a much more
1:38:12efficient way and that's really
1:38:15enlightening
1:38:16you see survival is efficient to compete
1:38:20with another species is simply not an
1:38:22efficient survival strategy because
1:38:25competition is actually not a good
1:38:27survival because you have to waste a lot
1:38:30of energy by fighting somebody else
1:38:32you'll get less because if you fight for
1:38:35the same tree
1:38:36you know you get less of the whatever it
1:38:39is the fruits of the tree in the market
1:38:43if two companies compete the exhausted
1:38:45lots of resources just competing the
1:38:46prices goes down the less profitable so
1:38:50the reason the neurologic competition is
1:38:52not an efficient survival strategy so
1:38:55what is nature answers that the Amazon
1:38:57also that the answer is innovation
1:39:00because what species do instead of
1:39:02fighting another species they just
1:39:05innovate by evolution that's the
1:39:08technology of nature and they evolve
1:39:12themselves to a niche where they can
1:39:17monopolize the niche so they create
1:39:20niche monopolies like every single
1:39:24species finds a way to create a niche
1:39:27monopoly by creating niche monopoly
1:39:30monopoly is the exact opposite of
1:39:33competition monopoly means nobody
1:39:35competes with it so when nobody competes
1:39:38with you less effort and greater yield
1:39:42that's what species do each find a niche
1:39:45and they don't compete with each other
1:39:47but that does something to everybody and
1:39:50that's again the enlightenment of the
1:39:52forest actually a forest is an ecosystem
1:39:57ok ecosystem means we all correlated we
1:40:01are all interconnected and we are all
1:40:04interdependent so you cannot compete in
1:40:08an ecosystem because if you hurt anybody
1:40:10you hurt your own relatives what happens
1:40:12to him will affect you and if he falls
1:40:14you will fall too because you are
1:40:16interdependent so it goes against the
1:40:19system itself so also you know if we
1:40:23take the analogy back to society it's
1:40:25the same thing you know innovation
1:40:28actually makes niches
1:40:30Indonesia they can be more profitable
1:40:31but society is all wins because there's
1:40:36more diversity there's more innovation
1:40:38there's more new product instead of meat
1:40:41to products and companies waste the
1:40:44money on brainwashing our brains at one
1:40:47brand is another better than another
1:40:49instead of innovating creating a niche
1:40:51an example will be GoPro in the market
1:40:55of cameras you know GoPro creates a
1:40:59niche it's not competing with anybody so
1:41:02this is an analogy our nature actually
1:41:04works like that and so this is actually
1:41:08what survival skills to business mean
1:41:10but of course I can take it much deeper
1:41:13and and explain it in terms of economics
1:41:19as well which I I got enlightened by the
1:41:22Amazon but I researched a lot and and
1:41:26and substantiated this idea also yeah
1:41:30now I believe you're a man of many
1:41:32talents you've produced two albums as
1:41:35well musical album share you're a tech
1:41:42entrepreneur you've come in three and
1:41:46also there is a movie coming out of this
1:41:49survival story that you've experienced
1:41:52and you live through the movie is called
1:41:55jungle and who's playing you and I'm
1:42:01really privileged to say that Daniel
1:42:03Radcliffe is playing me if anybody
1:42:08doesn't know everybody knows Harry
1:42:10Potter so you know is a very iconic
1:42:14figure and a beautiful man and a great
1:42:17actor so I'm really privileged that he
1:42:19is portraying me in the movie and like I
1:42:22noticed on your Facebook page tonight
1:42:24you actually posted a link to the
1:42:27trailer when when's the movie going to
1:42:30be released two to cinema
1:42:35and well it's the world premiere is
1:42:38going to be here in Australia in
1:42:41Brisbane and so in Melbourne on the 3rd
1:42:43of August opening the Melbourne
1:42:48International Film Festival and the
1:42:51movie is an Australian co-production the
1:42:53director Greg MacLean and two of the
1:42:56actors Alex Russell and Joel Jackson are
1:43:01Australia and the producers are
1:43:03Australian and I am in Australia
1:43:04so it's and also it was financed by
1:43:07Screen Australia scream Queensland so
1:43:10and it opens you in Australia and it
1:43:14will be fun on the 3rd of August the
1:43:17worldwide opened a premiere is planned
1:43:21for the 20th of October and then the
1:43:24rest of the world not North America and
1:43:27the rest of the world and and it's the
1:43:31opening day so much that it's gonna be
1:43:34good the trial of looks pretty good as
1:43:37well yes yes talented people and I'm
1:43:42lucky it took a couple a couple of
1:43:45decades Hollywood wasn't interested 20
1:43:49years ago when I first came there and it
1:43:52wasn't interested in true stories they
1:43:54thought that my true story sucks because
1:43:56two people disappear in the middle of
1:43:58the movie once there's alone for half of
1:44:01the movies there's only one guy on the
1:44:03screen alone in the jungle there's four
1:44:05guys is no girl and the worst thing and
1:44:08Israeli protagonist is impossible to
1:44:11make a movie with an Israeli protagonist
1:44:13so they just didn't want to make the
1:44:14movie bad as you know things of changing
1:44:18nowadays like true stories are the trend
1:44:21and unlucky that this trend came and
1:44:25this production and the talent Greg
1:44:29McLean and the writer and all the
1:44:31producer and they what they wanted is to
1:44:36tell my stories to tell the story as it
1:44:38happened and I really admire and
1:44:40appreciate and I'm very grateful to them
1:44:42yeah and we're about you've also got
1:44:45your book I'll mention that
1:44:47which I've I mentioned at the very start
1:44:49or listen to the audio version which you
1:44:51can get on audible
1:44:54it's called jungle a harrowing true
1:44:56story of adventure danger and survival
1:44:58and you've published how many you've
1:45:00published a number of books as well
1:45:02haven't you yeah no actually just two
1:45:06books and yeah but this book was
1:45:11published and maybe in five six
1:45:15different titles in different
1:45:16territories it was published all over
1:45:19the world sold millions of copies all
1:45:22over the world the amazing thing about
1:45:24it that it's still selling and the story
1:45:28is classic so it's not time dependent
1:45:30even though the story about the early
1:45:3380s and it's not about the culture it's
1:45:37about four men in the middle of the
1:45:38jungle and then one man against all
1:45:41elements so the themes are classic and
1:45:44they're not they don't date so this book
1:45:48as you heard you know even though it's
1:45:51an old story the story itself and it's
1:45:55timeless and so the book is still now
1:45:58actually the book is published with the
1:46:00cover of the the movie you know with
1:46:03Daniel Radcliffe on the on the cover and
1:46:06so it has a New Leash on Life and yeah
1:46:11it's a it's a very different experience
1:46:13to read the book or watch the movie
1:46:15that's for sure yeah now looking forward
1:46:17to that
1:46:19wherever else can people find you online
1:46:21you know find your website and find out
1:46:25more about you and you know reach out
1:46:26and say hi if they want to eat like on
1:46:28social media whereabouts can people find
1:46:30you online yeah very easy in my last
1:46:34name is spelled with H so it's Ginsburg
1:46:37but it's gh IMS BER G and saying that
1:46:42because it's very with that last name
1:46:45you find me on Twitter you find me on
1:46:48Facebook
1:46:49my website is Ginsberg calm even my
1:46:53gmail is Ginsberg at gmail.com because
1:46:57of the H in by Ginsberg you know the G H
1:46:59makes it a very
1:47:01niklas name if you know my name and very
1:47:05easily you can find my end of in Twitter
1:47:07and Facebook and my website and then
1:47:11through my website you can just contact
1:47:13me directly and so much the social
1:47:17networks you can come very accessible
1:47:19I'm not a prima donna I'm not their
1:47:21celebrity and I'm here to serve and this
1:47:27is what I do
1:47:28I just wanna you know I just want to
1:47:31explain that also with my corporate work
1:47:33where I give keynote presentations all
1:47:37over the world to major fortune 500
1:47:40companies I deploy the oldest trick in
1:47:45the book which is buy one get one free
1:47:49so it's a program that I earn least a
1:47:51few years ago which means that anybody
1:47:53that books me I offer them to give me
1:47:57for free to any charitable cause to the
1:48:00community to children to all people to
1:48:02whatever but so every talk I give for
1:48:06corporate I'm giving another talk just
1:48:10to give back to the community and so
1:48:13it's really a calling it's really you
1:48:16know it's rewarding and I love doing
1:48:19that and and I think that now for me the
1:48:24opportunity of the movie is you know to
1:48:27expand my reach and to meet more people
1:48:30and mm my stories as I said apart from
1:48:34this lost in the Amazons back to the
1:48:37Amazon and the story of are we built
1:48:38that resort chalalan which is even more
1:48:41fascinating and more unbelievable than
1:48:44my story of survival it's also more deep
1:48:47in the sense that this story is about
1:48:49three weeks of survival alone Ian and
1:48:52the stories of three years of living in
1:48:55the Amazon so I love sharing this story
1:48:58because it's it's a true calling of you
1:49:03know and I believe and you know in the
1:49:08message of the forest and it sends
1:49:10people and I think that if it's the
1:49:12story you know just the same the planet
1:49:14is an actor
1:49:15if we adopt the laws of the jungle from
1:49:18the Amazon to the planet and we live in
1:49:22a paradise competition is nonsense
1:49:24because competition is based on our
1:49:26belief that there's not enough but
1:49:29actually the forest shows that the
1:49:31densest place in the world is also the
1:49:34most abundant place there is enough and
1:49:38if there is enough there's no reason to
1:49:40compete just it just why compete is
1:49:43enough for me in you so there's a lot to
1:49:45learn from that and apply to the world
1:49:47also I'm involved in the jungle itself
1:49:50in Cholula and the resort I'm part of
1:49:52the village and part of the the cause
1:49:56we're cause to preserve this part of the
1:49:58world that is under pressures for
1:50:00developer and the government wants to
1:50:01put a dam and this corruption and Demi
1:50:04corruption in it so I'm involved in
1:50:07bringing awareness to the Amazon in its
1:50:10people it's still something that I'm
1:50:12actively involved I'm going every year
1:50:15now to back to the Amazon I'm leading
1:50:19groups of people to the Amazon in the
1:50:23context of my corporate work as in like
1:50:26and rite-of-passage journey so it we
1:50:31need and I love it I love it I love
1:50:33there I love being in nature so I feel
1:50:38very fortunate just one last question do
1:50:41you use to keep in contact with Kevin at
1:50:44all yes Kevin and I are the only
1:50:48survivors of the story and in a strange
1:50:52way
1:50:53Kevin ended up in Israel he was a
1:50:55Catholic boy from The Dalles Oregon
1:50:59which is some 30 miles north of Portland
1:51:04and however in that same story after
1:51:08saving my life heroically risking his
1:51:11life coming back for me and saving me
1:51:14and back in La Paz and he met an Israeli
1:51:19girl backpacker just traveller like us
1:51:22fell in love with her and then later he
1:51:25moved to Israel and married a it
1:51:27converted
1:51:28a Jew and he lived all his life since
1:51:31then in a kibbutz where he still lives
1:51:34so Kevin became a kibbutz Nick which is
1:51:37unbelievable and live the New Jerusalem
1:51:41where he spilled it I on the other hand
1:51:43traveled for 25 years out of Israel
1:51:47so I actually saw him just as I saw my
1:51:50family every time I came to visit and on
1:51:55one end we are like just family or like
1:51:58brothers our connection is very deep in
1:52:02terms of what we went through
1:52:03however as every story it's complex you
1:52:08know that night or that days when we
1:52:13split from Marcus and car is a days that
1:52:19we cannot forget that's the toughest
1:52:22part of our story and we we don't see we
1:52:29don't remember that the same as you know
1:52:34Rashomon you know like same people can
1:52:38go through the same experience but have
1:52:39different stories after all is the same
1:52:42but on that day our story is different
1:52:45what happened on that day there in terms
1:52:48of different stories and I tell and it
1:52:51creates tension every time I tell the
1:52:53story in a big way so when the book was
1:52:55published and Kevin you know it took it
1:53:01very hard because the way I described
1:53:03the split for Marcus is not the way he
1:53:05described it and same went by Discovery
1:53:09Channel did a documentary about that
1:53:11then again it opened a chasm you know
1:53:15between us and it took years to heal and
1:53:17this is one of this moment again when
1:53:20this movie is actually telling my story
1:53:24it doesn't tell our story the story is
1:53:28our story but I wrote it down through my
1:53:32eyes so the movie is told from my eyes
1:53:35and that creates a lot of tension with
1:53:39Kevin but what I would say
1:53:41that is some value you know we don't
1:53:44fight about money it's about the memory
1:53:48of that day is that we have the
1:53:51disagreement you know it's going away
1:53:53even our tensions with some depth and
1:53:57nobility to it you know it's a about
1:53:59values and now we honor the memory of
1:54:02our dead friend yeah well it's been
1:54:07spending on us speaking with you and
1:54:09it's it's really an incredible story
1:54:12it's it's bordering on unbelievable but
1:54:16you know you've lived it you you
1:54:17experienced it and yeah it's been a real
1:54:19honor speaking with you and yeah
1:54:23listening to your story and yeah it's
1:54:25been it's been great
1:54:27again I'm honored to be part of your
1:54:31amazing list of unbelievable achievers I
1:54:34was just I just it was an accident it's
1:54:38just it happened to me and and it was
1:54:43really good it was different to talk to
1:54:45you because I really connected to the
1:54:48story and even for me just to tell me
1:54:52the story even for me it's unbelievable
1:54:58thanks again for coming on and the car
1:55:01why for the movie to come out a third of
1:55:04August I'm gonna pencil that in yes
1:55:07worldwide it's the 20th of October all
1:55:11right cool well thanks Yossi thanks for
1:55:13coming on
1:55:14thank you very much about you I
1:55:16appreciate it thanks a lot
1:55:17Cheers okay you've just been listening
1:55:25to the bond a kick-ass podcast at border
1:55:28key guys calm if he likes what you heard
1:55:31and want more please subscribe on iTunes
1:55:34give a 5-star rating and a kick-ass
1:55:37review this really helps to boost our
1:55:39presence and continues to allow us to
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1:55:45the planet welcome aboard and catch you
1:55:48next time
1:55:49[Music]
1:56:08[Applause]
1:56:09[Music]

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