National Geographic - Timeless Journeys

Junks float in the mist on Vietnams spectacular Halong Bay.

The lit-up Oakland Bay Bridge spans the San Francisco Bay.

Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Rocky Mountains in Yoho National Park, British Columbia, Canada.

FOREWORD

The Moais Gaze

A S LUCK WOULD HAVE IT, I grew up across the street from Howard La Fay, a seasoned National Geographic editor. Some of my earliest memories are of his home, which brimmed with mementos of his remarkable journeys. My personal favorite: a hand-carved replica of one of Easter Islands famed and mysterious statues, called moai. Howard had spent weeks on the remote island, farthest outpost of the Polynesian voyagers, researching an article for National Geographics flagship magazine.

The moais inscrutable gaze haunted my childhood. I figured everyone went to Easter Island. One day, no doubt, I would, too. Then I grew up and learned few venture so far. And so the volcanic outpost became, for me, the very end of the Earth. It didnt matter that I might never visit: I could, and did, travel there repeatedly in my dreams, and in the vivid stories and images of the Geographic.

This book is a celebration of the places that beckon, transfix, and delight people everywhere. Each day, in 10,000 imaginations, the fire of Mount Vesuvius engulfs Pompeii and Herculaneum once more. The towers of Angkor Wat reflect the glow of dawn, as do the magnificent ruins of the Athenian Acropolis, the Roman Colosseum, Mesa Verdes cliff dwellings, and Machu Picchu. The ancient sundial at Jaipur, the soaring peaks of Patagonia, the rock arches of Stonehenge, the pyramids of Egypt and Mesoamerica, the incomparable monolith that is Uluruall trace the hours across the landscape with their shadows. Meanwhile on the Serengeti, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Yellowstone Plateau, the eternal dance of predator and prey plays on.

I never suspected that I would have the privilege, like Howard, of a career with National Geographic, that I would visit so many of these miraculous places, much less share them with travelers on our expeditions. Nor did I anticipate the email from headquarters six years ago that read: Pack your bags: Youre going to Easter Island. And so I came full circle and returned the moais gaze.

The poet T. S. Eliot understood where these timeless journeys take us. We shall not cease from exploration, he wrote. And the end of all our exploring / Will be to arrive where we started / And know the place for the first time. In these expeditions to the wonders of our worldsupreme achievements of nature and the human spirityoull find endless inspiration, riches to fill your imagination, and, just maybe, insights into that destination you call home.

Dont take my word for it. Just turn the page.

FORD COCHRAN,

Director of Programming, National Geographic Expeditions