Hilary Bratt is a british explorer and, well, kind of a legend in my world for transforming travel and travel writing over 50 years ago by co founding the Brat guides.
Lola Akimade Akastrom is a nigerian travel blogger, novelist, and photographer.
Today we talk all things travel writing, and this one is close to my heart.
I'm Ella al Shamahi, and this is the conversation, the program that amplifies women's voices, which is just a fancy way of saying we get two incredible women from different countries who share an expertise, bring them together and see what happens.
Ladies, welcome.
Yeah, thanks for having me.
Hello.
Not at all.
So let's just dive straight in now.
I also travel for a living, and I'm sent to all kinds of wonderful places.
And those of us who do this often have a few favorite stories, shall we say, that we like to tell down the pub or in cafes.
Either heartwarming stories of adventure or stories of awe or just crazy stories.
So I wonder, Lola, if the three of us were in a cafe or a pub together, what would one of your stories be?
What's kind of one of the craziest or most surprising?
You're already laughing.
Tell me.
Yeah.
No.
Well, because, you know, the work I do really centers around the words I see you, my writing, my photography, I see you.
And so there was a time I was in Uzbekistan, in a very remote village, and I saw an old man wearing a long purple cloak.