Lake Malawi, Jerusalem, And Blue Water Sailing To Vanuatu. The Three Trips That Shaped My Life

Hello Travellers, I’m Jo Frances Penn and this is episode 1 of my new Books and Travel Podcast. So why this show after 10 years of The Creative Penn Podcast? It’s all about reinvention, which is part of what travel means to me. When I think about what I want to do with my life for the next 10 years, I always come back to books and travel. I’m fascinated by the inner and outer journeys that both can bring — a change in perspective, empathy, perhaps an entirely new direction. If you know what I mean, then hopefully, you’re going to enjoy this show and my website. I’m also going to write two books from this material over time — a travel memoir, and The Shadow Book (working title), about writing from the dark side of the self. Both of these books have been bubbling away for years and now I’m giving them this time to emerge. What can you expect from Books and Travel? As with my novels, I don’t plot everything in advance and I will find my way over time, but I’d like to start with the ocean as a metaphor to guide us. Let’s start in the dappled light of turquoise shallows where you’re safe and can bask in the sun with a cocktail in hand, paddling gently, exploring the simple joys of a new place. I’ll be talking about my travels, and interviewing authors around the places that inspire their writing, as well as giving you tips on culture, food and drink that will help you explore when you travel or read. I’ll also be exploring the dark midnight depths where you should feel an edge of challenge and a pull to the deep. I’ll be talking and writing and interviewing others about the darker side of travel, as well as the inner journey — perhaps the most important exploration of all. The BooksAndTravel website also has articles about aspects that continue to fascinate me as I research my stories, as well as many of my photos from 35 years of travel.  I also share these on Instagram @jfpennauthor if you’d like to follow me there. On the last day of every month, I will share a reading list based on the podcast and articles which you can sign up for at www.booksandtravel.page/read As I begin this journey of sharing my travels, I wanted to start with three trips that have shaped my life. They may not be the highlights of my travels over the years, but they changed my view of the world. My life would have looked a whole lot different without them. Join me in Malawi, Jerusalem, and the waters of the South Pacific. I don’t have too many pictures as this was back in the days of film cartridges when you had to pay stacks of cash to develop 24 pictures to get even one you liked. (1) “Shall we get a new kitchen or go back to Malawi for Christmas?” (1986) My Mum spoke those words to me and my little brother in 1986 when I was just 11. We lived in Bristol, UK at the time in a house that needed some work. The kitchen was pretty grotty, but there was no hesitation for any of us. We went back to Malawi and headed to the Lake. We had lived in Malawi a few years prior. My Mum taught at the polytechnic and we went to St Andrews school, where the school lion once bit a teacher, and I got the tacky (spanked with a plimsoll) for something I can’t even remember. We moved back to England so I could go to secondary school, but we all missed the warmth of central Africa. I remember Mum driving us to Monkey Bay by the lake, giant baobabs stretching to the blue sky above, playing Graceland by Paul Simon on the tape deck, the African vocals accompanying us along the dirt road. Mum loved to windsurf and I read by the side of the lake, while my brother played in the shallows or we both played paddling on lilos.