19 October 2017 Jewish News
www.jewishnews.co.uk
Life
23
Cinema / Lifestyle
IN THIS SECTION: Maccabeats 24 Food 25
Nights of horror in the Jungle Main: Daniel Radcliffe stars as Yossi Ghinsberg in Jungle. Left: An emaciated Ghinsberg after three weeks in the jungle and, below, as he is now
Yossi Ghinsberg was left stranded in the Amazon and is now the subject of a new film starring Daniel Radcliffe, as he tells Francine Wolfisz
I
joke that if I were a cat, I would have been dead a long time ago,” jests Yossi Ghinsberg, who is in many ways, nothing short of a walking miracle. Thirty-six years ago, the self-confessed dreamer from Tel Aviv bid farewell to his parents, hauled a backpack onto his shoulders and set off to South America in search of an adventure – little knowing he would achieve just that in spades. Aged 22 and fresh out of the Israeli navy, Ghinsberg was one of three backpackers who “naively” trusted a mysterious man claiming he could lead them through the depths of uncharted Amazon rainforest to a lost tribe. But his pursuit of a dream quickly turned into a nightmare. When Ghinsberg became separated from the group, he was forced to endure 20 days, lost, alone and on the brink of starvation before he was finally rescued against all odds. In those three weeks, he had to fight off wild boar, giant red ants, snakes and jaguars. He almost drowned and twice sank into a bog. He had to forage for food, including moulding fruit, fallen
monkeys and raw bird embryos, while parasitic worms burrowed beneath his skin. Now his inspiring story of survival, detailed in his book, Back From Tuichi, has been adapted into a new film, Jungle, starring Daniel Radcliffe. Speaking to Jewish News, the 58-year-old, now a tech entrepreneur and motivational speaker based in Australia, revealed he has never shied away from danger. “I always took risks and still do. I wanted to go to Petra [before the 1994 Israel-Jordan peace treaty], only my friends weren’t committed enough,” he said. “In the navy, in Sharm El Sheikh, I joined Bedouin tribes, dressed like them and almost became one of them. I was a spear fisherman and was fighting sharks trying to steal my fish. I took many risks while diving in the Red Sea and had more than one close encounter with death.” But it was South America that provided the greatest lure for him. Inspired by the 1969 memoir Papillon, which describes convicted felon Henri Charrière’s brazen escape from Devil’s Island to a new life in Venezuela, the young adventurer
wanted to journey to the Amazon, find a tribe unknown to the outside world and live with them. While backpacking through La Paz, Bolivia, he met a mysterious Austrian named Karl Ruprechter – and Ghinsberg instantly believed he had found the very man to help his dream come true. “I was captivated by him. Worn-out khakis, square jaw, broad shoulders, that spark of madness in his eyes – he was the man I was looking for.” Ghinsberg recruited two fellow backpackers along for the journey – Kevin Gale, originally from America and Marcus Stamm, from Switzerland. As they trekked to Asariamas, the last small community on the “fringe of the unknown”, inhabited by native Toromonas Indians, and then beyond, the group became increasingly exhausted, physically and mentally. Friendships began to fray. Stamm and Ruprechter decided to head back through the jungle by foot, while Ghinsberg and Gale opted to build a raft and sail down the river. It was a decision he says “would haunt us for the rest of our lives”. While he and Gale were thrown into the river after the raft hit the rocks, Stamm and Ruprechter – who was later revealed as a wanted Austrian criminal – were never heard from again. Following their accident, Gale managed to swim ashore and was stranded for five days before being rescued by fisherman. But Ghinsberg was
left alone in the jungle for almost three weeks. He recalls: “The nights, without doubt, were the worst of all. As darkness descends, there is no light whatsoever, the canopy swallows the stars and moon and the darkness is as thick as velvet. All the noises emerge, the screeches and roars and barks and calls and things are moving around. It was overwhelming and I had no fire or gun to protect myself. If not for my ability to daydream, I would have consumed myself during these nights. “I also had many physical injuries, the worst were my feet – chunks of raw, exposed flesh, bloody and infected. Every single step threw excruciating pain up my entire body.” He was also suffering from tropical leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease that causes large skin ulcers and can prove fatal. Close to death, Ghinsberg believes his rescue was nothing short of “a miracle.” Gale had persuaded local tribesmen to take a motorboat back down the river in search of Ghinsberg. Just at the very point of giving up, they spotted him on the riverbank. He credits his survival to “providence”, as well as a Kabbalah book his uncle gave him. Incredibly, 10 years later, Ghinsberg returned to the very jungle where he was left stranded and helped local tribespeople build a solar-powered eco lodge, Chalalan, with which he is still involved. In many ways, his experience in the jungle not only nearly claimed his life, but gave him a unique perspective on life. He reflects: “I’ve learned that I am stronger and wiser than I thought, that I can endure pain and have the resilience I never believed I had. I’ve learned to appreciate food, safety, companionship, those basics we take for granted. I’ve found my faith and led a life of spiritual inquiry. But I also found it hard to go back to the mundane and have a normal life. In some ways, I am still in transit.” Jungle (15) is released in cinemas and On Demand from tomorrow (Friday)