Tales from a traveler

He’s crossed the Sahara, explored the ancient cities of Yemen, and was nearly trampled by an elephant.

IU alumnus John Linnemeier went on vacation in 1971 to find himself after the Vietnam War. What started out as a trip of self-discovery turned into a lifelong excursion that took Linnemeier around the world more than three times and to 112 countries. The 62-year-old is now writing a book, tentatively titled “The Road of Excess: Lessons and Blessings of a Traveling Man,” detailing his sagas as a traveler. He sat down with INside’s Brian Hettmansperger to share highlights from his journey.

On personal growth
Traveling is a good way of evolving into whoever you are going to be. Every time you go to a new place, no one knows you. No one is there to define you. If you have always been morose, be humorous. Go dancing, be crazy, have fun.
On being chased by elephants
A friend and I were climbing up Mt. Kenya, a beautiful mountain right on the equator in Kenya, in 1982. We were walking through a corridor of bamboo, we went around a switchback, and there they were, two elephants. We were startled, the elephants were startled, and time was frozen until the larger elephant lifted up his trunk and trumpeted. We took off running as fast as we could, and this elephant was right behind us. He chased us right down the mountain. I’m convinced if he was really pissed off he could have killed us.

On what he packs
Everybody’s advice is to travel with practically nothing. It’s just easier and more practical. I can never take that advice. I have the largest backpack you can possibly have. I pack several pairs of underwear, a couple pairs of blue jeans, shorts, a couple shirts. I carry a whole bunch of extra stuff, as well, like hardback books and a telescope. A telescope is a great way to meet people. You can show them what the rings of Saturn look like.

On hitchhiking
I was 27. Just after I crossed the Sahara, I was almost out of money, only had a few bucks beyond what I was going to need for the ferry across from Algiers (in Algeria) to Murcia (in Spain). And I had gotten a couple of short rides, but nothing was going anywhere. Then a little car pulled up in front of me. I ran up to the car and inside was this little Italian guy driving, and the two most beautiful, most luscious Italian girls I had ever seen.
This was 1972, the age of mini skirts. So I hop into the back of the car, and honest to God, this girl looks over at me, she had a fig, she peeled it, she put it into my mouth, and then we took off. It was like I had died and gone to heaven, man. So then we get to Algiers, and I don’t know what was going on, but the driver got into this tremendous fight with the girl he was with, and he just drives off. So here I am, it’s one o’clock in the morning, with two women with breasts practically falling out of their blouses, walking through the center of Algiers with everyone taking us in as we walked by. Finally, we find a hotel. We’ll cut it short at this point, but anyway, life was sweet, let’s say that.

On countries off the beaten path
You’ve probably heard of Yemen, but nobody thinks about going there. It’s the coolest place in the world. They have all these ancient cities. The people are unbelievably hospitable and friendly, which is true throughout the Muslim world. People don’t understand how friendly Arab hospitality is. If you want to be treated great, go someplace where you think they ought to be your enemy. I was in Syria one time, and in an afternoon I was invited to dinner 30 times. So don’t just read the headlines and think, ‘Oh, I can’t go there.’ It’s bullshit, it’s absolutely wrong.