A California seismologist with a “travel addiction” has written his first memoir that could be one of the most compelling and entertaining travel books of our time.
Nick Zoa, 68, has blazed an amazing trail around the world as a teacher, computer programmer, consultant and geologist over the course of 40 years, and he folds all that experience into this account of his travels since 2008.
By 2010, with 58 of the U.N.-recognized nations already in his bucket, Zoa decided to fill it with the prestige of having all 193.
But that wouldn't completely satisfy him; he's also searching for every place in the world he considers worth visiting, nation or not. Zoa has so far notched 68 of those, including one considered the gold standard of exclusive destinations, Diego Garcia, a British Indian Ocean territory that tourists cannot visit.
Zoa doesn't just "visit" a place, however. He dives in, full-immersion, surfacing now with a book of truly remarkable stories that examine the depths of human endeavor that travel can reach.
Even the pandemic generated an amazing fantasy travel story.
While most nomads hunkered down during the Covid crisis, Zoa managed to get marooned on an isolated island paradise in the South Pacific, Kosrae, part of the Federated States of Micronesia, and one of the few places in the world still untouched by the Coronavirus pandemic. Unable to leave for 18 months, Zoa made himself an integral part of life among the island's 6,600 residents, and was tempted never to leave.
Woven into his adventure tales are nuggets of travel wisdom, tips and advice valuable to anyone who enjoys getting off the tried-and-true travel paths, such as how learning to say thank you in Serbia saved his life among a band of local cutthroats; how he went to the Galapagos Islands at a truly bargain price; and the dos and don'ts of riding the bush taxis of West Africa.
Zoa has made his presence felt in far-off places in many significant ways, using his knowledge and teaching skills to wonderful advantage.
When his ferry broke down and took weeks to repair on Likoma Island in Lake Malawi, south-central Africa, he found himself marooned again.
While most travelers would have gotten busy filing insurance claims for trip cancellation, Zoa began surveying his options, exploring his surroundings, and making something real, enduring and significant out of the latest event in his journey.
Volunteering in a local Likoma Island school, Zoa astonished and fascinated the students, who were never taught that the earth was round like a soccer ball, that great oceans surrounded the land on which they lived, or that the night sky's Milky Way of tribal legend was made of billions of stars just like the sun shining above their heads.
Zoa earned himself an everlasting place in the hearts of Likoma islanders for those few weeks of selfless willingness to make the best of whatever the travel gods had in store.
In 2008, when reputable scientists predicted one of the world's biggest earthquakes would soon occur in Chile, Zoa quit his job in Japan and immediately left for South America
Sure enough, in 2010, the fifth-largest quake ever recorded struck central Chile and Zoa was the first seismologist on the scene. Aside from helping people dig out from the rubble, he used his talents to prepare a recovery guide to help them repair and rebuild; he advised local government officials where to avoid rebuilding; and he made important, professional contributions to the scientific literature about the event.
Zoa implores readers to “Go now,” as the book's title says, to “experience what you can, before it changes."
To that I would add, “READ” now, this book, a first-rate memoir by a writer with an unflagging interest in science, travel, people and the world.
You won't be disappointed. You will be inspired.
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