My Thanks to All of You
On September 10th I gave a talk entitled, “In the Steps of Richard Halliburton.”
I called on many of you for some help. I was blown away by your kindness and generosity.
So much so that I had to re-write the talk at least three times.
It all started when my wife, Shelby, said she had been in touch with The Life Long Learning Center in Chesterfield, Virginia. It is an over fifty center that for $150 a year you can take as many courses as you wish. They have a ton of courses. Everything from history to ballroom dancing. The instructors are all paid the same – zero.
Shelby said she was going to do something on World Diabetes Day, which makes sense. She’s got a blog (www.diabeticfoodie.com) and she’s done a lot of work on the topic: advocating for funds at Congress, running two support groups via diabeticsisters, and being on the board of the American Diabetes Association. She’s become recognized as an expert in the field.
She suggested that maybe I’d like to give a talk. “It would be something for you to do with all the pictures you take on your trips<“ she said.
I got to thinking about it. As a kid I read Richard Halliburton’s “Complete Book of Marvels.” As an adult I had read other books by him, including “The Royal Road to Romance.” In fact, I don’t think there is a book by him I haven’t read. Halliburton went all over the world in the 1920s and 30s. He called it “romance,” by that he meant adventure and mystery. His opening to his first book “Royal Road to Romance” talked of his fellow Princetonian roommates, who were studying chemistry and accounting. “How could you do that when there was this whole world of romance out there?” he asked. In fact, that book was dedicated to four of his college classmates whom he said, “Drove him to do it.”
I wondered if I could create a lecture that would look at some of the places Halliburton had been that I too had seen, and if I could tell folks what they could expect to see now, and what we had learned since he had been to these places.
I wrote up a course description and bio. I entitled the course “In The Steps of Richard Halliburton.” I was readily accepted, (I was kind of shocked. As in “OMG, now what do I do?”)
I then sent out emails to you folks. I asked for your helo. Boy, was I surprised!
Damian Evans sent me his slide presentation from Angkor Wat about the LIDAR work he has done there. Plus a link to a talk he gave. (I forgot to record mine!)
Stan Guenther sent me his PhD defense presentation on the Mayan collapse and his follow up, which was a comparison of rainfalls in the Mayan and Ankgorian areas.
Jim Brady sent me slides from his work, and others, at Chichen Itza and the Holtun Cenote.
Nader Habaibeh, my Jordianian guide, sent me videos of the recent flooding in Petra as did The Petra Sniper my horseman and also guide at Petra.
David Eckels my Buddhist expert on my trip to Indonesia assisted with my knowledge of the bas-reliefs at Borobadur.
Dominique Rissolo was kind enough to lend me slides and an mp4 of his work and that of others on the bit cloud mapping of Mayan altars and caves.
Mary Dell Lucas of Far Horizons assisted by putting me in touch with Damian, whom I only knew by name and reputation. He had no idea who I was. David Eckel, Stan, and Nader have been guides on my various Far Horizons tours.
And to Rachel at the Life Long Learning Center for scheduling me.
These are just the people who knowingly helped.
There’s Mat Saunders who has put together the Maya at the Lago and the Maya at the Plaza meetings that I’ve attended, as well as organizing a trip to Angkor Wat. He is the reason I met Stan, Jim, and Dominique.
Dave Stewart and his sister Ann. Ann organizes the trips that David does. I mentioned his work and the trips I have been on with him.
Also, Ed Barnhardt and his trips to the Mayan area. Ed put me in touch with Raymundo (Ray Osario Victoria) of MayanScapes.com) We went to Chichen and Oxkintok together and a bunch of other Mayan sites.
Catherine Popovici who is a grad student of David Stewart’s and my friend. She and I have discussed a lot of Mayan stuff.
How was the talk you asked?
Pretty good I’d say. Thirty five people signed up. They told me to expect a 25% drop out rate and that was about right. I think 26 people were there for the ninety minute talk. I decided to concentrate on four places: Chichen Itza, Borobadur, Petra, and Angkor Wat. I wanted to say a little bit about what Halliburton said and saw, then show of few slides of what the places look like now, and finally talk about what we’ve learned since Halliburton.
I was thankful for Damian’s slides that I could show maps of Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat: what we knew after over a hundred years of mapping and then a concerted fifteen year project in Angkor Thom versus two hours of LIDAR.
This was similar to the Mayan cave folks compared to what Dominique and his students have done, which can best be summed up by question he was asked at the Maya at the Playa where he presented, “How long does it take you to do one of these?” Answer 2 to 4 hours in the field and maybe four or five on the computer. “You realize it would take us (one of the other archaeologists said) a season to do what you have done?”
Stan’s PhD defense and his talks at the Maya at the Lago helped me to show that the Maya periods of not building were tied directly to the lack of rainfall.
Jim’s work and others allowed me to show that the drought in the Yucatan in one instance was at least fifty years and thus supported Stan’s contention that the Mayan collapse was throughout the area.
Stan’s comparison of rainfall, and lack thereof, in the Mayan and Angkorian areas allowed me to show similarities in the building periods due to rain and therefore good growing of rice or corn, and the cessation of building due to droughts.
Damian’s work aided by the Nat Geo special and the Unearthed specials allowed me to show that the drop in the river level finally made Angkor not habitable by large numbers of people.
I also have to thank the Unearthed specials. For me to better understand Jim’s work, and others, at Chichen Itza.
David Eckel helped me with understanding Borobadur and Rama and his iron bow, plus Buddhism in general.
Mary Dell and the whole crew at Far Horizons with all their tempting tours and contacts.
Richard Halliburton died at sea. He was trying to sail a Chinese junk from Hong Kong to San Francisco. I think his florid language finally caught up to him. He ignored the unseaworthiness of his boat and the lack of knowledge of the captain and sailed forth during typhoon season. His ship, the Sea Dragon, was lost at sea on March 24, 1939. Halliburton was thirty nine.
Just before my lecture started a woman sitting near the front said her mother was supposed to hear Halliburton lecture after he arrived in San Francisco on the Sea Dragon.
Small world.
My thanks to all of you.
Rick Kinnaird
PS My picture in the local paper, The Chesterfield Observer. Right between the Home Improvement and Lawn and Garden sections. I look like I’m making the case for why you should always wear your dentures (my attempt to smile.)
Taken at Gunung Padang Megalithic Site in Indonesia. (Photo by David Eckel whom I convinced once again to push the shutter button.)
