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Zay Harding has a fear of heights - but he is not afraid to
try new things, and he loves to travel. His daring and outgoing
personality lands him the Globe Trekker gigs that no other
 hosts are willing to do. This is fine for Zay, because he
loves exploring new cultures and finds his most challenging
journeys to be the most rewarding ones.
With the enviable background of growing up on the beaches
of Hawaii, Zay is an outdoorsman through and through.
His childhood was spent in the Boy Scouts where he achieved
the highest level in scouting - an early preparation for his
trekking adventures.
Treks in a Wild World, another Pilot Productions
show, was Zay's first taste of adventure travel. During the
series he hiked Mexico's Copper Canyon with
Tarahumara Indian guides on steep, slippery trails (not the
best situation for an acrophobe!); whitewater rafted and raced
canoes in Mexico's Veracruz; canoed Texas's
Rio Grande; climbed Seattle's snowcapped
Mount Whitley; lived with the Korowai 'Tree
People' in the extremely remote West Papuan region of Irian
Jaya; and visited the Dani and Lani tribes in Indonesia's
Wamena Valley. |
This led onto a pilot show called Tribal Challenge,
where Zay and a co-host lived with Ethiopia's Surma tribe
for ten days. They shared huts with livestock and drank cow
blood between sessions of herding, fishing, farming, and stick
fighting.
Since being snapped up as a host for Globe Trekker,
Zay has motorcycled through Vietnam; explored the hidden underground
caves of Laos;gone snow-trekking and bungee
jumping in  Switzerland; kayaked and skied
in Austria; tried biking down ski-slopes,
sailing, canoeing, rafting, and riding with cowboys in Canada;
and retraced the communist Red Trail in Southeast
China. He was crowned "Champion of Wrestling" in Buea, Cameroon, where he entered a traditional
wrestling match and won - beating the defending champion of
ten years!
Zay hikes, swims, surfs, bikes, plays golf, acts, and sings.
He loves engaging in group sports, cultural activities, and
new experiences - but he always makes sure he has fun along
the way. You could call being a Globe Trekker host a dream
job for Zay, but not without arguing that Zay is obviously
a perfect candidate!
Philosophy
"Being in true wilderness is a rare experience
for most people, and I never tire of it. Living in Los Angeles
can be quite stressful, and I find an incredible balance to
my life whenever I'm out into the middle of nowhere - away
from the cars, away from the noise, away from the people.
The tranquility and beauty of the wild sets me free and is
refreshing for my soul."
"I love travelling and exploring new countries, as well
as talking with people and learning about how the similar
job of surviving is approached by so many different cultures."
"Even in the most boring or lonely places, I will entertain,
and that is just part of my nature. So have fun as you watch
me."
 Good and bad food
"The most foul thing I had to do was eat saga worms that
were fermenting for a few weeks. It was part of a festival
in West Papua. I tried it because everyone there seemed to
love these worms, but then again, they eat ground up tree
bark for a staple food."
Worst experience
"When I was in the depths of the Kuruwai people in West
Papua, I got pricked by a thorn from a poisonous plant. Luckily
we had already finished shooting the trek and we were onourway out. But I was passing out for two days and waiting for
the private plane to come pick us up, so we would ride for
two hours to the nearest little health centre. My infection
was in my finger, and it spread up my left arm into my armpit,
which got really swollen and I got scared it would go into
my heart. Luckily, there was one island in Indonesia that
has a gold mine in it, like a Beverly Hills in the middle
of a third world country, which had the top doctors  from Australia
working there. They gave meshots to bring the swelling down
and antibiotics that actually worked, though I still got dizzy
spells for a few months after that at home. I'm all better
now, but sometimes I think an interesting show would be behind-the-scenes or 'the making of Globe Trekker'."
Sound advice
"There is nothing more valuable than local knowledge.
It is the secret to getting great deals and to learning the
ins and outs of each place, while staying safe at all times."
"The Boy Scout motto is 'be prepared'. I try to picture
my worst fears and counter them with a remedy that I need
to bring along with me. Common sense also plays a huge part
in my journeys." |
