Facing Bear Grylls
NG Kids catches up with adventurer Bear Grylls to talk worms, weird food and jumping on sharks?!
NG Kids: Bear, tell us about your book, Gold Of The Gods?
Bear Grylls: It's a rip-roaring story of adventure, survival and wildlife. It's based on the stuff I do for my TV shows and is the kind of book I always wanted to read when I was a kid.
NGK: Sounds cool! Which parts are written from your experiences?
BG: Well I've made lots of rafts, fought off loads of sharks and been bitten by an awful lot of snakes. But I haven’t been kidnapped or discovered a lost city of gold – yet! Apart from that, it's all based on my experiences.
NGK: What was the scariest part of the book to experience?
BG: The sharks! I was filming sand bar sharks for a show and as I jumped in with my camera, a 21m-long man-eating tiger shark swum under our raft! I saw it as I was in mid-air and landed on its head! I leapt back in the boat and it circled us for a while – it was really scary!
NGK: Yikes, rather you than us! So, what's the funniest thing that’s happened on your travels?
BG: There have been lots of funny moments. One of my cameramen got stuck in a bog when we were filming the other day. He couldn't get out and ended up promising to give me his house if I'd help him!
NGK: Any advice for NG Kids readers who want to become adventurers?
BG: Follow your dreams, stay close to your friends and never give up. Being an adventurer is all about never giving up!
NGK: What is the coolest animal you've ever encountered?
BG: Probably a caecilian – I saw one in the Amazon jungle. They're very rare worms, and look like huge snakes. They've got no eyes and are amazing!
NGK: What's planned next for the Mission: Survival series?
BG: The next book, Way Of The Wolf, is set in Alaska, and the one after that is set in the desert. They're a bit like my shows – we go round the world and show you how to get out of places alive.
NGK: You've scoffed a lot of strange stuff – what's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten?
BG: Soap berries! Bears love them but I wouldn't recommend eating them. They taste exactly like soap and are pretty horrible!
NGK: So, what have you got lined up for the rest of the year?
BG: Lots of filming for my TV show, Born Survivor. I'm looking forward to going to the jungle in Venezuela and the swamps of the Dominican Republic. And then I'm leading an expedition to Antarctica!
Don't miss Bear's brilliant book, Gold Of The Gods, out now! Check out the current issue of NG Kids for his sea survival tips!