There’s an element of chicken and egg about these columns. Sometimes an incident on a holiday or business trip provides the travel idea. Other weeks, I’m struck by a metaphorical technological thought that seems particularly pertinent to the travel industry. With a little imagination, it’s generally a relatively simple matter to find a plausible connection between travel and technology.
Our Zimbabwe safari was full of chickens! While most readily found eggs with which to partner, there was one experience which I was determined to feature, and yet for which there was no compelling technology association.
We have travelled extensively and been fortunate to enjoy many magnificent views and memorable days. The trek down and up the Grand Canyon, the final approach to Makalu base camp and rafting beneath Victoria Falls come immediately to mind. Our safari included another such day – an excursion to Manyuli Springs.
Manyuli is a remote concession area on the upper reaches of the Ume River in Zimbabwe. We were guided by Chris Worden, who is working to develop the area. Progress to date includes basic tracks and a dirt air strip, a partially complete bush camp and foundations for an exclusive lodge.
The concession includes imposing red cliffs, which provide an amazing panorama over the sandy river bed. It’s one of those viewpoints that are almost impossible to capture on camera, as our recently photographs confirmed. And quite apart from the imposing visual sweep, there’s the atmosphere and evolving detail. As we sat for half an hour soaking in the sunshine, we spotted herds of elephant, various antelope and several birds or prey, including the rare black eagle.
Descending by Landrover from our cliff-top eerie on barely discernible tracks, we crossed the river bed and enjoyed a picnic lunch under a stately baobab tree. The afternoon was spent exploring the outer reaches of the concession, before a washed-out track forced us to retrace our route.
On recrossing the main riverbed we became stuck in soft sand. With no communications and little prospect of outside vehicular assistance, it appeared we might even be obliged to spend the night! Chris set off for help, leaving us to dig as best we could with hands and spoons. And yet this little local difficulty only served to highlight the unique appeal of places and experiences like Manyuli.
Excepting our rather forlorn Landrover, technology played no part in our magical experience – which also explains my difficulty in identifying an accompanying egg! One challenge with such memorable and yet highly personal experiences, is how best to communicate them, either to friends or perhaps for more mercenary sales purposes. Indeed, while Chris had enthused about Manyuli and we’d seen photos before our visit, nothing could compare with the first-hand reality. The accompanying frame points to developments in Interactive Pictures or IPIX, which could at least partially redress the balance.
Chris returned with tales of elephants, and more importantly, shovels and a couple of muscled maintenance workers. Within minutes, we were on our way again. We left Manyuli just before sunset, spotting a giant eagle owl, our 12th bird of prey in the final few yards. Only the most optimistic techno-enthusiast would advocate IPIX as a substitute for the real thing!
Lots of Internet sites have photos, audio and video to enhance textual descriptions. However, one of the challenges of the Internet is to do something new and different, exploiting technology to attract and retain visitors.
IPIX is a development from Interactive Pictures Corporation which is described as the first truly immersive photography.
IPIX is already used by a range of travel-related sites from Walt Disney World to Carnival Cruise Lines. IPIX images give you the whole picture, the full 360- degree panorama including sky and ground. The only part you don’t see is the spot directly below the camera, where the tripod sits.
To view an IPIX image you need a plug-in which is easy to download and install. An image will then take several seconds or perhaps minutes to download, depending on the speed of your Internet connection. You use the cursor to move around the scene, including the ability to zoom in and out.
Creating an IPIX image requires a special fish-eye lens that gives a 185-degree view. A special tripod bracket swivels the camera from a front view to a back view, creating two hemispheres. The IPIX software combines the images into a single sphere. For further information see http://www.ipix.com