Author and television presenter Simon Reeve, 47, has become somewhat of a travel documentary phenomenon, escaping the UK to venture off all over the world, sampling new cultures and taking away life lessons. But there was one moment he’d like to forget, however it’s one that will remain with him in his nightmares forever.
Having made a name for himself covering the stories of other people by creating travel documentaries for the BBC, Reeve travelled to Djibouti in East Africa.
But he found himself in a terrifying situation where he and his guide were held at gunpoint on a US military base after soldiers found “kalashnikov rounds” in their car, that were from a previous hunt.
In a recent interview, he recalled the uncertain moments where he didn’t know what would happen next.
“The Americans went mad!” he exclaimed.
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Despite travelling the world, he experienced one of his real “low” points in Ethiopia, a memory that will “linger” forever more.
“Being in Ethiopia, having mothers offering me their babies because they would have a better chance was a low,” he remembered.
“That doesn’t go away, that lingers.
He continued to tell Radio Times: “Seeing an old woman who looked like my grandma begging from tables in Dushanbe in Tajikistan was a really affecting experience.
“I never quite got over it – not that you should. I don’t want to be hardened to it.”
Reeve added: “Perhaps I’m a little too touched by the experiences.”
Simon’s full interview is available to read now in Radio Times.