Shaken, Not Stirred

I’ve always been a James Bond fan – I mean who hasn’t? For a generation and then some the suave secret agent has been gracing the silver screen. He is the very epitome of cool, men want to be him and women want to be with him. Traveling the world, getting himself into and out of the most extraordinary situations imaginable – all while wearing a tailored dinner jacket.

There have been a few different incarnations of the classic Flemming penned character. From the highland brogue of Sean Connery, to the all-too smug for my liking Roger Moore and the nearly forgotten George Lazerby and the almost forgettable Timothy Dalton. Then there was Pierce Brosnan who was hampered with silly scripts and a franchise that was in dire need of a reality check.


Enter Daniel Craig and the modern Bond era. Perhaps inspired by the Jason Bourne series, the new Bond has a grit and sense of almost realism that makes it a perfect fit for the post 9/11 world of terrorism and dirty dealings – gone are the days of cold-war era super villains stroking cats and sharks-with-freakin-laser-beams-attached-to-their-heads.


So why am I going on and on about James Bond? Well the reality is, and I’m a little sheepish to admit this, but us Lonely Planet authors have a bit of a Bond complex. Ok, ok, stop the snickering… Here’s the deal – we get to travel the world to exotic locations, skulk around the underbelly and do some rather clandestine research all while incognito. And there’s even the odd cocktail party and cool modes of transport thrown in. What sparks this train of thought is a running joke my wife and I have had for the past little while, you see this past 12 months have been my year of being Bond.

In Casino Royale Bond travels from Africa to the Caribbean and finally to Western Europe. Along the way he drives a cool, cool car, has some pretty extraordinary adventures and hooks up with the girl. This past year I’ve sifted through the back alleys of Zanzibar, Tanzania. Mixed with the well to do in the Caribbean (have a read of this post about cocktail party with the Governor General of the Turks and Caicos: http://adventureskope.blogspot.com/2007/12/government-houseparty.html) and I’ve cruised around Paris living the highlife eating at the Musee d’Orsay and watching the Moulin Rouge, Champaign flute in hand.

There have been the usual Bond sort of trappings too – I’ve flown in helicopters, driven a Porsche 911 at 200km/hr - gone rock climbing, scuba diving, skiing, worn a tuxedo more then once and had my fair share of martini’s. I’ve openly lied about what I do for a living in far off lands, I’ve secretly photographed sensitive information and have a working relationship with my superiors that is alarmingly secret agent like (I’ve never met many of them in person and only talk to them via electronic mail).

A few months ago I was in Melbourne at a conference of LP authors and I was quietly amused to see my fellow “agents”. What made me giggle was to see that we were all dressed the same. Sturdy shoes, cargo kaki-trousers, and a short sleeve button-down. We all looked (myself included) exactly like Bond in the opening sequence of Casino Royale…

real Bond

Want-to-be Bond

I may not be a secret agent and I certainly don’t have to “rub bad guys out” but I do get quite a few of those fringe benefits. Oh and the best part – this past March I got to make it official by marrying my best Bond-girl…

So I sure hope that the next year gets to be just as Bond-like – it’s starting well – I’m off to Hawaii soon with Egypt, Sudan, Qatar and Hong Kong to follow. I’m sure there will be skiing, climbing and my Bond-girl there every step of the way.

Until next time – this is Kennedy, Scott Kennedy signing off…