We are Hester & Roni from Planet Hero: Professional film-makers and photographers who have been traveling the world for a couple of years helping kids from underserved communities!
In 2015 we left London, UK, with a drone, Canon 5D, underwater cameras, and a ticket on the Trans-Siberian train from Moscow to Beijing...It has been an exhilarating journey through 16 countries in 16 months....
We have climbed mountains and sand dunes, trekked to frozen waterfalls and traversed the most dangerous and foggiest road in Vietnam on the border of China, on a motorbike.
We lived in Yurts with Mongolian Nomads in the Gobi desert and indigenous Burmese people in Thailand. We traveled by trains, planes, buses, tuk-tuks, bicycles, camels and horses.
As novice scuba divers we advanced to professional PADI Dive Masters in the Philippines.
With Barefoot Conservation in Raja Ampat on the remote island of Arborek in West Papua; we lived in this bamboo hut with a cat called Ginger, and helped monitor manta ray migration in one of the most diverse eco-systems in the world. 120 people live on Arborek and 70 are children so we had a lot of playtime too!
In Nepal, Roni, trekked the Annapurna mountain circuit while Hester certified as a Yoga Teacher.
Planet Hero organized and filmed the first ever yoga flash mob in the heart of Kathmandu with Nepal Yoga Academy: a unique experience.
The highlight of our travels was helping over 1,000 children from underserved communities; teaching them filmmaking, photography, English, meditation, eco-conservation, and drone piloting! Working with 12 voluntary organizations we made films to help promote each cause, to encourage others to volunteer abroad and foster responsible tourism.
This included helping to empower indigenous Burmese refugee women at risk of human trafficking and elephants exploited for tourism. We produced a film for the first indigenous women in Thailand to run their own tour company Chai Lai Sisters.
We worked with street kids, homeless kids, junior nuns and monks, orphans, and kids with special needs. We met people who have NOTHING and live in corrugated iron shacks, or on the street, who have the biggest smiles and do not grumble like us Western consumers.
The biggest challenge for Roni was getting struck with Dengue Fever in Komodo Indonesia; his symptoms appeared while scuba diving 30 meters below the water. This was scarier than being chased by a Komodo dragon in the national park, known to kill humans, one almost chased Roni!
The biggest challenge for Hester was having her make up bag stolen by an Indian monkey in Rajasthan! After taking a refreshing dip under a waterfall, and surfacing to find a monkey with her paws in Hester's bag. Fortunately, she grabbed her make up bag, instead of passport and credit cards!
We lived in Buddhist meditation centres, cared for the sick and elderly, and visited so many pagodas and temples we lost count. We lived with nomads in the Gobi desert at -25 degrees, traversing the desert on horseback. We were ignored by Filipino sharks and kissed by Thai Elephants.
16 countries in 16 months, so many stories, so many adventures to tell...
So watch this space if you are looking for travel inspiration, photography & film-making tips, or yoga and scuba diving fun!
If you have ever thought about volunteering abroad, we highly recommend – it is a life-changing experience!
We can all do something little, however small, to make the world a better place...
"If you think you are too small to make a difference. Think how much impact one mosquito can have." – Mahatma Gandhi
Planet Hero's next steps: In 2018 we will teach film-making to empower Aboriginal Australian kids and help preserve the Aboriginal culture. In Tanzania, we will teach filmmaking to tribal kids and help whale shark conservation. We will continue to help other kids around the world and produce promotional videos for small organizations & charities to help launch them onto the digital stage. We will also teach children Yoga & Mindfulness - namaste!
