Solving World’s Mysteries with Josh Gates!
Finding meaning in Josh Gates’ exploits in an uncertain time
Have you ever wanted to hunt for lost treasures? Or solve ancient enigmas? Perhaps you wished to discover lost cities! Well, not sure about you, but I did. And I did travel around the world and India in pre-pandemic times visiting various historical places, some of which I wrote about on Medium. But, travel nowadays is not the same with tourism taking a beating. In these times, I discovered American TV shows — Expeditions Unknown and Legendary Locations, telecasted in Hindi that have made life a lot of fun.
These shows are presented by the famous TV producer and archaeologist/ explorer Josh Gates. His television shows like Expedition Unknown and Legendary Locations are on-air, on the Discovery Channel, for the last six months, in India. I find these programs much more exciting, knowledgeable, and entertaining than others on TV. I am glued to the TV at 9 PM, watching vicariously enjoying Mr. Gates’ next adventure.
The hunt for treasure with the energetic Mr. Gates
Expeditions Unknown chronicles the adventures of Josh Gates as he investigates iconic mysteries across the globe. Gates begins by interviewing key eyewitnesses and uncovering recent developments in the story, then springboards into a fully immersive exploration. This authentic, roughshod adventure leads Gates closer to the truth behind these unanswered global enigmas.
Josh Gates is relatively well built but never gives up in any situation. He is willing to scuba dive to the depths of a sea or skydive or crawl in a narrow cave underground, full of energy and enthusiasm. Josh Gates is an adventurer and avid explorer with a unique brand of humor and passion for off-the-grid excursions. He is a complete entertainer, and his shows make for a rewarding, addictive watch.
There are more than 15 episodes in search of treasures. In every episode, I feel he would succeed in finding the treasure but ultimately only a few artifacts are discovered. In each episode, Josh remained full of positive energy and ready to perform any activity be it riding a horse, a cart, or a camel.
It increased my knowledge about lost ships and treasures. Sometimes I also dream about being a part of the team of treasure hunters.
The show uses cutting-edge tech
The show uses the latest research tech and gadgets to discover underwater images or 3D maps of rocks buried under the earth, in episodes like the on the Stonehenge in England, or the Mayan ruins in Guatemala, unexplored tombs in Egypt, the search for the woolly mammoth, or the tomb of Genghis Khan. I was so excited to see Josh head to the North of the Arctic Circle to see if he can uncover some mammoth DNA of his own. He extracted the bone marrow from the bones of the mammoth to derive its genome, similar to the Dinosaur DNA in the movie Jurassic Park.
Search for the lost city of Dwarka
This is probably my favorite episode as it was from my country. According to Hindu Mythology, Dwarka was the city established by Lord Krishna in the middle of the sea, which later drowned. Josh Gates visited India and traveled in the Mumbai local, which was overcrowded. He also played with kids on the street. He even danced with a group of dancers, practicing on a street. He is so much down-to-earth that all his actions and movements touched my heart. At Dwarka temple, he did the darshan of Lord Krishna and put sandal teeka on his forehead. He performed all the rituals to carry the holy flag of the temple on his head, at a temple procession.
While traveling to Bhet Dwarka which is in the middle of the sea, he also traveled on a crowded ferry, like a commoner. This ferry is the only transport available. This reminded me of my own visit to Dwarka in 2019. In the latter part of the episode, they dive inside the sea to find a centuries-old anchor. They also discovered old stone walls inside the sea and on the island. The show ended after finding few artifacts from the seabed like a clay lamp, a bead, a seal made of shell, etc., likely from the ancient city of Dwarka.
Investigating life after death
I also watched an episode on paranormal activities focusing on life after death. This show interviewed people who had near-death experiences. This reminded me of my own experience. It all happened when I was about 33 yrs old. A nurse, by mistake, gave me a full dose of a medication that I was allergic to. I quickly lost consciousness. But, I could see myself floating above my own body that was lying on the bed. The folks on the show narrated similar experiences to mine. While I do not want to recall my dreadful near-death experience, it made me wonder that such descriptions are not all hogwash and can actually be true.
All in all Josh Gates’ adventure show makes me feel like I am on an adventure of my own. Being stuck at home for the last year, I feel the show is really fun and energizing. I hope Josh Gates continues to entertain us with his energy, humor, and passion for travel. His show is like a cool breeze in a desert for me bringing new energy and passion to my boring and depressing life.
I love you, dear Josh!!
