Updated Mon, Mar 26, 2012 3:07 pm
Richard Bangs' Adventures With Purpose
Join Richard Bangs the father of modern adventure travel as he journeys across the planet in search of ecological challenges and ecological solutions. Leader of 35 first descents of rivers around the globe, a mountain climber and renowned author-Richard brings a lifetime of experience to Adventures with Purpose. This multiple award-winning series combines adventure with travel that makes a difference, travel that positively impacts the world. Adventures with Purpose documentaries are distributed by American Public Television to public television stations nationwide. Co-produced by KCTS, Seattle.
Assam India: Quest for the One-Horned Rhinoceros
In his latest ADVENTURES WITH PURPOSE special, renowned adventurer Richard Bangs treks through the remote state of Assam in India — a region of rushing rivers, strapping monsoons, vast expanses of unspoiled land and a staggering array of wildlife, including the one-horned rhinoceros. What kept these rare rhinos from falling into extinction? What does their story reveal about the world and about saving precious wildlife? Richard sets off to discover what this elusive rhino represents to the people of Assam — and to the world.
Costa Rica: Quest for Pura Vida
In the ninth installment of his Emmy-winning ADVENTURES WITH PURPOSE series, renowned adventurer Richard Bangs explores the ecological nexus of North and South America — Costa Rica. Costa Rica is home to endless natural wonders: wild rivers, fire-spewing volcanoes, verdant rainforests and more species of animals and plants than found in the United States and Canada combined. Bangs attempts to uncover the secret to Costa Rica's success in preserving their small country's extraordinary biodiversity. He begins his journey on the Pacific side, where the Osa Peninsula encircles Corcovado National Park. Then, he explores the beaches at Punta Islita, Palo Verde National Park and the Monteverde Cloud Forest, before heading to Tortuguero National Park, a tropical rain forest on the Caribbean coast.
Greece: Quest for the Gods
Ancient Greece produced one of humankind's most extraordinary period of cultural and intellectual transformation. From this prolific era sprang the very essence of Western civilization: poetry and architecture, the sciences and a democratic form of government. Essential to this revolution of human thought stood the powerful and revered deities of Greek mythology. They touched every aspect of life and influenced every action; yet somehow, they vanished from modern cosmology, leaving behind only temples, ruins, and a collection of strange but magnificent stories. In the seventh installment of his ADVENTURES WITH PURPOSE series of travel specials, renowned adventurer Richard Bangs embarks on a great odyssey through Greece to discover the meaning and relevance of Greek mythology today. Richard begins his time-travels in Athens, and then heads to Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games. He visits the island of Ithaca, the site of the mystical oracles at Delphi, and finishes his journey at the home of the gods, Mt. Olympus. Joining Richard is author Agapi Stassinopolous and Greece native Arianna Huffington.
Hong Kong: Quest for the Dragon
In this installment of his ADVENTURES WITH PURPOSE series, renowned adventurer Richard Bangs ventures into the heart of Hong Kong to discover what forces drive a city in which the spiritual concept of chi and the worldly concept of wealth coexist. Bangs begins by taking in one of the most dazzling festivals on earth, Chinese New Year. Then, he wanders beneath the skyscrapers of Central District, meanders down the alleys of Western District and ferries across the harbor to Kowloon. Later, he sails the "dragon-infested" waters to the Geopark, an ecological preserve, before making his way to Lantau Island, and finally north, to the villages of the New Territories.