Near Death in the Desert: True Stories Of Disaster And Survival Edited by Cecil Kuhne

Regrettable to all who have enjoyed it, Cecil Kuhne concludes his marvelous travel-writing anthology series with the fourth entry, Near Death in the Desert. He again takes readers around the globe and back through time to vicariously experience adventures few have endured. In contrast to Near Death on the High Seas where the participants are surround by an abundance of water, in the desert the lack of it leads to problems since, as Kuhne points out in the preface, “the human body…can last only a few days without water” before organ failure sets in. Then “the end cannot be far away.”

Not surprisingly, most of the adventures occur in Africa. Michael Asher and his new wife Mariantonietta traveled across the Sahara. His language is evocative as he details the effects a thunderstorm they got caught in had on the landscape. “The black plain had become a blotch of blood-red, amber, orange and gold, overlaid in places by slicks of mud as smooth and creamy as milk chocolate.” Fellow travelers across the Sahara include William Langewiesche, whose story may require a handy, glass of water at the mention of 128-degree heat in Adrar; Justin Marozzi, who followed old slave routes across the Libyan portion; and Geoffrey Moorhouse, who spent six months there, dealing with illness and exhaustion that made him quite emotional.

Unlike the other books in the series where the adventurers were usually isolated, the local populace plays an important role in many of the journeys. In Niger, Peter Chilson arouses suspicion because “every stranger, every white person, is a suspect agent of the American CIA or the French Sûreté.” In the book’s earliest entry from 1847, Bayle St. John is assisted across the Libyan Desert with help of Bedawins. Robyn Davidson’s second entry in the book finds her in the Thar Desert of northwest India with the Rubari people. She only has her journal to channel her disgust at the societal inequity and moral corruption she witnessed.

Two entries reveal the wondrous landscape North America has to offer. John Wesley Poweell’s 1869 expedition of Colorado River began in Green River, Wyoming and ended in the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way, his journal documents his progress and catalogs the canyons. Graham Mackintosh, who had one of the more dangerous journeys of the collection, walked the coast of Baja California, traveling by land and sea. He dealt with the kindness of fishermen and the dangers of rattlesnakes and plant life.

In Robyn Davidson’s book Tracks, which is excerpted for the foreword, she states, “There is nothing so real as having to think about survival,” a statement apropos not only for these tales but the whole series. The chroniclers here don’t experience as many near-death moments and danger as in the other books, but that doesn’t make the adventures any less thrilling.

New Zealand Natural Premium Ice Cream

New Zealand Natural started making and selling ice cream in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1984. A year later a store was opened in Sydney, Australia, and currently their U.S. website boasts of having “over four hundred retail outlets in New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Korea, and Britain.” The United States also has a number of stores across the country. I was given the chance to try pints of five flavors, some of which are award-winners from the New Zealand Ice Cream Manufacturers Association. The award and the year bestowed are in parentheses.

Vanilla Classic (Gold Premium Vanilla 2008): The first thing noticeable about all the New Zealand Natural products is the creamy texture that makes the product melt in your mouth and easy to get out of the container. Likely to be overlooked by many, Vanilla Classic does the standard flavor proud in its straightforward simplicity. There are 10g of fat per serving and four serving per containers.

Cookies & Cream (Silver 2007, Gold & Best in Category 2005): This flavor is Vanilla Classic combined with dark chocolate “oreo style” pieces. The vanilla flavor is gone, replaced by a light chocolate taste with cookie bits ranging from small chunks to a fine powder, turning the creamy vanilla color a light brown. The inclusion of the cookie pieces pushes the fat to 13g per serving.

Hokey Pokey (Silver 2007, Silver 2006): Hokey Pokey has a rich butterscotch taste that is so sweet I could only take a few bites before needing a glass of milk. Instead of the crunchy butterscotch pieces advertised on the container, mine contained tiny pockets of liquid butterscotch gold that were a worthy trade-off. There are 10g of fat per serving.

Mango Sorbet (Gold 2007): Made with 20% real mangoes, Mango Sorbet has a strong fruity flavor without much of an aftertaste, making it great for cleansing the palette. It tastes so good you’d never guess it was fat free. It contains no dairy, but still has that trademark New Zealand Natural creamy texture, which is unusual for a sorbet.

Chocolate Ecstasy: The chocolate tastes very good and isn’t overly rich. The package claims there is “a river of rich chocolate fudge.” Obviously all containers of ice cream can’t be the same, but in my pint the river was more like a tiny creek. When discovered, it did add an extra oomph of chocolate taste. There are 10g of fat per serving.

I enjoyed all five flavors sampled and would recommend them to ice cream connoisseurs. New Zealand Natural ice cream is available to order as six packs, one of each flavor listed above plus a flavor of your choice. The container size is one pint and prices are $70 shipped within California and $90 outside the state. They can be ordered through the New Zealand USA website or you can use the store locator to see if one is near you.