About Me

Well, you’ve found your way to The Lunatic Ltd and you’re probably wondering what it’s all about. Perhaps you’ve browsed through the pages a bit and enjoyed some of my writing and photography. You’ve probably gotten the idea that it is another travel blog and in many ways, that is exactly what it is…a place for me to document my travels.

But it is much more than that.

It is the central depository of all my writing and photography work, centered around the theme of exploration—from the vast geographical and cultural landscape that makes up this little planet of ours to ideas and life in general. Here, you will find articles about destinations I visit, reviews of hotels and excursions. But you’ll also find essays on many topics ranging from writing to finding meaning in our lives. You’ll find updates on my long-term book projects including research notes, discoveries and sample chapters.

I am an avid photographer and create photo essays and galleries that I post here as well. Photography is a natural extension of the storytelling I do in articles and essays and I like to use a journalistic or documentary style for my photographic work. I rarely use external light sources like flashes and rely on natural light to capture my subject. I think of it as painting with the light around me.

So who am I?

My name is Rich Cook and I am a freelance writer and photographer. I am a storyteller and an explorer. I have always been fascinated by the world at large and by the ideas—political, social, religious, philosophical—that are all around us. I explore this world and these ideas as I travel and I write about them both on this blog and through other media (print or online magazines, other blogs, etc.).

The fascination started early for me. I was bitten by the travel bug when I was a kid. I was born in a small missionary hospital on the slope of the escarpment above the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, near the town of Kijabe. My parents were missionaries there and worked primarily in publishing. Every day, I was exposed to amazing wildlife and landscapes, and to multiple cultures and languages. I quite literally grew up on the pages of National Geographic – looking south from my house in Nairobi, I could see Mt. Kilimanjaro and to the north, Mt. Kenya. It was an amazing place, and way, to grow up.

We traveled frequently throughout Kenya—to the pristine beaches of Mombasa for school holidays, to the nearby game preserves on a Sunday afternoon. We traveled to Zaire, now called the Democratic Republic of Congo, to visit my uncle and his family who were missionaries there. We traveled through Europe on the way to the United States every few years for furlough. Travel was just a part of my life and it continues to be so.

Since leaving Kenya, I have lived throughout the United States and spent some time living in the U.S. Virgin Islands. I have traveled to six of the seven continents and have visited 18 countries and counting. It is my goal to travel to every country on earth and explore the cultures, philosophies, religions and people that each country has to offer. And then to document it all with my words and my photographs.

So what about the crazy name of this blog?

There is a train system that runs from Mombasa, on the Kenyan coast to Nairobi, then up into the highlands and across the Great Rift Valley toward Uganda. It was built by the British in the late 1890’s and was officially called “The British East Africa Railroad.” Unofficially, it was called, “The Lunatic Express.” You may have seen the 1996 film The Ghost and the Darkness about the man eating lions of Tsavo, a game preserve that the rail line passes through. The movie is about The Lunatic Express and is based on real events.

I rode this train numerous times, from Nairobi to Mombasa and back as well as up into the highlands. I even sat in the same train car that one of the man eaters entered, dragging off one of the British soldiers. The Lunatic Express represents the adventure and excitement of my youth.

But I decided to call my blog The Lunatic Ltd because unlike an Express train that rumbles from point A to point B without stopping, I like the analogy of the Limited train that stops at every village, crossing and bump in the road along the line.

That is how I see my travels; I am not interested in just whizzing by the scenery outside my window. I want to stop and visit all of the amazing places along the journey. So…The Lunatic Ltd became the name under which I write about my journey.

And the Lunatic Ltd is my travel and exploration blog. Through it, I write about my trips around the world; I publish articles and essays about the things I see and do; I keep my readers up-to-date on current book projects. It is my explorer’s journal and primary location to interact with my readers, like you.

I am an explorer on a journey, seeking amazing stories about unique and interesting people and places. I hope that you will join me on this journey and allow me to share the wonders that I discover with you. Sign up today so you’ll never miss a single adventure!

Revised on January 3, 2011