Sundakov Vitaly Vladimirovich was born inthe southern capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the city of Alma-Ata, October 7, 1957. He is the author of many books and travel articles, an expert on integrated safety and survival. In his competence lullabies of civilization and extreme climatic zones. He has a range of practical skills in extreme activities. In more than seventy districts of Russia, his children's program “Renaissance” has been implemented, and it has also been adopted in the children's camps “Orlyonok” and “Artek”. It is not surprising that many people wonder how Vitaly Vladimirovich Sundakov lives.
Biography
One of the most famous Russian travelersbegan his "activity" at the age of twelve, however, then these trips without the supervision of parents usually ended in the police. He served in the army first, and then in the fleet, where he was the commander of the operational group in the crew of the Northern Fleet.
After the end of service life entered inNikolaev Pedagogical University, where he graduated from the Faculty of Philology, and then at the Faculty of Journalism at Moscow State University. Almost seven years he worked in the field of journalism. At first he was a correspondent for an ordinary large-circulation publication, and by the end of his activity in this field he already held the post of deputy editor in a journal of the Ministry of the Navy. Then he left a career as a journalist, when he had the idea to create the country's first “School of Survival and Security”.
The first expedition
Sundakov Vitaly Vladimirovich organized the firstexpedition almost immediately after the army. Then he lived in Ukraine, in the city of Nikolaev, on the seashore. Cooperating with the local sports and technical diving club "Sadko", which was engaged in the search for ships that died during World War II, he began his activities. The expeditions were serious, as young people had to restore the picture of the battle and death of ships and aircraft, as well as to search for missing people. The Sadko club received sacks of letters from all over the country, where eyewitnesses and combat participants described events. Together with the Sadko participants, Sundakov participated in five expeditions.
For a long time after that, Vitaly VladimirovichSundak did not have any serious attacks, he simply traveled around the Soviet Union at his own pleasure and, until 1989, did not think that traveling should give any results.
Professional travel
Vitaly Vladimirovich Sundakov believes thatAn expedition can only be called a trip from which a product is born that is useful to society. This can be a scientific study, a report, a work of art or a film. He was always interested in primitive civilizations, so when the borders were opened and the opportunity arose to explore the life of the most primitive tribes still preserved in some parts of the world, Vitaly decided to organize a new expedition. However, this already required a solid preparation both in equipment and in material support, because otherwise you can simply not return home safely.
Before the expedition, Sundak "probes the ground,"that is, makes several trips to a country whose tribes will later study. During these trips he picks up equipment, talks to local experts and scientists, studies culture, agrees with guides. His first expedition to the Amazon jungle had been preparing for about two years.
The choice of route depends not only on the program.research, but also on political and economic factors, since the results of the expedition should be in demand. Of course, Vitaly assumes in advance who will need his expedition, and how much it will cost. As a rule, the expedition pays for itself only if the Europeans did not take this route earlier, so it is often he who chooses such territories. Any "forays" into the wild places require serious expenses, for example, the expedition to New Guinea cost Sundak almost forty thousand dollars, and this is only the lower threshold, says Sundakov Vitaly Vladimirovich.
Financing
The fact is that in such places there is absolutely nono roads, so the expedition has to use one-time equipment. This term should be understood not just as some bags, straps, but, as a rule, motor boats, cars and other transport. They reach a certain place, from where members of the expedition go on foot. “Most often, cars or boats have to be left forever,” says Sundakov Vitaly Vladimirovich. In addition, the cars stuck in the swamp, in such conditions, it is impossible to pull out.
Abroad
No wonder the financial issue for suchtravelers are always acute, but in Russia they pretended for a long time that there is no Russian traveler under the name Sundakov Vitaly Vladimirovich. His books were published, projects developed, but there was no support from the state.
On a visit to the Sundakov family, we stopped by more than once.various officials, including high-ranking ones, but didn’t go beyond words, but other states repeatedly offered Vitaly to create conditions for his expeditionary activity. The last sentence was so interesting that the traveler even thought to agree. It came from the US-Mexican corporation DCX, which offered Vitaly 150 hectares of land in the Acapulco area, as well as serious funding for the founding of the International Academy of Travel. However, the draft was canceled due to an unexpected election result.
A family
Sundakov Vitaly Vladimirovich, wife and childrenwho also sometimes participate in his work, says that the eldest son, Vladislav, traveled with him to Mexico, where he shot the film “Journey to the World of Absolute Magic”, and the younger son does not go on trips yet, but actively helps in the preparatory work. Eleonora, the traveler’s wife, waits patiently for her husband, but they have an unspoken rule: Vitaly spends three months a year at home without leaving anywhere.
