In our modern world of social media and messaging apps, even sending an email can feel like an antiquated way of communicating.
Now imagine getting a handwritten letter from a remote island thousands of miles away personally delivered to your door by a stranger?
Well, thanks to Jon Beardmore, aka the 'Galapagos Postman,' 50 people across all seven continents are getting to experience just that.
Beardmore sorting letters at Post Office Bay. Image courtesy of Jon Beardmore
Beardmore was inspired during a trip to Post Office Bay, a beach in the Galapagos Islands where you can see Darwin finches, yellow warblers and lava lizards.
There, many travelers still participate in the more than 200-year-old tradition of leaving a postcard in the hopes that it might one day get delivered.
The tradition began in 1793, when a British navy officer installed a wooden whiskey barrel to serve as a form of ‘post office’ for sailors passing through.
The Galapagos were a popular spot for explorers and whalers to stop at to load up on provisions of fresh food and water, so the mailbox provided a way for lonely seamen to send word back home to their loved ones.
They could leave letters without any stamps or postage, and an honors system would ensure that others would try to deliver any messages that were addressed to places they would be passing by or returning home to.
It is the first postal service established in South America, and it is said to have even been used by Darwin during his travels to the Galapagos Islands.
Although the original whiskey barrel is long gone, a new one stands in its place, and people are still delivering the letters by hand around the world – one couple spent three years delivering letters to 17 countries back in 2011.
The Galapagos Postman on his adventures around the world. Image courtesy of Jon Beardmore
Beardmore saw this tradition as not only away to reconnect people, but also as a way to raise money and awareness for a cause that is close to his heart; recently, his father passed away after an eight-year battle with motor neuron disease (MND), also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Lou Gehrig’s disease.
MND is a debilitating degenerative disorder that many are familiar with due to the famous theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking suffering from the disease.
Beardmore decided to self-fund a year-long journey delivering 50 letters and to use the media attention he could gather along the way to inspire people to donate to a worthwhile cause. The Wall Street Journal, BBC 1, and now That’s Beijing, are just a few of the media outlets to cover his adventures.
We joined Beardmore to try and deliver his first letter in Beijing to Zoey Zhu in Chaoyang. Unfortunately, Zhu had recently gotten married and moved to Hong Kong – the couple now living in her old flat were understandably confused when we arrived.
However, we were able to track her down through WeChat, and she was thrilled that someone had found her to deliver her inspirational message to her future self. She even sent us a picture of her posting her letter!
Zoey Zhu posting her letter. Image courtesy of Zoey Zhu
Beardmore has a number of crazy stories about trying to deliver to remote places – some addresses said vague things like “about six miles from this building.”
However, he doesn't let little things like not speaking the language or people having moved deter him, and he has now delivered 40 of his postcards to cities around the world.
You can follow his adventures on instagram @bigoadventures or on the Where in the world is The Galapagos Postman tracking map.
Support the fight against motor neuron disease by donating here or by contacting the China Beijing Oriental Rain ALS Care Center (Beijing ORACC) by visiting their website.
[Cover image courtesy of Jon Beardmore]
0 User Comments