- April 25, 2024
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The year was 2000, the city Pamplona, Spain. Mark Gerling ran for his life in what he called the most intense two minutes he has ever experienced, as six 2,000-pound bulls ran behind him through the narrow streets on a hot, humid July morning.
“I wasn’t worried about the bulls as much as I was worried about the person in front of me,” Gerling said. “If they turn to look back at the bulls and fall, you’re in trouble.”
Running with the bulls is not the only adrenaline-driven vacation Gerling has taken. He has also been cage-diving with great white sharks off the coast of Africa, caught a 375-pound blue marlin in San Salvador, Bahamas, and stared a silverback gorilla in the face in Uganda, from 30 feet away.
“They say that you should do what you love and love what you do,” Gerling said. “I like to travel and experience places. Then I like to encourage other people to go.”
Setting up shop
Gerling was first introduced to the world of travel as a child. His father was a pilot, and as a kid they did a substantial amount of traveling in the U.S. and Canada.
“That was probably my first introduction to seeing, learning and being around different environments and cultures,” Gerling said.
Then in 1996 he traveled to Africa to visit a friend who was serving in the Peace Corps.
He spent 30 days in Mali, West Africa, a place the size of Texas, and California, combined. It was a desolate, poor area that Gerling said he called a fifth-world country because it was so far below the poverty level.
It was an eye-opener for Gerling. The influx of disease and lack of food and water shocked him — that a lack of everyday essentials Americans don’t think about were killing people there.
He was also impressed by the love people had for their land and heritage.
“That spurred my passion for wanting to pursue a journey to a travel business, looking more at Africa as a destination to pursue and explore because it’s so vast,” Gerling said.
Since 2003, Gerling has been running a travel company — Gerling Travel, in Flagler Beach — focusing on the adventure side of travel with exotic destinations — bucket-list trips.
Vacation vs. Adventure
But adventure is not the only reason Gerling travels. He sees visiting third-world countries as an opportunity to donate, build and learn. It’s a reminder for him to appreciate what he has.
“That’s what keeps the flame lit,” Gerling said. “When you can go to Africa and bring clothing, you light up smiles on hundreds of kids’ faces. Tennis shoes that are used to me are new to them. They’ll wear them until the soles fall off — and then they’ll duct-tape them.”
“It’s very humbling to be in the presence of others who have less,” Gerling said. “We were born with cold water, hot water, clean water, vaccines against diseases … These other people don’t even have a fighting chance.”
Life is a gift, Gerling said. And experiencing life together with people and animals in their surroundings and their cultures is beauty.
To him, going to Africa, or another exotic locale, is not a vacation, it’s an adventure. The kind that can change your life.
