If you love
adventure and exploration, than you'll love Ida Pfeiffer!!! Ida Lauren Pfeiffer was an explorer, adventurer, and author
in the 1800's. She was born in Vienna, Austria in 1797 as Ida Reyer and died in
Vienna in 1858. She had five or six brothers. Ida was always considered one
of the guys by her father, she wore boy's clothes, participated in outdoor
activities, and even received the same education as her brothers. When she
was nine years old, her father died, and her mother forced her to wear
dresses and take piano lessons. When Ida was seventeen she fell in love with
her tutor. They wished to marry, but Ida's mother forbade it. Finally at age
twenty-two, Ida Reyer agreed to marry Dr. Pfeiffer, a widower way older than
herself. Dr. Pfeiffer held a very important position in Austrian government.
The Pfeiffer's had two sons together. A little while after their marriage,
Ida's husband lost his government position and the family found itself poor,
but when Ida Pfeiffer's mother died in 1831, she left Ida a small
inheritance which was just enough to pay for the boys' education. In 1835,
the Pfeiffer's divorced. By 1842, Ida Pfeiffer's children had left the house
which meant Ida was free of family obligations, so that's when she decided
to travel. Ida first decided to go the Holy Land, ostensibly on a
pilgrimage, she knew that choosing this destination would encounter less
disapproval from family and friends who were already alarmed at Ida's decision
to travel alone. She knew that there were many dangers in the Holy Land
and even thought she might not return! She even made out her last will and
testament before proceeding on her journey! She sailed the Danube River to
the Black Sea, went to Constantinople or Istanbul, then to Jerusalem and
Cairo. Pfeiffer saw the pyramids of Giza and Sphinx, went to Isthmus of
Suez, then took a boat home ( provided by Italy). She wrote a book about the
trip, and then used the earnings to finance a trip to Iceland. Although, Ida
did not enjoy Iceland very much. She complained that the people were crude,
their home's were dirty, and the meals were boring (the meals were
mostly porridge and fish). Ida had been in Iceland for 6 whole months before
returning with plant and rock samples, which she sold to museums. Next she
planned to go around the world! In 1846 she set sail for Rio de Janeiro on a
Danish ship. When there, Ida Pfeiffer hired a guide to take her through the
rain forest. Ida continued to China, but made a quick stop in Tahiti and was
scandalized by the odd behavior of the Tahitian women. She entered China
from a Portuguese colony called Macao and then took a boat to Canton. When
in Canton, Ida often dressed in men's clothing for safety and she observed
people and their culture. Ida then went to India, and found it to her
liking. Tired of traveling through countries she didn't appreciate, she
continued to Russia where there were Christians. But, she was soon arrested
under the suspicion of a spy and was held overnight in a prison
chamber, while they investigated her ID. She continued westward towards
Turkey and Greece, then returned home in 1848. In 1851, she started
traveling again and sailed to London and Cape Town, then to Singapore and
Borneo. She visited the Dyak Tribe, even though they were known for
head-hunting. Pfeiffer then traveled to Sumatra in The Dutch Indies. She
even went to the Batak Tribe, who were known to be cannibals, and would
never let a European survive on their territory. Ida didn't love the Batak
Tribe, after they made a gesture that they wanted to kill and eat her. Ida
stayed calm and even made a joke in a broken dialect of their language that
she was to old and tough to be eaten. This amused them, so they let her go
unharmed. Ida Pfeiffer was the first person to report on the Batak way of
life. Ida sailed to San Francisco and visited the Andes of South America.
Pfeiffer was elected to the geographical studies of Paris and Berlin, but
the Royal Geographical Studies of Great Britain refused to accept her
because she was a women. Ida Pfeiffer made another trip, she went
Madagascar, off the coast of Africa. Soon after her arrival, Ida found
herself a prisoner of Queen Ranavalona for taking part in a plot to
overthrow the queen. She was released, eventually. However, she became sick
with a tropical disease and didn't recover. Ida Lauren Pfeiffer died in
Vienna, 1858.
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