In search of tranquillity
> Actress and now TV host Jojo Struys discovers many different ways to de-stress in her new show, Jojo’s Diary of Asia
SHE is already a well-known actress, popular emcee, TV personality and columnist. Now, Jojo Struys can add travel host to her resume. Struys is taking her bubbly personality to Hong Kong, Nepal and Japan to seek out various ways the locals use to de-stress in the 13-episode series Jojo’s Diary of Asia.
Whether it is doing something that gives you an adrenaline rush like martial arts or riding a scary roller-coaster, Struys gets down to it and shows viewers that there are many things one can do to unwind and let go.
Besides doing something therapeutic like soaking in an onsen (hot spring) or learning proper meditating techniques, Struys will also take an elephant for its bath and attempt to cook a local delicacy while soaking in the local culture.
Struys said: “I have always wanted to combine travel with wellness because I wrote a book ( Guide to Wellness) and I keep doing workshops on de-stressing.”
She also has a de-stressing app ( Letting Go with Jojo Struys) that provides people with positive messages.
“I think it doesn’t matter who you are,” she added. “Everybody suffers from some form of stress. People always say they need a change of scenery or to get away. But what do you do when you get away?
“I was doing things that were uniquely comfortable to the country, for example, cooking a local traditional dish with a chef.
“I was doing activities that bring on an adrenaline rush as well as burnt calories, like having kung fu lessons in Hong Kong or samurai lessons in Tokyo.
“You can also deal with stress by sitting quietly and doing breathing techniques, which I did during a one-on-one session with a zen Buddhist monk.”
Struys had many memorable experiences while shooting the series.
One of them was bathing an elephant in Nepal. She rode on its back until they reached the river.
“The elephant literally turned over in the river like a house cat and I was given a stone to scrub it down. It took a while [but] it was just a natural experience.
“I had never done anything like this before. You may have ridden an animal but to actually bathe it?
“It was very therapeutic and I felt like I was in a beautiful space.”
While the core of the series is on wellness, Struys said that there are different segments; some that touch on local culture and some on food.
Since it is called Jojo’s Diary of Asia, one would think she would actually publish a book on her travels for the series.
“Some people have said why not put together a coffee-table book because there were so many beautiful experiences and moments. Maybe I might take them up on that!”
Struys added that making Jojo’s Diary of Asia was a very personal project as she was involved in all aspects of the series including the voice-over scripts, and the research into the countries she went to.
The production team was also in touch with all the tourism bodies of the respective countries before she approached Discovery to see if it was interested.
It decided to pick up the series and run it on its travel and lifestyle channel TLC.
Jojo’s Diary of Asia premieres on TLC (Astro channel 707) on Aug 3 at 8pm.