Ray MacDonald lived, hunted and ate with tribes for his new travel show Food Tribe, airing exclusively on Line TV. Find out what he has learnt.

You first became known as the co-host of Teen Talk. How did you get that job?

It was long time ago, about 20 years ago, I was 18-19. Back then, I was a model and it was a natural progression, from model to VJ. I worked with SmileTV for a while and the people at Grammy saw me. They got a new show and needed a host, so they asked me to host the show. It was quite popular among the Thai teens for the couple of years that we did it, but it was just a short period with Teen Talk.

You’ve been TV show host, actor and model over the years. What do you enjoy the most?

I enjoy nothing. Modelling is how I got my foot in showbiz’s door. I have been in only 10-12 films, maximum. They all bombed at the box office, so I haven’t got a proven track record in that [Ray received two awards for acting so we think he’s being hypercritical]. I used to enjoy acting, but now, I’m not into it. If I have to choose just one, it would be travelling and hosting travel shows; anything based on travel. I still do it [acting] with people that I’ve worked with and enjoyed being on set with, but not for the acting itself. It’s just a part of hanging out with old friends. For acting, I feel like I’m stuck. The only things I want to improve on, where I never feel satisfied with, are travel shows, logs and documentaries. It always want to improve myself in those areas. It’s a good push for me. I looked back at my old work, but it’s not good enough. I have to keep on pushing myself and it keeps me feeling alive. ‘Set a goal, but never be satisfied, once you are satisfied you died’ — I borrowed it from an explorer I met two days ago. You can never be satisfied because people judge you by your latest episode or project. You’d just have to try your best and improve all the time.

For Food Tribe, you visited tribe people, hunted and ate with them. How did you pick the tribes?

We do research on different tribes. Some tribes don’t welcome outsiders. We find an insider to lead us in and to communicate between us and the tribe. It’s hard to find a local that can communicate with us and the tribe. The most important thing is we have to gain their trust. So, I hunted with them and ate what they ate. To touch the real life of the tribes, I told the local liaison that I wanted to sleep like them on what they lied on, near them.

There are many highlights from the episodes that have been aired so far. What was your most memorable moment during the show?

One of the most memorable was with the Maasai. Children between the ages of 15 or 16 are pushed to grow faster than their ages. They go out hunting like their parents and protect each other to survive in the wild. During the night, these kids, in groups of six or seven, have to sleep outside the tribe. Every two or three hours, two persons will take turns watching out for the others, who are resting. It’s a very dangerous and hard. In the morning, I went to where they rested and observed many footprints of lions and hyenas walking near where the kids slept. To me, this is reality and you can’t keep your guard down even for a second if you want to survive.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learnt during Food Tribe? Has it changed your view on the world?

A lot, I’ve learnt a lot from this show. The teenagers here in the city live with all kinds of conveniences while the children in a tribe have to learn to be protectors at the age where they should be having fun and run around playing. The tribes might not have everything like we do, but they are capable of using resources that nature has given us and adapt it to save themselves, to hunt and live. It’s amazing.

What do you want to tell people who may be interested in watching the show?

Go watch it. Keep watching. You can only watch it through LINE TV.

What does travel mean to you?

I don’t know. I think I know the answer but I want to avoid it. I mean, once you know the answer, it’s the end. I still want to keep on searching for the meaning and continue with travelling.