Hobbies come in different forms, some more unconventional than others. While visiting places of scenic beauty or historical significance can be the most enticing thing for a globetrotter, we are sure that visiting graves and tombstones from all over the world is certainly not on everyone’s bucket list. However, one man has spent more than £160,000( Rs 1,53,27,944) travelling to more than 700 cemeteries throughout the world as a result of his passion. This real-life version of Lara Croft is named Mark Dabbs from Wolverhampton and he is undoubtedly the world’s most dedicated tomb tourist.
He has spent a fortune travelling the world to visit the graves of more than 200 famous people, including Bruce Lee, the martial arts sensation, in Seattle, Washington, and Chairman Mao in Beijing, China. He has also visited the tombs of John F Kennedy, in Washington DC, and Marilyn Monroe in Los Angeles. Mark’s passion is to ‘meet’ famous deceased personalities by visiting their gravestones or tombs.
According to a report in the Daily Star, 49-year-old Mark says he has no intention of hanging his boots yet. He says, “With the exception of the three prime ministers who were not buried, I have probably visited graves of all our prime ministers. Sir Roger Bannister as an athlete was fantastic to witness in Oxford. However, Scotland would not be complete without the poet Robert Burns, the racing driver Jim Clark, and the Peter Pan author J. M. Barrie. History and current affairs really intrigue me, and I want to visit Moscow again to meet Stalin, having already visited Churchill and Roosevelt."
Mark says these adventure trips are his way of educating himself since he did not learn a lot of history in school. However, not all of these adventures have always been a ride in the park. Mark recalls an incident when he visited Oyster Bay to find Theodore Roosevelt’s grave. The grave was behind some railings and the gates were closed so it was unapproachable. Mark found a way around, though.
“I located a nearby metal ladder and climbed up to get the shot, but the ladder soon collapsed. I feared that I might be confined there for several hours. I was able to pull it over by hooking my tripod to the bottom rung," he said.
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