Travelling across India on a motorcycle is an intimate way to get acquainted with its myriad cultures, each with their unique beliefs and lifestyle. One Life to Ride takes you across the hot and dusty plains of India to the highest motorable road in the world-- the fabled Khardung-La in Ladakh. Along the way you' ll meet Sufi saints, fake fakirs, and homesick soldiers. You' ll come away feeling exhilarated, entertained, and yes, also exhausted by the physical arduousness of the motorcycle ride. Witty, reflective, and honest, One Life to Ride is a daring, real-life adventure guaranteed to keep you turning the pages.
Practical guide for anyone planning a long-distance motorcycling trip. Choosing, preparing and equipping a motorbike, documentation and shipping, life on the road, trans-continental route outlines: Asia, Africa & Latin America. Updated and now in full colour, this best-seller has been in print for almost 30 years.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE RBC TAYLOR PRIZE WINNER OF THE EDNA STAEBLER AWARD FOR CREATIVE NON-FICTION "Every day on a bike trip is like the one before--but it is also completely different, or perhaps you are different, woken up in new ways by the mile." As a teenager, Kate Harris realized that the career she most craved--that of a generalist explorer, equal parts swashbuckler and philosopher--had gone extinct. From her small-town home in Ontario, it seemed as if Marco Polo, Magellan and their like had long ago mapped the whole earth. So she vowed to become a scientist and go to Mars. To pass the time before she could launch into outer space, Kate set off by bicycle down a short section of the fabled Silk Road with her childhood friend Mel Yule, then settled down to study at Oxford and MIT. Eventually the truth dawned on her: an explorer, in any day and age, is by definition the kind of person who refuses to live between the lines. And Harris had soared most fully out of bounds right here on Earth, travelling a bygone trading route on her bicycle. So she quit the laboratory and hit the Silk Road again with Mel, this time determined to bike it from the beginning to end. Like Rebecca Solnit and Pico Iyer before her, Kate Harris offers a travel narrative at once exuberant and meditative, wry and rapturous. Weaving adventure and deep reflection with the history of science and exploration, Lands of Lost Borders explores the nature of limits and the wildness of a world that, like the self and like the stars, can never be fully mapped.
‘When you’re hurting and coughing on a steep incline, it’s hard to see or even think of the top, but you just gotta push a pedal at a time and keep pushing.’ At Auckland Airport, three young Kiwis began an audacious — some would say crazy — journey, huddled together and wiping tears from their eyes. Fourteen months later, they had cycled 23,000 kilometres, from Bali to Buckingham Palace, across more than 20 countries and adventured through some of the most exotic parts of the world. They battled extreme heat, sub-zero temperatures, culture shock and loneliness as they pushed their bodies to their limits. They overcame injury, illness, heartbreak, and, above all, their own fears and self-doubt. It was the time of their lives. Packed with stunning photography by Sean Wakely, The Big Bike Trip is an inspirational account of self-discovery, friendship and turning your dreams into reality.
Every red-blooded motorcyclist dreams of making the Big Trip--this updated fifth edition shows them how. Choosing a bike, deciding on a destination, bike preparation, documentation and shipping, trans-continental route outlines across Africa, Asia and Latin America, and back-country riding in SW USA, NW Canada and Australia. Plus--first hand accounts of biking adventures worldwide.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 EDWARD STANFORD TRAVEL WRITING AWARDS TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR One woman, one bike and one richly entertaining, perception-altering journey of discovery. In 2015, as the Syrian War raged and the refugee crisis reached its peak, Rebecca Lowe set off on her bicycle across the Middle East. Driven by a desire to learn more about this troubled region and its relationship with the West, Lowe's 11,000-kilometre journey took her through Europe to Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, the Gulf and finally to Iran. It was an odyssey through landscapes and history that captured her heart, but also a deeply challenging cycle across mountains, deserts and repressive police states that nearly defeated her. Plagued by punctures and battling temperatures ranging from -6 to 48C, Lowe was rescued frequently by farmers and refugees, villagers and urbanites alike, and relied almost entirely on the kindness and hospitality of locals to complete this living portrait of the modern Middle East. This is her evocative, deeply researched and often very funny account of her travels - and the people, politics and culture she encountered. 'Terrifically compelling ... bursting with humour, adventure and insight into the rich landscapes and history of the Middle East. Lowe recounts the beauty, kindnesses and complexities of the lands she travels through with an illuminating insight. A wonderful new travel writer.' Sir Ranulph Fiennes
* Winner of the first Barbara Savage Memorial Award * Stunning color photos of the journey * Look into the heart of the top of the world This is the story of two young couples who embarked on a free-form journey through Tibet, Nepal, China, India and Pakistan. Their goal: to circumnavigate the Himalayas by bike, foot, truck by any means necessary, the slope of the world's greatest mountain range their only guide. Along the way they experienced a region steeped in ancient tradition but permanently altered by its confrontation with the 20th century; they discovered all that is exotic and mundane, funny and tragic, and beautiful and brutal about this vast territory. Jeremy Schmidt's humorous, evocative narrative recounts bureaucrats, knife-wielding Khampas, lamas-in-training, and mystics of every stripe. With stunning photographs by Patrick Morrow, Himalayan Passage reveals a place imbued with meaning and reality far beyond anything in the world below: the mysterious, turbulent Himalayas, the gates to God. Also available in hardcover.
- 50 unique cycling trip stories from 70 cyclists that will inform and inspire - Answers to over 700 questions that relate to bike travel around the world - Beautiful photography combined with practical advice 50 Ways to Cycle the World presents 50 unique cycling adventures gathered from more than 70 cyclists representing 22 nationalities. It is the ultimate visual guide and encyclopaedia to travelling by bicycle, whether you are travelling alone, as a couple, or as a family with small children. Featured here are inspiring stories and advice, accompanied by breathtaking photographs taken all over the world by the many contributors who share their cycling stories.