Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

I was recently asked 'What's your favourite travel book'?

The first book that came to mind was Shantaram. This is a 900-page novel in tiny print so when I first picked it up, I wasn't looking forward to the experience. By the end of the book, however, I was wishing it would go on for another 900 pages.

It follows the story of Lin, an escaped criminal from Australia who finds himself hiding out in the city of Bombay, India. During his time in India, Lin lives with a family in a rural village, resides in a slum where he becomes the local 'doctor', falls in love with a woman who cannot love him back, is set up and thrown into an Indian prison where he is tortured, joins the Bombay mafia producing and smuggling false passports, assists in smuggling weapons into Afghanistan during the Soviet war and manages a Bollywood casting agency.

On his journey he meets a number of interesting characters including Prabaker - a street guide and friend who introduces Lin to the villages and slums of India, Karla - the strikingly beautiful Swiss-American woman with whom Lin falls in love and Abdul Khader Khan - the head of the Bombay mafia who teaches Lin about the philosophy of life and the universe.

Roberts weaves the story of Shantaram together with his beautifully descriptive prose, colourful characters and thought-provoking narrative. Much of the book appears to be based on Robert's own philosophy with a storyline created around it. There are quotes such as 'the truth is a bully we all pretend to like' that will stay with me for a very long time.

While this novel is ficitional, many of the facts reflect the life of Roberts. He did escape from an Australian prison, he did live in a slum in Bombay and he did join the mafia before he was recaptured. How much is based directly on his experiences is unknown. The film rights to the book were also bought by Johnny Depp in 2004 but no movie has yet been made.

If you're looking for a novel that gives you a taste of travel and philosphy, then Shantaram is the right book for you. Personally, it is one of my favourite books.

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

Kevin McCloud's Grand Tour of Europe DVD

This DVD has great educational and entertainment value. It's in four parts from the BBC television series. The lovely Kevin takes us in his little red Fiat 500 through France, Italy and Greece, on a quest to prove how great was the Classical influence on English architecture (Christopher Wren, John Adam, Inigo Jones) in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. He is following in the footsteps of past "grand tourists" such as Boswell, and sometimes goes on horseback or in a sedan chair. His journey is far from dull, even for those with little interest in architecture; he includes amusing trips to a cheese factory and the pasta makers, the bordello of Herculaneum, a Venetian masked ball, and meeting a rather lustful grandmother, to mention a few. His commentary is enthusiastic, intelligent and informative, and the background music is glorious. A feast for the eyes and ears and lots of fun!

Janet S

Kevin McCloud's Grand Tour of Europe DVD

Mexico

After knowing nothing about Mexico I have recently experienced two books on this country. Lacuna / Barbara Kingsolver is a very large (in every sense) work of fiction which I tackled by listening to a digital audio book. I have taken to using DABs when I don't have time to sit and read larger works. DABs allow me to do the housework/gardening and other tasks while listening to the story. They are a very convenient format of audio book, put in a pocket or hung about your neck they travel with you from room to room or out walking. By using the pause button the device bookmarks your place ready to start the story again right where you finished listening to it last. Lacuna is such a good story and I learnt about Diego Rivera, Frida Khalo, LeonTrotsky and the McArthyist era in the United States.

Then I read a much smaller but equally entertaining new travel memoir - Oh Mexico : love and adventure in Mexico City / Lucy Neville.
Lucy is Richard and Julie Neville's daughter and I guess it is only to be expected that two such creative people would have a daughter who heads off alone to Mexico city as soon as she finishes uni. Lucy is determined not to live the ex-pat lifestyle and I love the way her positive attitude helps keep her safe in a tough city as she finds a job, learns the language and gets to know locals from all walks of life.

Mexico

The Longest Climb - Dominic Faulkner

This book was recommended to me by my friend Paul (look Paul, you're in my blog post) and it's not easy to put down. A recent post queried whether books can change your life. I don't know if this one changed my life but it did inspire me to jump on my bike and challenge myself to ride further than I had before. It also gave a great insight into the challenges involved in climbing Everest - and I really wish I had a spare $60000 so I could climb it.

The Longest Climb is the true story about a team of adventurers who travel by foot and by bike from the Dead Sea to the Summit of Mount Everest -  a world first. The team - hailing from England - ride 5000 miles across Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal and Tibet where they make an attempt on the summit.

How cool is that?

Faulkner gives a great, straightforward and easily readable account of the trials his team faced while travelling across the Middle East and Asia. These trials included everything from managing their money to managing their safety. Faulkner tells of his own personal struggles in taking on a Leadership role and ensuring that the journey ran as smoothly as possible (which is difficult when you're battling food poisoning, riots and local police that just don't want to leave you alone). While it lacked depth in some places, I thought the book gave a really good overview of the type of challenges and surprises encountered on such an amazing journey. There were times when I thought the participant's determination was truly inspirational - they insisted on riding the whole way regardless of the setbacks - even convincing army personnel to drive them back to the spot where they were forced to stop riding the night before.

The climb itself is also well described. The fears and illnesses that they had at such a high altitude and the actual technical details that go into planning the trek and maintaining group dynamics were fascinating. Faulkner also touches on a dark side of Everest treks with brutal honesty. He talks about how easy it is to pass a sick climber without stopping to help, thinking that the people behind you will take responsibility instead. Faulkner and his team are forced to decide whether or not to help one such climber on their bid for the summit. Personally, I hope I'd stop to help, even if it meant giving up what I came to do.

I really enjoyed this book and recommed it to any would be adventurers out there. It shows what amateur cyclists and climbers can achieve with good planning, good training and a lot of determination.

The Longest Climb - Dominic Faulkner