by JONNY BEALBY
The third and final travel book in a fascinating and most exhilarating trilogy, this epic account follows Jonny across 'the mountains of heaven' on the Old Silk Road, from Kashgar to the Caspian Sea. Or thereabouts, given that the horses on which Jonny and 'friend' travel are often beset by physical inadequacies, and certain border controls - as always - often get the better of Jonny's best-made, wistfully romanticized plans.
This book was actually written to coincide with a TV 'documentary' that he filmed on the way and that came to be aired on Sky's Discovery Channel, with the original spin in the concept revolving around the fact that he purposefully chose a travel partner that he'd never before met prior to such a huge, life-enhancing trip. In mock 'Big Brother' style, Jonny - whilst en-route - recorded how he got on with his new travelling partner once they'd been selected� the 'partner' in question being called Sarah.
The book title bluntly etched in mind, naturally very little goes to plan, yet all the ups and downs of the trip are captured exquisitely by Jonny's way with prose-writing, with this book following on from the critically acclaimed success first of his 'Running With The Moon' story (of how he biked around Africa), and then his engaging and genuinely touching 'For A Pagan Song' that had Jonny relay the power, glory and ever-present danger of trekking through Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Jonny really does seem to one of those ultra-rare travellers who is totally fearless: an Indiana Jones type who stops at nothing in the name of good old-fashioned adventure. What's more, he narrates his tales with such detailed clarity that the reader cannot help conjuring up vivid images of the landscapes that he literally manages brings to life through his writing.
The journeys that he tends to undertake are by no means 'easy,' and in this way they are hardly glorified. Yet he always uses his intuition and is thoroughly persistent, even when he has a whole wad of money blatantly stolen and his relationship with Sarah doesn't develop quite how he would have preferred.
But that, as Jonny realises full well, is life for you. And there are few better experiences than 'travel' that brace you for life in all its glory. Few travel books, meanwhile, are quite as humbling as Jonny's.
He rides on the wild side, and is a better man than most for having the balls to both 'do so' AND 'say so'�
5/5
(Steve Rudd)
ISBN 0-09-941469-4 (first published in 2003 by ARROW BOOKS)
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