Travel on My Mind

January in Nova Scotia has me dreaming of exotic locales, new adventures, and maybe a little bit of warmth and sunshine. Until all this can happen perhaps I will just live vicariously through these authors who share their travel and adventures, all demonstrating that it is the journey as much as the destination.

Around the World by Peter Rikic

"At the age of 19, a young Croatian by the name of Petar Rikic decided to leave home and travel around the world by motorcycle. Throughout the course of this immense journey he experienced an equally immense diversity of peoples, landscapes and cultures. By crossing borders, learning languages and immersing himself in dozens of unique communities he came to the life-changing conclusion that in order to become more alive and free, we need to erase the borders and boundaries that confine us politically, emotionally, culturally and psychologically. As a young man's travel journal of experiences, composed on a laptop while travelling by motorcycle, Around the World jumps from juvenile travel narrative to pseudo-philosophical enquiry, from initial adolescent exuberance to something akin to mature reflection." publisher

Midnight in Siberia: a train journey into the heart of Russia by David Greene

"Travels with NPR host David Greene along the Trans-Siberian Railroad capture an overlooked, idiosyncratic Russia in the age of Putin. Far away from the trendy cafés, designer boutiques, and political protests and crackdowns in Moscow, the real Russia exists. Midnight in Siberia chronicles David Greene’s journey on the Trans-Siberian Railway, a 6,000-mile cross-country trip from Moscow to the Pacific port of Vladivostok. In quadruple-bunked cabins and stopover towns sprinkled across the country’s snowy landscape, Greene speaks with ordinary Russians about how their lives have changed in the post-Soviet years. These travels offer a glimpse of the new Russia—a nation that boasts open elections and newfound prosperity but continues to endure oppression, corruption, a dwindling population, and stark inequality." publisher

Down and Out in Patagonia, Kamchatka and Timbuktu: Greg Fraser's round and round and round the world motorcycle journey by Gregory W. Frazier

"The first-ever, first-hand chronicle of Dr. Gregory W. Frazier's never-ending motorcycle ride. A little over 40 years ago, a man named Gregory W. Frazier got on his motorcycle, went for a ride, and never returned. He's still out there, circumnavigating the globe: exploring the jungles of Asia in the winter, trout fishing in Alaska in the summer, and covering all points in between during the rest of the year. He's been shot at by rebels, jailed by unfriendly authorities, bitten by snakes, run over by Pamplona bulls, and smitten by a product of Adam's rib. He's circled the globe five times and has covered well over one million miles (and counting). During those past four decades, Dr. Frazier has been chronicling and photographing his around-the-world adventures, publishing 13 books on the subject (including one previous title with Motorbooks), the majority of which have been manuals for touring specific locations or general how-to-tour-by-motorcycle books. " publisher

Far and Near on Days Like These by Neil Peart

"Whether navigating the backroads of Louisiana or Thuringia, exploring the snowy Quebec woods, or performing onstage at Rush concerts, Neil Peart has stories to tell. His first volume in this series, Far and Away, combined words and images to form an intimate, insightful narrative that won many readers. Now Far and Near brings together reflections from another three years of an artist’s life as he celebrates seasons, landscapes, and characters, travels roads and trails, receives honors, climbs mountains, composes and performs music. With passionate insight, wry humor, and an adventurous spirit, once again Peart offers a collection of open letters that take readers on the road, behind the scenes, and into the inner workings of an ever-inquisitive mind." publisher

The Emperor Far Away: travels at the edge of China by David Elmer

"Bordered by fourteen countries, China could be thought of as more a continent than a country, and yet it is ruled as one and treated so by political and financial commentators, who refer to a traditionally “Chinese” way of life. Few Westerners make it far beyond the major cities, and the Chinese government has made it difficult to do so. David Eimer undertook a dangerous journey to China’s unexplored frontiers, to the outer reaches where Beijing's power has little influence. His chronicle shines new light on the world’s most populous country, showing clearly that China remains in many ways a divided state. Traveling through the Islamic areas of Xinjiang province, into the forbidden zone of Tibet and across Route 219, which runs the rough boundary shared with India, the only disputed frontier in China, Eimer exposes the country’s inner conflict. " publisher