BOOK REVIEWS
Under Asian Skies
Títle: Under Asian Skies
Writer: Sam Manicom
Year: 2007
I
Sam Manicom's second book, Un-
der Asian Skies, is as a much a pleas-
ure to read as it seemed to have been
for Sam to write.
He starts his journey from Aus-
tralia and almost comes to grief in
the vast outback before heading
through Asia and the Middle East.
Sam doesn't regale the reader with
exploits of long distance but rather
takes an open-minded view of his
surroundings, cultures and people.
In this respect he is one of the very
finest travel writers.
Through Sam's perception and de-
scriptive style the reader is sat on the
back of the bike enjoying the journey
all the way. Through the joys, the
challenges and the emotions we, the
reader, are at one with Sam ... even
E
Dreaming of Jupiter
Títle: Dreaming of Jupiter
Writer: Ted Simon
Year: 2008
A quarter of a century after riding
around the world and writing Jupi-
ter's Travels, Ted Simon revisited his
old steps to see if he could 'recapture'
the person he was then.
A key element for Ted seems to be
reunited with those of his past, most
have moved on, physically or spirit-
ually.
Ted quickly discovers that the
world has change, technology has
brought countries together yet the
people seem more seperated, there's
no longer a sense of curriosity, rath-
er a sense of mistrust and danger. It
seems Ted is jaded by what he sees.
The world has changed too much,
and perhaps not for the better.
On the eve of war, 9/11 has just
taken place, Ted sees vast lands that
TRAVERSE
81
when he is rescued by a kind hearted
prostitute in Thailand.
Masterfully Sam reminds us that
the world is not all bad, not all doom
and gloom, not all misery as por-
trayed by western media, it is instead
a place of wonderment, of excite-
ment, of love ... just open your mind
to what your eyes are seeing.
If Under Asian Skies doesn't make
you feel like getting on your bike and
leaving the mundane behind, then
nothing else will ... perhaps it's time
to sell the bloody thing ...
W
S
have been eroded by the greed of
man, the poor have posessions and
they want more. Mobile phones, the
internet have wiped away any sense
of wonderment as people now 'know'
what is going on around them, it's
different to the way it was 27 years
before, looking through a younger
mans eyes.
Is this the issue with Ted, and his
second time around? Just seeing the
world through different eyes. Are
the landscapes still a place of beauty
just different to what they were?
This beautifully written piece is a
must read but, you must read Jupi-
ter's Travels first.