TRAVERSE 203
BOOK REVIEWS
The Elephant ' s Tale Mike Hannan 2012 ISBN 978-1-74255725-1-2
Over 10 years ago Mike Hannan and his wife , Jo , set off to explore the world on a motorcycle , a BMW R1150GS , the Elephant , for obvious reasons . What resulted was The Elephant ’ s Tale ; London To Vladivostok On Two Wheels .
Whilst The Elephant ’ s Tale is beautifully written and delightfully informative , describing the pairs two up ride across the world , it at times falls flat , losing pace with perhaps too many details and opinions of what is being discovered .
An area where The Elephant ’ s
Tale shines is the level of selfdiscovery that comes through , both Hannan ’ s realise that travel doesn ’ t mean everything shiny and luxurious , that at times it means hardships as witnessed by those around them , it comes across as being the whole point of motorcycle travel . Riding from London , across Europe , Africa , Russia , and central Asia , is nothing to be scoffed at . Hannan never suggests it is easy yet , with the right attitude , you get the feeling that almost anyone is capable of finishing such a feat . The Elephant ’ s Tale is well written , and despite its age is still relevant in many of the places that the Hannan ’ s rode , it could be a good guide for anyone wishing to take on such a journey . The Elephant ’ s Tale is a book any aspiring overlanding motorcyclist should read .
American Borders Carla King 2007 ISBN 978-0-9646445-1-9
The title suggests that this would be a read that is something selfimportant and institutionalised America , American Border could be further from the truth .
Carla King has a way with the pen that encourages the reader to continue , to move forward with the traveller to seek more , and American Borders does just that . A life crisis begins American
Borders before King takes on the challenges of travelling her home country alone , on a bike that could be considered inappropriate , and then what we get is a description of the travel through the experiences of the encounters with the people , the landscapes , the communities and almost as importantly through the mechanics of her Ural motorcycle and sidecar .
King builds a relationship with her three-wheeled machine and although at times it is the source of much frustration and angst , the pair work well together , which is perfectly described through the writings of the author . American
Borders is as much about the human aspect as well as the mechanical , after all , together they travel as one .
Through the travels , King finds that being alone is hugely different to being lonely , she discovers much more about herself , and the Ural , than many non-solo travellers would realise , American Borders is a ride of self-discovery more than anything and we the reader are much richer for it . American
Borders is highly recommended .
TRAVERSE 203