With Ewan MacGregor and Charlie Boorman reviving a long lost urge in the general public to roam the world as a free spirit, many of you out there may be pleased to find out that its possible to undertake a voyage like this without needing a 50 strong BBC production team to organise the whole thing for you and hold your hands as you venture into the big wide world.
You may already have heard of Sam Manicom, the author of the popular bike-travel book “Into Africa”. Well I’ve had the pleasure of following Sam’s latest adventures in the sequel to that adventure, “Under Asian Skies”
Sam’s story began when he learned to ride a bike, and quit his job in retail management to travel the length of Africa. The diary of his journey Into Africa proved a hugely popular story of the shenanigans he got up to. I must confess I haven’t read it myself, but I have enjoyed “Under Asian Skies” immensely.
The story begins in Australia and takes the reader through the every day experience of managing a tight budget but getting to see and experience the kind of journey that a holiday would never give you.
Priding himself on self-sufficiency and willing to work on whatever was necessary to keep his journey on the road, Sam meets some fascinating characters.
Not least one of the most entertaining characters was Libby, his trusty BMW R80GS. Like many bikers would probably agree Sam’s relationship with his bike comes across as a mix of love and not hate, but certainly wariness. A journey through Africa and now a journey through South East Asia have left her a trusty companion, but she bites occasionally when he isn’t paying her enough attention, a situation many bikers would recognise.
A struggle to overcome a serious back injury, and an Indian shipping yard that just wouldn’t release his bike from the dockyard were just some of the many tribulations that Sam faced on his journey.
But I think the thing I most enjoyed about this book was the feeling that I was there with him as he went through everything. I’ve travelled a bit myself in this part of the world, and the feeling of the hustle, the smells, the people, the smiles the bartering, Sam’s account brought it all back to me. The fact he did it on a bike only gives me hope that one day I too could be riding the road from Quetta to Taftan myself.
To find out more visit www.sam-manicom.com where I’m headed next to order myself a copy of Into Africa. Alternately you can catch up with Sam at the MCN London Motorcycle Show at the ExCel, London from the 31st January to the 3rd February 2008.
