200,000 kilometers in 3,000 days across five continents. Or in other words, just 66 kilometers a day on average – which is quite enough for a 30-year-old Land Rover.
Amidst the Scottish Highlands, battered by the elements, stands a neglected Land Rover. It does not seem to be the ideal vehicle for a trip around the world, but Christopher Many believes otherwise. He has the dream of embarking on a tour de force to the frozen wastelands of Siberia, North and South America, and across the continent of Africa – equipped with little more than a passport, credit card and full tank of petrol. His goal? “To explore strange new worlds and boldly go where no Land Rover has gone before.â€
Intelligently and with perseverance, Christopher scours the globe from Mongolia to Somaliland to find out what makes the earth “tickâ€. Soon enough the adventure turns into a sprawling n-dimensional tapestry of philosophical conundrums, rollercoaster emotions and first-hand observations in 100 countries. When he pulls on a few loose threads, a Pandora's box of information is released, often at odds with conventional Western views. Christopher returns eight years later – exhausted, snake-bitten and malaria-infected – but with a few prized cogwheels in his knapsack, a greater understanding of the world we live in, and … with the love of his life.
Equal parts sophisticated lexicon on global affairs and darkly witty travel chronicle, his book presents a vivid picture of the adventures, agonies and joys of world travel, and asks some very “uncomfortable†questions … truly going “where few have gone beforeâ€.
Take a ride in Matilda's passenger seat next to this vagabonding philosopher, provided you are not in a rush ...