rating
Pages: 320
ISBN: 0345816773
Published: 2018
Lands of Lost Borders
by: Kate Harris
Kate Harris from Ontario, Canada and her childhood friend, Mel, set off through multiple countries by bike to explore the Silk Road. The journey takes them through Turkey, Azerbaijan, China, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan and India, all on the same bicycles with no backup crew, carrying all their needs.
It’s a great tale of adventure thick with side facts and funny anecdotes.It is a little too heavy on political dogma and critiques on historical explorers’ motives and purpose. The journey is grueling through freezing snowy mountain passes in mid-winter, scorching hot deserts and drenched in tropical humidity all with little funds and less creature comforts.
As an avid reader of adventure travel stories it is refreshing to read of women testing the limits of the spirit of adventure. We are more vulnerable travelers than our male counterparts and what may be extreme adventure for a man is suicidal for a woman. This journey with two young women is a breath of fresh air in this genre of writing and adventure travel generally.
The signature theme is her theorizing on geographical borders and their futility and destructive impact. I liked much of the writing as it was insightful in many ways but there are a lot of opinions spouted about the countries encountered based on a superficial outsiders experience. This is a common theme with privileged white writers. While in areas where they have in depth knowledge their pontificating can be engaging but too often such authors are equally dogmatic in areas where their knowledge is sparse, and it shows through in their writing.
Its definitely worth a read, especially if you love tales of adventure and you are a woman. Don’t expect to be enamored with the over-opinionated author. That should not preclude you from enjoying the book.
Kate Harris from Ontario, Canada and her childhood friend, Mel, set off through multiple countries by bike to explore the Silk Road. The journey takes them through Turkey, Azerbaijan, China, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan and India, all on the same bicycles with no backup crew, carrying all their needs.
It’s a great tale of adventure thick with side facts and funny anecdotes.It is a little too heavy on political dogma and critiques on historical explorers’ motives and purpose. The journey is grueling through freezing snowy mountain passes in mid-winter, scorching hot deserts and drenched in tropical humidity all with little funds and less creature comforts.