Travel to Afghanistan

A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush

Format: Paperback
Author: Eric Newby
ReleaseDate: September, 1998
Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications
Rating:

A Classic Travel Book
I love the understated title. I read this book, first published in 1958, many years ago. My book club has chosen it as the January discussion book, paired with "The Places in Between" by Rory Stewart. I have enjoyed revisiting Newby's difficult trek through Afghanistan. He wasn't an experienced traveler when he set out. His only training for the trip was hiking through the mountains of Wales. It's a wonder he made it out alive. Another book I've recently enjoyed about this area of the world is Greg Mortenson's "Three Cups of Tea".

A Wonderful, Humorous Description of Travel
He is witty in that British way that many Americans may not understand. Eric Newby does an excellent job in writing about his adventures, or misadventures in the Hindu Kush. However, due to the popularity of Britcoms in the United States, Americans should be able to appreciate Newby's not so subtle humor.

Having traveled extensively myself, I was reminded of life on the road in the Middle East. I have experienced quite a few of the mishaps that Newby and his partner, Hugh Carless, experienced in the 1950s-particularly while the two are driving a station wagon through Turkey. Never drive in the Middle East if you have a bad back or a weak bladder. Newby and Carless are naive travellers and incompetant to tackle the trip they make. However, just by surviving the journey, the two men accomplish an heroic endeavor.

I have read a number of travel writers, for example Bill Bryson, Paul Theroux, and Wilfred Thesiger. Bryson is more humorous than Newby, Theroux is more acerbic, and Thesiger is more wise and experienced. However, Newby takes a special place in my library because he really pushed my travel button. He makes his adventure human, real. I highly recommend his book.

Kush comes to Shove
Frequently hilarious, often amazing, sometimes sad, it is a book well worth the read, even if it is now ancient history. Despite the occasional clunky writing [and who knows maybe because of the rough edges] this book possess a compelling charm that makes it a fun read for the most part, although it does get a tad tedious at times.

Related products:
click image or link for details on these Afghanistan travel books.

	Slowly Down the Ganges
	The Road to Oxiana
	The Last Grain Race