Travel to Afghanistan

The Places In Between

Format: Paperback
Author: Rory Stewart
ReleaseDate: 08 May, 2006
Publisher: Harvest Books
Rating:

Places
Stewart has achieved a rare and timely accomplishment - a literary bridge, spanning East to West, built on a foundation of trust and the respect of others. With personal sacrifice, charm and economy, Mr.

A weary book about a dangerous journey
But in writing his account, the author has missed the opportunity to explain the reasons "why". In walking across Afghanistan just after the fall of the Taliban (and in the winter) Rory Stewart definitely "took chances" and risked his life to complete this walking journey. In the telling it merely presents an assembly of facts (villages, unpronouncable names of people)clearly constituting a major stylistic shortcoming. "The Places in Between" falls short. It is merely a well organized travel diary where it should have been a well presented travel adventure. Even if you do read the book. . . . . all is not lost. The author presents some insight into the centuries old inter rivalries amongst different villages, different cultures, different regions and disparate religious sects. In some useful way the book can serve as a tiny expose' of the taut knot in that region which may inevitably never be "untied" by our country's intervention. .

remarkable
You have pretty much no idea of what is going to happen, when or why you chose such a destination. Travelling in rough countries like Afghanistan is to a traveller like to be an astronaut is for a kid, the thing is you're in your thirties or close. But if you're a traveller these indefinitions will exactly be the main reason for you to go: "I will go and answer for myself".
Compared to Colombus, Babur, Vasco da Gama, Marco Polo we (travel lovers) are simply afortunate persons that have the bless to be able to travel and/or enjoy travel literature.
The author Rory Stewart goes for a country whose images I saw came more from imageguided missils than from 8mm cameras, by the time they were actually being filmed.
Dealing with phisical hunger and several diseases he does a magnificient walk through a pre-civilized country side.
If thought I was a traveller and had "some stories" after this book I felt ridiculous. . .
Hail Rory.

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