So, he gets drunk at the office Christmas Party, and tells everybody that he's giving up his job to take off on a large motorcycle, and go wherever the road takes him.
There's just one problem - he can't ride a bike...........................
Being a biker with a penchant for travelling and visiting places, I've always enjoyed 'road' books. From Ted Simon's 'Jupiters Travels' to the latest McGregor/Boorman epic, I've read them nearly all, but seldom have I enjoyed one as much as this.
The journey for Mike is partly to get away and resolve some issues arising from his recent divorce, partly a search for the answer to why men have mid-life crises (apparently always at the age of 42, which is also the answer to life and everything), but mostly because he's bored with his life as it is.
And so he travels to Wales to learn to ride, and buys himself a big BMW, because that's what Ewan and Charlie did, right? and sets off to cover 20,000 miles and 27 countries in a 6 month period. Along the way, he meets other bikers, and locals, and yes, he does find some answers, but often the answers themselves raise more questions.
This book is often moving, funny, witty, and Mike Carter writes with an honesty about himself and his life that is refreshing and sometimes very intimate. As a journalist, he has the knack of being able to convey scenes and emotions in just a few words, and so the book is fast-paced and lively, emminently readable, and it will interest the non-bikers as well. What more could you want from a travelogue?
Rating: 5/5
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