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Published in: Media
If you’re fascinated by the prospect of riding a motorcycle for thousands of miles in incredibly remote parts of the world, read on. If you’re entertained by quirky observations and an off-the-wall sense of humor, this is a book for you. If you’re intrigued by the histories and cultures of very foreign lands, you are going to love this book. If you’re into stretching boundaries with full awareness of the risks, then consider this book. If you have a passion for riding off-road, get a copy now.
The Wakan Corridor is the story of a journey made by Jonathan Bransby and his son Gareth, a duo with a taste for adventure and a willingness to push their limits. At the time they made this journey, Gareth on a KTM 990 and Lawrence on his KLE 500, relatively few people were motorcycling through Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan; the old Soviet Union Central Asian countries. There were even fewer along the Pamir Highway, and only rarely did motorcyclists explore the Wakan Corridor.
I wonder whether the mix of his background in Africa, school teaching, novelist, and adventure-riding history is what has made him such a good storyteller. Or, if it’s a natural talent that has adventures like these bursting to escape with such graphic description and great timing.
In the first couple of chapters you may well ask yourself what on earth I was thinking when I wrote the above. But stick with it, because these first chapters are used the way a skilled artist paints the foundational base layers on a canvas in preparation for what’s to come.
Part of Lawrence’s style is that he says what he’s thinking; sometimes, he has his tongue firmly in his cheek, but at other times, he’s making a serious point. I sometimes found this startling, however, this style also left me reconsidering some of my own thoughts. I really appreciate his form of honesty, along with the ability to constantly challenge his own thoughts… not to mention pulling his own leg.
He describes what it’s like to deal with illness on the road where there are no medical facilities of any kind. He discusses the equipment used, mostly chosen because it was affordable, and how they improvised and improved their gear with hand-made modifications, letting you know what worked and what failed.
And there were times when I could imagine the author in another role as a stand-up comedian. His power of observation, combined with outrage or a twinkling eye, could easily hold an audience. His descriptions of Russian hotels, vodka-swilling, and stubborn, unwelcoming Russian hotel managers will keep you entertained. And, at times, you’ll wonder if he’s serious right up to the punchline.
It struck me that anyone planning to ride in this area of the world would do well to read this book. It’s a reality check and a good way to mentally prepare for an adventure of this magnitude—a lot can go wrong in the ’Stans, and it pays to heed the experiences of those who have gone before.
I also appreciated the level of research they did and how they valued the constant kindness of others along the way. Lawrence tucks in snippets of history at just the right moments, which give the tale such a sense of being there, making it so easy to understand both the challenges and the delights they experienced along the way.
The hours reading The Wakan Corridor were well spent; it’s a book of surprises. There are no photos, but right at the start, Lawrence explains that this is simply to keep the cost of the printed book version down. Instead, he invites readers to take a look at his website if they are interested in their photos from the trip, something I highly recommend as well worth doing.
LawrenceBransby.co.uk
Published by Lawrence Bransby, available for purchase at Amazon.co.uk
Price: Paperback—$10.90 | Kindle—$4.98
ISBN: 9781521800027
Continue reading...
If you’re fascinated by the prospect of riding a motorcycle for thousands of miles in incredibly remote parts of the world, read on. If you’re entertained by quirky observations and an off-the-wall sense of humor, this is a book for you. If you’re intrigued by the histories and cultures of very foreign lands, you are going to love this book. If you’re into stretching boundaries with full awareness of the risks, then consider this book. If you have a passion for riding off-road, get a copy now.
The Wakan Corridor is the story of a journey made by Jonathan Bransby and his son Gareth, a duo with a taste for adventure and a willingness to push their limits. At the time they made this journey, Gareth on a KTM 990 and Lawrence on his KLE 500, relatively few people were motorcycling through Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan; the old Soviet Union Central Asian countries. There were even fewer along the Pamir Highway, and only rarely did motorcyclists explore the Wakan Corridor.
I wonder whether the mix of his background in Africa, school teaching, novelist, and adventure-riding history is what has made him such a good storyteller. Or, if it’s a natural talent that has adventures like these bursting to escape with such graphic description and great timing.
In the first couple of chapters you may well ask yourself what on earth I was thinking when I wrote the above. But stick with it, because these first chapters are used the way a skilled artist paints the foundational base layers on a canvas in preparation for what’s to come.
Part of Lawrence’s style is that he says what he’s thinking; sometimes, he has his tongue firmly in his cheek, but at other times, he’s making a serious point. I sometimes found this startling, however, this style also left me reconsidering some of my own thoughts. I really appreciate his form of honesty, along with the ability to constantly challenge his own thoughts… not to mention pulling his own leg.
He describes what it’s like to deal with illness on the road where there are no medical facilities of any kind. He discusses the equipment used, mostly chosen because it was affordable, and how they improvised and improved their gear with hand-made modifications, letting you know what worked and what failed.
And there were times when I could imagine the author in another role as a stand-up comedian. His power of observation, combined with outrage or a twinkling eye, could easily hold an audience. His descriptions of Russian hotels, vodka-swilling, and stubborn, unwelcoming Russian hotel managers will keep you entertained. And, at times, you’ll wonder if he’s serious right up to the punchline.
I also appreciated the level of research they did and how they valued the constant kindness of others along the way. Lawrence tucks in snippets of history at just the right moments, which give the tale such a sense of being there, making it so easy to understand both the challenges and the delights they experienced along the way.
The hours reading The Wakan Corridor were well spent; it’s a book of surprises. There are no photos, but right at the start, Lawrence explains that this is simply to keep the cost of the printed book version down. Instead, he invites readers to take a look at his website if they are interested in their photos from the trip, something I highly recommend as well worth doing.
LawrenceBransby.co.uk
Published by Lawrence Bransby, available for purchase at Amazon.co.uk
Price: Paperback—$10.90 | Kindle—$4.98
ISBN: 9781521800027
Continue reading...
