The Wheels Fall Off This Adventure

Sun Herald

Sunday November 23, 2008

Rosemarie Milsom

By Any Means: From Wicklow To Sydney

Charley Boorman With Jeff Galvin

(Sphere, $35)

Actor Charley Boorman is better known for his adventures on a motorbike than for his film roles. With longtime friend and fellow thespian Ewan McGregor he has ridden around the world - from London to New York, through Europe, Russia, Mongolia, Alaska and Canada - and the length of Africa.

The expeditions, which were called Long Way Round and Long Way Down, became successful television series and books. On this trip, though, Boorman sets off without his Scottish mate.

The plan for the By Any Means 31/2-month journey from Ireland to Australia is hatched by Boorman and previous expedition leader Russ Malkin one night in a Spanish hotel. Boorman expresses a desire to participate in the Australian Safari, "a southern hemisphere Dakar with bikes, cars and trucks" starting in Kununurra and finishing in Perth six days later.

Rather than simply board a plane, the pair decides to make the trip more interesting and challenging by using a range of transport - from trains to tuk-tuks, camels to container ships. And, unlike the previous big-budget expeditions, there will only be the two men plus Mungo the cameraman.

It has the makings of an action-filled romp but, disappointingly, the true adventure takes a while to get started. The European leg lacks imagination, dulling the narrative.

Boorman is a die-hard motorhead so there are countless references to the performance side of things: "I was on the classic MV [a motorbike], which threatened to tank-slap when I let go of the handlebars: John [McGuinness, a world record-holding racer] was on a stock Fireblade and he popped the front wheel beautifully as we set off."

Nothing of the technical side interested me. Once they leave behind the well-ridden roads of Europe for more challenging paths through the Middle East and Asia, I was drawn back into the action.

The route includes Iran, India, Nepal, China, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand and is filled with open-hearted people who help the men every step of the way.

While the By Any Means expedition will make for great viewing (the six-part series will be shown on the National Geographic Channel in January), at times Boorman's written account reads like a hastily prepared overview. Given the trip concluded in Sydney in July, the race to publish meant there wasn't much time for reflection. The dialogue between the men seems contrived and the narrative isn't as effective as that in the previous books.

Motorbike enthusiasts and rev heads will get a kick out of the grease and horsepower - it's all very blokey - but I'll be looking forward to the television series where the camera will do the story-telling.

The Book Of Islands

Philip Dodd & Ben Donald

(Cameron House, $59.95)

"It is extraordinary to find a whole country still living like a hermit crab in the shell left by its former masters." Writer Nigel Tisdall is referring to Sao Tome, an island in the Gulf of Guinea where, until the 1970s, the Portuguese had for centuries overseen sprawling plantations of coffee and cocoa.

I had never heard of Sao Tome before delving into this good-looking hardcover. It features 200 islands, many of which have inspired great art, literature and film, as well as fuelling our sense of adventure.

The authors have written short essays on each island, capturing the diverse characteristics of the landscape and its people, offering travellers a tantalising taste of what awaits them. You won't discover the best value-for-money hotel on St Barts but you'll learn about famous islands and the unfamiliar, such as Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic, which is geographically the loneliest inhabited island in the world.

The Book Of Islands is an informative, inspirational mix of strong writing and stunning photography. Despite its bulk, I couldn't put it down.

The Big Trip: Your Ultimate Guide To Gap Years And Overseas Adventures

Edited by George Dunford

(Lonely Planet, $30)

An overseas adventure is a rite of passage for many young Australians. This is the perfect Christmas-stocking filler for those considering taking off to explore the world. I've sat and listened to my 17-year-old's travel plans and The Big Trip will provide the reality check he and his mates so badly need.

This all-you-need-to-know guide covers a vast array of topics - from applying for visas, planning an itinerary and "escaping the parent trap" to looking for work and being a culturally sensitive traveller.

Drawing on Lonely Planet's team of writers and researchers, every topic is covered and tailored to the specific needs of tech-savvy, peripatetic Gen Y and Z. There is also a segment on blogging to earn a buck and details about freelancing.

Divided neatly into thematic and geographic chapters such as The Festival Circuit, The Adventure Trail, Tailoring Your Trip, Europe and Africa, the information within each is presented in bite-sized chunks. The thumbnail travellers' tales towards the end also make for interesting reading.

Taschen's Paris: Hotels, Restaurants & Shops

Angelika Taschen

(Taschen, $75)

Angelika Taschen's Paris is a place filled with designer labels, architectural beauty and sumptuous interiors.

No grungy Bastille bars or chain stores for this European powerhouse, known for publishing countless interiors books and coffee-table titles.

This weighty hardcover with its top-class photography and stylish design also looks the part. Taschen has divided the book into three chapters covering the key features of any urban destination - hotels, restaurants and shops - but overlooks Paris's cultural attractions, leaving the obvious to the more pragmatic travel guides.

Short on information apart from the basics - and yet with a who's-who of guests, patrons, designers and chefs - her Paris is a visual feast more than anything. You'll see Hemingway's favourite brasserie, Tom Ford's secret hideaway, and Picasso's favourite restaurant.

The author with an eye for aesthetics has homed in on both the well-known and more discreet haunts of the well-heeled.

Read it and dream.

As You Do: Adventures With Evel, Oliver, And The Vice-President Of Botswana

Richard Hammond

(Weidenfeld & Nicolson, $35)

Dishy British Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond doesn't like to say no to a challenge and, as we all know, it nearly killed him. In 2006 he suffered a serious brain injury after a dramatic crash.

He was trying to break the British land-speed record. He is lucky to be alive but the accident has done little to dampen his penchant for pushing boundaries.

In this humorous account of his travels for the television series, Hammond agrees to race to the North Pole by dog sled, drive a yellow 1963 Opel Kadett across Botswana and test ride a home-made amphibious car in the English Channel.

He is a witty narrator and is able to recount the chaos and hilarity of his exploits so the reader feels close to the action. (Meeting his hero Evel Knievel while making a BBC documentary is a perfect example.) Unlike Charley Boorman, he doesn't get bogged down in mechanical detail; his childlike enthusiasm and zest for adventure is what shines through.