'Why Don't You Fly?' Back Door to Beijing - by Bicycle by Christopher Ja Smith

'Why Don't You Fly?' Back Door to Beijing - by Bicycle by Christopher Ja Smith

In May 2000 Chris Smith left his comfortable Worcestershire home, but instead of cycling the routine twelve miles to work, he kept on pedalling. Thirteen months later (having fallen off six times and worn out three sets of tyres, three chains and two pairs of boots) he arrived in Beijing. During a gruelling 16,500-mile examination of physical and mental stamina he traversed scorching deserts, scaled lofty peaks, crossed mighty rivers and risked extinction in the chaotic traffic of the cities. He ate and drank in roadside caf s in the company of inquisitive lorry drivers and shared dormitories with farm hands and mosquitoes in remote Chinese villages. He survived bugs, blizzards, cockroaches, heat, hurricanes, sandstorms, cyclones, stone-throwing locals and lunatic drivers. Sceptical western existentialism encountered religious fatalism in the caf s and teahouses of the Middle East and India during a physical and spiritual journey that constantly raised questions about attitudes and values widely taken for granted in the West. 'Why Don't You Fly?' is the account of an epic quest to rediscover a misplaced sense of identity in which exhilaration and exhaustion trade positions against a backdrop of prodigious physical endeavour. 'Fascinating reading.' -- 'Limited Edition' Magazine 'Smith's smart, honest prose is crafted superbly and peppered with wonderful moments of drama, dialogue and real humanity'. -- 'Asia and Away' Magazine

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781905203253
ISBN 10	190520325X
Title	'Why Don't You Fly?' Back Door to Beijing - by Bicycle
Author	Christopher Ja Smith
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Pen Press Publishers
Year published	2005-08-15
Number of pages	296
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.