Brady Fotheringham, a Canadian from Vancouver joins tow Brits in Beijing, China. Their plan is to bicycle the Silk Road from Urumpi, China to Islamabad, Pakistan. He discovers what my wife and I have discovered on our long bicycle tours- it is the people you meet along the way that make the best memories. He also took a side trip into Afghanistan via car and guide in the time period when the Taliban were gaining the upper hand on the warlords. He includes photos of the Taliban soldiers which he took with their permission.

The entire trip took from July to September, 1997.

Fotheringham is a journalist and his prose is extremely readable. One learns much about the history & culture of each country and area through which he traveled. A wonderful travelogue about an exciting and dangerous places. ( )

From the mendacious claims on its cover, to its inaccurate photo-captions and error-ridden barely literate text, quite simply the worst travel book on Chinese Central Asia and beyond ever written. A study in stupidity, prejudice, and ignorance, enjoyable only for its side-splitting incoherence. The sort of book people pick up, glance at, and then with a look of disbelief on their faces insist on reading out loud. ( )