Some of my Reads....

In an attempt to edgeukate myself, and prepare for this trip I have been reading like an old wizard.
Some of the titles I recently picked up;

Shake hands with the devil-Romeo Dallaire. I got this when I found out I was heading to Rwanda. I knew the story, and hes actually a friend of my fathers, and I met him back in the day, but the book is something else. A first hand account of the Genocide that took place in Rwanda in 1994. The man has more or less lost his right mind, as what he endured was so horrific.

Worlds Most Dangerous places -Robert Young Pelton. I have a massive fan of RYP, and his Dangerous Places series. Its a must have for any traveller, adventurer, journalist or interested reader. You cant not have a copy.(iheart double negatives) His website comebackalive.com is the bees knees.

The Travel Detective- Peter Greenberg. Mr Greenberg is arguably the most travelled man on the planet, and he compiled together a book full of 'how to's in the travel industry. He is the travel editor for NBCs Today Show, chief correspondent for the Discovery Channel, editor at large for National Geographic Traveler magazine, and a buttload of other uber high credentials. His book lets readers in on the best and biggest secrets in the travel industry. Example; have you heard of bereavement fare? Didnt think so.

Memoirs of a Seafaring Life- The narrative of William Spavens. This is a gem I found at a hole-in-the-wall used bookstore a couple of weeks ago. Its a written journal of a young sailor in the 1750s, on a massive clipper heading to new and strange lands. I never gave interest of that crap in history class in high school, but now that I dont have awful teachers spoonfeeding me, I discover them for myself, and find them extremely interesting. I was looking for old books on Blue Water sailing(how I plan to cross the Oceans) and this is brilliant. It accounts the ocean crossings, the sights and smells, and finding new land and peoples. Its pretty crazy. It alos has beautiful drawings I notmally scan over, but now appreciate. Probably becuase of the Belmont Buzz.

Back in 6 Years- Tony Robinson-Smith. I grabbed this one last night, and its pretty much a book about a British guy who did the exact thing Im planning, with a few minor tweaks. A Brit teaching in Japan, and fed up with a mundane life, he quits his job and almost overnight embarks on a journey around the world with no flights. He did it with alot more money, and planning than Im doing, but he did it non-stop for six years, and no problems. It was from 1993-1999.I also lucked out with a signed copy!

Gangs I & II- Ross Kemp. The Vic Mackey look-alike Mr Kemp is a reknown presenter and one of the foremost experts on global street gangs. Due to the nature of this expedition, Im expecting run-ins with violent street gangs, and hostile situations, so Im doing as much planning on it as I can, as its most likely the worst situation I can find myslef in. Sort of a 'hope for the best, expect the worst' kind of deal. His books, and programmes on British TV are the tits when it comes to learnign about the likes of the MS-13, Skinheads and other violent street gangs. Im going to be talking more about this topic soon. He was also on EastEnders!

The Alchemist-Paulo Coelho. Arguably the best book of all time, and although not needed for my prep, I never leave home without my tattered copy. If you havent read it yet, I suggest you do so, right MEOW.

A photo of the covers, and one of the ever-curious Daisy interrupting. Such a sweetheart.
A few others as well....
P.S. LONELY PLANET GUIDES SUCK LEMONS