52 Days by Camel: My Sahara Adventure (Adventure Travel) - Softcover

Raskin, Lawrie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1550375180 ISBN 13: 9781550375183

Publisher: Annick Press, 1998

Synopsis

Since childhood, Lawrie Raskin has been fascinated by the Sahara desert. Raskin, working with children's writer/editor Debora Pearson, chronicles a remarkable trip to "mysterious" Timbuktu -- and then "beyond the beyond," to the distant mines of Taoudeni, one of the most remote locations on Earth. On his travels, Raskin confronts danger and harsh elements, but is able to thoroughly immerse himself in the ancient and fascinating traditions of desert culture.

The journal-style text and lavish photographs invite the reader to partake in his adventures and splendid discoveries. Raskin, infused with enthusiasm and great wit, chronicles what it's like to travel over seas of orange sand, spend nights looking for "lighthouses" in the desert, experience the remarkable smell of camel's breath, toil in a salt pit, explore nomad camps and desert cities, and much more. Each chapter features a map tracking the progress of his travels, as well as informative sidebars.

About this title

About the Author

Lawrie Raskin has always been enthralled with the Sahara Desert. He has lived with desert nomads and traveled with them on their camel caravans. As a result of his many trips to North Africa and the Middle East, he became fluent in Arabic, filmed TV documentaries, worked as an expedition guide and sold his photographs to various media around the globe.

As a youngster, Raskin was deeply affected by children's books about nomadic life and the desert. In his teens, his imagination was further stirred by seeing the epic film Lawrence of Arabia. On numerous occasions in the thirty-odd years that followed, he visited, explored and lived in desert regions from the Sahara to Afghanistan. These journeys included several lengthy adventures on camelback, learning the ways and dialects of the desert peoples, with the dream of someday reaching the legendary caravan city of Timbuktu.

Raskin has lived many adventures in Toronto, London, Fez, Marrakesh, Cairo, Jackson's Point and Tichitt (Mauritania), before moving to Kingston, Ontario. He studied with the Faculty of Architecture in Toronto, and held previous positions as architect, graphic designer, interior designer, photographer and expedition organizer/leader. Raskin now works as a design consultant and photographer in Kingston, Ontario, where he maintains a collection of over 400 camels.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Excerpt

How I Became a Desert Explorer

Ever since I was a kid growing up in Toronto, I wanted to see the desert. I'm an adult now, but I can still remember the first time I thought about taking a desert adventure. I had read a comic book in which Donald Duck and his nephews went to the Sahara, rode camels over sand dunes, and visited an oasis. I was so fascinated with this story that I read that comic over and over until it fell apart!

Later on, when I was a teenager, I saw a movie that made me want to go to the desert even more. The movie was Lawrence of Arabia, and I couldn't get enough of the scenes that were shot in the actual desert. I saw Lawrence of Arabia again and again, and it had the same effect on me as reading the comic book had years before, only stronger. I absolutely had to see a desert for myself. And so, several years later, I traveled to Africa to see the Sahara, the world's largest desert.

Some people who go to a place for the first time have a feeling that they've been there before. For me, that place is the Sahara. On my first trip there I felt like I belonged, almost like I had returned to my real home. I wanted to explore everything there, from the things that seemed strangely familiar to the things that seemed just plain strange.

Since my first trip there, I've explored the Sahara many more times. Going "home" all those times has changed my life and turned me into a desert expert. I've learned how to speak Arabic, lived with desert peoples, and organized many expeditions through the Sahara. I've discovered lots about life in the desert, but there will always be much more for me to learn -- that's why I'll keep going back as often as I can. On each trip, I get excited all over again!

Exploring the desert has been -- and is -- the best adventure of my life. I hope that as you take this trip with me you'll feel some of the excitement I've felt. And who knows? Perhaps you'll start to think about some great adventures you can take, too!

Lawrie Raskin

About this edition

• Publisher: Annick Press
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 1550375180
• ISBN 13: 9781550375183
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 88