Synopsis
“India and Asia Lite” Mark and Helen Fawcett are in their fifties. They are jaded with the comforts and routines of middle-class life in New Zealand and their marriage has become “business-like”. They need some adventure, so decide to rediscover the thrill of long-term backpacking that they had experienced in their twenties. They take a year off; to venture to strange, out-of-the-way places and put themselves at the mercy of the unfamiliar and unexpected. Organising it all requires extensive planning and they have to overcome numerous unexpected obstacles. Carrying their fourteen pound packs, they arrive in Mumbai, and then travel down the west coast of India to Cape Comorin in the far south. They are rudely reminded how travelling in India is both physically and mentally tough. After journeying up the east coast of the sub-continent, inland to Varanasi and to Sikkim in the Himalayas, they travel east to Thailand. They then continue through the South-East-Asian counties of Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Borneo and Indonesia, before heading home. They meet fascinating people; like the two young Indian university students who had secretly married out of caste, meanwhile the girl’s mafia father was busily arranging her marriage. They visit unforgettable places like Mumbai’s Dharavi slum and S21 (a Khmer Rouge interrogation centre). Even the apparently simple process of getting from one place to the next is often challenging and always captivating. Mark and Helen also discover how the region’s political, social, religious and environmental issues affect the locals and give historical backgrounds to add perspective, interest and emotion to the journey. The trip changes them: they gain a wider perspective on life and restore their faith in humanity. It enhances their characters and they rebuild their relationship. They gain invaluable travel experience and share it in a “Tips” section which details the planning necessary before the journey begins, along with budgeting and practical advice on how to stay safe, travel light and avoid rip-offs when ‘on the road’.
About the Author
Travel and other cultures have been a passion all my life. My father was an airline executive and, as a family, we travelled frequently. In my late teens and early twenties, I travelled overseas at least once a year. From 1975 to 1980, I began and consolidated an advertising career, before getting married and going overseas on a "two-year honeymoon". My wife and I travelled, pretty much continuously, to twenty-six countries over a two year period. In our early fifties, we became jaded with the monotony of middle-age and middle-class life and decided to take a year off and travel. My goal was to immerse ourselves in the local cultures, so I read many books on the countries we planned to visit and many more when we were actually travelling. We got well off the beaten track and talked to locals everywhere about their lives, their challenges, governments, religions and social problems. I travelled with a highly observant eye and an enquiring mind and followed the local media avidly. I believe my personal values and experience of life allow me to make some insightful and compelling observations on what we saw and what we heard. Many people aspire to what we did, but lack the courage or know-how to actually do it. What we did will inspire them. What we learned will support them.
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