David C Moore

#1 AMAZON BEST SELLER IN TRAVELOGUES

ONE OF THE "TOP 10 BOOKS OF 2018" LIST ON THE RENOWNED REVIEW WEBSITE AMY'S BOOKSHELF REVIEW.

EDITORIAL REVIEWS:

“This book is a winner! David and Helene’s mega post-retirement adventure is a wonderful blend of what the best travelogues encompass.

Having been to all 15 countries that David and Helene experienced during their 10 month journey, I felt the essence of each country fully again. David displays a talent for balancing historical and geographical information, cultural dynamics, vivid descriptions of world famous sites, meaningful encounters with locals.

His engaging and flowing writing style makes for a pleasurable read; often provoking food-for-thought and at other times his humorous anecdotes had me laughing out loud. Excellent for armchair and active travelers alike!”

- Irene Butler International Travel Writer

Author of “Trekking the Globe with Mostly Gentle Footsteps: Twelve Countries in Twelve Months”

“What a great way to tell a story about travelling around the world with information about the history of the countries and details of all the places visited. I just loved their sense of humour with insights of their personal life. A must read book.

There is only one way to express my review of the author's (and his wife's) travel writing: Please take me with you on your next trip”

– Michael K, NetGalley Reviewer

"One thought on ‘Turning Left Around the World’ by David C Moore: Impressive and inspiring”

- Anne Cater, Books are Cool

"This was a fantastic story about following your dreams. David and Helene had such a fantastic time and meet wonderful people and visited such fantastic places. I raced through this fantastic book and. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved hearing about lonely George. A top read". – Carley Adair Net Galley Reviewer

"A great journey, full of laughter, a few tears and lots of heart. It's romantic and adventurous, amusing and understanding, a story to enjoy"

- Claire Ashton, Book Blogger.co

“A book well worth reading, without being staid or preaching it has geography, history, adventure laughs and pathos, a truly enjoyable read. I hope all who read it enjoy it as much as I”

- E.M.Parker, Amazon Reviewer

“I am a retired tour operator and I’ve never read a better travel book. It’s a book to read prior to traveling to any place David talks about and if you can’t travel to those places, by reading the book you will feel like you had. Great job and I’m loving the humor!”

- Jan Jackson, Country Traveler

“Wow, what a book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about David and Helene’s amazing around the world adventure.

David’s writing style was friendly, while being informative, funny and also conveying sometimes sad historic events which happened in the countries they visited. There are many photos included too which were all stunning and helped illustrate the adventures they had.

I would absolutely love to take a trip like this – unfortunately health and wealth prohibit me but I really enjoyed reading about all these magnificent countries. South America has never hugely appealed to me but this book definitely changed my mind about that. I loved the way the couple decided on where to visit – a map and a pile of blue and pink pins and boom – a ten month once in a lifetime experience. I also loved hearing about all the people they met on their travels and how they immersed themselves into the local cultures and took part in the traditions of places and people they visited.

This was an easy to read book which I struggled to put down. It has definitely fired up the travel bug once again in me and even though currently my destinations may have to be closer to home, I have found a new way of seeing and exploring things and have definitely added a few more places to my bucket list!

Some of my favourite bits and quotes –

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do, than by the ones you did do.

So, throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your ails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

H. Jackson Brown Jr. – Foreword

“The first day of our adventures was not shaping up the way I expected. It just happened to be the day of Chile’s elections, odd day for elections but that’s okay. So, Sunday 2nd July, voting day, was declared a ‘dry vote day’. No alcohol to be served in any bar, restaurant or hotel until 2 hours after voting closed at 11pm so that everyone could vote sober. Great!”

“We then attempted the walk across the Bridge Of Sighs. Custom has it that you hold hands and then hold your breath and then walk across with your loved one. If you can both hold your breath all the way across your wishes will come true. On the third attempt we made it”

“If I thought Fiji was rugby mad that’s nothing compared to the Kiwis… comically most of the toilet symbols are rugby balls for men and footballs for women”

“Our flight from Sydney to Uluru… took over 3 hours and moved our timezone back by an hour and half – I always thought time zones were in full hours, apparently not, there are even some that move by 15 minutes”

“It was Nippers Day at Coogee Beach and Santa was due to arrive on a surfboard, I was not missing this”

Waving beads and bible in his crutched hand he raised his other palm with fingers spread. Not quite sure what this meant I gave him a ‘high-five’. ‘What on earth are you doing David?’ screamed Helene. ‘You don’t high-five a Buddhist monk!'”

“pointing to the tray hanging in a cinema usherette style from the neck of a fierce looking local lady. Instead of ice creams, confectionery, popcorn and Kia – Ora drinks her tray displayed coiled snake on a stick, brochettes of scorpions, barbecued tarantula, big black bugs that could have been cockroaches and an assortment of plump white grubs, possibly wichetty.”

“I had the most extraordinary toilet experience in the airport lounge high-tech loos. It sensed me walking into the trap so the toilet seat rose automatically in a welcoming kind of look up from a bow, and bizarrely a rather comforting blue light came on in the bowl itself. This was not the only comfort, the seat itself was heated… upon sitting the personal piped music began to play…there was a digital display just above the auto loo roll dispenser offering a variety of flashing buttons and symbols including spray, +/- spray strength, nozzle position, cleansing, wide/narrow, bidet, blow and massage. Massage? Well we promised to try everything” – I couldn’t resist a toilet one!

“The tannoy announced that ‘crying children should be taken into the vestibules immediately and those leaving the train should do so in an orderly fashion'”

– The Spoonie Mummy

“This inspirational ‘grey-gap-year’ tale will make you laugh and cry”

– Andrew Morris, Editor of the Silver Travel Adviser

“I’m pleased to have been able to enjoy reading about David and Helene’s adventure, reading about the people that they met along the way. But far more I enjoyed reading about all the places David and Helene visited.

The glossy pictures with over 100 stunning photos in this book are amazing, I can’t seem to pick my favourite but I do really adore the photo where Helen is creating with a stick in the sand a sign saying Merry Christmas, which was their Christmas card at Thala Beach Nature Reserve to be photographed and forwarded to friends and family back home.”

– Bookread2day

“The book is well written and very easy to read. The travels were enlightened by sometimes very humorous interaction between David and his wife Helene, his tongue in cheek wit and Helene’s comebacks often had me laughing out loud.”

– Jane Wright, Amazon Reviewer

“I found this book to be a thoroughly enjoyable and informative read in its own right; full of interesting insights into the history and cultures of countries around the world. The author’s personal perspective and the couples’ exploits throughout the book are highly entertaining.

For the discerning yet inexperienced traveller and would-be explorer it presents the reader with a cornucopia of fascinating destinations to inspire and challenge; whether they are looking for remote environments to discover endangered flora and fauna, thought provoking ancient civilisations, or the sheer luxury of an exclusive Fijian Island.

If you are unsure of your next destination this book is a motivational must read!”

– Andrea Smith

"David and Helene share their enthralling ten-month adventure living the dream gap year of a lifetime. Most of us can only imagine visiting some of these iconic locations, but to include so many destinations in one extended around the world trip is truly inspirational. I must go and purchase my map and pins, top up my piggy bank and start plotting my bucket list, after all, this is not a rehearsal! Look forward to hearing about their next adventures“

- Sally Lock - Creative Director, Silversurfers.com

“I enjoyed Turning Left Around the World and David’s style of writing is just right for a memoir of this kind—funny, self-deprecating at times, and humorous, while also being instructive about the local cultures and traditions that they encountered and experienced. I also liked the numerous photographs that accompanied the descriptions of the countries they were exploring”

- Gisela Dixon, Readers’ Favourite

"An entertaining must-read for any discerning traveller"

- Audley Traveller magazine

“I really liked the concept of this book. Its non-fiction which I liked and it’s about a mature couple with older kids who decide to jet around the world and their path is charted by basically turning left.

I liked the places visited and it’s a super quick engaging read. I kept stopping to google things to see what they looked like or what the history behind it was. I liked that the author took time to describe certain things in such detail that I wanted to go find out more”.

- Kay R, NetGalley Reviewer

“The book is written sequentially, covering their 306 days on the road in 30 separate chapters.

David’s writing style is conversational, and he is an entertaining host on this epic journey. The relationship and banter between David and Helene adds a nice warm, human touch to the physical aspects of the trip.

“‘What on earth is this?’ I asked my wife Helene, as she presented me with a large tube accompanied by two boxes of pins, one blue the other pink. ‘It’s not more DIY is it? You know I don’t like DIY.’

‘No, and you’re not very good at it either. This is about us, now you’re planning to retire.’”

But amongst the light-hearted luxurious approach to their adventure, David and Helene resolve to ‘try anything once‘, and David proves to be an astute observer of people, culture and history in each place, with a touching respect for local traditions and sensitivities.

Their itinerary included many of the ‘must-sees‘ around the world. I’ve shied away from joining the hordes of people invading Peru’s Machu Picchu, but David’s insight into the Lost City of the Incas, and particularly its remarkably enlightened Emperor Pachacutec, may have swayed me:

“Anticipating many years in advance, he instructed his R&D deparment to scrutinise the area within 100 km of the capital Cusco to identify a defensible area they could retreat to if there was an invasion.

Seems to me Pachacutec was thinking when, not if. His brief had three strategic requirements: it must be geographically impregnable, provide a natural water supply and have innate resources to enable them to build a small self-sufficient city

Machu Picchu was constructed in the 15th century, on a ridge almost 2,500m high up in the Andes, abandoned a century later when the Spanish Conquistadores arrived, but was not really known to the outside world until 1911. Remarkable.”

I had tears in my eyes reading what David says about the Killing Fields of Cambodia; “ the brutal and barbaric torture at Tuol Seng under the despotic Communist rule of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, responsibe for the deaths of over two million of his own people, or 1 in 4 of the population. Madness.”

There are plenty of light-hearted and uplifting experiences along the way, and if you like a travel book to entertain, educate and enrich your life, Turning Left Around The World absolutely achieves that.

Thank you, David & Helene.”

– Andrew Morris, literary editor of the Silver Travel Book Club,

“I’ve always enjoyed a travelogue, they are the only type of non-fiction that I read but I have never read one that has so much detail or which has visited so many countries. I was familiar with only one of them

It was evident that they both had a wonderful time and that the destinations they chose were the right ones for them. It must be difficult to narrow down the most memorable moments when you spend a whopping ten months travelling.

The one that appealed most was Thailand, and the chapters that covered this part of the world were my favourite. They were followed by some visits that upset me a lot and they concerned Cambodia. I had heard of The Killing Fields but knew nothing about what happened. David describes meeting a survivor, and you could see how emotional this made him both in his writing and the photo at the end of the book.

The photos that are scattered throughout are brilliant. Some are of views and the people that they meet. Some are where the person in the shot were unaware. All of them are amazing.

I enjoyed the way they interacted with each other. David was more of a daredevil, Helene less willing to participate in some of the more risky activities and some of the dining opportunities. I would be more like Helene.

I read this book over a few days but it is one that you could read over a period of time. There will definitely be parts that I read again.”

– Stephanie Rothwell, Steph’s Book Blog

"This is a truly impressive and inspiring travelogue.

At an age when some people might consider putting their feet up after a busy career, David sets off to see those places in the world he’s always wanted to. He’s given a gentle prod – or maybe it’s more like a shove, at least to start with – from his partner Helene, who sounds to be one of those wonderfully organised and energetic people that many of us wish we were, but never quite find the energy! They take in the places Helene’s longed to see too.

The couple do things thoroughly and hire guides when they arrive at their various far-flung destinations so as to get an insider’s view of the place. They thus glean every interesting nugget of information possible, which the author then shares with us.

The whole book is a rich tapestry of snatches of their interactions, historical and geological background facts, social commentary, people-watching and detailed observation of the cultures they immerse themselves in. It’s totally absorbing and immensely readable.

There’s no overwhelming or impersonal info-dumping. The author has a wonderful flowing style that is so easy to take in. I can’t remember absolutely every fact he shares, but I’ve stored a lot of them away and hope to drop them smugly into those conversations that begin with ‘Did you know…?’!

David and Helene travel to an astounding assortment of fascinating places in Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Hawaii, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia (the only spot on their itinerary that I’ve been to!), Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, China and Japan. And that’s possibly just for starters since Helene asks where they’re planning to go next. Maybe this wasn’t the once-in-a-lifetime trip David thought it was!

There are emotional ups and downs to match the physical ascents and descents they make, muddles, a few shocks and frustrations, but the overall mood is of excitement and optimism. They bump into all sorts of people, from quirky to downright scary! Truly never a dull moment.

Their massive undertaking is an inspiration, and a reminder that life is for living to the full. Hats off to David and Helene for having the courage and determination to go for their dream, and I can’t wait to see if there’ll be a sequel…"

- Anne Cater, Books are Cool

“Turning Left Around the World allows you to go on an epic journey without leaving your armchair. It's part guidebook, part memoir and simply an immersing and interesting read. If you love to travel, or read about those countries you've always dreamed of visiting, then you'll enjoy this book.

The book is divided into different sections, with each section devoted to a country that David and Helene visited. It's in an easy to read and enjoyable format, and what's more, a host of wonderful photographs accompany each chapter, so you get to see where they visited, helping to enhance what you read.

I love these type of travel guides that share the nitty gritty realities of travelling. Nothing is left unsaid and I really did feel as if I was on the journey with them. We get to read the conversations between them as they work out where to go and what to do. I loved this insight. But for me, it was those little gems that they shared, that only someone who had visited a country and immersed themselves in the culture could possibly know, these moments were truly special.

I read this book from beginning to end, so I followed their chronological journey, but you could also easily dip in and out of his book, focusing on your favourite places to visit. It's a book that can be used as an insightful travel guide, or as I did, to simply learn more about a country's culture and everyday life. It's a remarkable story about a couple who refused to wear those slippers after retirement. It's a lovely read”.

– Jo Worgan, Brew and Books Review

“There is so much that I want to share with you from this book but can’t through not wanting to spoil your reading. It was absolutely fascinating. What you get here is an ample sized paperback that is told by David about the trip of a lifetime that he took with his wife, Helene. It is about their personal experiences but also filled with history and factual information. Suffice to say, I did have to keep stopping to give my family titbits of interesting information. It was like watching the Discovery Channel but in a book.

As all the chapters are fairly short (they are broken down into places visited for 3-5 days), it’s easy to pick up and put down over several days and really absorb all that information. The book has a photo at the start of each chapter as well as a few more dotted throughout the book. I would have liked to have seen a few more but as the scenes were described so perfectly, I could imagine it myself.

I loved the relationship between Helene and David. David comes across as a typical English gent with that quirky sense of humour that only another Brit can get. Helene is the organiser and the ‘carer’ that so many of us have to be to our husbands “you need more layers on”. Yep we all do it. She is also the brunt of her husband’s loveable teasing even though she is prepared to have a go at new experiences. It comes across really well. I would like to say to Helene that you are not alone in a “Magic Kingdom Moment”, yep I had one too and my family still tease me mercilessly.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think it would make a great present for anyone who likes travel, nature or history of other cultures and customs. Or just go ahead and treat yourself, it really is a great read.”

– Linda Hill, Tea & Cake for the Soul

“The story begins as David and Helene hire a travel agency to help tailor an itinerary that includes plenty of adventure, culture, time in the deserts, rainforests and jungle, as well as opportunities to discover foods and wines of each county they visit.

David’s writing style is conversational, witty, fun and very easy to read. He is an entertaining host on this epic journey. As he and Helene travel through fifteen countries, David tells the tale of their adventures in an intriguing, funny and occasionally tragic way.

The book is written sequentially, covering 306 days on the road in 30 separate chapters. Each chapter is filled with bucket list worthy adventure and David introduces readers to all of the fabulous guides that help along the way. After reading this book, I’ve now decided that whenever I travel, I want a guide to hold my spot in the queue everywhere I go!

Over 100 color photographs from most of the destinations help readers get the sense of tagging along and enjoying the sights right along with them. I especially enjoyed the lighthearted banter between David and Helene which added a warm human touch to the physical aspects of the trip.

The chapter dedicated to Machu Picchu, was near and dear to my heart as Peru is a bucket list hiking destination for myself. Reading David’s spin of the history of the area added to my desire to travel there.

With so many destinations on their itinerary, readers can experience unique and fascinating destinations that may be out of reach for their own travel plans. David thoroughly brought me in as a reader and I felt like I was a stowaway who managed to get away with hiding among their limited luggage and traveled with them for free.

Each chapter could stand on its own as a snippet of a fascinating travel log. Put together, readers can enjoy parts of the world they have only read about on the Internet or in travel magazines.

I highly recommend Turning Left Around the World. In every chapter, readers will surely experience plenty of their own Magic Kingdom moments and may just decide that turning left is the right way to travel through life”.

– Travels with Bibi

“An incredible journey. ‘Turning Left Around The World’ is funny, poignant, sad and inspirational”

- The Silver Travel Book Club

“I’m a huge fan of Michael Palin and travel books as a whole – this looked really up my street and I liked how the book moved quickly into the trip after a brief introduction.

I liked the idea of upping sticks and going for it but the tag ‘an entertaining and informative travel book for those who have the health, wealth and ambition to explore the world in style’ kind of made it seem very much aimed at those with money; however wouldn’t we all dream of travelling the world in style – I know I do, anyways.

The book is written in a simple yet descriptive style; it’s really easy to read and I really enjoyed it. I couldn’t relate to the story as I’m not well travelled but the places in the book have made me want to go and see the world.

The book also contains lots of colour photographs which work really well and it’s a really nice read”

– Between the Covers

“A man after my own heart, clearly born to turn left and why not if you can afford it? After all when you reach a certain age comfort is right there at the top of the criteria list for silver wanderlust.

David and Helene embark on a trip of a lifetime making use of local guides, more than decent accommodation and of course first class travel. They had more or less stuck pins in a map of the places they wanted to see and Audley Travel did them proud by creating a unique itinerary to suit their needs.

As both a passionate traveller and geographer I love the geographical references to seismic activity and the like such as the Chilean earthquake tracker…. yes earthquakes are far more frequent than we might like to think!

Not only is the account of his travels amusing but it contained lots of interesting facts and tips one of which I will take on board when visiting Machu Pichu ……. hire a guide and he will queue for you in bus lines whilst you grab a coffee and people watch. Thanks David I will try to remember that one.

We’ve all had emotional moments where the wonder in front of us makes us speechless but for Helene they are Magic Kingdom moments …..what a lovely description David! I had a Magic Kingdom moment on the Great Barrier Reef and in Monument Valley so I know just what you mean.

It was lovely for me to revisit Asia and Australia through David’s ‘eyes’ and make me just that little bit wistful, but hats off David for going down the Cu Chi tunnels, although I don’t usually suffer from claustrophobia I didn’t fancy getting trapped in that humidity! but you got further than me!

The book left me wanting more……. I do hope David and Helene do a ‘sequel’ there is definitely more of the world to explore and I for one would enjoy reading it if anything like this first book. Well done David for making me smile a lot, making me jealous just a little and reminding me to hold that dream.”

– Dawn Finding, The Grey Traveller

“An absorbing narrative of the ultimate bucket list! Turning Left Around the World by David C Moore is an informative, entertaining account of the author’s 10 month travels around the world with his wife, Helene.

The book’s title is a twofold pun: (1) traveling west from London and (2) turning left when entering the plane on their 15 major flights in order to travel in business class.

Their journey starts with a large map and push pins, each placing pins in locations where they had always wanted to visit in order to plot out their route.

The book outlines the 15 countries that they travel to with 100 photos illustrating their adventures. Highlights include the wildlife on the Galapagos Islands, the breathtaking vistas of Machu Picchu, the jungles of Myanmar, and a wealth of “Magic Kingdom Moments”, describing moments when Helene is overcome with emotion.

Live vicariously through David C Moore as he shares his once-in-a-lifetime trip in Turning Left Around the World".

- Trail Blazer Girl

“Some of the world’s best literature exists in the form of travel memoirs. Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods, Jamie Zeppa’s Beyond the Sky and the Earth, and John Higham’s 360 Degrees Longitude are all examples of critically acclaimed and universally loved travel memoirs. What makes each of these memoirs so aspirational? Each contains a clever mix of vulnerability, connection, and exoticism.

Written with insight and irresistible British charm and wit, Turning Left Around the World is infused with David’s conversational style of writing and is full of amusing anecdotes and observations from their remarkable experiences and unusual encounters. Join David and Helene as they explore the history, landscape, wildlife, people and food across South America, Australasia, the Polynesian Triangle, Southeast Asia, China and Japan. With visits to the Galápagos Islands, Machu Picchu, Easter Island and even the Killing Fields of Cambodia, it’s the perfect combination of bucket-list adventures and in-depth, and sometimes heartbreaking, cultural awareness.” - Luxury Travel Magazine

“You have to envy a guy like David C. Moore. He’s a traveler — not a tourist but a traveler.

There’s a difference. A tourist comes to consume. A traveler soaks up an area and becomes that place, taking home a piece of that place in his or

her soul.

That’s what Moore does with his book called “Turning Left Around the World” (Mirador

Publishing, $24.99, 2018).

This is a comical, consuming adventure that explores 15 countries with the author and his wife, Helene.

It’s not a guide; it’s a travelogue.

The Moores travel by plane and train and boat. They go by bicycles and on the back of a

disobedient horse. They share countless speedboats, taxis, a hot-air balloon, a light aircraft and a motorbike.

Moore chronicles the couple’s 10-month adventure to Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Japan,

Thailand, New Zealand, Chile and Peru — just to name a few.

It’s a journey full of quotes and packed with pictures.

You’ll also feel like you’re along for the ride, even before the big adventure begins.

Simply consider the planning:

“How were we supposed to pack 10 months of clothes for climates that would vary from below freezing to well over 30 degrees, all in a maximum of 23 kilos, was beyond me, but not Helene,” Moore writes. “Little and large zippy-uppy travel bags arrived to make it all easier by segregating our clothes into single packs, shirts in one, shorts in another and a small one for smalls — brilliant. All packed into a large case and a cabin bag each, well packed Helene.”

- Joe Tennis, Features Editor, Bristol Herald Courier