Pedaling the Ends of the Earth - Hardcover

YA In December 1981 David Duncan, accompanied by his brother and a friend, set off on a "global bikeathon" to raise funds for the international world health organization, Project Hope. By the time the three returned home, more than a year later, they had covered 14,000 miles and traveled through 19 nationsmost of them Third World countries of the Middle East, Asia and Africa. It is unfortunate that the book has no map of their trip. Pedaling the Ends of the Earth is Duncan's brutally honest account of the events of the journey and his reactions to what he experienced. What began as a "grand adventure" soon became the reality of dealing with dirt, bad food, chronic dysentery, poor or nonexistent roads and heat so intense that it melted bicycle tires. The travelers observed first hand the dangers of military action in the Middle East and while in Manila sensed the growing unrest against the Marcos government. Living in hostels, cheap hotels and communes, the three came into close contact with the people, and in many ways the book is reminiscent of William L. Heat Moon's Blue Highways (Atlantic, 1983). A fascinating account of an exceptional journey. Marlene M. Kuhl, Baltimore County Public Library
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.