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(More customer reviews)When I finished reading Franklin Huffman's travelogue--with a whole section of interesting pictures, albeit a bit faded and just black-and-white--the first thought that came to my mind was: It is hard these days to conceive of a young American traveling as freely through the world, particularly in Asia, as this author (also well-known linguist and accomplished diplomat) did in the fifties. All the more reason to do it vicariously, by reading it, chapter by chapter, one more interestig than the other, and enjoying funny happenings, cross-cultural misunderstandings, lessons in ethnolinguistics, and lots of geography--the last maybe more needed now than ever. The style is direct and highly accessible; the lessons are far-ranging and memorable. For the impatient reader: Each chapter can be read separately, like a short-story taking place in a different place.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Monks and Motorcycles: From Laos to London by the Seat of my Pants 1956-1958
In 1956, 22-year-old Frank Huffman embarks on a journey that will take him from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia to the exotic Orient, and eventually around the world. In this fascinating tale of adventure, Huffman shares his experiences and emotions during two years as a French interpreter for a community development team on the Plain of Jars in Laos, Indochina. At the end of his tour in Laos, he buys a motorcycle and sets out for Europe, with only a National Geographic map of Asia and the optimism of youth as his guide. He takes us along for the ride as heclimbs the fabled Angkor Wat in Cambodia, cycles up the road to Mandalay in Burma, floats up the Chindwin River on a river boat, is chased by a motorcycle-hating cow near the Taj Mahal, participates in a mutiny on a ramshackle bus in the Pakistani desert, thumbs his way across Iran to Turkey, and carouses through Europe in a Simca with pilfered sleeping bags and C-rations.Throughout this marathon, Huffman offers keen insights on the culture and society of Laos and the some 25 countries he passes through, and also provides trenchant commentary on subsequent events in those countries. Huffman's self-deprecatory humor and his undisputed mastery of the English language make Monks and Motorcycles a delightful read.
