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Indlæser... From the Lion's Mouth: A Journey Along the Indusaf Iain Campbell
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Shortlisted in the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards 2020Iain Campbell has been fascinated by mountains for as long as he can remember. In his new book, he tells the story of a journey following the course of the Indus River from its mouth in the mudflats of Karachi through the Karakorum, Kashmir and the Himalayas to its source in Ladakh on the Indian side of the Tibetan plateau, where it springs from the 'Lion's Mouth' on Mount Kailash. His narrative paints an insightful, honest and heartfelt portrait of Pakistan, a country that through all his wanderings of the deserts and mountains of Asia kept drawing him back, and a place which combines a rich religious heritage with some of the most spectacular mountains in the world.'I came to see how closely the Indus River is involved with Pakistani religious life and how this has been true for thousands of years' he says. 'I took four months to make this trip and was able to travel slowly... It became apparent to me as I travelled and developed personal friendships that the image of Pakistan that we are often fed by the media is distorted. I found the Pakistanis to be the most hospitable people I have ever met, to the point where I would have to allow time on my walks in the mountains for the delay caused by sitting down to tea and chapatti in every settlement.'Over the course of his journey, he is exposed to all sides of local life, from a Sufi shrine attended by crocodiles to a Holy man competing with Saudi-sponsored Wahhabi clerics in the Swat Valley, a near meeting with the fairies of Nanga Parbat and the temple of a three-year-old Buddhist lama on the edge of the Tibetan plateau.Engrossing and eye-opening, Iain Campbell's account of his travels through this mesmerising land will appeal to travellers, mountaineers, trekkers, wilderness enthusiasts, anyone interested in the culture and history of the subcontinent, and fans of quality travel writing. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Indlæser... GenrerMelvil Decimal System (DDC)915.491History and Geography Geography and Travel Geography of and travel in Asia Indian Subcontinent Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Maldives PakistanVurderingGennemsnit:
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One of those people who is drawn to mountains is Iain Campbell, in particular, the Himalayas. Another fascination was the Indus River, and he had always dreamed of following its course in a boat as far as he could up to the Tibetan plateau, where it springs from the ‘Lion’s Mouth’ on Mount Kailash. Circumstances meant that this was never to be, so he had to take the next best things and follow it along the banks by bus and train.
Not only would this be a personal journey, but a discovery of the significance of the river to the lives of the people of Pakistan who live alongside it. It would take him four months and he would visit shrines and temples, get bumped around on buses and generally experience the rich culture of the country. He found the people of that country warm, generous and hospitable, very different from what he was expecting from the way that they are portrayed in the western media.
The truth of this journey, as with every other journey, is that it is unrepeatable; the land that we travel through changes, the tools that we use to travel change and we ourselves change.
It is an enjoyable book about a man immersing himself in the place and culture of a region. Campbell writes in a plain and matter of fact way and is prepared to engage with the people that he meets and join in with all that the journey throws at him. 3.5 stars ( )