Not everyone’s cup of tea.
IfYou’re at the crossroads of enjoying adventure self discovery stories and cycling then you might give this a go but grab it from the library and give it a dry run before plunking down the rupees.

One of the joys of reading is when you come to a book which hadn't been on your radar and you're not sure what to expect but it turns into an unforgettable journey which leaves you emotionally and intellectually moved and challenged. I hesitate to use the word classic as it is very overused today but if not quite a classic in its field then this book isn't far away.

Charles Guilhamon and Gabriel de Lepinau decide to tour the world for a year on their unusual bikes. They are motivated by their desire to visit the Catholic Christian communities in a variety of places where it is dangerous, sometimes fatal, to be publicly Christian. We visit Europe, Turkey, Syria, Iraqi Kurdistan, India, Nepal, China, Tibetan borders, Thailand, the Amazon, Senegal, Mauritania and Morocco and finally Algeria before the lads return home to their native France, changed and seeing their own country through new eyes. They have a rule that they won't pay for accommodation but rely on God's Providence and the hospitality of the Catholic community. They also budget to spend only one euro a day.

A strength of this book is that is takes us to Christian communities in sometimes very isolated locations in cultures very different to anything the West offers. We also see how Christian communities survive in places where persecution and terrorism are everyday obstacles and many of the communities visited have grown out of the blood of slain saints of God. This is truly the suffering church.

This book is written from the perspective of the Roman Catholic Church and it is Catholic communities that the authors visit. I read this as someone with a background very much in the Protestant tradition and one which has often viewed Catholicism with great suspicion. Yet I learned so much from this book. While I didn't agree with all the practises described in the book, such as praying to the Virgin Mary or the Catholic Priest who thought 'evangelism' could simply be helping a Muslim to become a better Muslim, if you come with an open mind and are willing to listen as the lives of monks and bishops and nuns and others are lived out before us in dedication to God then you can't fail to be effected.

The book doesn't preach at you, the journey and experiences are simply related and even when the authors have their own questions these are always asked in reflective ways. We are simply given snapshots of all the different places and people (multiple and varied and wonderful personalities) met along the way and the travellers manage to provide enough description of sights and sounds and 'sense' to draw you into the cultures they pass through. There are almost constant dangers and challenges to be overcome but the 'pay off' is in the amazing people we meet.

The two travellers are honest with their own feelings, they get tired, frustrated, angry and irritated while this is balanced by the moments of wonder, spiritual illumination and sense of God they experience.

In the end this book gives a picture of how Catholic communities live, survive and grow in frequently inhospitable territory and among Muslim majority countries where any kind of Christian evangelism is illegal and for a Muslim to convert is a death sentence.

Some highlights for me were the Karen community, Tibet, Irag, Kurdistan and of course the treacherous Amazon river. But there is so much more here.

It won't be for everyone and is aimed at a Catholic tradition very different from my own but I loved it and would recommend it to anyone interested in the lives of those trying to live for God in territory highly dangerous for Christians.

My 'to read' list is quite long and I started this book with the intention of reading it quite quickly but I found that impossible as there was so much I stopped and re-read, times I simply sat back and reflected on what I'd read and took the time to highlight many parts. I can see myself revisiting this book. .

Thanks to NetGalley and SPCK for a digital copy for review purposes. I will post this on Amazon and Goodreads.

Thanks but no thanks... I like travel books, I like cycling, I like this kind of adventure but I didn't like this book...Sorry, not good