Colin Thubron

With the approach of fall and winter, I am looking forward to spending more time reading. If you enjoy travel diaries of high quality, check out the books by British author Colin Thubron (born in 1939). He has close to 50 years of experience traveling alone to the most remote parts of the globe. His books take you to the Middle East, Russia, Central Asia, China, always off the beaten path. He always stays with local people, and speaks fluent Arabic, Russian, Chinese. His books, like "The lost heart of Asia",( on the 5 Central Asian Republics ), "Mirror to Damascus", and "Shadow of the Silk Road", are mesmerizing, highly researched and informative and seasoned with a wry humor and yet sensitive spirit.I devour his books in the wintertime, to combat the frustration of indoor confinement due to weather. They are wonderful, bold diaries of a very inquisitive, fearless person fascinated by the diversity of the human experience. His knowledge of the history, politics, culture , language of the countries he travels through is vast and based on meticulous research and experience. He draws you into his experience, however exotic and often risky at best, by his candid uncomplicated way of inviting the reader into the homes of the various local people right alongside him. You become as much a participant as you are an observer, and it makes Mr. Thubrons' writing very in formative and personal all in one. He travels always alone, without a camera, just his notes that after the journey he spends years putting together into his marvelous travel diaries. In a world of instant gratification due to technology, this writer is impressive in his scholarly research and patience, and his endearing human touch, always highly mindful and respectful of the local culture and codes. He takes you through the Karakorum desert, the remote stretches of the Silk Road, the creepy parts of remote Siberia, the hustle and bustle of Damascus, the lost splendor of Samarkand and Bukhara, all the while endearing the experience by sharing the lives of the local people with you, their hopes and dreams, heartaches and accomplishments, making you feel part of them and their place in time and in this world.