Product Description

At 16,500 miles, it was the world's longest road: a road on which travellers faced being baked in deserts, frozen in mountains, kidnapped and murdered by Colombian drug barons, buried under Peruvian avalanches, drowned by the Guatemalan rainy season, fleeced by eight-year-old Ecuadorean border touts, wasted by Montezuma's revenge, driven mad by blackflies in the Yukon, eaten by Alaskan grizzlies and, worst of all, limited to a glass of Chardonnay a day in California. The Pan-American Highway - it sounded brilliant. The next day, I went out to buy every book that I could find on it. And found that there weren't any. Then it's about time I wrote one, I thought. Hilariously funny, thoughtful and entertaining, this is that book. From the difficulties of getting bikes to Chile and the trials of South American border crossings, to the joys of the open road and the dubious delights of the local specialities (guinea pig, anyone?), you will love every twist and turn in the (very very long) road on this adventure.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24946 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 310 pages

Review
'A brilliant read, a book I simply couldn't put down.You become part of the adventure and all its ups and downs, and the book is bloody funny. It's like a cross between Ted Simon and Flann O'Brien - a cracker.' Hairy Biker Dave Myers 'An outstanding writing talent with a wicked sense of fun ... Brilliant writing, genuinely and originally funny.' Martyn Lewis, broadcaster 'Shift your arse, Kerouac, Geoff Hill's on the road. Faster, funnier and still alive.' Colin Bateman

Verbal Magazine, 27 March 2007
The most inspiring and laugh-out-loud funny travelogue of the last
fifty years. The yearning of an unmitigated adventurer leaps off every
line.

Nacelle, The Magazine of the Triumph Owners' Motorcycle Club, October 2007
Very funny and entertaining ... it provides plenty of chuckles as well as moments of tension as the journey unfolds.

Customer Reviews

Interesting story of a long bike journey
A dream come true for Geoff Hill and his companion Clifford Patterson - riding all the way from Chile to Alaska. Lucky guys!

Travel writer Hill shares his wonderful adventure with us in a mixture of road book and travel review. He tells us of the difficulties and pleasures of riding his Triumph over some of the best and worst conditions. He also gives us anecdotes about the people and the places he stopped in. There's something here for travel fans as well as bike enthusiasts.

I have previously read "A Long Way Round" and Hill certainly slags Charley and Ewan off on several occasions - but very much in a good humoured sort of way. He did this trip without the back-up that Boorman and McGregor had.

One thing that did get tiresome for me is the incessant exaggerated humour, eg "When Francis Drake sacked Cartagena in 1586, it claimed unfair dismissal." (p 173). If you like this kind of humour, then you'll love this book. Lots of good fun and jokes, but it does wear you down after a while.

It's also clear that Hill loves his wife Cate - and he told us this many, many, many times. Not as bad as Charley and Ewan, but once would have been enough for me.

In summary, this is an enjoyable book that is light and easy to read. You don't have to be a biker to enjoy it, but it would probably be more interesting if you ride bikes.

as interesting as it is humourous
A very enjoyable read recounting a seat of the pants adventure born of frustration at the daily grind of office life. No slick production this trip , no eye to the DVD sales or TV show, just two guys with the guts to get off their backsides to live a little on their own wits & with the kindness of strangers to get them through.

No doubt an understanding of the deadpan Ulster sense of humour helps but is far from impenetrable.

He does indeed go on a little about missing his wife, so what? I would feel the same and it is just part of the overall package as much as his endless wonder at the beauty of the landscapes, the weather good & bad, the food, the people,etc.

A little reminder also to those of us who travel with preconceived notions of "national characteristics" only to find that most people utterly fail to live up to the stereotype.

Well done Geoff, I am ordering "Way to go" & would await any further books with interest.

A Brilliant Read
An absolutely brilliant read. Not your normal motorbike rabblings. This was a great read from start to finish. So well written, very funny, full of interest and even very moving. Well done Geoff Hill. Happy and safe motorcycling.