Journal Entry 1 by SKingList on Friday, January 07, 2005

I don't know much about Peter Moore, as I picked up this book on a clearance rack when I was in Sydney and it's the first I've read of his. A good read, lots of laughs. 

Journal Entry 2 by SKingList on Monday, January 10, 2005

SKingList
Sabavana
Peggysmum
Jubby
Catasalive
Neerav
Readinator
JackieA
SweetPetunia
Tqd
Puppymummy
Freesia
.
.
.
The Great Unknown

My first Bookring, finished its ring journey 22/3/06 :) Happy Travels little book! 

Journal Entry 3 by SKingList on Tuesday, January 11, 2005

Mailed to Sabavana as part of the bookring! 

Journal Entry 4 by Sabavana from Old Toongabbie, New South Wales Australia on Thursday, January 13, 2005

Recieved from SKingList today, safe and sound. Will read and send on to Peggysmum. 

Journal Entry 5 by Sabavana from Old Toongabbie, New South Wales Australia on Friday, January 21, 2005

Ooooo this book is fabulous!! It's the first travel book I've ever read, so I didn't know what to expect - it's exciting, entertaining, interesting, and educational all at the same time. It's a really light-hearted look at a solo journey from Cape Town to Cairo, and considering this guy's escapades it's amazing he wasn't killed 10 times over! I had to keep reminding myself that it was *non*-fiction, as his journey is quite incredible.

Sending off to Peggysmum next (as soon as I've added Peter Moore's other travel books to my wish list). Enjoy :-) 

Journal Entry 6 by peggysmum from Pearce, Australian Capital Territory Australia on Saturday, January 29, 2005

Thanks for sending it so quickly Sabavana, and for starting the ring SKingList.

This is a quick read. Peter Moore's journey from Cape Town to Cairo using only public transport is easy to read, glib and in parts funny. He's no Bill Bryson (with whom he shares and editor and about whom he makes some acerbic comments), though.

I didn't warm to Mr Moore much and his comments about Canberra on page 187 made me a bit cross (if it had been my book it would have been thrown across the room). Peter Moore and I are of an age, so I got his references to 70s and 80s pop music, and the running joke about Craig David, but I despair of his love life as he's pretty dense when it comes to women. Something he admits in hindsight. Moore seemed to spend most of the journey "freaked out" by little things and dealing well with some pretty scary stuff. I loved that he hid in a coffin during a riot!

BTW, in reference to David Livingstone's wife on p. 3 - she actually looked like Terry Jones in drag. A fact I discovered during a very pleasant morning spent at the David Livingstone museum outside Glasgow some years ago. The bored museum attendants and I had a hilarious time hiding in the museum exhibits and scaring pious teenage Amercian Christian tourists on pilgrimage to the musuem of the missionary by roaring like lions and waving spears from behind models of African tribesmen. Childish, I know - but immense fun! Also, little known facts - Livingstone was a failure as a missionary, not a single conversion, and died of haemorrhoids (or constipation, something in that region anyway).

It's well written and definitely worth reading for the journey and for the B&B in the township outside Cape Town, but I won't be joining the fan club.

...

On to Jubby next.
 

Journal Entry 7 by jubby from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Monday, January 31, 2005

Received in the post today - thank you very much SKingList and Peggysmum.

Really looking forward to reading this one. Will try and read and pass onto Catsalive in the next week.

Also, I picked up a copy of 'The full Montezuma' by Peter Moore the other day. If you are interested, PM me and I might start a little bookring.

I like the Zebra bookmark too.

Thanks again.

 

Journal Entry 8 by catsalive from Rooty Hill, New South Wales Australia on Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Received today. 

Journal Entry 9 by catsalive from Rooty Hill, New South Wales Australia on Monday, February 28, 2005

Very entertaining. Peter managed to get himself out of some tight, scary spots - the coffin shop being most notable. Travelling is hard work, but he mostly speaks of it with humour. I mostly remember the fun parts of my travels too, with some small exceptions. Distance makes the heart grow fonder..... Much like old love affairs, although travelling is much better.

I'll pass this on to neerav at the meetup on the 8th.. 

Journal Entry 10 by neerav from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Tuesday, March 08, 2005

TBR 

Journal Entry 11 by neerav from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Sunday, March 13, 2005

I much prefered "Dark Star Safari" by Paul Theroux to "Swahili for the Broken-hearted"

A more appropriate title for this book might have been:
"Suicidal Recklessness from Capetown to Cairo" by shallow middle aged Australian

edit: will post on to Kellie later this week when im in the city near an AusPost branch 

Journal Entry 12 by Readinator from Woodend, Victoria Australia on Sunday, April 10, 2005

Caught last week at work. Thanks neerav for sending it on, and to SKingList for sharing it. Will read and pass on to jackiea. 

Journal Entry 13 by Readinator from Woodend, Victoria Australia on Tuesday, April 26, 2005

I love reading travel memoirs. Generally, the grittier stuff appeals to me (I cut my travel-memoir-reading teeth [strange metaphor, sorry!] on Paul Theroux and PJ O'Rourke. Peter was a little gormless but his adventures were really interesting to me, as they were in a part of the world that I don't know much about. And I was impressed he made such an effort to use public transport and travel with real Africans!

I may read some more of his stuff, but not right away. Nevertheless, thanks heaps, Cari for sharing!

Have sent the book on to jackiea by ordinary parcel mail. 

Journal Entry 14 by jackiea from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Tuesday, May 03, 2005

Received today, thanks Readinator.
I love Peter Moore's books, so this is next on the pile, thanks SKingList.
 

Journal Entry 15 by jackiea from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Vintage Peter Moore, compulsive reading and very funny. Thanks SKingList.
tqd has apparently asked to be skipped from rings and rays for the time being, so will send this on when I get an address for SweetPetunia 

Journal Entry 16 by jackiea from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Monday, August 01, 2005

So sorry to have held this up for so long.
It will be moving on to sweetPetunia tomorrow. 

Journal Entry 17 by SweetPetunia from Ruse, New South Wales Australia on Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Received from jackiea today. Whew! Looking forward to this one! 

Journal Entry 18 by SweetPetunia from Ruse, New South Wales Australia on Sunday, September 18, 2005

Can't say I enjoyed this as much as Vroom with a View. Peter Moore's travels through Africa were reckless to say the least, so much left to chance it just went against my 'must plan everything to the last, minute detail' grain. LOL

Waiting for a response from tqd who is next on the list.

Mailed 22 September. 

Journal Entry 19 by tqd from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Monday, September 26, 2005

Turned up in the mail on Friday, I didn't discover it in the mailbox until Saturday, bookcrossing.com was down on Sunday, so finally a journal entry on Monday! Thanks SweetPetunia for sending it along, and SKingList for starting the ring! I'll be starting this soon, and will journal again once I've read it. 

Journal Entry 20 by tqd from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Sorry, finished this some days ago, and I forgot to make a journal entry!

Can't say I enjoyed it too much. I thought maybe it was just depressing because he started in South Africa and then went on to Zimbabwe, neither of which are places that sound like a hell of a lot of fun to me. So I persevered in reading it (assuming it was going to get less depressing and more funny), and I shouldn't really have bothered.

Although I did like the Cairo bits. Maybe I can only laugh at tourists getting fleeced by experienced touts, rather than the undercurrent of danger that was in the rest of the book.

I have puppymummy's address already, so shall be popping this in the mail in the next day or so.

UPDATE 26-OCT-2005: in the mail! 

Journal Entry 21 by puppymummy from Melbourne, Victoria Australia on Thursday, November 03, 2005

Phew! Finally, a book with only a little pressure.
Of course, three arrived today, jsut as I thought I was getting on top of things. I have to stop doing BookCrossing things late at night, obviously the emails etc do not lodge properly in my brain - and so when books arrive it is a surprise!
I am looking forward to this. 

Journal Entry 22 by SKingList on Thursday, November 03, 2005

Pardon me while I momentarily hijack this journal. I just had to smile--this was the first book ring I ever started and it reached its end on the eve of my leaving Australia--kind of appropriate. Thanks all for your help in explaining rings and making BCAUS fun--I met 5/11 of you on my travels :)

Happy reading, puppymummy!

/journal hijack 

Journal Entry 23 by puppymummy from Melbourne, Victoria Australia on Saturday, February 11, 2006

The only other travel writer I've read so far is Bill Bryson, who I enjoyed a lot more, Peter Moore is not so genuinely funny and I found him a little annoying with the negativity and what was supposed to be black humour but was more about having a go at things. However, there were some really good sections in this book and I found his travel experiences fascinating, with the riots and the touts and the Mt Kilimanjaro climbing etc.
Africa is a place I would like to visit one day, but reading this has made me decide that I may need to investigate Contiki touring :) Too many scary experiences and near-deaths and unhygienic accommodation.
I have PMed Freesia for an address as she has asked to be added to the ray. 

Journal Entry 24 by puppymummy from Melbourne, Victoria Australia on Monday, February 27, 2006

Took me a little while, but I posted it along with NSITT this morning. 

Journal Entry 25 by freesia from Perth, Western Australia Australia on Wednesday, March 15, 2006

This reached me at the weekend, sorry for not journalling sooner. Looks a lot of fun! 

Journal Entry 26 by freesia from Perth, Western Australia Australia on Wednesday, March 22, 2006

I enjoyed this rapid account of Moore's reckless journey through some of the most dangerous parts of Africa. Although it was really interesting to read about his experiences on the shockingly dangerous public buses, there is no way I would travel Africa like this, especially not alone! I know he mocks the touring coach backpackers as not getting an authentic view of the real Africa, but getting caught up in the Ethiopian riots sounds pretty frightening! That said, this book has confirmed that I'd like to visit Africa some day ... but I'd have to try and plan it a bit more in advance than he did!

Passing on to a friend and fellow traveller. 

Journal Entry 27 by freesia at N/A in N/A, A coworker and potential bookcrosser! -- Controlled Releases on Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Released 6 yrs ago (3/22/2006 UTC) at N/A in N/A, A coworker and potential bookcrosser! -- Controlled Releases

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

Welcome to bookcrossing! I hope you decide to join the community: if you do, please say freesia (that's me) referred you. Enjoy the book!