Into Thick Air by Jim Malusa
Despite my aversion to exercise, I have found myself daydreaming about riding my bike some serious distances. I blame Jim Malusa. Into Thick Air chronicles Malusa's efforts to ride his bicycle to the lowest points on the six continents that are not covered entirely by ice. His trips take him to many exotic locales: Egypt, Russia, Jordan, Chile, Argentina, and even Djibouti, riding his bike through hundreds of miles of desert in the process.
I can see your surprise...Yes, Djibouti is not only a real country (Africa's smallest), but also contains the lowest point on the continent, Lac Assal. I can also see what you're thinking: "Riding a bike into the depths of the desert sounds like the way a masochist spends a vacation." And you might be right. But the bike is what makes Malusa's tale truly special, allowing him to connect with the places and people he visits in a way that other forms of travel can't hope to compare to. Malusa is also the perfect man for the job. As naturalist, he can describe the deserts he travels through with a keen understanding. He also has an unabashed love of hot coffee and cold beer (if that's not enough to endear him to you I don't know what is). And his writing style? In a word: hilarious. But don't just take my word for it; here's just one of the many gems scattered throughout his writing:
"Most of Australia is desert and most of the desert is without Australians. They cling to the southeastern coast and the island of Tasmania, where the climate is agreeable to rose gardens and tea cozies and the long tern survival of very white people." - Into Thick Air (pg. 13)
Malusa's tale not only fanned the flame of my wanderlust, but it re-instilled some of my faith in humanity. The people he meets on the road treat him with a hospitality and kindness reminiscent of bygone eras. And it's not because the locals are unaccustomed to spandex (in fact, Malusa eschews spandex; preferring attire more appropriate to the expeditionary nature of his trips.)
If you're not already jealous of Malusa, check out the flickr album of his adventures. His photos are amazing.
I highly recommend this book to anyone. Period. In fact, I think I am going to force everyone I know to read it. Ok, maybe if you suffer from cyclophobia you can be excused... maybe.
Until next time, let me leave you with a little motivation from the man himself.
"Everybody has a plan, something that may or may not happen -- but that's really not the point. It's the plan that counts, the pleasure of possibility."
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