Inspired as I easily am. This book, 'In the Footsteps of Marco Polo' inspired me beyond the boundaries of my imagination. It has captured my attention and redefined the boundaries my imagination(if ever there was a demarcation before). It has amazed me beyond anything I have encountered. When I first saw this book by Denis Belliveau and Francis O' Donnell, I thought to myself "This might be an interesting read". So I borrowed the book and went back home. Once back home and cushioned amongst my pillows, I opened the hardcovered book out of curiosity. As I flipped through the pages, I saw beautiful photographs and so I thought "Illustrations to make the story interesting. So what does that say about the story...". Yes, I doubted the quality of the content. Boy was I wrong to doubt it.
This book was different. Very different. It was an account of two explorers Denis and Fran, aficionados of Marco Polo, who challenged conventions and overcomed all odds to retrace the route of Marco Polo from Europe, Venice to Cathay, modern day China and back. And they did all of their travelling overland and sea. Using aircrafts was forbidden mainly because Marco Polo did not have the luxury of flying.
I began reading from The Preface. An average start I would say but as the pages turned, I felt like I was being dragged into another world. It might sound cliche but it was like as if I was there on the journey together with them. The story indeed was a personal one but somehow it too became personal to readers.
Amazed at their bravado, testosterone-driven actions, the often serendipity of events, their reckless behaviour and etc...They became the first Westerners to cross the ancient forgotten passageway to China, the Wakhan Corridor. Yes, such a passageway exist up till today. Their camel caravan on the Southern Silk Road encountered the deadly sands of the Taklamakan deserts. I especially loved the fact that they went to Samarkhand, one of the places I dreamed of going, the resting place of the authentic Islamic scholar, Imam Al-Bukhari. And they went to the tomb of Mevlana Rumi, a famous Sufi poet, in Konya, Turkey. And they were at Mazar-e-Sharif, and it is named for the Hazrat Ali mosque, built on the supposed resting place of Prophet Muhammad's son-in-law, Saiyidina Ali. I can only dream of going to such historical places. They also got to live with the Mentawai Tribe, whose culture has remained unchanged since the Bronze Age. And just recently, I watched documentary Tattoo Hunter featuring the Mentawai Tribe. Their culture is absolutely unaffected by the changing tides of time and they are still going strong. Denis and Fran too became the first few Americans granted visas to enter Iran. Back then, there were no diplomatic relations between America and Iran. Today, nothing has changed.
Their tolerance, patience and understanding, their journeys through many cultures, languages, races, religions amazed me. The sights they saw with their God-given eyes are astounding as shown on the photographs. Ok, I realize I'm giving them free publicity. But seriously, for those who need their eyes to be opened, who thinks their life is awful/stressful/sucks or whatever, who have extra time to culture themselves, you should pick up this book and read it. There are painful and bittersweet parts. There are the happy fairytale moments. The book educates the reader of different parts of the world.
Like the holy land of controversy, Jerusalem.
Like Turkey where you always have a friend there because bottomline, the people are very hospitable.
Like wartorn Afghanistan, the stories of soldiers, painful to tell and painful to hear.
Like the Wakhan Corridor, a backdoor to China.
Like peaceful Tibet, with its resplendent historical decor.
Like the growing giant red-tape China.
Like the nomadic lives of people on the green steppe plains of Karakorum Mongolia.
Like the unchanged lives of the Mentawai Tribe in Sumatra.
Like the richest and poorest of colourful India.
Like the eight kingdoms of Persia,modern day Iran.
And finally back to Venice.
Most photos from "In the Footsteps of Marco Polo"
And here I am, recommending the book. So that others too can widen their perspectives, redefine boundaries of knowledge and look at the world with an open heart.
~Salam~
