Highly Inflamably

Eurasia as you will never see it

The story of a trip in countries you may not have visited by two guys you don't know might not seem like one you would want to read, but this is not just any narrative. It is conducted with humour, confidence in the goodness of life and love of people, and it carries to the reader the pleasure of discovery which inhabited these two twenty-somethings leaving their continent for the first time. It is also visually exceptional (read on to know why).
They drove through Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, the Balkans, Central and Western Europe, and their enthusiasm at their discovery of little-known or well-known places is contagious, still intact even though they wrote this book many years after the adventure took place. It is a wonderful journey we travel in their company.
The narrative recounts the events as we follow them day by day in their appreciation of foreign cultures and hospitality, and the challenges of traveling in a self-sufficient fashion in foreign lands. They have a keen eye for the beautiful, a heart for the humane, and joy at sharing their impressions. Descriptions are at times poetic and rather moving. Their awe and love of others transpire in the way they tell of their encounters with people of cultures not their own or landscapes larger than life. A lot of consideration is also given to practical matters such as food, roads and hygiene, the latter becoming a recurring joke in Asia. Anyone who travelled on a shoestring will identify with them and remember how these considerations can become prominent in one's circumstances. And of course there are the challenges of driving across countries recently at war or in the expectation of one: the constant hassle by local police or military force is humorously illustrated by the picture on the cover of the book; the checking and re-checking of visas is all carefully documented with photos hilarious in showing paperwork absurdity.
Swallowing several hundreds of kilometres per day, Frank and Noel saw many a jaw-dropping sight in cities and countryside. You will see them too, as the book is abundantly illustrated with breathtaking photos of dreamlike vistas. You can enlarge the pictures for a truly awesome view. One might say: I can see all that on the web. Not like this. The photos are taken with a keen artist's eye, their framing always perfect, and they have the charm of years past with saturated colours. They are supplemented by short B&W films (just touch the icon showing Frank at the camera) made with a cine-camera. They truly give life to the book. Just imagine this amazing narrative experience: you read at your own pace of places and people, then see it all taking life before your eyes, be it a busy street in Baghdad or a desert road in the vastness of the Afghan plateaus (with Noel driving the Kombi through for perspective). What an extraordinary idea! The only thing beating the experience is being there.
But you can't go there anymore, because this trip took place a few decades ago and places have changed: Afghanistan and Iraq are now guerilla-ridden countries, Greece is plagued by an un-precendented economical crisis, and you're not likely to see Austrians in traditional costume as their Sunday best anymore.
Highly Inflamably (you will get it when you read the book) makes for a very good read to feed your hunger for exotism or nostalgia of the beauty of yesteryears, or to live again the excitement of your first travels.