Tim Cope recounts his journey from the capital of Mongolia across the steppes of Eurasia to the waters of the Danube river. All on horse back and relying on the kindness of strangers he meets along the way. Thousands of miles across the what had been the largest land empire in history he discovered the great changes have taken place with all the modern politics and industry that seeps into such great expanses of open space.

I had read this on and off for some time taking breaks at similar pauses in the story as he rests and recuperates after some fairly severe challenges he encounters. But I always kept coming back, enjoying the vicariousness nature of this tale. I have always found awe at the great natural sights around the world and I could easily let myself imagine what he must have been seeing in every step. From wide swaths of the great steppes, to vast deserts of the Gobi, and across the passes in the Carpathians all traveled on his own feet or his horses.

I strain to find it remotely possible now, and certainly I myself could ever find the aptitude in the best of times, to make this trek again. The political situation has changed significantly as much of the path follow through Russia and into Crimea and Ukraine. There was certainly a great window of opportunity between the breakup of the Soviet Union and the now unjust and brutal invasion that now consumes these lands.

The moment where he lets the horse he rode on take a drink from a quiet and solitary bend in the Danube is one I most appreciated. Knowing the weight of emotions that I had at even a simple by comparison few day hike, I can't image the feeling of standing in that water alongside his horses and Tigon, his dog, that had been his only consistent companions along those 3 years.

I am now on the lookout for more of these kinds of stories to recapture the same feelings again. But next on my list is a return to the Culture series by Iain M. Banks, with the book Excession.