Reflections

I'm not sure if I'll ever drive from Beijing (Peking) to Paris, but now I want to. Dina Bennett chronicles the joys and tensions of being shut in an antique car for upwards of 7 hours a day during a 35 day road rally that stretched almost 8,000 miles across the width of Eurasia. She writes so convincingly I felt like I was there. One of her disappointments was that on that schedule there wasn't much time to see the sights or meet the locals--other than other rally participants most of the people she interacted with were auto mechanics and their wives--but Dina is still able to give a sense of place for the exotic locations she and her husband passed through on their adventure. She's also open about her self doubts and quirks, so this story is as much about personal growth and the trip's impact on her life and marriage as it is about travel. It's a pleasure to read and I hope Dina writes other books about her continuing exploits--see her website to find out what some of what she's been up to.