Synopses & Reviews
It started as a daydream. Poring over a map of the world at home one quiet Saturday afternoon, Ewan McGregor actor and self-confessed bike nut noticed that it was possible to ride all the way round the world, with just one short hop across the Bering Strait from Russia to Alaska. It was a revelation he couldn't get out of his head. So he picked up the phone and called Charley Boorman, his best friend, fellow actor and bike enthusiast. 'Charley,' he said. 'I think you ought to come over for dinner...'
From London to New York, Ewan and Charley chased their shadows through Europe, the Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia, across the Pacific to Alaska, then down through Canada and America. But as the miles slipped beneath the tyres of their big BMWs, their troubles started. Exhaustion, injury and accidents tested their strength. Treacherous roads, unpredictable weather and turbulent politics challenged their stamina. They were chased by paparazzi in Kazakhstan, courted by men with very large guns in the Ukraine, hassled by the police, and given bulls' testicles for supper by Mongolian nomads.
And yet despite all these obstacles they managed to ride over 20,000 miles in four months, changing their lives forever in the process. As they travelled they documented their trip, taking photographs, and writing diaries by the campfire. Long Way Round is the result of their adventures a fascinating, frank and highly entertaining travel book about two friends riding round the world together and, against all the odds, realising their dream.
Synopsis
Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman enjoy lives of glamour, fame, and wealth. In
Long Way Round, they get to fulfill their real dreams: circumnavigating the world on motorbikes, traveling for three months through some of the harshest terrain imaginable over the longest continuous landmass on earth. Ewan and Charley are both dedicated and accomplished bikers, but the hazards they encounter on their 20,000-mile journey are far from routine, testing their stamina and their friendship to the limit. In addition to the rigors of trekking across the globe carrying scant supplies and relying only on each other, Ewan and Charley face unique challenges at key steps along their route flying MiG jets in Russia, building igloos in Alaska, training at the hands of Kung Fu masters in China, navigating old gold mines in Kazakhstan in search of treasure, and climbing windmills in Germany.
Long Way Round, which will accompany a six-hour television documentary to be broadcast in Fall 2004, is a great and riveting travel account, and a true portrait of friendship during extreme circumstances. A must-read for bike lovers, extreme sports fans, armchair travelers, and film buffs alike, it is as irreverent, engaging, and articulate as the authors themselves.
Synopsis
Actor Ewan McGregor (Moulin Rouge) and his best friend, Charley Boorman (son of director John Boorman), present this chronicle of their endeavor to circumnavigate the world on motorbikes, traveling for three months through some of the harshest terrain imaginable. Photos.
About the Author
Ewan McGregor was born in Perthshire in 1971. An actor who has appeared in more than thirty films -- Trainspotting, Velvet Goldmine, Moulin Rouge, and the second Star Wars trilogy among them -- he rides an MV Augusta F4S and a KTM Duke. He lives in London with his wife and two daughters.Charley Boorman was born in England, grew up in Ireland, and currently lives in London with his family. An actor whose first starring role was in Deliverance, he met his costar Ewan while shooting The Serpent's Kiss. He rides a Ducati 748 and is preparing for the2006 Paris -- Dakar rally, if his wife lets him