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Young Female, Traveling Alone.


Young Female, Traveling Alone

Anne-Marie M. Pop

iUniverse, Inc.

2021 Pine Lake Pine Lake may refer to: Places
Canada
  • Pine Lake, Alberta
  • Pine Lake, Alberta Tornado
United States
Communities
  • Pine Lake, Georgia
  • Pine Lake, Wisconsin
 Road, Ste 100, Lincoln, NE

http://www.neo-hippy.com

ISBN ISBN
abbr.
International Standard Book Number


ISBN International Standard Book Number

ISBN n abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m 
: 0595360246, $12.95, 156 pp.

The author has classified her book as "General Fiction"; however, as it is based upon her seven-month backpacking backpacking

Sport of hiking while carrying clothing, food, and camping equipment in a pack on the back. In the early 20th century backpacking was primarily a means of getting to wilderness areas inaccessible by car or by day hike.
 experiences while traveling throughout Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, region of Asia (1990 est. pop. 442,500,000), c.1,740,000 sq mi (4,506,600 sq km), bounded roughly by the Indian subcontinent on the west, China on the north, and the Pacific Ocean on the east.  and India, I would modify that classification to: fiction/biographical travel adventure. Not everything in the book happened to the author but does happen in Asia. Allow me to quote from the back cover:

"Young Female, Traveling Alone tells the story of a successful western female in her late twenties, who is on the verge On the Verge (or The Geography of Yearning) is a play written by Eric Overmyer. It makes extensive use of esoteric language and pop culture references from the late nineteenth century to 1955.  of serious depression and leaves her comfort zone behind, embarking on a backpacking journey throughout Southeast Asia and India. On her journey, Anna discovers herself in different towns, beaches and mountains. She experiments with spirituality, drugs and rave parties. Following the loss of a close friend and the failure of a romantic relationship, in the underground rave scene of Goa, Anna roams around aloof, from one Indian town to another. Ultimately, she discovers that conversations with the locals bring insight to the search for her own identity in the world. In the end, she learns that life is a long hard lesson, but a great gift worth living, despite the bumps along the way."

This is an inspirational story because it takes a lot of courage to leave ones comfort zone and to travel as Anna did. The author tells me that her target audience is young travelers, particularly women, interested in visiting Asia.

The book is written in a journal-like fashion and although the chapters or entries are very short, they are fascinating, intense and yet, simply written. Anne-Marie Pop is a good writer and there's more depth to this story than just an adventure travel log. I will quote some passage from several chapters for your consideration:

"Anxiety--I couldn't fall asleep. The mattress was too thin, and I could hear the cockroaches cockroaches

insects which may carry Salmonella spp. in their gut and play a part in the spread of the disease.
 running around on the wooden floors. Four other women were lying down sleeping in the small room. The air was tuffy and humid. I was fidgeting and felt emotionally drained.

I had a thousand question in my mind--but no answers. How can there be so much poverty in this world? Nobody cares about the poor, only about the rich. Why are people in the West so unhappy? They live such a luxurious life. Why was I unhappy? I had everything I wanted, but no happiness. What would it take for me to be happy?"

"Under the Desert Sky--We had been riding the camels in the desert for three days. I could no longer sense the camel smell. I probably smelled like one. The guide, Raman, led us through the desert. He was riding the camel on one side, the way a dainty lady would. At times, He'd look behind. We followed him closely. He'd sing songs in Hindi or try to humor humor, according to ancient theory, any of four bodily fluids that determined man's health and temperament. Hippocrates postulated that an imbalance among the humors (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile) resulted in pain and disease, and that good health was  us...."

We'd ride the camels in the hot sun a few hours during the day, and at night we slept under the sky. When it was time to eat, the guide set up a fire and cooked us chapatti cha·pa·ti also cha·pat·ti  
n. pl. cha·pa·tis
A flat, unleavened, disk-shaped bread of northern India, made of wheat flour, water, and salt.
 and food. He'd first tie the camels' front left foot with the back left foot and se them free to eat the dry desert grass. Then he'd make us chai and cook the food. Jose and I lay down on a blanket under a tree, waiting for the food."

"Goa--We arrived in Panjim. The driver opened the bus door, and I stepped down through the small crowd of rickshaw drivers gathered in front of the bus. It felt like a jungle--the predators eyeing me, like prey, waiting for the right moment to jump."

"Goa Trance--The crowd was beautiful. Their faces shone in the night, and their tanned bodies, covered in colorful hippie clothes, moved along with the music. They were free, free of expectations and judgmental judg·men·tal  
adj.
1. Of, relating to, or dependent on judgment: a judgmental error.

2. Inclined to make judgments, especially moral or personal ones:
 thoughts. It was a diverse crowd coming together under the moonlight, letting go of all limitations and exploring the connection with the music.

The speakers cried out repetitive high-pitched sounds into the air, grouped together through a tribal rhythm. I felt goose bumps goose bumps or goose pimples: see gooseflesh.  all over my skin. I do not know how to express what I experienced. I felt uplifted and transposed trans·pose  
v. trans·posed, trans·pos·ing, trans·pos·es

v.tr.
1. To reverse or transfer the order or place of; interchange.

2.
 through the crowd. The rhythms made me want to scream and lash out lash out
Verb

1. to make a sudden verbal or physical attack

2. Informal to spend extravagantly

Verb 1.
."

"Epilogue--One thing I've learned in Asia is to let go of judgmental thoughts and surround myself with new ideas "New Ideas" is the debut single by Scottish New Wave/Indie Rock act The Dykeenies. It was first released as a Double A-side with "Will It Happen Tonight?" on July 17, 2006. The band also recorded a video for the track. . I'll leave it up to destiny to bring me to the right path, the path of happiness for which we all strive. After all, maybe we aren't supposed to be happy. Maybe we will never be. Humans have complex feeling that are hard to satisfy, and I've learned to accept this. I now try to live a peaceful life and look for happiness in small things, like grocery shopping and short walks. I no longer take drugs or drink alcohol, and I believe in peace of mind. I often think about my spiritual journey through Asia, and I feel blessed to have experienced it."

I highly recommend this informative, inspirational and honest adventure story.
COPYRIGHT 2006 Midwest Book Review
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2006, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Author:Trout, Kaye
Publication:Reviewer's Bookwatch
Article Type:Book review
Date:Jul 1, 2006
Words:865
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