BOOK REVIEW:

Pilgrimage:
Tales from the Open Road

by
Patrick Pfister

Publisher:
Academy Chicago Publishers

Reviewed by Marie T. Russell

Ah! The sub-title of this book beckoned to me... Tales from the Open Road. It brought back memories of my travelling days, when in my twenties, I spent a year, with my backpack, trekking through southern Europe.

It was with great anticipation that I picked up Pilgrimage... To travel again, even if only through the written pages of Patrick Pfister's book. And travel I did. I went to Penang, an island in Northwest Malaysia. I also stayed (vicariously through my reading)  in Germany, hitchhiked through the Mojave desert, rode buses through Nepal and Tibet, mingled with the locals on the island of Lesbos in Greece, spent Christmas in the Sahara, hitch-hiked to Washington DC as a teenager, had an unforgettable experience at the base of the Himalayas, blended with the expatriates in Spain, and woke in Kenya to the ghost screams of slaves.

Ah! What a trip. Each journey or pilgrimage is contained in a chapter, making it great to read in short sittings. The author shares his thoughts, perceptions, experiences, and we get to experience it through him. Some of the stories are touching, others funny, and others simply amazing. Travelling by train, bicycle, buses, rickshaws, and by hitchhiking, Patrick shares a view of countries that one does not get from tour buses, or trips organized by a travel agency. Some of the places he visits are probably not even marked on maps, let alone in travel guides. He goes where the wind, or his intuition, leads him.

Travel Books says: "From the interesting characters you meet in this book to his descriptions of the landscape, as well as personal emotions that come forth from the curative effects of travel, this is a good read and a spirited adventure." I agree. Enjoyable to read, and leaves us wanting to go on more journeys with the author. 

Patrick Pfister is still travelling, gathering adventures for a second book. I look forward to more travels with Patrick. The advantage of travelling through books? No jet lag, no waiting for late planes or buses, it's definitely less expensive, and you get to travel at a moment's notice, immediately manifesting yourself in the midst of Nepal (or anywhere else) just by turning a page. Happy reading and happy trails.

Patrick Pfister was born in Detroit and lives in Barcelona. For the past year he has been travelling the world gathering material for a second book. Pilgrimage is published by Academy Chicago Publishers, 363 West Erie Street, Chicago, Illinois 60610. Hardcover book published in 1995, paperback in 1999. To contact the publisher, go to www.academychicago.com or email to academy363@aol.com

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