Book 04: The Long Hitch Home, “a book with a map”

This is a book with a map, and what a map! Jamie Maslin recounts his adventures hitchhiking from Hobart, Tasmania, Australia to London, England. He lives in Hobart now, but London is his hometown. Change the expression “go big or go home.” Instead, try “go big and go home” to give it a different meaning. In this case, “go big” is the way. “Go home” is the destination. Once he embarked on this adventure, he had no other choice. He had to finish it. And I am sure glad that he did, and put it all in writing!

I got this book recommendation from a dear friend who lives in Melbourne, Australia. She met Jamie in person while visiting Tasmania. He is a usual presence at the Salamanca Market in Hobart. From what she told me, he seems to be an awfully friendly and open chap. The commentaries in the page for his book on Goodreads, confirm that also. You get the impression by reading the book that you would enjoy chatting with him over a few beers.

The first feeling when I began reading this book was a pleasant reminiscence. I remembered the places I visited about a decade ago. I traveled through Australia, including Hobart, Mount Wellington, Sandy Beach, Wineglass Bay, and Port Arthur. That was only the first stretch of the journey, but it was a good starting point in my opinion.

Out of a scary movie

There were many scary moments. For instance, he was chased by a pack of wild dogs. Another time, he was approached by supposed spies. He was also very close to an active, erupting volcano. But to be honest, what scared me the most every time was jumping into a stranger’s car. It always happened in the middle of nowhere, with nobody around as a witness. I did that myself when I was 18 years old. I had no money and needed to travel from my university back to my parents’ home on weekends. At that time, there was no cell phone, and no internet. If there was a security camera, it surely had a very poor recording resolution. I can relate to that. But it was also good to see that most of the time people were generous and treated him with kindness.

People usually pointed this risk to him, and they mentioned this movie a couple of times: Wolf Creek. I went and watched it. Well, I don’t think I would be brave enough to go hitchhiking now. The movie tells the story of 3 young backpackers that get stranded in the middle of the Australian Outback. They meet a guy that offers them help, which they accept, but it was better if they didn’t. Watch it if you are into True Crime or Horror.

Cambodia and Timor-Leste

This “book with a map” fits more into the genre of travel log. Yet, it offers social critique on most places he visited. On that aspect he reminds me a little of George Orwell. Many of the facts that he mentions have not been widely broadcasted by the traditional media. So, he included his research on the topic in the book. He also provided reliable references and gave links to documentaries on the internet. It’s not my intention to reproduce all the material here. But if you are interested, besides reading the book, below are a couple of the links that he mentions. It has a wealth of information about some ugly chapters from history. Both documentaries are by John Pilger.

Year Zero: The Silent Death of Cambodia

The Timor Conspiracy

Spoiler alert: Jamie gets home safe and sound in the end. If you want to take a look at the pictures from the trip, you can follow the link below.

The Long Hitch Home album on Flickr.

I loved reading it for the prompt “a book with a map” for the POPSUGAR reading challenge.