Books: The Way of Herodotus

While Justin Marozzi took to the roads and followed The Way of Herodotus, Travels with the Man who Invented History, reviewed here, my own mind stole away from the review and found me on the journey taken by Gurdjieff in Meetings with Remarkable Men.

I wonder why I waited until now to imagine following that trail among the 'stans of the East: Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and last but not least of all Uzbekistan.

In fact one day, I met a young man on the subway who had just emigrated from Uzbekistan, and we were both enthralled with the simplicity of origin--I knew his country, he lived in mine. We chatted in English for the balance of the ride and I was filled me up with the knowledge I craved about that part of the world and he rejoiced in my smiles of appreciation.

Now of course many of these countries, while in the news, are not places to take a rambling walk.

Pity I waited too long.