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To Timbuktu for a Haircut: A Journey through West Africa
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About To Timbuktu For A Haircut: A Journey Through West
Product Description Timbuktu: the African city known to legend as a land of scholars, splendor and mystery, a golden age in the Sahara Desert. But to many it is a vaguely recognizable name – a flippant tag for “the most remote place on earth.” With this fabled city as his goal, author Rick Antonson began a month-long trek. His initial plan? To get a haircut. Aided by an adventuresome spirit, Rick endures a forty-five hour train ride, a swindling travel agent, “Third World, three-lane” roads, rivers, and a flat deck ferry boat before finally reaching Timbuktu. Rick narrates the history of this elusive destination through the teachings of his Malian guide Zak, and encounters with stranded tourists, a camel owner, a riverboat captain, and the people who call Timbuktu home. Antonson’s eloquence and quiet wit highlight the city’s myths—the centuries old capital and traveler’s dream—as well as its realities: A city gripped by poverty, where historic treasures lie close to the sands of destruction. Indeed, some 700,000 ancient manuscripts remain there, endangered. Both a travelogue and a history of a place long forgotten, To Timbuktu for a Haircut emerges as a plea to preserve the past and open cultural dialogues on a global scale. The second edition of this important book outlines the volatile political situations in Timbuktu following the spring 2012 military coup in Mali and the subsequent capture of the city by Islamic extremists. Literally, it is a race against time to save the city’s irreplaceable artifacts, mosques, and monuments, and to understand why Timbuktu’s past is essential to the future of Africa. From Booklist Timbuktu conjures images of exotic travel and ancient riches. In 2004, travel writer Antonson finally managed to get to the legendary city and spend a month studying its ancient allure and less-distinguished place in the modern world. Antonson intersperses the glorious history of Timbuktu and earlier arduous treks by Europeans with his own tale of modern travel via train, car, camel, and on foot to the still fairly remote city in Mali. His companions Zak (guide), Nema (cook), and Mamadou (driver) ease the difficulties and smooth cultural differences, allowing him closer access to experiences of day-to-day life along with a music festival in the desert, perilous riverboat rides, and camel excursions. But the height of his journey is a visit to the fabled libraries holding ancient manuscripts in the city that is a UNESCO World Heritage site. In this second edition of his 2008 book, Antonson updates readers on the volatility in the region that threatens the safety of irreplaceable artifacts and manuscripts. Photos and maps enhance this beautifully written narrative of travel and the endangered ancient heritage of a city famous for scholarship, salt, and gold. --Vanessa Bush Review “Not just for the armchair traveler, this book would serve as a useful guide for those interested in exploring Mali.” ( Kirkus Reviews) About the Author Rick Antonson is the author of Route 66 Still Kicks: Driving America's Main Street, To Timbuktu for a Haircut: A Journey Through West Africa, Full Moon Over Noah's Ark: An Odyssey to Mount Ararat, and Walking With Ghosts in Papua New Guinea: Crossing the Kokoda Trail in the Last Wild Place on Earth. Rick is a past chair of Destination International, based in Washington, D.C. and past deputy chair of the Pacific Asia Travel Association based in Bangkok, and the former president and CEO of Tourism Vancouver. He and his wife Janice live in Predator Ridge in Canada’s Okanagan Valley.
