false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178723007m/825678.jpg 326931 7 It was 1976 when Tiziano Terzani was warned by the fortuneteller in Hong Kong: "Beware! You run a grave risk of dying in 1993. You mustn't fly that year. Don't fly, not even once." Sixteen years later, Terzani had not forgotten. Despite living the life of a jet-hopping journalist, he decided that, after a lifetime of sensible decisions, he would confront the prophecy the Asian way, not by fighting it, but by submitting. He also resolved that on the way he would seek out the most eminent local oracle, fortuneteller, or sorcerer and look again into his future. So after a feast of red-ant egg omelet and a glass of fresh water, he brought the new year in on the back of an elephant. He even made it to his appointments: Cambodia, to cover the first democratic elections; Burma, for the opening of the first road to connect Thailand and China; and even Florence, to visit his mother, a trip that would take him 13,000 miles across Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Mongolia, and Siberia. In this way, that jet-hopping journalist rediscovered the art of travel, the intricate chains of chance which lead to discovery, and the mass of humanity he'd overlooked in his rush for newsworthy quotes. And he also saved his life.<p> Terzani's odyssey across Asia is full of revelations and reflections on the dramatic changes underway in Asia. Having spent two decades on the continent, he brings a deep love for the place to his journeys, but also the eyes of someone troubled by the changes he sees. Burma and Laos, finally open to outside contact, are now funnels for AIDS and drugs; Thailand has been traumatized by its rapid development; China is an anarchy fueled by money rather than ideology, where Mao has been transformed into the god of traffic. Surrounded by the loss of diversity wrought by modernism, Terzani asks if the "missionaries of materialism and economic progress" aren't destroying the continent in order to save it. Fortunately, there is a flip side to his occasionally dispiriting commentary, one that Terzani discovers in his hunt for fortunetellers. Through his side trips to seers who read the soles of his feet, the ashes of incense, and even the burned scapula of sheep, it becomes clear that the Orient of legends, myths, and magic still determines people's lives as much as the quest for money. By staying earthbound, Terzani lived to tell of an extraordinary journey through the ever-shifting kaleidoscope of Asia. <i>--Lesley Reed</i> 317572 1997 A Fortune-Teller Told Me: Earthbound Travels in the Far East total:210|5:70|4:89|3:39|2:7|1:5| 210 842 340 51 5 0 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 12 20:33:20 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 12 20:52:30 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jan 05 09:06:31 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 07 06:23:14 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Jun 26 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Jun 27 11:49:26 -0700 2008 Fri Jun 27 12:02:18 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Mar 24 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 14 12:39:22 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 14 12:39:22 -0700 2008
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It is a recounting of a year in the author's life in the 90's. He had seen a fortune teller in the 1970's that told him not to fly that year, so he...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Jul 18 09:30:17 -0700 2007 Wed Jul 18 21:49:13 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Oct 13 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Apr 26 21:50:37 -0700 2008 Mon Oct 13 23:28:35 -0700 2008 1 ...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Oct 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 12 16:31:05 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 25 16:30:02 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Aug 31 09:48:52 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 31 09:47:27 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 31 09:48:52 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Fri Aug 17 10:01:47 -0700 2007 Fri Aug 17 10:01:47 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2005 Thu Sep 25 01:14:02 -0700 2008 Thu Sep 25 01:14:02 -0700 2008
I think everyone should get back in touch with travelling by road, ra...more...]]> 5 0 true false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Sun Dec 14 17:26:48 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 14 17:28:09 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 10 05:35:44 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 10 05:36:55 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sun Mar 15 21:03:29 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 15 21:04:09 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Nov 03 20:20:25 -0700 2007 Sat Nov 03 20:29:58 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Nov 28 18:19:41 -0800 2008 Fri Nov 28 18:20:30 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Mon Aug 03 15:05:11 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 02 11:42:04 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 03 15:05:11 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 0 false false Fri May 01 07:18:00 -0700 2009 Fri May 01 07:18:32 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Thu Jan 15 21:58:02 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 15 21:58:36 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Sun Feb 15 17:39:48 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 15 17:40:04 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=825678