A year of dramatic adventure evolved into an eight year, 200,000 mile journey around the world. Sam's first motorcycle adventure travel book 'Into Africa' received high acclaim from reviewers and has sold all over the world.
Novice biker Sam Manicom left his job and sold his house to ride his R80GS the length of Africa. But once the travel bug bit, he couldn't stop. Under Asian Skies is the sequel to his first book Into Africa, and is similarly packed with adventure.
Sam narrowly escapes a serious wipe-out in the vast Australian Outback, falls critically ill in Thailand and is rescued by a prostitute, gets arrested in Madras, dodges the manic traffic of India's Grand Trunk Road and rides sheet ice on the road home through Turkey.
To make ends meet, he works as a fruit picker in Australia. He meets hippies, aborigines and escapees from the law, gets involved with smugglers and falls in love.
What shines through is his sheer joy of being on the road, and the pure adrenaline buzz that each day can bring. Every day holds an adventure and once again, those adventures demand that Sam's Guardian Angel is on hand to work overtime. Just one man, a motorcycle and a dream being lived- every day.
Why does Sam get arrested this time? How many of the dreaded lurgies can you catch? What happens when a solo adventurer decides to take a pillion on board? How is a trip like this funded? What's 'Full Moon Fever'? Is Asia really mystical? How does a biker deal with the poverty? Is smuggling really a good idea? What kit worked the best? Who else is out on the road? What was that about romance? And what was that about two wheels being the best possible way to see the world?
'Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey.' - Fitzhugh Mullan