Come on a journey with me Series

A tale of railways, nomads, ice, Soviets, food, culture, beauty, humour and excitement...   ' I can't recommend this book enough! I feel like I'm on the journey with Carrie... it's engaging, funny, and I've learned so much already... ' - Keeley O'Hagan Montagu   Come on a journey with Carrie, a young Australian with a notebook and an evocative ability to bring places you may have never seen to life through her words. See stretching grasslands 100km wide; hear the music of ice by a beach; smell some rousing local cuisine; grapple with challenging political history; and watch the earth's surface change through a train carriage window. Ten countries, tens of thousands of kilometres, and a whole lot of adventure.   Readers are DELIGHTED by All Aboard!:   Reading this book was like taking a trip in real time, narrated by your entertaining Australian mate... I felt I was right beside the author as she stared in wonder at the world flashing past the windows of her carriage. - Jacqueline Lambert, travel author   This book is a great read. By page 5 I was laughing out loud. A thoroughly entertaining travel guide. - Angie McGowan This is a wonderful book for anyone with a curious mind about how other people live under different political systems, in different climates, languages and cultures... It's immediate and engaging as we learn as much about Carrie as the people she meets. It's as if I were in the backpackers with her as she shares each day's events. - Alan Raby   I love it. Every time I sit down for a cup of tea, I read more and reluctantly put it down. It is so engaging to travel with you and learn things you never would. You really should be proud of what you have achieved - intrepid adventures on your own in very culturally different countries, writing intimately, frankly and honestly in journals and then producing such a readable book. Fabulous. - Sally Ord   If either you or someone you want to buy a present for: loves travel can't travel but wants to experience the next best thing is interested in the different countries and environments of the world wants an easy but engaging read Then this is the book for you. The book is relatable, fun, interesting and easy to read and understand. It's presented in the style of Bill Bryson's travel books, following the author on the journey - with plenty of wit and humour. It was written in the moment while the author was travelling, so you'll feel like you were there too. You'll marvel as she marvelled, wonder as she wondered, and learn as she learned. Stunning photographs of the places the author visited are presented at the beginning of each chapter. It's a thoughtful and entertaining travel book, full of adventure and curiosity. The book's themes include: travel, culture, exploring, adventure, history, food, nature, railway, music, beauty, hiking, architecture, stories, religion, Mongolian nomads, Soviets, World War Two, the Holocaust, learning. These are presented in an entertaining read that takes the reader on a journey through a fascinating part of the world.

You might know of tea ceremonies, samurai and vending machines, but how about honorific speech, a shrine to carry gods through a neighbourhood, and miso ramen-flavoured ice-cream? Explore some little-known and sometimes surprising elements of one of the most unique countries in the world, as viewed by Carrie, a young Australian teaching in Japanese elementary schools. With in-the-moment detail and light-hearted humour, even those things known about in the outside world are examined in detail by Carrie and unexpected elements brought to light. In Japan, new things mix with old things through uninhibited creativity to make more unique items of food, technology and culture than you would find anywhere else. It's a culture that must be seen to be believed – and through this book, you can see it too.   "Japan from the inside. I've just spent the last day and a half on a very interesting journey to Japan, in particular Iwaki, north of Tokyo, and what a journey it has been. The author writes in a free flowing and up beat style of her time spent teaching English at primary schools, and of her adventures to many places that not many westerners get the chance to do. That's what makes it such a good read, as she shares not just her escapades, but her feelings and thoughts on the complex, sometimes weird, and wonderful country that is Japan. I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who shares a love of Japan, its food and its people." Felicity Turnbull   "Beautiful, informative book From the moment I heard about it, I was looking forward to reading this book. I had my own experiences in Japan in the late 70s and early 80s, and Japan Unexpected didn't disappoint. From the first page I was hooked - the author's attitude to education is identical to mine; that the most beautiful education is one that teaches about other peoples and cultures. "It builds connections and understanding across distances and time periods". Riseley writes extremely well and gives beautiful, detailed descriptions and explanations of everything from food, history, customs, language, and events. Her affection for Japan and the Japanese is clear without being gushy. The only problem I have with the book is that it has made me pine for Japan. I am now desperate to go back and re-experience it. I would recommend Japan Unexpected to anyone planning a first visit to the country. I highly recommend this book." Rachel Caldecott   "Very interesting foreigner's first witness account of life in Japan "Japan Unexpected" by Carrie Riseley compiles the experiences of the author during her stay in Japan working as an English teacher. The book comprises thirty-five chapters, written in a journal entry style, that span several months and a multitude of situations: from broadly well-known such as Hanami to Tea Ceremony to Sapporo Snow Festival, passing through 'very special' Japanese specialties - soy sauce KitKat and wasabi ice-cream - to Carol karaoke or takes on Samurai ghosts. Riseley succeeds in crafting everyday life situations, settings, characters, and cultural nuances, into very interesting, captivating and enticing stories offering accurate depictions of Japanese real-life at its best as experienced through the eyes of an Australian ex-pat. Regardless of whether you have any experience with cultural exchange travel, the stories will mean different things to different readers, but will never be meaningless. Some will even find some hidden gems, a very welcomed added bonus, instantly recognizable for any Japanophile, and nevertheless incredible interesting and immensely valuable for those who aren't." Kath Eyer

Come on a journey from the Great Wall all the way down to the Mekong Delta; from Korea right across to Mt Everest. See crumbling temples in the jungle; hear the crashing drums and cymbals of a dragon dance; taste the spices. Adventure through nine countries and many more ethnic and cultural identities.   With in-the-moment detail and lighthearted humour, join Carrie on a Beijing stopover; a Korean holiday; backpacking from Shanghai to Tibet and back and then down to Southeast Asia; and some hair-raising drives around Taiwan. Experience these diverse and contrasting places: from yaks to water buffalo and trishaws to tuk tuks; from bustling cities to peaceful mountains covered in terraces of rice paddies; from boiling mud pools to markets filled with colour and life (literally – sometimes the produce runs away!). Not to mention all the mad things you'll see on the back of Vietnamese motorbikes…   Review by bestselling author Jacqueline Lambert: "The greatest stories often came out of the greatest challenges. Right from the start, the storytelling is beautiful. The author describes flying into Beijing, then takes you like a personal tour guide around South East Asia. You see everything instantly through her eyes and share the wonder. From the outset, I felt immersed. Yet, this was not an easy trip. Frequently travelling solo, the author has to deal with very alien cultures, often with no language and absolutely no idea what's going on. Join her on a motorcycle chase after her bags in Cambodia, inadvertently caught up in a political demonstration in Thailand, and on some terrifying drives in a hire car through Taiwan. This is the second memoir I've read from this author and once again, I loved her thoughtful reflections on cultural differences and her clear empathy for countries where living standards and freedoms differ greatly from the Western world. She also explores how an extended trip or long-term travel is not just about collecting truly unique experiences. It is a means to test and re-form your initial reactions and challenge your values and preconceptions. If you want to discover the best sightseeing spot in China, an ancient Korean drinking game, and a mighty fine collection of toilets, you will do worse than join Carrie for some smiles and spices!"