Afghanistan, remote and elusive, has become infamous since September 11, 2001. But for New Zealand writer Richard Loseby, Afghanistan is a land of wonder, beauty and contrasting strangeness - and the location of a journey that few would even contemplate.
This is the story of an astonishing adventure that began in the mind of an eight-year-old boy, obsessed with 'looking for the Afghan' and ended with a perilous dash to safety across more than 750 kilometres of mountain and desert.
Avoiding land mines and bullets, he spent months travelling through Iraq and Iran negotiating a way into Afghanistan. Joining forces with the war-weary Mujahedeen, he found unexpected allies and unforgettable friends.
Although Loseby encountered danger on many occasions, he experienced a strange joy; daily life was full of small acts of kindness and many acts of hostility - ordinary exchanges charged with tension and drama.
The result is a rare glimpse of Afghani people themselves, people of warmth, generosity and humour. But this is not just a travel story, it is a story of tenacity of spirit and of promises made and kept.
Author description
Author Richard Loseby is based in New Zealand, but travels extensively throughout the Middle East and the rest of the world. This is his first book on Afghanistan.
