Customer Reviews

Away From My Desk: A Round-the-World Detour from the Rat Race, the Tech Wreck, and the Traffic Jam of Life in America

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I had my doubts when I picked up this book. Principally I was sceptical about how one begins to cover in any substantial way travels though 45 countries in one year. Within the first thirty pages it became clear to me that the author was searching for and painting a comparative picture of our world. In my opinion the book's prime attraction is in Haffar's skill at distilling cultures, societies, and entire countries into their essential elements. And he does so with humour, occasionally irreverent but never crass. This is brilliant, entertaining reading for anyone, traveller or otherwise, who is curious about the world we live in.

After 30 years of fulfilling travel and discovery in virtually every conceivable part of the world (and not a few inconceivable), I thought I had thoroughly outgrown the `travel book'. The few remaining draws in that genre, for me, are the original classics: Thesiger, Newby, etc. Much of the rest seems to rehash established themes and hackneyed observations. At the insistence of a friend, though, I picked up this gem -- Away From My Desk -- and found it genuinely difficult to put down.

This is a thoroughly entertaining, witty and nicely-paced book, written by someone obviously enjoying the hell out of his travels. Theirs is the sabbatical of a lifetime, and Mr. Haffar's easy and intimate style takes you along for a memorable ride. Beyond the journey, the author's wide-ranging interests and remarkable knowledge - spanning art, history, geology, economics, and opera to mention a few - take you on a trip of a different kind: a compendious yet fascinating tour of our world, including some of the most thoroughly misunderstood places and peoples.

I still dip into this book almost daily for a refreshing perspective or, perhaps more truthfully, for one of Mr. Haffar's reliably hilarious remarks. Highly recommended.

Away From My Desk was an intriguing, colorful adventure from the first page to the last. Take it from one who has traveled to 7 continents, there was so much to laugh about and learn about in this wonderful new addition to my library. I was especially impressed with the amount of detail and honesty the book offered, so much so that I felt I was right there with the author as he visited the mysterious Taj Mahal, the awesome magic of the great Barrier Reef and the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu. Bravo!

I've spent the past 18 years of my life traveling around the globe on a shoe-string budget and I hate reading travel books, because they are always WRONG! Rif Haffar's humourous look at world travel and adventure was a refreshing thrill to read. I recommend it to everyone who is stuck at home, and longing for a road trip. This is not some know it all writer telling you how to do it Mr Right's way. Instead, you experience the joy of accidentally discovering a perfect spot along the way and the
disappointment of visiting a well know tourist site that's clearly over-rated. Somehow, this book rang absolutely true to the traveler's experience. At some times I felt I was reliving one of my own travel adventures; at others I was inexplicably JEALOUS that in all my years of backpacking around this crazy planet I never stayed the night in the suites at the Hilton and enjoyed those "fluffy white towels"! Kudos to this traveler who was unafraid to do it all his own way without fear of telling it just like it was - with a quirky smile on his face. A joy to read.

If you are sick of the normal travel books, try Mr. Haffar's guide!It is informative and funny at the same time. Good advice with a sense of humor thrown in. From both a male and female point of view, you get both perspectives.A true insider's tips to the rest of the world, proves an invaluable tool to have with you on your next trip abroad.

Haffar leads the reader on an enviable trip to amazing place after amazing place. I enjoyed the introduction to unfamiliar locales, but wished he had left out his often cutting humor in favor of more insights into the cultures. His view of the countries he visits is often from the executive suite of a hotel, making his commentary somewhat superficial. An entertaining read, but not a trip for ordinary working mortals.

Away From My Desk is an exciting travelogue of Rif Haffar's globe-spanning journey across six continents and 45 countries, using every means of transportation from airplanes to elephants. An amazing and exciting world journey, richly narrated in exquisite detail and enhanced throughout with a touch of humor, Away From My Desk is an especially recommended travelogue and rewarding reading for the armchair traveler, as well as anyone who has ever contemplated leaving their humdrum life for an around-the-world adventure!

This book is funny and satirical and sometimes sarcastic, but there are passages that had me rolling on the floor. Haffar has a gift for simplifying complex cultures down to their bare essentials, without being patronizing. This should be required reading for anyone who plans to ever leave the U.S. on an overseas trip.

Make no mistake: this is not your same ol' same ol' travelogue. This is pure pleasure - a colorful, significant trip around the world with a witty and knowledgeable companion who cares enough about the places he visits and people he meets to be honest about them and enough about his readers to make sure we are never left out of the experience. Throughout, the author has a sharp eye for meaningful, often ironic, detail and a fine, fine sense of humor to convey what he sees. If you're looking for information, it's here. And if you're looking for heart, well, that's here, too - in abundance from start to finish.

I've just completed Away From my Desk after spending two exhilarating nights revisiting several countries I thought I'd experienced previously, but now realize that I hadn't. This book is for those who enjoy adventure and excitement beyond that which is found in conventional travel books. It falls somewhere between a travel book - a venture to 6 continents and 45 countries by motorbike, air, camel, and elephant - and a personal account of the people, whims of travel, customs and images gained from his uncommon insight. This book is quick-witted and candid, but forgiving - an account of the fulfillment of the author's dream of dumping corporate life as Vice President of a major telecommunications company and journeying around-the-world by motorbike. Such a venture exists only in the imagination of most travelers. Haffar has the remarkable gift of creating the sense that `you are there'- he opens new vistas in the world of motorbike touring. Alas, my wife forbids me from getting on one of those things. Which makes the book even more valuable.
Rif Haffar describes the art of travel in some unusual places where only the bold venture, as well as providing tips on accommodations, pitfalls, and humorous vignettes of problems, e.g.,loss of Honda to Customs in Bombay, that many would experience if they dared such an adventure. The book doesn't tell you where to go, as much as what to expect when you get there. It is reminiscent of the somewhat more Herculean trip taken in 1936 by Peter Flemming and his companion, recorded in his classic book `News From Tartary'. Haffar prefers clean hotels to tents and yurts. He has a wry wit and a rare talent for telling a good story, as well as providing information that saves the trouble `... of staying in lousy hotels, eating bad food and getting bitten by exotic bugs of varying nationalities'.
If you wish to experience an exciting and humorous odyssey in your armchair, journeying from Lisbon, across Europe to the Middle East, then to Asia, Oceania, South and Central America, then this is a book you will enjoy. If you are courageous, and plan such a trip by motorbike, or otherwise, `Away from the Desk' is essential reading.
One minor disappointment was the small black and white photos - would they have been in color! On the other hand, I suppose this would add substantially to the book's price.