Odyssey to Ushuaia: A Motorcycling Adventure from New York to Tierra del Fuego [Paperback]

Andres Carlstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2002

What makes a man sell all he owns and ride a motorcycle 22,000 miles from his hometown in upstate New York to the southernmost tip of South America? Some call it craziness; Latinos call it “cojones.” This funny, fast-paced narrative follows a young man in his search for meaning, adventure, and the best rum in Latin America. Battling rough roads, careening buses, and bribe-taking cops in 14 countries, he discovers breathtaking beauty as well as what it feels like to hit a truck head-on. He and his companions for much of the trip—two bikers he met over the Internet—form an unlikely and amusing trio. In the tradition of Road Fever and Motorcycle Diaries, Odyssey to Ushuaia is a riot for every reader, and absolutely essential for those planning a similar trip. Loaded with insider information such as how to bribe cops and not lose one’s savings, how to cross a border without going crazy, how to handle an accident, and much more, it also features an appendix with the detailed trip lists from all three riders.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A must for any 'real human' vaguely interested in motorcycle travel or adventure." -- MotorcycleJournal.net

"An amusing tale" -- Tom Reece, Friction Zone

"Honest, engaging account" -- Spirit

"Loaded with insider information . . . full of crazy stories." -- Motorcycle Product News

"More fun than I've had sitting down in a long time" -- John Greenya, The Star Ledger

"The best ride account since Notch Miyake’s Purple Mountains . . . Fully recommended with all four cylinders." -- Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly

It's a fast-paced book. You won't be bored. -- South American Explorer

About the Author

Andrés Carlstein is a technical writer for a computer software company in New York City. He lives in Cliffside Park, New Jersey.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Chicago Review Press; 1 edition (May 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556524404
• ISBN-13: 978-1556524400
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #859,790 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Riding Companion from Hell, March 12, 2004

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Odyssey to Ushuaia: A Motorcycling Adventure from New York to Tierra del Fuego (Paperback)

I bought this book excited to read about a fellow KLR rider undertaking a trip that I've been comtenplating myself. But instead of any insightful look at the people or places along the way, what we're left with is a juevenille cursory glance, while most of the book consists of the author looking to score with the ladies.

I felt entirely sympathetic with his two riding companions, as countlessly the author performs bone-headed manuevers, over-sleeps, doens't prepare in the least for a trip of this kind, and the guy wonders at the end why he isn't invited to one of their weddings.

This was a huge dissapointment, and if you're looking for insightful looks at motorcycle and travel, read The Perfect Vehicle, or Ghost Rider, or Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenence. All great books.

Avoid this stinker.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Entertaining, January 13, 2003

By 

R. Villa (Weston, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Odyssey to Ushuaia: A Motorcycling Adventure from New York to Tierra del Fuego (Paperback)

This book is quite a joy to read. Once you start reading you can hardly put it down. The vivid and detailed descriptions of all the characters and places that they run into allow yourself to get totally immersed in the whole adventure. Knowing one of the companions (Peter) since I was a little kid and seeing how accurately Andres described him in all of his aspects, lent a lot of credibility to every account in the book. I also got the chance to hear about the entire adventure through Peter's perspective and its just like Andres wrote about it. I recommend this book to anyone with an adventurous spirit.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, fun, revealing, August 25, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Odyssey to Ushuaia: A Motorcycling Adventure from New York to Tierra del Fuego (Paperback)

A refreshing read by a novice adventurer that highlights both what to do and what not to do on this kind of expedition. Half the time I wanted to shake him silly for some some stunt, the other half of the time I was laughing at his descriptions of the same stunts. His awareness of his own weaknesses are an important part of the story. There is a good mix of technical narration, local history, and philisophical exploration. There are loose ends, a lot of references that could use a web site or phone to follow up, but enough info to track down if one is really interested. An excellent first effort, I look forward to another book from this guy, both for the writing and to see how he develops.