Riding High [Paperback]

Ted Simon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1998

Riding High is packed with untold episodes from the "Jupiter" journey - his confrontations with a murderous military in Chile, his farcical arrest in India, bizarre customs in Thailand and Malaysia, his hilarious entanglements with a bottle of bad Dubonnet in Ecuador and many more. Simon contrasts them with the touching and turbulent events that followed his return to domesticity, and explains what became of him in 'life after travel.'

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Simon is a versatile author who covers diverse subjects, but his preference is writing about his own travels, and the insights they provide. His earlier book, Jupiter's Travels, which is a best seller in Europe, has had a cult following among American motorcyclists for many years, but is only now becoming recognised here as a travel classic. Riding High is a natural companion and sequel to that book.

From the Author

The Jupiter journey ended more than twenty years ago. I have written other books and lived other lives since then, and thought I would put the journey behind me, but those four years still remain the most significant period in my life. Riding High is a much-expanded version of Riding Home, published many years ago in Britain. I like it because I allowed myself more liberty to speculate on the meaning of my experiences, and on the alarming trends threatening debase our cultures, which were then already identifiable.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: Jupitalia Productions; 1 edition (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965478513
• ISBN-13: 978-0965478519
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #909,473 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent follow-up to Jupiter's Travels, July 23, 1999

By 

Mike Truel [e-mail] (Oklahoma City, OK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Riding High (Paperback)

Point to ponder: Ted Simon muses that "The interruptions ARE the journey". This book causes one to think about priorities in life and what drives them. Ted writes from a British perspective and humor and provides an insightful description of the real world as he passes through it. He describes his travel brilliantly as penetrating life's mysteries. He has been robbed, imprisoned, threatened and hospitalized. He has gone from ecstatic to despondent, but continued on, speaking to the therapeutic effects the motorcycle had on him (and his digestion). He showed keen insight into his fellow travelers as well as the indigenous peoples he observed in the many locales visited. I enjoyed his command of language and appreciated the level to which he writes. I scrambled for my lexicon and index of foreign phrases, for I enjoy the chase of literature. I was mindful of the BMW Anonymous tradition in which a rider can always find help due to his association with the marque. Ted created his own contact list as he moved along. It seems that we are really on a very small planet. I enjoyed the lessons in cultures such as the four Indian groups and an understanding of the caste system from which escape is impossible. Also, Ted provided valuable and interesting tidbits of history and cultural mores which some might find distasteful but are fascinating to me. This book fills in the gaps left by the first book "Jupiter's Travels. It continues to be an account of contradictions and inner struggles of wants and needs, both real and preceived as he marries and attempts to settle down in California. This is a real guy who suffers like the rest of us and shows us grit. I am envious of his experiences for I know that sharing them vicariously is as close as I will get. Read the book!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Untold stories,, June 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Riding High (Paperback)

How can one possibly expect someone to tell a 4 year journey in one book? Well that's why Ted Simon wrote a "second" Jupiters Travel. If you enjoyed Jupiters Travel, dont hesitate to buy Riding High. It gives you more insight into how Ted travelled, what went on in his mind and life. Especially that he shares his "settling down" years made the book a good read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jupiter Rides Again!, June 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Riding High (Paperback)

Riding High is a wonderful companion to JupiterÕs Travels. In it Ted Simon elaborates upon his four-year trip around the world and he also tells us about how hard it was for him to come to terms with journeyÕs end! Settling into married life in Mill Valley is a far cry from living a constantly changing, exciting life in the glorious here and now for four years! Ted makes us feel his struggle to adapt. He does this very tellingly by interspersing some domestic scenes with on-the road scenes. For myself, I felt claustrophobic when I read about his domestic life and longed for him to be on the road again. However, I think these scenes help us understand his dilemma: how can he reconcile a longing to be on the move with a yearning for the simple life in one place? It becomes apparent that Ted, although a compassionate and friendly person, is at heart a bit of a lone wolf! All the travel scenes are great, particularly those in India and South America and the book is full of fascinating information and insights, all of which Ted shares with us in his usual honest, articulate and engaging way.