Ghost Train to the Eastern Star : 28,000 Miles in Search of the Railway Bazaar

The acclaimed author of The Great Railway Bazaar retraces his legendary journey through Europe and Asia in this “funny, informative and lyrical” travelogue (The Guardian, UK).Paul Theroux virtually invented the modern travel narrative by recounting his 25,000-mile journey by train through eastern Europe, central Asia, the Indian subcontinent, China, Japan, and Siberia. Three decades later, the world he recorded in The Great Railway Bazaar has undergone phenomenal change. The Soviet Union has collapsed and China has risen; India booms while Burma smothers under dictatorship; Vietnam flourishes in the aftermath of the havoc America was unleashing on it the last time Theroux passed through. Now Theroux returns to capture the texture, sights, smells, and sounds of this new landscape. Theroux’s odyssey takes him from eastern Europe, still hung-over from communism. He experiences a tense but thriving Turkey, and a Georgia limping back toward feudalism while its neighbor Azerbaijan revels in oil-fueled capitalism. Through it all, Theroux travels as the locals do—by train, bus, taxi, and foot; he encounters fellow writers, including Orhan Pamuk, Haruki Murakami, and Arthur C. Clarke; and, as always, his omnivorous curiosity and unerring eye for detail capture it all. In Ghost Train To The Eastern Star, Theroux Recreates An Epic Journey He Took Thirty Years Ago, A Giant Loop By Train (mostly) Through Eastern Europe, Turkey, The Caucasus, Central Asia, The Indian Subcontinent, China, Japan, And Siberia. In Short, He Traverses All Of Asia Top To Bottom, And End To End. In The Three Decades Since He First Travelled This Route, Asia Has Undergone Phenomenal Change. The Soviet Union Has Collapsed, China Has Risen, India Booms, Burma Slowly Smothers, And Vietnam Prospers Despite The Havoc Unleashed Upon It The Last Time Theroux Passed Through. He Witnesses All This And More In A 25,000 Mile Journey, Travelling As The Locals Do, By Train, Car, Bus, And Foot, Providing His Penetrating Observations On The Changes These Countries Have Undergone.--from Publisher Description. The Eurostar -- The Other Orient Express -- The Ferry To Besiktas -- Night Train To Ankara -- Night Train To Tbilisi -- Night Train To Baku : The Trans-caucasian -- Night Train From Ashgabat To Mary -- Night Train To Tashkent -- The Shan-e Punjab Express To Delhi -- Night Train To Jodhpur : The Mandore Express -- Night Train To Jaipur -- Night Train To Mumbai : The Superfast Express -- Night Train To Bangalore : The Udyan Express -- The Shatabdi Express To Chennai -- The Coastal Line To Galle And Hambantota -- The Slow Train To Kandy -- Ghost Train To Mandalay -- The Train To Pyin-oo-lwin -- Night Train To Nong Khai -- Night Train To Hat Yai Junction : Special Express -- Night Train To Singapore : The Lankawi Express -- The Slow Train To The Eastern Star -- The Boat Sontepheap To Phnom Penh -- The Mekong Express -- Night Train To Hue -- The Day Train To Hanoi -- Tokyo Andaguraundo -- Night Train To Hokkaido : Hayate Super Express -- The Limited Express : Sarobetsu To Wakkanai -- Night Train To Kyoto : The Twilight Express -- The Trans-siberian Express -- Night Train To Berlin And Beyond. Paul Theroux. Map On Lining Papers. The author of "The Great Railway Bazaar" revisits the past as he journeys through Eastern Europe, Central Asia, India, China, Japan, and Siberia on an adventure that reveals the dramatic changes that have occurred since the writing of the original travelogue.