Piers Moore Ede

Varanasi is one of the cities in the world that has been inhabited for around four thousand years. Situated on the Ganges, it is the focal point for a number of religions; the two patriots of Jains were born there, it is where the Buddha preached his first sermon and for Hindus there is no place more revered. Those four millennia have seen a lot of history too, invasions, colonial rule and independence have all influenced the city.

This is a huge city too, home to 2.5 million people, over the course of a year it will welcome 5 million more. Thousands bathe each day in the sacred, polluted Ganges. It is the destination at the end of people’s lives too; they come here to die, or to be cremated on the pyres alongside the river. On top of all that the city is the centre of a large silk and textile industry. There is a darker side too, not only is corruption endemic, but there is a thriving drug trade and prostitution is rife.

It is this city though, that draws Ede back there to stay for a year. He spends some time with people to bring the city alive to us reading it. The book is intense as I imagine the city must be and Ede’s writing manages to transport you to this madly alive and vivid city. You prickle from the heat, the smells and noise assault your senses, you know that this place is where religion, culture, life and death all come together in one swirling mass of humanity. It is a book that is well worth reading, he has managed to bring a human perspective to a city that is one of the largest on earth. Will definitely be reading his other books.

First book from the #WorldFromMyArmchair too.… (más)

Reading about the adventures of Piers Moore Ede in his quest to track ancient apiculture (beekeeping) methods in the modern world was just a delight. It appealed to me on so many levels.

As a travelogue of several Asian countries, it worked well. I especially loved the part about Lebanon and Syria as I had once lived in the Middle East and found so much of Ede’s experiences familiar (the hamsin winds, the game of backgammon, drinking tea, and so forth). What I enjoyed most was how he described his encounters with others he met and the respect that he afforded those people. Ede's descriptions of the Annapurna region of the Himalayas seemed as magnificent as the vistas shown on pictures I recently received from my cousin during his own trek to that region. In writing about unfamiliar terms, the author helpfully provided adequate footnotes to help otherwise bewildered readers along.

This is an easy and engaging read. Some parts are hilarious. For instance, when Ede was in Lebanon, he was pretty much forced to try some samne (lamb fat) with honeycomb which the author described as looking “like a bloated slug which had fared rather badly against a gardener's boot". Another time, the author went to see the making of anayi (Arabic cream), a process which he decribed as his host's niece "stoking a roaring blaze under a large witch's cauldron".

In addition to a great sense of humor, Ede has a particular inkling for danger. Both of these attributes kept me deeply involved in his story. At one point, where the author is about to fall off of a cliff, I just took a deep breath and read on.

I am a “foodie” and find the author’s concern about the declining population of bees and his interest in beekeeping and honey-gathering most interesting and newsworthy. Ede is also an advocate of the now popular Slow Food Movement. I commend the author for his views on earth stewardship and taking some time to discuss this with his readers.… (más)