{"id":233,"date":"2011-01-19T16:02:00","date_gmt":"2011-01-19T21:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/2011\/01\/19\/crossing-the-heart-of-africa-a-book-review\/"},"modified":"2013-09-23T06:56:34","modified_gmt":"2013-09-23T10:56:34","slug":"crossing-the-heart-of-africa-a-book-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/crossing-the-heart-of-africa-a-book-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Crossing the Heart of Africa – a book review"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/div>\n

Taking an incredibly long and dangerous journey is for most people, something to daydream about. Hiking through wild jungles, trying to communicate with unfriendly natives and avoiding crippling diseases is not an endeavor to be taken lightly. To plan it three or four months before your wedding is insanity. But that\u2019s when it started.<\/p>\n

Julian Smith, travel writer and book author, figured it was the only time he\u2019d be able to retrace the steps of the great adventurer Ewart Grogan, who, a century before, over a two-year period, hiked the entire continent of Africa, south to north\u2026about 4,500 miles.<\/p>\n

In the book \u201cCrossing the Heart of Africa,\u201d Julian Smith weaves two tales into one captivating book\u2026a \u201ctwofer\u201d if you will. Two tales of adventure for the price of one. But, you wouldn\u2019t expect them to be two love stories, which indeed they both were.<\/p>\n

Grogan needed to prove his love for a woman in higher social standing than himself, so he set out to impress her step-father and ultimately win her hand in marriage. Our modern day hero, Julian Smith, needed to prove to himself more than anyone else, that he was ready to make that lifelong commitment to the woman of his dreams and proposed this journey as a test of his resolve.<\/p>\n

As the reader follows along, both Grogan\u2019s journey and Smith\u2019s journey are entwined and unwrapped, country by country as they both get closer to their northern goal of reaching Cairo. Grogan\u2019s journey on foot and by boat was a series of mishap after mishap as his porters, guides and gun handlers would disappear and mutiny at all the wrong times. Julian Smith on the other hand, traveled extremely light and agile, via bike, bus, motorcycle and ferry. His heavy load was uncertainty\u2026uncertain that a life-long commitment was in both their best interests.<\/p>\n

\u201cCrossing the Heart of Africa\u201d is an easy read with a couple captivating characters, sure to hold your interest. It is the perfect antidote to cabin fever here in the dreary winter months in Cleveland.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Taking an incredibly long and dangerous journey is for most people, something to daydream about. Hiking through wild jungles, trying to communicate with unfriendly natives and avoiding crippling diseases is not an endeavor to be taken lightly. To plan it three or four months before your wedding is insanity. But that\u2019s when it started. Julian […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","cos_headline_score":0,"cos_seo_score":0,"cos_headline_text":"","cos_headline_has_been_analyzed":false,"cos_last_analyzed_headline":[],"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[608,3],"tags":[312,313,311,314,3644],"class_list":["post-233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-latest-news-blog","category-travel","tag-africa","tag-book-review","tag-ewart-grogan","tag-heart-of-africa","tag-travel"],"featured_image_urls_v2":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","rpg_gallery_admin_thumb":"","rpg_gallery_thumb":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":"","gb-block-post-grid-landscape":"","gb-block-post-grid-square":"","et-pb-post-main-image":"","et-pb-post-main-image-fullwidth":"","et-pb-portfolio-image":"","et-pb-portfolio-module-image":"","et-pb-portfolio-image-single":"","et-pb-gallery-module-image-portrait":"","et-pb-post-main-image-fullwidth-large":"","et-pb-image--responsive--desktop":"","et-pb-image--responsive--tablet":"","et-pb-image--responsive--phone":""},"post_excerpt_stackable_v2":"

Taking an incredibly long and dangerous journey is for most people, something to daydream about. Hiking through wild jungles, trying to communicate with unfriendly natives and avoiding crippling diseases is not an endeavor to be taken lightly. To plan it three or four months before your wedding is insanity. But that\u2019s when it started. Julian Smith, travel writer and book author, figured it was the only time he\u2019d be able to retrace the steps of the great adventurer Ewart Grogan, who, a century before, over a two-year period, hiked the entire continent of Africa, south to north\u2026about 4,500 miles. In…<\/p>\n","category_list_v2":"Blog<\/a>, Travel<\/a>","author_info_v2":{"name":"Doug","url":"https:\/\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/author\/admindoug\/"},"comments_num_v2":"0 comments","author_meta":{"display_name":"Doug","author_link":"https:\/\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/author\/admindoug\/"},"featured_img":null,"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Doug","author_link":"https:\/\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/author\/admindoug\/"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["Blog<\/a>","Travel<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Blog<\/span>","Travel<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["Africa<\/a>","book review<\/a>","Ewart Grogan<\/a>","Heart of Africa<\/a>","Travel<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Africa<\/span>","book review<\/span>","Ewart Grogan<\/span>","Heart of Africa<\/span>","Travel<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":0,"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 15 years ago","modified":"Updated 13 years ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on January 19, 2011","modified":"Updated on September 23, 2013"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on January 19, 2011 4:02 pm","modified":"Updated on September 23, 2013 6:56 am"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p21Ejy-3L","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":240,"url":"https:\/\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/wildlife-photography-written-by-uwe-skrzypczak\/","url_meta":{"origin":233,"position":0},"title":"Wildlife Photography \u2013 written by Uwe Skrzypczak","author":"Doug","date":"February 22, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"No doubt, probably one of the most fantasized photographic experiences is being on safari in the Serengeti of Africa. With all the predatory animals in abundant supply, this is the place to be to get shots of all the \u201cmajors.\u201d\u00a0Suffice it to say, those who have actually spent the money\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/category\/latest-news-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-1acX0NlODN0\/TWRSXzv8teI\/AAAAAAAAAV4\/NobhEB3P7fo\/s320\/WildllifePhotogarphycover.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":32722,"url":"https:\/\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/three-romantic-getaways-in-south-africa\/","url_meta":{"origin":233,"position":1},"title":"Three Romantic Getaways in South Africa","author":"Guest Post","date":"July 18, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Love is always in the air in South Africa; you\u2019re completely spoiled for choice. Relax in a modern mansion overlooking the majestic Atlantic Ocean in one of Cape Town\u2019s most exclusive suburbs or spend a few days at a luxurious South African game lodge that offers exclusive safari game drives\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Travel"","block_context":{"text":"Travel","link":"https:\/\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/category\/travel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Viewing wildlife from your treehouse on Pondoro Game Lodge","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Tree-house-hide-outside-view-web.jpg?fit=1000%2C665&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Tree-house-hide-outside-view-web.jpg?fit=1000%2C665&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Tree-house-hide-outside-view-web.jpg?fit=1000%2C665&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Tree-house-hide-outside-view-web.jpg?fit=1000%2C665&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":30905,"url":"https:\/\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/september-is-travel-together-month-and-heres-a-list-of-travel-deals\/","url_meta":{"origin":233,"position":2},"title":"September is Travel Together Month – and here’s a list of travel deals","author":"Press Release","date":"September 15, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"On September 1, the\u00a0United States Tour Operators Association\u00a0(USTOA) kicked off its celebration of world\u00a0travel\u00a0during the fourth annual\u00a0Travel\u00a0Together Month. Throughout the month travelers will find more than 100 special offers and exclusive savings to explore the globe. Travel\u00a0Together Month\u00a0showcases a curated selection of offers from the country\u2019s leading providers of independent\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Past"","block_context":{"text":"Past","link":"https:\/\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/category\/past\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Beautiful lake and castle","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/ales-krivec-192941-900.jpg?fit=900%2C592&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/ales-krivec-192941-900.jpg?fit=900%2C592&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/ales-krivec-192941-900.jpg?fit=900%2C592&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/ales-krivec-192941-900.jpg?fit=900%2C592&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":32049,"url":"https:\/\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/7-top-vacation-spots-for-retirees\/","url_meta":{"origin":233,"position":3},"title":"7 Top Vacation Spots for Retirees","author":"Guest Post","date":"February 3, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Being retired often means being able to take the trips you\u2019ve wanted to take since your youth. Now you have the means to afford them and the time to see new places properly, but where should you visit? Behold, the top vacation spots for retirees: Amalfi Coast Italy is always\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Travel"","block_context":{"text":"Travel","link":"https:\/\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/category\/travel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/greece.png?fit=1200%2C805&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/greece.png?fit=1200%2C805&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/greece.png?fit=1200%2C805&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/greece.png?fit=1200%2C805&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/greece.png?fit=1200%2C805&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7118,"url":"https:\/\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/safari-zimbabwe-now\/","url_meta":{"origin":233,"position":4},"title":"Why safari in Zimbabwe? 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