On the Road Again

Book excerpt: "On the Road Again", is autobiographical novel, based on an actual road trip conducted in 1989, where two lifelong friends, (Yuri and the author) traveled from Europe to India, via bus, across war-torn Iran and Afghanistan. The book contains 30 episodes (chapters), which could be read independently as vignettes, but combined they present a novel. These chapters do not follow chronological order; the last story is actually the first. The protagonists encounter some hard-to-believe situations in the world most dangerous places. They traveled with Mujahideens, from Zahedan to Quetta, latter being the epicenter of today's Taliban. They roamed through Iran during the Iraq-Iran war, and under watchful eye of Iranian Republican Guard. However, the novel is not only about the risky places and dangerous adventures. Much of it is focused on the final destination, Indian province of Goa. A Hippy paradise that once was. A place that does not exists any more, a place now reduced to hotel chains and mass tourism. But a place-in-time, that is well preserved by this novel. This novel is also about love and friendship and about one, long gone, green eye geisha.