When this book, Antarctica Diaries: A Trip to Beyond, came to me for a review, I was literally bemused! I have been reading and reviewing books for a long time and I do like lots of travelling. However, a book on a trip to Antarctica! Let me be honest that Antarctica has always been my fancy land and I just thought to be lucky enough to read the first-hand experience of someone who has been there. Anuj Tikku’s travel writings are very famous in India and I was expecting a lot from his book. To begin, he did not disappoint me!
The book is not very lengthy. It’s a short, compact but very informative as well as eye-widening one. There are details of multiple sights that the author has witnessed in Antarctica and also, there are many photographs that Anuj has taken in his Canon camera. So, the book becomes exciting with manifolds.
Though language is not an issue for travel books and also a trip to Antarctica. However, Anuj Tikku has been cautious on that front and he has tried his best to match the beauty of Antarctica with his language. Many other books by him are mostly casual but this one has been standard and decorated in terms of language. It’s sophisticated and at the same time, fairly easy to understand. He describes his last day in Antarctica in these words (and many more in chapter 11):
“It was our last evening in the white continent before the ship turned towards its journey back to the port of Ushuaia in Argentina. It was a day to sink everything in, the beauty, the tranquillity, the freezing snow and the radiant pink and orange skyline.”
The book contains basic, advanced and some general information that anyone would like to have as the prerequisite to travel to Antarctica. Anuj’s depiction of the various sights and serene beauty of snow are more than enough to lure someone with a heavy pocket and adventurous mind to take this coveted trip to Antarctica. And for them, the author has also given the details – flights, things to care, the possible cost involved and all the beautiful sights that must be seen when one lands in Antarctica.
To make this book further enticing, Anuj Tikku has also given the hilarious but mind-consuming details of his lost camera bag. If it would have really lost, Anuj was losing almost 8 lac rupees. However, to retrieve the bag from Rome Airport, once located, would cost Anuj about 1.2 lac rupees… how did he get it back? You will surely like that episode.
Moreover, there are various details of Penguins and seals and sights… who discovered what. Who made the hut where. Who came first. Who discovered this first… This book is not only about the beautiful sights of Antarctica and sporting with penguins… this is also about who made all this possible. And I am sure that the readers will like it a lot! You can also watch the videos of Antarctica by Anuj on his YouTube channel. Here is the link:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTnvgjgpI9RxrY1YsVzU31g/featured
You can also grab a copy of this Kindle Ebook and enjoy reading Anuj’s Antarctic expeditions:
Get the Ebook – click to buy from Amazon
review by Rahul for Egoistic Readers
Antarctica Diaries
200 Rs
Pros
- Easy & Beautiful Language
- Wide Coverage of Sights
- Information on Travelling
Cons
- It could be longer
