Naomi Weisman is a Canadian-Australian and mother of three, who loves to ramble with her dog, cook for family and friends, and laugh whenever possible.
Many adventurous Sole Sisters love to cycle in addition to rambling, so I’m excited to share my review of Lands of Lost Borders: Out of Bounds on the Silk Road by Kate Harris—a travel memoir I think will resonate with all you adventurers, ramblers, and cyclists out there.
I first read this book when it was released in 2018, after it was recommended by a passionate cyclist friend. While I’m definitely not a cyclist myself, I’ve always had a deep love for travelogues. Bill Bryson was my favorite travel writer until Kate Harris came along. Her sense of wanderlust, adventurous spirit, and ability to vividly describe landscapes and experiences truly captivated me.
We've read many inspiring ramble logs on the Sole Sister Ramblers website, but let me tell you, this book is the ultimate ramble log. Kate Harris, a self-described explorer and scientist from a young age, had a clear academic path ahead of her—studying at prestigious universities like Oxford and MIT, even becoming a Rhodes Scholar. But her first love has always been exploration.
Instead of staying in the lab, Harris and her friend Mel decided to make their dream of cycling the Silk Road a reality. So, they set off on a year-long adventure, biking through remote corners of the world—places like Armenia, Albania, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, Romania, San Marino, Spain, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
“There seemed few outlets left for the restlessness that ached inside me, this mad longing for a world without maps.”
Lands of Lost Borders chronicles Harris’ journey of breaking free from the limits we impose on ourselves. It’s about confronting the restrictions that borders place on both nature and humanity. Unlike most explorers who focus on charting maps or naming peaks and valleys, Harris seeks to break through boundaries, embracing a world without constraints.
“The more I learned about the South Caucasus, with its closed borders and warring enclaves,” she writes, “the more the place seemed like a playground game of capture-the-flag, all in the dubious name of nationalism.”
If you’re a fan of memoirs or, like me, love to read travelogues, I highly recommend this powerful account of cycling through the Silk Road. It’s equal parts eloquent and informative—I learned so much from it.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the book or any other travelogues you’ve enjoyed.
READ MORE > Nomi's Pic, Rambler Cafe Blog
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