What to read after Walking around the world?

Manolo Frediani Lima is a businessman from southern Brazil. The hobbies he has are quite interesting: traveling and climbing mountains!

The book "Walking Around the World" tells the story about his most exotic tourist adventures... The last one was in 2020 when he made the so coveted Three Passes trail in the Himalayas (the highest mountain range in the world). He just didn't imagine that after 140 km of hiking, most of it on beautiful snowy paths, his trip would end up becoming a distressing lockdown.

He spent 21 days of tension and uncertainty in Lukla and Kathmandu (Nepal’s capital) between March and April, a time when several countries closed their borders due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Manolo, however, was not there by accident. He had planned the trip since the previous year. So, even on the other side of the planet, away from family and friends, he tried to live the circumstances and take advantage of them. That's when something fantastic happened: he started writing...

This book was born, therefore, from the improvised drafts of a Brazilian guy in trouble, and the result was stupendous. More than a travel story, this book is also an excellent guide for people of all ages who dreams one day making the big trip of their lives.

When tourists went out of home with curiosity, willingness and planning skills they enjoy much more their trip, be it for adventure, studies or recreation. By having these qualities, Manolo could get to know different landscapes and customs outside Brazil. Such experiences allowed him to perfect his ''rough stone''. Move away from his comfort zone, routine and stress cause him an immense good. He ''recovered energy'', rethought and changed his lifestyle for the better.

In these pages he tells what he saw and felt when climbing a mountain in Bolivia, walking through the ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru and exchanging studies in Portugal, Italy and England. Manolo is an itinerant! In this adrenaline search (and, later, moved by professional improvement), he witnessed a world full of economic, cultural and social contrasts.

According to him, when crossing from West to East, he had another ''storm of lessons'' because of the unforgettable experiences in Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and, mainly, in Nepal.

Amid beautiful photos, comments on unmissable tourist spots and many reflections, Manolo reminds us that traveling is also having an encounter with ourselves and with a beautiful world, always waiting for us.

Charles Pimentel da Silva,

book editor .