“ If hot food is they key to maintaining an expedition's stamina, then low grade gut-rot alcohol is the key to sustaining its sense of pleasure. Tahir Shah
“ Normally I would have been the first to go in search of cannibal monks, particularly as I had heard of a similar tradition at a nunnery in the Philippines. It's the sort of quest I can't resist. Tahir Shah
“ As the head of an expedition, you can't pussyfoot around being polite to everyone. You have to show your teeth once in a while; a little growling goes a long way. Tahir Shah
“ But in Africa bureaucrats are usually too proud to accept a bribe, something I admire when I'm not the one being arrested. Tahir Shah
“ Spend sixteen weeks in the jungle and you being to question your own sanity, especially when you are the one goading everyone else ahead. Tahir Shah
“ The ability to tell a good route from a terrible one is a valuable skill when leading an expedition. Unfortunately for us all, it was a skill I did not possess. Tahir Shah
“ Running an expedition can bring out the worst in a man. It can make you a power-crazed monster. Tahir Shah
“ Explorers like to pretend that they are a select breed of people with iron nerve and an ability to endure terrible hardship. Tahir Shah
“ Ours was not going to be a clone of the usual expeditions, oozing with sleekness. It was clear from the start that oddity was our advantage. Tahir Shah
“ The inertia of a jungle village is a dangerous thing. Before you know it your whole life has slipped by and you are still waiting there. Tahir Shah
“ The mere mention of the Farakka Express, which jerks its way eastward each day from Delhi to Calcutta, is enough to throw even a seasoned traveller into fits of apoplexy. At a desert encampment on Nam… Tahir Shah
“ It was an awkward moment. We were burning down our host's house, a situation which any guest seeks to avoid. Tahir Shah
“ An intelligent enemy,' he would say, stroking his beard as if it were a bristly pet, 'rather than a foolish friend.' Or, 'He learnt the language of pigeons, and forgot his own.' Or, the favourite of J… Tahir Shah
“ The Occident has never found it easy to grasp the strange netherworld of spirits that followers of Islam universally believe exist in a realm overlaid our own. Tahir Shah
“ Returning to a city that one has known and loved fills you with a delicious sense of warmth. Tahir Shah
“ The ancient paused for a moment, as if his strength were failing. Yet I sensed that there was more to tell. Looking deep into my eyes, he whispered: 'The Gond kingdoms have fallen, their people live d… Tahir Shah
“ A cross between a foreign legion boot-camp and a secret-society initiation ritual, the ordeals were grounded in pain. One thing was obvious: the agenda, which was dedicated to grave discomfort, had be… Tahir Shah
