Discover - why I undertook the journey and wrote the book,
what makes this book better than most travel books, and
how the story and this website can benefit YOU...

Dear Reader,

Are you at a crossroads in your life? 

I might be able to help you because when I was there, I did something rather extraordinary that changed my life.   Through some incredible trials, errors, and successes over the next two and a half years and beyond, I learned many valuable things that might be helpful to you.  And I keep on learning.

Now, helping you improve your odyssey through life is what melawend.com is all about.

Hi, I'm Tom Smith, your host... an everyday guy who was able to become an internationally published writer and photographer.

When I was at that crossroads, I was a somewhat shy, broke, unemployed, and virtually homeless divorced father. A real fixer-upper. I knew I had to get out of my negative self and overcome personal limitations.   I believed I had create and undertake an extreme challenge - something profound that would engage all the important positive things that I was feeling, thinking, needing, and desiring.  Envisioning that challenge required direction and focus.  So I went for a lot of solitary walks and did a lot of soul searching and practical research until the answer came to me - a global friendship and communication venture. CYCLE FOR LIFE - World Odyssey was born. 

The project meant that I would have to defeat shyness so I could become a self-appointed ambassador in blue jeans, traveling solo around the world to promote international friendship and communication.   It would contintually challenge me to reach out to others for win/win solutions.   In the process, I believed I would become a wiser, healthier, and more effective person.

Frankly, the concept scared the hell out of me (an introverted guy who had never been outside North America - especially going then with terrorism ravaging Europe, civil war raging in central Africa, and a nuclear reactor exploding in Chernobyl just 14 days before my departure).   Falling through the ice on Lake Erie while training - injuring a knee ligament in the process - just a few months before the departure date also made me feel, What the hell am I getting myself into?

But I strengthened my resolve; got some sponsors; and packed up my ideals, dreams, passions, and too much gear onto a motorscooter I named Melawend (for my daughters Melanie and Wendy. And I had never ridden a motorcycle or motorscooter before). Then I began this amazing journey of a lifetime. 

You can read more about the reasons for making the journey and how I overcame personal limitations to make it happen - in my personal letter to you.

Now just imagine the great things you could learn from doing something like that!  Imagine the people you would meet; the skills and inner strengths you would develop; the incredible things you would see, do, and learn about; and the life-changing perspectives on life and love that you would gain.

"Finding your way through life's deserts."
Tom & Melawend near the Eqypt/Sudan border
on the way to Khartoum
Photo © 1986 - 2007 Thomas Martin Smith. 
All rights reserved.

Learn from my efforts, mistakes, and successes.
Gain insights and ideas for yourself and those you care about. 

It has all been written down for you in quite a unique book...

If it had been easy, it would not have been so profound and therefore useful to you.  For example, I thought I could make that journey in one year.  Was I wrong!  Unforeseen adversities and opportunities forced me to overcome a lot of obstacles.  The journey evolved into a two year odyssey of incredible inward and outward discoveries - a fantastic education in the world and the self!  

It became so full of valuable knowledge and experiences - things worth developing and sharing with you - that I began writing the book about it: IN THE LONG RUN - A Hopeful World Odyssey.  That took me 12 more years! 

The story of the world journey and things that I continue to discover
led me to create melawend.com
- all to help you in your odyssey through life. 

Sunset in Greece.   Photo © 1986 - 2007 Thomas Martin Smith.  All rights reserved.

The Odyssey Story

How it can help you...

Imagine yourself taking a journey of a lifetime... imagine embarking on a unique two-year, multi-objective journey around the world, solo, traveling on a perfect "international icebreaker" - common to many countries - a motorscooter (such as my Melawend) Think of how such a journey could enrich and improve your life... how it would enable you to...

• Gain a profound, first-hand education about the world and yourself...things you can incorporate into your own life
  READ MORE

• Experience a fascinating adventure of a lifetime...

• Discover better ways of dealing with life and with people.. including yourself!

 

How to get the most out of the story

• Learn from my mistakes and successes.  And more benefits to you.

• Imagine you are making this journey... how might you have handled various situations? 

• Keep an open mind - discover new possibilities for you! 

• Make notes as you read the story...  Turn your notes into plans for action...
  Then TAKE ACTION to improve your life and the lives of those you care about!

 

Sound intriguing? 

Okay, now get deeper into it.   Relax... close your eyes...See yourself getting on the scooter... see yourself making that journey of a lifetime... See yourself traveling, experiencing new places, meeting new people... See yourself exploring life as it was, as it is... Set yourself free so you are truly seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching... feeling the range of your emotions and expanding your heart, mind and spirit as you experience and learn so many new things. See yourself growing stronger, wiser... growing beyond your limits... expanding your perspectives on life and love... discovering new possibilities... >>>Go for it!>>>

But to actually break away and do it, for two years... Would fear, time, money, career plans, obligations, or other personal circumstances hold you back?  No problem!

You can do it... soon! - even share it with loved ones - and do it safely, comfortably, relatively quickly, and without the huge expenses and considerable risks.  How?   You can gain the benefits of such a journey vicariously through this unique, detailed book...

IN THE LONG RUN
A Hopeful World Odyssey

...what one reader described as
"...more than a little reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings." 

Statue of Rodrigo DÍaz de Vivar - El Cid Campeador  (The Lord Champion)
Liberator of Valencia.  He was born circa 1040 in Vivar, a village near Burgos, and died in Valencia in 1099.
Rodrigo and his wife. Doña Jimena. are burried in Our Lady of Burgos Cathedral.
This statue is on a tall stone base in la Plaza de Mio Cid, near the cathedral. 
He is pointing his sword "Tizona" at The Bridge of San Pablo.
Photo © 1986 - 2007 Thomas Martin Smith.     All rights reserved.

What makes IN THE LONG RUN better than most  travel books?

To begin, have you ever read a "travel" account that seemed little more than a self-indulgent "I", "me", "my" story about its author? - a bitch-fest about local customs and conditions, illness, foods, the rudeness or the perceived stupidity of local people, etc., ad nauseam?  Have the travel books you've read left you longing for an account that was about real travel, and real life?  

As PAUL THEROUX described travel books:
"As for the writer, it annoyed me that a traveler would suppress his or her moments of desperation or fear or lust. ... The truth about travel was unexpected and off-key, and few people ever wrote about it. ... When something human is recorded, good travel writing happens." 
(Sunrise with Seamonsters, Introduction)

Does that sound like the kind of travel book you would like to read?  It's hard for me to be objective about my book, so I must refer you to what readers have said. But I do believe IN THE LONG RUN: A Hopeful World Odyssey is that kind of travel book, and more.  It is a highly detailed, informative, and entertaining story that reveals inward as well as outward discoveries - lessons of life worth sharing. And it is quite candid. 

Most important: I hope you find things in the story you can identify with and things that will be useful to you in your odyssey through life.

Teachers and students at Khartoum North School, Sudan, take a break from final exams
for a visit byTom Smith and scooter Melawend.  To take this photo, Tom
set up a tripod on a desk in a classroom, focused the camera, tripped the timer,
then ran out to Melawend.
Photo © 1986 - 2007 Thomas Martin Smith.     All rights reserved.

 

Here is what some readers have said about
IN THE LONG RUN
A Hopeful World Odyssey

As a book that stimulates you:

"I love your book Tom.   There are no other words to describe it - it is full of wonders - inspiration - spirituality - history and so much more... "Your odyssey has taken me on a journey of the spirit. You took one step further - you believed in your capacity and your dreams, and you drove through with determination and confidence toward your journey of life.....Your words have painted a canvas of the world for me, describing people, cities, and things.....I feel your emotions - fear, stumblings, pain, ecstasy, fantasy, luck, discoveries and amazements......Thank you Tom, you've taken me back home again...and to follow your dreams, take a chance, and never give up." JO-ANN OWEN, Vancouver, BC, Canada Program Assistant, Simon Fraser University

As a page-turner with value for you:

"I love it, I've stayed up reading it every night because it's hard to put down. Your book is so full of info, I'm going to have to read it again just to digest all of the information it contains.  :) I can tell you put a lot of love, time and effort into it. You're an excellent writer."    BILL CHAMBERS, Rush Springs, Oklahoma, USA College teacher

Compared to some of the best motorcycle travel books:

Though the story is more about people and those inward and outward discoveries, it draws comparison to motorcycle travel books.   Here a reader compares IN THE LONG RUN to some of the best-known motorcycle travel book writers... "You have got me dusting off your book and reading it for the second time around.  (Something I never do with books.)  I think your book blows the doors off Ted Simon, Doc Frasier and the rest of them. Yes, I have read them. While I think that what simon and frasier did is fantastic, your writing stands head and shoulders above theirs. Your writing really puts me in the saddle with you." "I think your book would be a smash hit if the word ever got out." DENNIS LATZY - Cool, California, USA Operator, wastewater treatment plant, and a proactive motorcycle enthusiast You can read more of what Dennis had to say further on...

MORE REVIEWS

So, are you looking for a complete, honest, and uncensored travel story that is not only entertaining but rich in useful, relevant information? Rich in inward and outward discoveries?  Something you can truly benefit from reading?

• That's why and how I wrote this book - with you in mind. 

• That's why it took 12 years to write it.

Please read on to discover the good things other readers have found for themselves in this book...

 

It is a l-o-n-g story... 

It is a worldwide odyssey, and in many ways this is NOT a small world!

Publishers in New York and Toronto were interested in the book - but only if I cut its size.  (Compare: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has over 255,000 words... IN THE LONG RUN: A Hopeful World Odyssey has over 458,000 words - almost as long as J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.)  The publishers were thinking of their bottom line.  But don't you feel you deserve the whole story?  I do.   And that's why I decided to publish it myself.  

Of course quantity does not indicate quality.  I have to leave that to readers to decide if the book measures up - read what readers had to say... 

Personally, I believe you will find the story truly entertaining and informative reading, perhaps even enlightening. 

But don't take my word for it...
YOU decide... take some time to explore this website - learn about the story, see the photos (over 150 of them).... AND:

• Read the TWO FREE CHAPTERS and the CHAPTER SUMMARIES.

• READ REVIEWS by others who have bought and read the book.

• How YOU can benefit from reading it.

 

Here's what another reader had to say: "Dear Tom, ... last night I had a chance to start reading In The Long Run and it's really exciting! Thinking about after starting it (plus jumping ahead to see a few previews)  the words  "He's A Modern Marco Polo" came to mind. That's really what you represent. ... I want to get back on it as soon as possible...." DOUGLAS KIRKLAND, Hollywood, California, USA Photographer extrordinaire Douglas Kirkland is one the world's most sought-after celebrity / movie / commercial / fine arts photographers (for 40+ years). He has worked on the sets of over 100 movies including The Sound of Music, Romancing the Stone, Out of Africa, Showgirls, Titanic and Moulin Rouge!   His book, James Cameron's Titanic became the first photo-book ever to become #1 on the New York Times paperback Best Sellers List.  Photo of Tom Cruise © Douglas Kirkland (Photo not for download.) Dear Reader, I met Douglas in Hollywood while on the last leg of the journey... see the chapter summary, Better: read all about it in the book! More reviews

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