IN THE LONG RUN - A
Hopeful World Odyssey
Share in the profound education of Tom's
two-year journey around the world by motorscooter Melawend.
Get your autographed limited-edition copy of his acclaimed book - directly
from Tom - today!
"...more than a little
reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings." - posted by a British
expat on the MSNBC Travel forum Read the reviews!
Share in the
profound education in the world and the self
through a two-year journey around the world on motorscooter Melawend.
Read Tom Smith's acclaimed book... IN THE LONG RUN - A Hopeful
World Odyssey Order your autographed copy
directly from Tom - today!
"...more
than a little reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings" posted by a British expat in the MSNBC
Travel Forum
READER REVIEWS
I am grateful to these readers for
their wonderful comments and for permitting me to share them with you...
(If I'm acting a bit proud here, well, I am!
Getting great comments like these helps to validate what you have done. It is
also most encouraging! So take pride in compliments you receive.)
"My
two trips by bike were amazing and life changing but short compared to Tom's two-year
travelling extravaganza! One Man, One Scooter, One Hell of a Ride!"
EWAN McGREGOR, London, England, UK Award-winning actor, UNICEF Ambassador,
Creator and co-author of Long Way Round and Long Way Down
Ewan is one of today's most talented and versatile award-winning actors of screen and
stage. You might know him best as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the three Star Wars prequels (as
in the photo at far right, from Episode III: Revenge of the Sith), but his
credits include a wide variety of challenging roles as in Trainspotting, Moulin
Rouge!, Young Adam, Big Fish, The Island, Stay, Miss Potter... with several more
movies in various phases of production.He has won acclaim for his roles in stage
productions including Guys and Dolls and Othello.
In 2004, Ewan and his best friend Charley Boorman
rode BMW motorcycles around the world and with their team produced an excellent book,
television series, and DVD - Long Way Round. They followed
up in 2007 with a ride from John O'Groats at the northern tip of Scotland to the southern
tip of South Africa - again, producing a superb book, TV series and DVD - Long
Way Down. They plan to follow that up with a trip from the tip of
South America to Alaska, calling it Long Way Up. As part of their journeys,
Ewan and Charley visited UNICEF projects to show and promote the wonderful work
done by this UN agency and the needs of the children UNICEF helps. After
completing Long Way Round, Ewan and his wife, Eve, adopted Jamyan, a
four-year-old girl from Mongolia, a sister to Ewan & Eve's other daughters, Clara and
Esther.
Among his other charitable endeavours, and beyond his
motorcycle journeys, Ewan works as a designated ambassador for UNICEF UK. An example
is in the photo far right below - Ewan's
journey to Malawi in 2005 - "UNICEF Ambassador Ewan McGregor with Dorica Makiyi and
her newborn baby, Ndirande District Hospital, Blantyre.UNICEF/2005/Caroline Irby" - source: http://www.unicef.org.uk/campaigns/campaign_sub_pages.asp?page=37
"Tom’s book, "In The Long Run" is really exciting! After
reading it, the words "He's a modern Marco Polo" came to mind. Tom boldly
created and carried out this challenging project in part to improve his photography - he
achieved some excellent results."
DOUGLAS KIRKLAND, Hollywood, California, USA Douglas is one the world's most sought-after celebrity / movie /
commercial / fine arts photographers. He has worked on the sets of over 100 movies
including The Sound of Music, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,
Romancing the Stone, Out of Africa, Showgirls, Titanic, Moulin Rouge! and Australia
- Baz Luhrmann’s epic to be released in 2008
Website: http://www.douglaskirkland.com
He joined Look Magazine in his early twenties, and later
Life Magazine during the golden age of 60’s/70’s photojournalism. Among his
assignments were essays on Greece, Lebanon and Japan as well as fashion and celebrity
work, photographing Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Marlene
Dietrich among others.
Some of his books are Light Years, Icons, Legends, Body
Stories, An Evening With Marilyn and the best selling James
Cameron’s Titanic. He was one of the producers and photographers
of A Day In the Life of Canada. Douglas Kirkland’s fine
arts photography has been exhibited all over the world and he is a sought after lecturer.
He is a member of the prestigious Hewlett Packard’s Photo Influencers and
Canon’s Explorers of Light and as well as an associate member of the American Society
of Cinematographers. Some of the awards he has received include a “Lifetime
Achievement Award” from the American S.O.C., Photographer of the Year from the PMA, a
Lucie Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Entertainment Photography from the IPA in
2003, The Golden Eye of Russia in April 2006 and a Life Time Achievement Award from CAPIC
in his native Toronto Canada in May 2006. In October 2007,
Douglas received an Honorary Master of Fine Arts Degree
from Brooks Institute for his deep commitment and dedication to his profession. Among his
current book projects are a Black & White volume When We Were Young,
Freeze Frame a decade by decade look behind the scenes from 50 years
photographing the entertainment industry published October 2007, Coco Chanel to
be published in the Fall of 2008 and Face to Face a book of
portraits for the Fall of 2009 all by Glitterati. Some additional subjects of
Kirkland’s have been: Coco Chanel, Pierre Cardin, Katherine Hepburn, Charlie
Chaplin, Judy Garland, Orson Welles, John Wayne, Faye Dunaway, Robert Redford, Sophia
Loren, Barbara Streisand, Gong Li, Pierce Brosnan, Gene Hackman, Angelina Jolie, Ewan Mc
Gregor, and Renee Zellweger..
Kirkland’s assignments have taken him to all
continents in the world (with the exception of Antarctica) where he worked on subjects as
varied as: Astronomy in Chile, to The Trans Siberian Railroad, and fashion in Bali. When
not traveling the globe on assignment, his home and studio is in the Hollywood Hills where
he lives with his wife and business partner Françoise.
"Tom Smith's exciting story - IN THE
LONG RUN: A Hopeful World Odyssey - about his bravely undertaken journey around the world,
gives you insights and inspiration to get the help you might need to fulfill your own
dreams. Share in Tom's great adventure and lessons of life!"
MARCIA WIEDER, San Francisco, California,
USA America's Dream Coach® to individuals and companies including AT&T, The Gap and
American Express. A world-renowned motivational speaker, trainer, and author, Marcia has
appeared on Oprah and The Today Show several times. http://www.dreamcoach.com
"Tom, I received your book in the mail 4 days
ago. I have one problem with the book..........I can't put it down! ...You did a super job
on the journey and writing the book."
E-mailed update: - Subject: "Great book, Tom!"
"I just now finished reading your book. The last week
has been; eat, sleep, read the book. ...Your book has been a great inspiration. ...Thanks
for a great book!"
E-mailed update:"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
Frazier and the rest of them. Yes, I
have read them. While I think that what Simon and Frazier 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 Water treatment plant supervisor and a motorcycle
enthusiast
NOTE: Dennis died of natural causes in 2007. He was only
in his mid-fifties. I never got to meet him. I am so proud of what he had to
say that I will continue to try to do just to it, and to his memory.
"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.… to follow your dreams, take a chance, and never give up."
JO-ANN OWEN, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Program Assistant, Simon Fraser University
"Hi Tom... I just visited your
website and I'm impressed by the book you wrote. (And a
little jealous, too!) Congratulations."
STEVE SLAUNWHITE, Toronto, Ontario, Canada He is an award-winning copywriter for Fortune 500 companies, a teacher, a
sought-after speaker, and a prolific author of books including Copywriting Business
(Self-Counsel Press), and 101 Writing Tips for Successful E-mail Marketing (H-S
Learning Series). Website: http://www.steveslaunwhite.com.
"Hi. Just wanted to let you know I am really enjoying your
book...I have to pace my time reading because I find I don't want to do anything else when
I pick up the book. I had a friend come over this week and I showed her the book. While I
was at work, she read farther than I had. She really liked it also. If I don't e-mail too
often, it's because I'm reading!!!!!!! You are quite a good writer!"
CAROL STEINBOCK, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
"I
received the book yesterday......I was too excited to write at that time and launched
right into reading. When my husband saw the size of the book he said, 'kiss me now honey
and I'll talk to you sometime in April'."
E-mailed update: "I am in the middle of the book and read it every
chance I get.....so, so, interesting and very funny at times....I break out in laughter
and startle my poor husband from time to time."
E-mailed update: "It has brought
out a number of different emotions in me.....delight, laughter, amusement, sadness. It
also has been quite thought provoking … I felt you really opened yourself up to the
reader and shared your personal experiences quite fearlessly. I was happy and quite
surprised to read about your tender feelings about women in general and this made me feel
hopeful.....I'm not accustomed to hearing men talk about longing, loneliness, feelings of
uncertainty .... and at some points I was agonizing right along with you. …Well I
must get back to the book now...."
ROSALIE RIVERA, Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada
"Hello All,
"As a former Elite owner, I can recommend any Elite owner to visit and hopefully
purchase "IN THE LONG RUN: A Hopeful World Odyssey". If you wish to
experience (in absentia) the adventures that my good friend, Tom Smith had in his
world-wide trek - with all the joys and perils he encountered, I can vouch for many hours
spent reading this "Odyssey". I find myself delving into his adventures
over and over."
DW HOETH, Fairfield,
Texas, USA Charter member of Scoot
Tours
"I met Tom Smith under quite unusual
circumstances - after reading about his fantastic journey around the world on a Honda
Elite scooter (Melawend), in, of all things, a motorcycle magazine. (Scooter Rider
Magazine) I was captivated by the fortitude that this amazing
individual took to undertake such a long, arduous trip. I thought I was a
traveller when I travelled from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Acapulco Mexico and back
on a Honda Elite, but this was fantastic. The magazine's publisher gave me
Tom's address and I finally got in touch with this outstanding individual. We
kept in touch through all these years. When I read his book, I was fascinated with
the adventures, dilemmas, happinesses, frustrations and loneliness he had during his
two-year trip. All in all, I highly recommend any support or help to advance
this determined person's book, career, hopes and aspirations".
Posted in a Yahoo club for owners or
wannabe owners of Honda CH250 Elite (aka Spacy) motorscooters...
- the same model as my Melawend. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CH250HondaElite
"…
I have enjoyed many comments you make in your book, usually personal reflections. One such
was about being interested not so much in where a person died, but where they were born
and raised.. where they grew up and had their first experiences. So true. … I found
your concept of bridges…something that stayed with me…and shared with some
people. I shall now look on bridges with a new perspective...Finally, I especially liked
what you wrote in chapter 12 about Loneliness, and how in travelling you are never really
alone…Again, I got out the highlighter…."
PHYLLIS SADLER, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
"I love it. I've stayed up reading it every night because
it's hard to put down."
E-mailed
update: "Hi Tom. I really enjoyed the book....I can't believe the tremendous
adventures you encountered along the way! "
"p.s. 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
"I had the privilege of
interviewing Tom for the website, BoomersInt.com. It was truly an education.
"Tom's choice of odyssey was bold and dangerous...Tom became our eyes and ears to the
world from the perspective of a motorscooter. Unique, indeed. ...Tom was able
to have an impact on everyone who followed his bumpy adventure around the world.
...I admire Tom as he tries to teach us all that our real odyssey is to, "Reach for
the stars, and that nothing is impossible." ...Thank you, Tom." GARY SORKIN, New York City,
New York, USA
Screenwriter, novelist, playwright, artist, entrepreneur, father, and devoted to his
beloved, Linda
Tom's
note: And thank you, Gary, for a great intereview experience -
professional, and full of enthusiam and good humor. Dear visitor, you might want to
check out the interview atBOOMERS
INTERNATIONAL
"Tom, you got to me!! You took me clear out of
myself as I read your story. …I have never been so moved in my life. I actually
forgot I was sitting in this wheelchair. It was me on that scooter, and it was me looking
out of your eyes, and feeling and being. …"
MURRAY ANDREWS - Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA Golden Poet Award-winner, husband, father, and entrepreneur
NEW! See the heart-felt
poem Murray wrote in response to the Odyssey story!
Thank you, Murray! Your gift encourages me to keep going!
Update: Monday, January 10, 2005 Murray died today. He had been battling for
his health for over 30 years, since being injured while serving his country in Viet Nam.
When you read Murray's heart-felt poem, please also read
more there about him. Good-bye Murray. I wish I could have got to know you.
"Dear Tom,
"I was somewhat leery of a
website promotion - but I clicked & what a wonderful surprise! Love the music,
photos & most of all the story - first chapter more than a little reminiscent
ofThe Lord of the Rings...
"You sound like the best
sort of traveler - courageous & adventurous, willing to learn lessons from your
travels instead of imposing rigid plans & missing the real adventure. I'm
enjoying the website tremendously, looking forward to reading about your journey through
India.
"Good luck on your
never-ending journey - from a kindred spirit."
MSNBC Travel Forum - posted by a
British expat.
"I ran into Tom's website while doing research in order to
find someone that had done and documented a difficult journey on a motorscooter. As many
of our subscribers are long distance riders, both in the saddle and in spirit, I wanted
something exotic, insightful, and well presented.
After tracing from website to website I came to
melawend.com, Tom's page for his journey. In contacting Tom I found him excited about our
magazine and interest in his story. His book project, "The Long Run" was perfect
for our readers and he agreed to grant us the the rights to run an edited down chapter in
an upcoming issue. In the chapter we published Tom had arrived in India and was dealing
with retrieving his scooter from the local port authority, then venturing across the
sub-continent. (Summer 2003 issue, including full cover image)
The response from our subscribers upon
reading the story was very enthusiastic. Many had never envisioned a scooter (and possibly
a civilized human) could accomplish such a feat as a ride around the world. Tom's journey
is an inspiration to all that have dreamed of seeing the world from two wheels, and gives
encouragement that we all can work toward greater international understanding and making
the world a better place."
BJ STRASS - Editor and
Publisher, Scooter Rider Magazine "Serious about Scooters" http://www.ScooterRiderMag.com
"I visited your website tonight, and I spent at
least 3 hours there! Throughout the years I have seen sites that are very similar to
yours, but none as interesting and spell-binding as yours!.. UNBELIEVABLE!!! There are
still some chapter summaries that I haven't read completely yet because I found it
irresistible to jump ahead to see what adventures were on the next page. …"
MIKE WARE, Tampa, Florida, USA Electrical Engineer, former
Vice President – Florida Engineering Society
"Tom, I was
just at your site...it looks like your Odyssey trip was quite an adventure! I hope
your positive attitude will have an influence on people from around the world."
Tom Vassos, Toronto,
Ontario, Canada
Author of Strategic Internet
Marketing, e-business Advisor, IBM; MBA Instructor, University of Toronto
"Perhaps
because my own mount is still hibernating in the garage, but reading Tom Smith's "Scootering
Around the World" in your March issue was a profoundly moving emotional
experience. Going beyond tales of friendships that he made and the admirers he drew,
Tom has stated in eloquent and poetic terms the lure and charm of two-wheeled touring: the
quality of a journey is not measured by its speed, but by its memories. ... Tom is
no sissy; nor Melawend a wimp ."
JIM
WHITEMEYER, Wheaton, Illinois, USA
(Letter to the Editorpublished in the June 1990
issue of Rider magazine, re my article in the March 1990 issue)
Comments from an authority on Ernest Hemingway:
"Tom...to call you a "worldly" character is certainly
an understatement. What an adventure you've had. Hem would have been
impressed. And I am impressed that you took along BY-LINE in your
travels. A wonderful choice. As Hemingway travels throughout Europe reporting
on the "troubles he's seen," you're right there with him commenting on the
glories and beauties you've seen... you have a wealth of original, exciting and
informative content here."
JOSH SILVERSTEIN,
Massachusetts, USA Ernest Hemingway scholar,
website designer and webmaster of "TIMELESS HEMINGWAY"
Featured on CNN and USA Today http://www.timelesshemingway.com
* AUTHOR'S NOTE: I took
with me, all the way around the world, a copy of By-Line: Ernest Hemingway. See Chapter 7. (Mine copy was Charles Scribner's Sons, 1967, Bantam paperback edition.)
(Photo of Hemingway - 1933 - 1935, perhaps in Africa. Copyright holder unknown.)
"After
reading IN THE LONG RUN: A Hopeful World Odyssey, I realized that before there
was Survivor… before there was The Amazing Race… there was Tom
Smith. Tom’s adventures on his world odyssey are the stuff today’s reality
shows are made of. He was ahead of his time.
"No
Survivor camera crews gave consolation of not being entirely alone. No
reality show producers helped with red tape at borders. Tom won no immunity
challenges so he could have a getaway to luxurious surroundings to spend time with his
daughters. He did it on his own. I applaud Tom’s sense of
adventure."
"My
two trips by bike were amazing and life changing but short compared to Tom's two-year
travelling extravaganza! One Man, One Scooter, One Hell of a Ride!" 
"Tom’s book, "In The Long Run" is really exciting! After
reading it, the words "He's a modern Marco Polo" came to mind. Tom boldly
created and carried out this challenging project in part to improve his photography - he
achieved some excellent results."
DOUGLAS KIRKLAND, Hollywood, California, USA
"Tom Smith's exciting story - IN THE
LONG RUN: A Hopeful World Odyssey - about his bravely undertaken journey around the world,
gives you insights and inspiration to get the help you might need to fulfill your own
dreams. Share in Tom's great adventure and lessons of life!"
"Tom, I received your book in the mail 4 days
ago. I have one problem with the book..........I can't put it down! ...You did a super job
on the journey and writing the book." 
"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.… to follow your dreams, take a chance, and never give up."
"Hi Tom... I just visited your
website and 
"Hello All, 
"I had the privilege of
interviewing Tom for the website, BoomersInt.com. It was truly an education. 
"Tom, you got to me!! You took me clear out of
myself as I read your story. …I have never been so moved in my life. I actually
forgot I was sitting in this wheelchair. It was me on that scooter, and it was me looking
out of your eyes, and feeling and being. …" 
"I ran into Tom's website while doing research in order to
find someone that had done and documented a difficult journey on a motorscooter. As many
of our subscribers are long distance riders, both in the saddle and in spirit, I wanted
something exotic, insightful, and well presented.
"I visited your website tonight, and I spent at
least 3 hours there! Throughout the years I have seen sites that are very similar to
yours, but none as interesting and spell-binding as yours!.. UNBELIEVABLE!!! There are
still some chapter summaries that I haven't read completely yet because I found it
irresistible to jump ahead to see what adventures were on the next page. …"
"Tom, I was
just at your site...it looks like your Odyssey trip was quite an adventure! I hope
your positive attitude will have an influence on people from around the world." 
"Tom...to call you a "worldly" character is certainly
an understatement. What an adventure you've had. Hem would have been
impressed. And I am impressed that you took along BY-LINE in your
travels. A wonderful choice. As Hemingway travels throughout Europe reporting
on the "troubles he's seen," you're right there with him commenting on the
glories and beauties you've seen... you have a wealth of original, exciting and
informative content here."
