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Who Wanders Alone
Peter Pinney's latest travel adventure began in Trieste and ended in Zanzibar. Why Not? It was just as likely to begin at Alice Springs and end at Toledo or Saskatchewan. For this most eclectic of travellers pleases himself.
What he lacks in money, baggage and correct visas he makes up for in inventiveness and enterprise. His capacity for 'adapting' his credentials is seemingly boundless, and he presents himself now as a student of folk-lore, ow as an ornithologist or pilgrim.
What he lacks in money, baggage and correct visas he makes up for in inventiveness and enterprise. His capacity for 'adapting' his credentials is seemingly boundless, and he presents himself now as a student of folk-lore, ow as an ornithologist or pilgrim.
255 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1954
18 people want to read
About the author
Peter Pinney
18 books1 followerPeter Pinney (1922-1992) exemplified the idea of the traveler who carries little, gets by on wits alone, and is willing to forage into the unknown despite all odds. He wrote a series of books based on his diaries, the most famous being Dust On My Shoes, detailing his odysseys around the globe.
https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/pa...
http://www.dustonmyshoes.com/Peter.html
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https://www.austlit.edu.au/austlit/pa...
http://www.dustonmyshoes.com/Peter.html
https://www.readersvoice.com/intervie...
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 9, 2014
Peter Pinney, loveable Australian rogue. Fast thinking truth-stretcher, truth-falsifier and misleader, part time trouble maker for the entertainment of it. Evader of authorities and sometime dabbler in blackmail.
Quick to take opportunities with the ladies, but not one to tell the details.
Well written story of travel to broaden ones horizons. In the 1950s he got into places and travelled further than I would have thought feasible, and write a highly entertaining book about it.
I will be looking for more of his books - there seem to be around 10 titles.
Quick to take opportunities with the ladies, but not one to tell the details.
Well written story of travel to broaden ones horizons. In the 1950s he got into places and travelled further than I would have thought feasible, and write a highly entertaining book about it.
I will be looking for more of his books - there seem to be around 10 titles.
December 22, 2021
Another brilliant tale of travel to distance lands in a distant time.
Highly enjoyable tales from our lovable rogue.
Recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Highly enjoyable tales from our lovable rogue.
Recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
January 27, 2026
In 1952 Australian author, Peter Pinney, walked Africa “from the Mediteranean to Zanzibar". His trip was more primitive than that of the time (no cell phone, ATM, credit card, etc.) since he had no money (he takes jobs along the way and enjoys “the kindness of strangers") and has all his goods in a “string bag”.
The trip, by foot and hitched rides, goes from Trieste through (what was then) Yugoslavia, Greece, Tunisia, Algeria, the Sahara, Congo, Nigeria, Kenya and Zanzibar. He writes beautifully of the flora, fauna, buildings, markets and history, but I mostly enjoyed reading about the people he meets.
You learn something of the state of each area. In Yugoslavia and Kenya, we can experience historical events with Pinney.
In Yugoslavia, you hear varied reactions to the new government of Tito who was said to have “chased the Russians out”. You see how he was cementing his leadership through agents who searched for Tito opponents. You see the fear of arrest in the people he meets and evidence of the invasiveness of the spy system.
In Kenya, English speaking settlers had built homes on lands once inhabited by the Kikuyu tribe. The Kikuyu returned and terrorized the white settlers in an attempt to get their land back. These were the famous “Mau Mau” years.
Pinney’s walk through the Sahara was assisted by rides with a trucker and a caravan that were passing through. Unfortunately, there were not enough rides to save his shoes from wearing out and off his feet. He eventually had to tie them on.
Pinney does not always conform to the local customs nor have the proper paperwork. For this he is frequently taken into custody. Like Houdini, he finds ways out. One tactic is to befriend those in control, which sometimes gets him a room in a hotel (and not a cell) and/or a ride to his next destination. Other times he creates a distraction or changes his gait which gives him an opportunity to skip away while his handler can't see him.
Towards the end of the book, I became skeptical of some of the the episodes. I decided, that while this was fun to read, some of the experiences were at the least exaggerated or, at the most, made up.
The one that really aroused my skepticism was his picking a man up and turning him upside down and shaking him such that money and other items fell from his pockets. Another was his walk through the Sahara. He had to have more rides than he says for his food and water to last. These are as as hard to imagine as are some of his escapes from those who take him into custody regarding his absent paperwork.
At first I thought Pinney would be fun to travel with, but as I read on, I saw how disrespectful he could be. He has an attitude, it is vague, but it is there. In at least two places he tells new acquaintances that he thinks the Africa should accept British rule because it will bring a better standard of living. In the last chapter he expounds on this; He clearly wants the reader to know where he stands.
He did not like “the Pole” he traveled with so he had no qualms about going back on deal they had made. He rarely thanks the people who help him and sometimes seems to leave without a goodbye.
I came to doubt the “no money” and all his goods in a “string sack” claims. None of this means I didn’t enjoy the book, nor does it mean that this is not a worthy report.
Aside from the attitude (which you can dismiss by calling him "rogue") this is first class travel writing. The last chapter where he describes: how his new friend, a “Jain”, makes perfume; his new home in a decaying palace on the beach; what he eats and how he gets it; the hospitality of the police and people in Zanzibar is jaw droppingly beautiful.
If you like stories of primitive travel (and will put up with the ego when it surfaces… which thankfully is not often) you will want to read this book. I was fortunate that it is in our library, otherwise it would have been hard to find.
The trip, by foot and hitched rides, goes from Trieste through (what was then) Yugoslavia, Greece, Tunisia, Algeria, the Sahara, Congo, Nigeria, Kenya and Zanzibar. He writes beautifully of the flora, fauna, buildings, markets and history, but I mostly enjoyed reading about the people he meets.
You learn something of the state of each area. In Yugoslavia and Kenya, we can experience historical events with Pinney.
In Yugoslavia, you hear varied reactions to the new government of Tito who was said to have “chased the Russians out”. You see how he was cementing his leadership through agents who searched for Tito opponents. You see the fear of arrest in the people he meets and evidence of the invasiveness of the spy system.
In Kenya, English speaking settlers had built homes on lands once inhabited by the Kikuyu tribe. The Kikuyu returned and terrorized the white settlers in an attempt to get their land back. These were the famous “Mau Mau” years.
Pinney’s walk through the Sahara was assisted by rides with a trucker and a caravan that were passing through. Unfortunately, there were not enough rides to save his shoes from wearing out and off his feet. He eventually had to tie them on.
Pinney does not always conform to the local customs nor have the proper paperwork. For this he is frequently taken into custody. Like Houdini, he finds ways out. One tactic is to befriend those in control, which sometimes gets him a room in a hotel (and not a cell) and/or a ride to his next destination. Other times he creates a distraction or changes his gait which gives him an opportunity to skip away while his handler can't see him.
Towards the end of the book, I became skeptical of some of the the episodes. I decided, that while this was fun to read, some of the experiences were at the least exaggerated or, at the most, made up.
The one that really aroused my skepticism was his picking a man up and turning him upside down and shaking him such that money and other items fell from his pockets. Another was his walk through the Sahara. He had to have more rides than he says for his food and water to last. These are as as hard to imagine as are some of his escapes from those who take him into custody regarding his absent paperwork.
At first I thought Pinney would be fun to travel with, but as I read on, I saw how disrespectful he could be. He has an attitude, it is vague, but it is there. In at least two places he tells new acquaintances that he thinks the Africa should accept British rule because it will bring a better standard of living. In the last chapter he expounds on this; He clearly wants the reader to know where he stands.
He did not like “the Pole” he traveled with so he had no qualms about going back on deal they had made. He rarely thanks the people who help him and sometimes seems to leave without a goodbye.
I came to doubt the “no money” and all his goods in a “string sack” claims. None of this means I didn’t enjoy the book, nor does it mean that this is not a worthy report.
Aside from the attitude (which you can dismiss by calling him "rogue") this is first class travel writing. The last chapter where he describes: how his new friend, a “Jain”, makes perfume; his new home in a decaying palace on the beach; what he eats and how he gets it; the hospitality of the police and people in Zanzibar is jaw droppingly beautiful.
If you like stories of primitive travel (and will put up with the ego when it surfaces… which thankfully is not often) you will want to read this book. I was fortunate that it is in our library, otherwise it would have been hard to find.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews