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

Contemplation is a luxury, requiring time and alternatives.

- Tahir Shah

I felt sure we could gain the upper hand by putting ourselves in the mindset of the Incas.

- Tahir Shah

Believe, and what was impossible becomes possible what at first was hidden becomes visible.

- Tahir Shah

Calcutta's the only city I know where you are actively encouraged to stop strangers at random for a quick chat.

- Tahir Shah

The forest did not tolerate frailty of body or mind. Show your weakness, and it would consume you without hesitation.

- Tahir Shah

Real travel is not about the highlights with which you dazzle your friends once you're home. It's about the loneliness, the solitude, the evenings sp…

- Tahir Shah

There's nothing like a pack of mules to give one a sense of entourage.

- Tahir Shah

Respect was one thing. Survival was another. It was important that I kept my priorities in the right order.

- Tahir Shah