‘A love affair with the unknown’ is a state of mind deeply rooted in my psyche, an attraction I am unable to resist. The reasoning is simple: planning my future means being limited by my imagination, and I want more than what I know or am able to imagine.
Thus, I often make plans which I’ll try hard to accomplish, while secretly hoping for a last-minute offer which will lead me to more interesting rewards. Sometimes life’s offerings end up helping me fulfill what seemed like unattainable dreams, at other times they take me to entirely new places and situations I could have never dreamed of on my own.
Either way, accepting them often means jumping into the unknown without a safety net, relinquishing any semblance of control.
A Love Affair with the Unknown
is now also a series of five books, detailing the fulfillment of a long-held travelling dream: to cross Tibet by hitchhiking along the 2,400km-long Lhasa-Kashgar road, explore the Taklamakan and Chinese Gobi Deserts via the South Silk Road, and see the early Greco-Indian Buddhist ruins in Pakistan.
Everything was against us, starting with the strict Chinese policies concerning foreign travelers: visas issued in conjunction with short organized tours, or for short periods of time during which the independent tourist could only visit certain areas. In Tibet only Lhasa was open, while a special permit was need to visit the other main cities, and the rest of the country could only be seen abroad the land cruiser of an expensive tour. In Xinjiang, only the Silk Road skirting the northern side of the Taklamakan Desert was open, while its southern branch was completely closed.
Undeterred, I somehow convinced the Chinese consulate in Kathmandu to issue an unheard-of three-month independent visa, which I was able to extend inside the country. I promised to follow all the rules, but we didn’t, hitchhiking the length of Tibet along an unpaved road running over some of the highest terrain on earth – mostly dressed as a Tibetan to avoid detection by the fearsome frontier guards; and using the South Silk Road to explore the forbidden side of the Taklamakan Desert – thanks to friendly locals who helped us evade the local police. Next, we crossed the mighty Karakorum Range and entered Pakistan, where we spent two months before returning to India.
The journey was so complex that it couldn’t be planned ahead, with much of it depending on local conditions and luck – or rather, life’s willingness to help us out. The extent and breadth of it was daunting, and to keep things in perspective I divided the route into a handful of segments, each encompassing a different geopolitical area, each driven by its own miniature-quest, and each worth the journey even if the rest proved impossible to accomplish.
I split the series the same way, with each book covering one of these intermediate segments. The series’ narrative is therefore continuous, but the books can also be read on their own because their stories are so different—immersed in a distinct culture, surrounded by unique scenery, the two of us facing different dangers while dealing with new angels and foes.
Discover more 
Volume 1
From the Ganges to the Valley of the Gods
Volume 2
Adventures in
Lhasa and Shigatse
Volume 3
Across the
Roof of the World
Volume 4
In the
Desert of No Return
Volume 5
In the
Land of the Pure
“
Volume 1
From the Ganges to the Valley of the Gods
Volume 2
Adventures in Lhasa and Shigatse
Volume 3
Across the Roof of the World
Volume 4
Around the Desert of
No Return
Volume 5
In the Land
of the Pure
What the Editors Say
A strong and engaging piece of writing, with a mesmerizing and intimate sense of place. The writing is smart, sensual, thoughtful, deeply evocative, and always honest about the strange, life-changing magic of solitary travel. A Love Affair with the Unknown is a much-needed antidote to the contemporary Instagrammable, sunset-heavy travelogue.
Elodie Olson Coons
Editor
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The sheer audacity of Simonetta Gatto in taking her beloved dog, Afrika, on a years-long travel into the unknowns of the Himalayas and beyond makes for a mesmerising read. Filled with pithy and brutally honest observations, swashbuckling escapades and laugh-out-loud humour, the reader is swept up in the bravado and curiosity of the author while being utterly charmed by Afrika, her empathetic companion.
Pim Kemasingki
Editor-in-Chief, Citylife Chiang Mai
