Hard times on the Black Dragon River

Tom Chesshyre

STRETCHING FOR AN ESTIMATED 2,826 miles from its Mongolian source to the Pacific Ocean on Russia’s east coast — acting as the border between Russia and China for more than 1,000 miles — the Amur River is believed to be the tenth longest on the planet, or possibly the eighth. No-one is quite certain, owing to its many meanderings. Within a few miles from the source, however, having crossed a remote swampland on a 12-year-old stallion, the veteran travel writer Colin Thubron finds himself in a spot of bother. He has fallen during a “furious trot” fracturing two ribs and breaking an ankle. He is in his 80s and in serious pain, bedding down in a tent and wondering whether his insides are “punctured”. The experienced riders guiding him admit they…

You're reading a preview of

The Critic (Digital) - 1 Issue, December 2021

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.