The Red Quest is a fast-paced, light-hearted true story of one man's mission to visit every country of the former Soviet Union.
Along the way, the author samples fermented mare's milk in Kazakhstan, gets chased by hounds in Kiev, is detained by the police in Kyrgyzstan, travels through a snow blizzard between Armenia and Georgia, and gets mugged by a pensioner in Tajikistan. Oh, and he also takes a side trip to a genuine breakaway state where he is almost beaten up in a border hut. All in the name of The Red Quest!
Constantly berated by his friend for wanting to go to 'Turnipland', the Red Quest is a journey spanning half the world from Western Europe to the edge of China! And he is armed only with a pocket full of roubles and a turnip masher.
Join Jason Smart as he travels along the Red Quest through Latvia, Estonia, Slovakia, Lithuania, Hungary, Russia, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Poland, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and East Germany!
Jason Smart is a published travel writer, with articles appearing in both magazine and print. As well as The Red Quest, Smart has three other travel books in print:
Flashpacking through Africa
The Balkan Odyssey
Temples, Tuk-tuks and Fried Fish Lips
Panama City to Rio de Janeiro
Crowds, Chaos, Colour
Rapid Fire Europe
Meeting the Middle East
From Here to Anywhere