Synopsis by Carrie Kania

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“David Kerrigan is going through a quarter life crisis. He’s next in line for the house, wife, 2½ kids, dog, fish and the office job. He sometimes has trouble breathing.

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Facing a life where he’ll march up grey stairs from a grey car park to a grey desk to sit behind a grey computer with a picture of an exotic tree as a screen saver, a phrase a close friend once said comes to mind:

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‘Don’t aim to be material-rich. Aim to be story-rich.’

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He quits his day job, says goodbye to family and friends and armed with little more than a backpack, a guitar, and a ticket to the subcontinent, an incredible journey begins.

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Starting in Nepal, yet without a checklist tour of predetermined places, David sets out on the trip having intentionally planned it very little. With no more than an old map in hand – he hungers to face the spontaneous nature of things; to run his fingers through the sands of adventure, to attain the polar-opposite feeling of life in the office, and discover things without warning; the gritty in-between towns with names too long to pronounce, to encounter social situations worthy of old-man-campfire telling, and, more importantly, to exhale the soul-decaying poison of routine and inhale the freedom of unhindered existence.

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A blue motorbike is purchased in India; new friends are made along the way, particularly his Scottish counterpart Ange, and one day – on the side of the road – he finds a suitable companion for the motorbiking jaunt, a pup named Charlie.

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A six-week stay turns into six-months and despite the early cold showers, being chased by police at the border, a Maoist riot, a 10-day silent meditation retreat, (during which the Boxing Day Tsunami occurs nearby, hence the author’s older brother, unaware of his younger brother’s whereabouts, travels to India to find him), David learns that no matter where you go, you take yourself with you.

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A transformative journey of self-discovery through a heart on sleeve, candid exploration of love, friendship, family, despair, loss and hope, served with a relentless dose of humour, call it the male response to ‘Eat, Pray, Love’, Man, Dog, Bike is an inspiring story of a young man’s determination to carve his own path.”

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