HOLIDAY READING

"I've always been blessed, or cursed, some might say, with an insatiable curiosity, a desire to find something out about a people and a place. That's where it all begins."
                                                                                              - Michael Palin




Travelers tend to be readers. It's an aspect of the logistics of most trips that at some point you're going to have some time to curl up with a good book, whether it's aboard an A380 at 35,000 feet, inside a pup tent at 5000 feet, at sea level next to an ocean, or trapped in a transportation terminal with a delayed departure. Chances are at some point you're going to read.

And that's a good thing.

For my part I alternate between fiction and non-fiction with regularity, and between new volumes and the classics. But a particular reading passion of mine, and a rather predictable one at that, are books that deal with travel exploits from people who spend much of their own time on the road. Travelers with a capital T.

And since we're in the middle of gift-giving season, here are a few of my favorites both of recent discovery and of a more long-term appreciation. All are available in your local bookstore and on Amazon. I recommend the local bookstore, who can order it or you if they don't have it in stock. I'd use Amazon if the Kindle is your current library-of-choice. I'm including links to the Amazon site for more information on each of the five selections below.


MICHAEL PALIN, FULL CIRCLE

Best known for his participation in the British comedy group Monty Python, Palin has been on the road for literally decades, developing a second career of sorts as a modern-day explorer and adventurer very much in the classic 18th century British tradition. He's circled the globe multiple times and is a member in good standing with the Royal Geographic Society, having served as its President from 2009 through 2012.

My favorite of his books is FULL CIRCLE. In it he details a voyage circumnavigating the Pacific Ocean, along with a film crew and a variety of locals he meets along the way. The adventure was filmed for television, but the book goes into a lot of the backstory and behind the scenes misadventures which didn't necessarily make the series.

Starting in Alaska, heading down the coast of Asia, crossing the Pacific to transit the coasts of the Americas he travels through a variety of places ranging from the highly urbanized through some truly hair-raising experiences a little further off the beaten path.

Fascinating read and well worth the time as you work on your Saint Barthelemy tan.

Palin's travel website, a font of information and insanity, can be found here.



ROBERT HEINLEIN, TRAMP ROYALE

Although well-known as a science fiction writer, Heinlein was also of a more adventurous nature. His book, Tramp Royale, gives us a glimpse into "how it used to be" to plan and execute travel before the advent of the internet.

Heinlein and his wife embark on a travel around the world, braving much less predictable situations as they explored a world much different from our interconnected and wired one. It's not necessarily an easy read and Heinlein's politics play into some of the commentary -- positions which the intervening decades will shed a less approving eye upon. (At one point he is startled not everyone in the world approved of Senator Joseph McCarthy. Whoudda' thunk?)

But it does provide a fascinating overview and exploration of the world of the 1950s entirely separate and somehow new from what we've all seen from videos of that era.



MARK TWAIN, INNOCENTS ABROAD

Continuing our journey backwards through time to previous travel eras, I have to admit this book really intrigued and motivated me as a young boy. It's still a pleasure to read Twain at the peak of his literary powers.

In Twain's time there were no globe-girdling chains of American food or culture, and Twain's observations of the differences in people and cultures is amusing, allowing us to turn a jaundiced eye towards ourselves and our relationship to the rest of the world.

It's an amusing read even now, and certainly gives us a glimpse back to a more adventurous and less complicated time.





ANTHONY BOURDAIN, NO RESERVATIONS - AROUND THE WORLD ON AN EMPTY STOMACH

Bourdain is an irascible no-conformist and so is this book. Unlike the rest on this list Around the World... is as much a visual feast as it is a literary one. Bourdain can write. I've enjoyed each of his books from the very first, Kitchen Confidential. But his stories of travel and food are well served by the photographs in this book, where we can see those things otherwise probably best left to the imagination but nonetheless fun to see. Bourdain uses the photography to pull us further into his adventures, adding an additional perspective to his narrative.

Bourdain is perhaps the most popular and readily identifiable host of a travel/adventure show on the air these days, and part of it is his brand of being a sarcastic and at-time cynical explorer, pausing every now and again to experience he true and natural around a destination. Openly disdaining popular culture, he strongly advocates getting our hands dirty and our feet wet in our travels, preferring to eat at an open street market in Vietnam over, perhaps, the finest restaurant in London. And I cannot blame him. I've railed for years regarding getting yourself immersed in the local culture. My favorite target, The Olive Garden in Times Square, is only one of tens of thousands of examples Bourdain has noted over the years. In this book he accentuates the positive and provides the visuals to back him up.

Bourdain's CNN series Parts Unknown website can be found here.

and not so lastly, a new discovery....


JOSH GATES, DESTINATION TRUTH; MEMOIRS OF A MONSTER HUNTER

Yeah. I encountered Josh Gates a little later than many people have. This last Summer I was back in Annapolis. My sister asked me if I liked a tv show called Destination Truth. Now, obviously, I had heard of it. It runs on the SyFy Channel, and undoubtedly I had seen hundred of ads for DT and its ilk for years. Personally I had lumped all of the "Ghost Hunter" shows into a single basket, and considered them good for a Saturday afternoon viewing when nothing else was available on TV. As long as it was October and our Halloween decorations were up.

(I love Halloween and ghost stories. But having watched a handful of these shows I had grown weary of the "investigators" entering the same building ten other shows had done, and being scared by any little noise or breeze that crossed their senses. I would love to believe in the supernatural, and have in fact had a few weird experiences, but the shows all began to run together.. which is unfortunate, because Destination Truth and in particular its follow-up Expedition Unknown are relatively different.)

Gates' book is a crisp and easy read, with lots of personal comments and anecdotes detailing behind the scenes adventures which don't necessarily make it on the show. My favorite chapter, however is, Chapter 14, THE TOURIST EMPIRE is an essay I could easily have penned -- and in fact have done several similar columns here on the blog. He discusses the difference between being a Tourist and being a Traveler:

"Being a traveler means being an enthusiast, a vessel eager to be filled with the exotic. Being a tourist means checking off a prescribed itinerary, behaving like a sheep, and generally resisting the influences of the unknown in favor of familiar comforts. Citizens, this is a plea for sanity—nay, a call to arms! It’s time for a revolution against the imperial forces of tacky travel. I submit to you that there is a better way."

The rest of the book is fun and informative, but for the remainder of Chapter 14 I was nodding enthusiastically in agreement with his comments.  Being a Traveler versus being a Tourist -- and we all have done both, not matter who we are or credentials we trot out -- is a key differentiator in the reason we travel. Gates' website is here.

On the road...

People with a passion for travel often voice the same things,and it pretty much comes down to the drive forward and the adventure to be found there.

It's message that resonates through all five of the above books. Each of them come at the topic from a different angle and yet all coincide with each other when promoting the idea that for us to truly travel and be Travelers, we need to put aside our biases and simply experience the unknown with an open eye and an open heart. (The quote on the photo below is mine. It sums up my desire to explore nicely, I think.)

A five of these books is a worthy and good read. If you elect to buy one of these as a present, you might consider two and hold one for your own consumption. They won't let you down.

Cheers.

THE ROAD TRIP GREAT AMERICAN BREAKFAST

"I am not a great cook, I am not a great 

artist, but I love art, and I love food, so I am 

the perfect traveller." 
                                                   -  Michael Palin



The mark of any decent city in America, any decent destination for that matter, is the local breakfast hangout.

With no disrespect to Applebee's, Denny's or even the venerated Cracker Barrel, the best breakfasts are served up in small, usually one-off greasy spoons which have been around for years. He owner still works behind the counter or -- under the best of circumstances -- the grill. And the grill has flavors built up over decades, not hours.

The menu is basic. Eggs. Toast. Multiple omelette options, usually including a straight-ahead cheese option. The coffee is hot and usually whatever brand imay be the cheapest, but the pale off-white cup is constantly refilled. Water is served in either a plastic cup or styrofoam. The most recent innovation is the breakfast burrito, or if you're lucky chorizo and eggs (with tortillas for a do-it-yourselfer burrito). 

Tables are chipped with years of use. An aluminum napkin dispenser sits against the wall or backside of the counter, dispensing the white three-fold variety. The placemat is paper. The silverware may match. Or maybe not.

Coffee cups are plain off white, though in very rare cases will be mugs from other local businesses. Ketchup and sugar are always on the table, as are little rectangular jelly packets. Tabasco is available for the asking.

O.J., milk, iced tea.

Hash Browns are slightly greasy and crispy. And proportionally massive. If they don't cover at least a third of the plate, they're doing it wrong. Tater tots are acceptable, as are "breakfast potatoes" if crisp. (Mushy potatoes need not apply.)

Toast comes in three types: white, wheat and sourdough. Nobody ever orders the wheat. Two slices, buttered and cut diagonally. Medium scorch.

Breakfast meats are well done. Crispy. Bacon, sausage and ham. Jimmy Dean if possible. Hamburger patties if you're watching your waistline. No sauces, and especially nothing called "Eggs Fillintheblank". Benedict. Florentine. Manhattan. Nor will you see the words "casserole", "fritatta", "bake" or "soufflé". Eggs are eggs. Scrambled, over easy or sunny side up. Omelets. Cheese, Denver, or meat. 

 Poached if it's a higher end diner. On toast, of course.

(cont'd below)

 

 

The waitresses -- not to be sexist, but rarely do you find men anywhere but the grill in these places -- are of two types: young, chirpy women in their twenties...or more seasoned ladies who will refer to any patron, regardless of age, gender or race, as "hon". They are in charge, and it is their work that keeps the tables clean, the food warmly delivered and the coffee mug filled.

You will find that many are the chain restaurants who want to do this right. And if all else fails, they're better than starving.

But for a true American breakfast experience, go where the locals go: your neighborhood hole in the wall eggs place. Nothing else even comes close.

NO SINGLE WAY TO TRAVEL BEST

"To thine own self be true"

                        -- Hamlet, act 1, scene 3

As I write this, I've just completed reading Michael Palin's excellent account of his circum-Pacific trek in 1996 entitled FULL CIRCLE. Coincidentally over the last couple of nights I've caught episodes of British adventurist Bear Grylls' Man vs Wild TV series. At the moment I am high over the Midwest somewhere on a transcontinental flight from Baltimore to Phoenix, sitting in coach directly abutting the First Class bulkhead.

Palin, familiar to you as one of the original six Monty Python comedy troop members -- he was, and will forever be, "The Lumberjack" and "Parrot Salesman" -- has had a second life as a well-known Traveler and travel documentarian. His road-trip exploits began with a recreation of Jules Verne's AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, and continued over a multitude of years and other paths and pathways. (You can find more information and copies of his books at Palin's travel sites here and here.)

Grylls is an adventurer in the strictest of senses. I get the impression that the more physically uncomfortable and rugged the terrain, the more at home he is as a human being. He genuinely thrives under conditions which would make the common person wilt...or cringe with disgust. From eating bugs for protein to sleeping in a makeshift (sheep's wool) sleeping bag made from the just-skinned flesh of a dead sheep, Grylls immerses himself into a full-sensory, no-frills exploration of the world around him.

And then there are some explorers who would prefer to revel in the pristine isolation of a high-end resort hotel, completely removed from even a whiff of hardship or, frankly, their surrounding environment. They don't want to explore. They don't want to be challenged. They simply want to relax and "escape" from the world by hiding behind insulated walls. I won't mention any particular explorers who match this description, but their ilk can be found on several Travel Channel programs and perhaps the pages of a luxury magazine or two.

This is not to say you cannot have a luxuriously immersive cultural experience, but it's up to the seeker to make that count. The South African travel program Top Travel (also seen on the AWE American television network) does this sort of thing well, with the two hosts -- Jeannie D and Janez Vermeiren -- each of whom experiences any particular destination in their own way. She is thrilled by ultra-luxury, while he wants the down and dirty physical challenges. And both find joint experiences which give them a flavor for a place, which is what I like about this particular program. Opulence doesn't always translate to experience, and this program works to ensure that "lux" doesn't trump "life" but enhances it.

Likewise, without a little hardship you miss those things which can be the most self-satisfying. You can't, for example, trek across a glacier with first enduring some cold (and probably a strenuous hike to get to the top). A visit to a reef would be spectacularly sad if all you did was remain high and dry aboard the boat -- you have to get a little wet and likely choke down some seawater in order to see the really good stuff. And unless you're a famous celebrity or person with excellent connections, it's a really long line to get to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

Myself, I fall somewhere in the middle of these two extremes...as I believe Michael Palin must. There is room at times for pure relaxation and enjoyment, but as Palin comments in FULL CIRCLE, the people in luxury class don't always get that true experience of a place. Only by getting your hands and face a little bit dirty -- getting uncomfortable in an invigorating way -- can you emerge from a destination with a whiff, a soupçon, of local color and flavor. 

(For purists seeking references, he discusses this in the section marked Day 189 - Cuzco to Machu Picchu. His comments regarding the difference in passenger experiences on the northbound train from Cuzco, Peru is telling. The people in First Class see the world from behind sterile smoked glass windows in air conditioned comfort, while the people in coach get the true, full-on and memorable experience of the Peruvian culture. And if you're on an Italian train, even the First Class customers can sometimes experience the Coach class experience.)

Some of my most memorable travel experiences came from moments of discomfort. Of challenge. Or simply of exploration -- getting away from the hotel, away from the cruise ship, away from the spa -- hunting/doing things on my own. I dislike feeling rushed, feeling obligated to move on simply because an itinerary demands it...or worse, my group is moving on and growing impatient at my delays. (Or, conversely, a dallying group when I'm already on to the next point of interest.)

My wife and I are well suited to each other in this regard. She usually wants to delve more deeply into the experiences I do, and is equally willing to keep it moving when the surroundings need to be updated. We're attracted (mostly) to the same sorts of shops and experiences. It's only when we get others than the usual pushme-pullyou group dynamic takes hold. Which is only fair, given that there are times I might delay a group who wants to keep moving while I want to explore something in a bit more detail.

It's a compromise of style and objective when you're traveling with more than one person. Each of us comes with our own agenda and interests and the balance must be struck somewhere between Bear Grylls' mud-and-blood-soaked Scottish Highlands endurance test and Jeannie D's palm-oil slathered bikram yoga retreat. Both are culturally valid experiences, and it's up to the participant to find which best suits their wants and needs -- while giving them something of a destination.

We've become, it is said, much more of a culturally homogenized, cookie-cutter world. The McDonald's in Rio de Janeiro differs from the one in Chicago pretty much only when it comes to the menu. A few local items may be thrown in the mix, but the Big Mac is the Big Mac pretty much universally. The Sheraton in New Orleans and the Sheraton in New Delhi (is there one?) may have slightly different decor, but they're Sheratons nonetheless. Some people like that sameness, that reliability. That's fine for them, but it doesn't mean they've really been somewhere. Just "been" there.

But even if the hotels are the same, the true difference in a destination is what you find outside the revolving door and taxi queue: it's on the street or in the great outdoors, not behind the walls of your hotel room or the luxury restaurant in the lobby even if they ARE the best in town.

And whether you're Bear Grylls, Michael Palin, Janez Vermeiren -- or Todd Carmichael, Andrew Zimmern, Anthony Bourdain, Phil Keoghan or dozens of other "travel personalities" -- the point of travel is to experience something new, different and personally enriching.

Something you can tell friends about and share with strangers.

A flavor, an experience, a vista, a serenity or a sense-numbing chaos, the important thing is to Travel with a capital T.

Otherwise, honestly, why are you even leaving home?