Far and Away: A Prize Every Time

Far and Away: A Prize Every Time by Neil Peart

This is similar to Neil Peart's other "travel books". He is primarily travelling around on his motorcycle with a friend between concert tour stops. Most of the experience is in US and Canada. He primarily takes small roads when possible. Sometimes he runs into roads blocked by snow (even in June!) He had other experiences with heavy thunderstorms and other extreme weather.

He did also travel in South America between tour stops. This added the risk of border crossings and less developed environments. He intentionally stayed out of the more urban areas to ride around in rural areas. This had its own challenges. The GPS was not super accurate and the areas were not well labelled. They ended up way over-shooting a bridge that would get them into Uruguay. Luckily they found a remote ferry that eventually helped to get them around.

He takes time to comment on society and conditions. He likes compact mountain towns and prefers small mom-and-pop stores. (Logan Utah seemed to be a good one.) There is various commentary on the history that he observed. He also sought to take on many national parks. (Yellowstone was one of the last ones he covered.) In all these voyages, he still managed to make it to his concerts in time.

The Air-Conditioned Nightmare

The Air-Conditioned Nightmare by Henry Miller

Henry Miller grew up in New York and fled to Europe. Shortly before World War II, he returned to America and wrote this book about his journeys in the country. His tone is extremely negative, and comes across as an "apostate" from the country. He hates America and criticizes just about everything he sees. His positive views are on things like France and the Baha'i faith. 

The journey was made in 1940, shortly before the US entered World War II. The most interesting parts are the side notes about the country in the time. Hitler was rising, but it was not clear what the end result would be or whether the US would become involved. The prices at the time were ridiculously low compared today. Big tourist attractions still attracted tourists doing the tourist things. In some ways it does not seem different from many more modern road trip travelogues. 

Five Weeks in a Balloon

Five Weeks in a Balloon by Jules Verne, translated by Jules Verne

Some adventurers go in a hot air balloon to explore Africa. It felt like it should have been an interesting adventure, but I had trouble getting involved with it in the same ways as other Jules Verne books.

Far and Near: On Days Like These

Far and Near: On Days Like These by Neil Peart

Neil Peart rode his motorcycle between venues while touring with Rush. He planned out trips to visit national parks as well as explore various parts of the world. He would seek out the back roads as much as possible. (Sometimes he would even luck out and get people to open gated off logging roads.) GPS may or may not help him. He would always travel with riding buddies and had trucks to carry the bikes in as part of the tour. (He needed to make sure he made it to the concerts.) He had various experiences, both good and bad. Some people recognized him as the drummer for Rush, while many did not. He rarely brought it up on his own. (Though one case where many people bonded together to help, he did go out and offer them tickets.) 

This book primarily has essays regarding his motorcycle tours, though there are a few from other travels and experiences (such as with cars). He uses it to detail his philosophy which sometimes appears directly as some of his songs. The philosophy may not always be externally consistent. (He criticizes the attempts by southern Christians to limit other's rights by limiting abortion, while also criticizing them for not limiting rights by not mandating helmets.) Despite disagreeing with some viewpoints, he takes an open view to the people and situations that occur. He is much more interested in the experience. He loves the streets that nobody goes down unless they live there. He enjoys the small towns and the unique experiences that differ from cookie cutter suburban life. It would be fun to be able to explore areas the way he did. He had both the freedom to go anywhere along with the support to make sure it happened, yet also had time and location constraints that forced moving on. I wonder if somebody has consolidated the locations and roads mentioned for a tour book.

A Month in Siena

A Month in Siena by Hisham Matar

I had never heard of Siena before. It is an Italian city in Tuscany with a pedestrian-only old town area. Seems to be an interesting place to visit. The author had studied there. He fell in love with art and the Italian culture. Later he went back to spend some time there and reminisce on his past and explore the city. Though it was not intended to be a travel book, it has enticed me to want to go visit Siena.

The Innocents Abroad: Or, The New Pilgrim’s Progress

The Innocents Abroad: Or, The New Pilgrim’s Progress by Mark Twain

Mark Twain went on a trip with a group of Americans to visit the Holy Land and many places in between. Twain's wit and humour make for one of the better travel stories. The trip and the actions of everyone involved are more important than the actual site. The profiteering of the locals is critisized outright, while the naive behavior of Americans gets criticized in passing. As an example, in Paris, the tour guide goes through great efforts to take them to so many different stores that it becomes too late to visit the museum they had asked to visit. The Americans naively believe they just needed to better instruct what they wanted to do. The Americans end up calling all guides by the same name.

When they finally get to the Holy Land, Twain is let down by the small scale of things. It is a small area and extremely impoverished. It was much less grand than he expected. It was difficult to comprehend a deity walking among the people.

Innocentes is an appropriate title. These people seem very innocent and naive. This adds to the humor as they explore historical parts of the world in a relatively clueless way. 

The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa

The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa by Neil Peart

Rush drummer Neil Peart went on an "adventure cycling" tour of Cameroon. There were just a small handful of people cycling with him in the rout. One woman lacked the enthusiasm and would cycle very slowly, much to chagrin of the guide. One of the party was a black man from California. Many of the Africans would be amazed that there were black people in America. (At one time, the fact that he was black helped bail them out of trouble with a drunken police officer.) The time in Africa involved many encounters with officials and pseudo-officials, along with regular people. Peart had only rudimentary French, so had challenges communicating. He also observed a difference between poverty and happiness. Many people did not have much, yet there were few homeless or other vagrants you commonly see in western cities. The families seem to help care for them. Infrastructure was a different story. Water or electricity may be cut off at any time if they do exist. There are huge number of "checkpoints". Some actually serve purposes. Others are manned by illiterate officials. And some are "popups" by regular folks trying to extort a few dollars. He also has time to muse on religion, life, happiness and other things. A bike tour through Africa is much different than that through the developed world.

Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road

Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road by Neil Peart

Neil Peart's only daughter died in a single-car crash while driving to college. This stressed his relationship with his common-law wife. Shortly after, she was diagnosed with cancer and passed away. Neil tried to recover from this by getting on his motorcycle and riding. Sometimes he would go fast. Other times it was slow. He would explore remote northern areas in Canada and Alaska, and continued down in the United States and Mexico. The book is primarily epistolary, with journal entries and letters. He is trying to come to terms with his life, while also exploring different areas. He travels "under cover" so he cannot be identified as a famous musician. (And he is not feeling up to making music at the time.) In the narrative, he quotes various lyrics that he wrote for Rush songs that tie together. He is not keen on religion, but seems open to spirituality and various ways of exploring. Eventually he explores other relationships and finally makes it back to his drums.

Chernobyl: A Stalkers’ Guide

Chernobyl: A Stalkers’ Guide by Darmon Richter (Author), FUEL (Author), Damon Murray (Editor), Stephen Sorrell (Editor)

The exclusion zone where the Chernobyl nuclear disaster took place is now frozen in history. Radioactive material sinks into the ground, so digging is prohibited. It has now become a popular tourist attraction. The official way to visit the area is through an organized tour group. Tours are limited to certain areas and must be appropriately checked for radiation. The other route to explore the area is "stalking". This involves sneaking into the zone through back routes and hiding out from police patrols. 

The author primarily explored the region via "official" means. However, he did go on one "stalker" trip. He had a guide that helped him through the area. They would camp in abandoned buildings and hide out when police were expected. The stalking trips allowed seeing areas that are off limits to regular tourists, though it did have some dangers. There were also some in-between trips where he would go in with people that would have have some rights, and just go off the beaten path for a bit.

The author also explored the area from Belarus. They are more strict about visitors and have fewer tourists. Belarus also has helped maintain Soviet monuments, while Ukraine has had a de-communization policy that has let old monuments decay.

The book is filled with many pictures of the zone and monuments. 

Guinea Voyage

The Guinea Voyage by James Field Stanfield

The bulk of the Guinea Voyage is told in verse, with some prose at the end. The theme is that slave voyages  were inhumane. The crew were treated horribly. The conditions were deplorable and they essentially had to sign their lives away before going on these slave voyages. And the condition of the crew was better than the conditions of the slaves. They were treated as less than human - possibly even less than animals would be treated. The author deplored slavery and saw the conditions of the slave trade as something awful.

The Island of the Colorblind and the Cycad Island

The Island of the Colorblind and the Cycad Island by Oliver Sacks

Rare genetic traits may become prominent in isolated populations with significant intermarriage. Deafness became common in Martha's Vineyard thanks to two founders that had a recessive gene. In Micronesia, there is an island (Pingelap) many people are achronotopes. This trait occurred due to a population bottleneck. Colorblindness can be a nerve or a an eye issue. In Micronesia, the colorblind have difficulty seeing during the day, but actually have a better ability to see at night. The book also explores cycads. These seeds are fairly poisonous. However, are consumed after processing to remove the poison. Could this result in some neurological problems? The book covers some interesting topics, but it wanders a bit, with parts travel, genetic and neurological.

Dear Bob and Sue

Dear Bob and Sue by Matt Smith and Karen Smith

After a couple's children left the home, they decided to quit their jobs and spend time visiting all US National Parks. They struggled in writing down their experiences. However, they found it easy to write letters to their friends, Bob and Sue. Thus, they decided that the best way to record their experiences is by writing a book of letters to their friends. They take turns writing about the experiences. Sometimes, one of them will be the only voice. Other times, they will each provide their experience with the park. In the case of caves, they had very different feelings (with she loving them and he not caring for them.) In the process, we learn of quirks. He is obsessive and overpacks and wants everything in order. She runs more spontaneous and will break a rule or two, but does not like rodents. They both love to hike and enjoy a drink. 

They drive to parks in packs. They will fly out to some areas and visit a few parks. Getting a picture of the sign and "passport stamp" are the important step. They start with the parks near Seattle. Then hit the popular parks, and then move out to other parks. The last ones they visit are the remote Alaskan ones north of the Arctic Circle. They do hit one more that became a park after their initial publication voyages. There have been a few additional ones since the book was written.

They came across as "mid-tier" park visitors. They are not the RV types, but they will not go on extended backpacking trips. They are likely to stay at the park lodge and then get a backcountry permit for a long day of hiking. They focussed on parks, with little interest in other "non-parks" in the National Parks system. (Though he does seem more interested than she does.) The book makes it clears that there is a large variety of parks, with varying degrees of popularity. There are also plenty of politics involved in deciding what is a national park.

Last Days of the Mighty Mekong

Last Days of the Mighty Mekong by Brian Eyler

This is somewhat similar to A River at the Center of the World. In both, the author explores the distance of a major Asian river. This book starts from the Tibetan headwaters and works its way down to the Vietnamese delta. The writing is not as good as that of the other book on the Yangtze. This book also suffers from having an "agenda". It is looking at "last days" of the river, so it focuses more on the sentimental past and things that have changed, rather than giving a general view of the river.

Things have changed a lot. Even the "isolated village" at he start that was only accessible by hiking is now accessed primarily via jeeps. Downriver, people have sought to harness the river via many dams. This has provided huge amounts of electrical capacity - much of which exceeds demand. It has also reduced sediment flow and fisheries in the river. The Chinese and the French are the primary "bad guys" here. They have both attempted the technological march forward (either now or a century ago.) The result has impacted the way of life and made things more difficult. Today, Laos has a fancy railroad through unforgiving land to China. Vietnamese are working in factories rather than fishing and farming in the delta. Attempts to improve productivity through technology have not gone well. The progress of technology has provided some benefits, but also a lot of harm.

The River at the Center of the World: A Journey Up the Yangtze, and Back in Chinese Time

The River at the Center of the World: A Journey Up the Yangtze, and Back in Chinese Time by Simon Winchester

Things can change a lot in two decades in China. Today, you could take a nonstop train from Shanghai to Tibet. The two day journey will take you overland and let you enjoy the scenery.  No need to struggle on back roads. If you want to stick closer to the Yangtze, you could take the high speed rail to get to Chengdu in less than 12 hours. There are also numerous flights available that can take you quickly in comfort.

However, speed is not the point of this voyage. The author wanted to stick close to the river and explore the various cities and features along the way. Some of these isolated farming areas are still there, mostly unchanged. Some areas are now among the many villages inundated by the Three Gorges Dam. Some places remain in a sense, but are now far ahead technologically, with high rise buildings and cell phones available. Some of the traditional practices have faded away, while others remain. Even Tibet has become more technologically advanced (and a bit more Chinese.)

The book is a travel book, interspersed with historical background. He sets up to travel the length of the river. Along the way, he gives history of interesting parts. He meets up with people and has struggles on the travel. It is by no means a complete account of the areas, but provides instead highlights of what is interesting to him. British imperial activity and Maoist actions are primarily covered. Other parts of historical significance are mentioned only in passing. The actions and reactions of the people are also of interest. It seems the world has tried to "abandon" China at times, only to have China say "fine, we'll do it our way."

Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle

Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle by Dervla Murphy

In 1963, an Irish woman went a on a long solo bicycle trip to India. The world at that time was much different than it is now, yet many similarities remain. A long distance cyclist (especially a woman) is an oddity. She traveled the long distance on minimal expense. On many occasions, people would offer her a ride. She would often refuse. However, she did include trips on buses or planes as part of her journey. 

During the travel involved a journey through the soviet block. There were were challenges getting across borders as well as limited amenities. Afghanistan was something of its own. The roads were horrendously bad. Things happened when they happened without much regard for schedules. In Pakistan, the weather was perhaps the main enemy, with 100+ temperatures. There are a various observations of the culture and government of the countries as well as fond memories of the people. 

World Travel: An Irreverent Guide

World Travel: An Irreverent Guide by Anthony Bourdain and Laurie Woolever

Anthony Bourdain traveled the world in search of unique and good food. This book was started before his suicide and published after he died. It is part travel guide and part food description. It goes place by place to explore many cities that he has visited on his shows. There is a quick synopsis of a city and why he loves it. (He loves just about every city for a different reason.) There is an opinionated description of how to get from the airport to the city and the hotel that he often stayed at. Then he explores some of the food places he likes. They are often small dive places that exemplify the local cuisine of the area. The descriptions include details of the restaurant and proprietors and why he liked the food and viewed the place as important. He traveled a lot and has his own views which seem to be at home with the upper class luxury as well as working stiffs. He does love meat, but finds India produces "good" vegetarian.

Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown

Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown by Paul Theroux

The author had spent some time teaching in sub-Saharan Africa earlier in life. This time he wanted to travel from the north to the south of the continent. He prefered to interact with the people of the bush. However, in the cities he would try to be with the "real" people rather than the foreigners. He observed that most of the Africans were unemployed and that those that had public jobs tended to not do much work. Many businesses were run by foreigners.

Aid workers and missionaries often have noble intentions. However, the results have been lacking. Aid workers often live in the nicer areas, while those that they help are in greater squalor. Schools are often created with foreign teachers. The students that succeed are often likely to leave Africa for greater opportunities. Without continued foreign investment, the institutions tend to fail, rather than being continued by locals. Aid money is just as likely to get siphoned away by government kleptocrats than it is to reach individuals. The aid may even make things worse as it limits the growth of internal industry.

Each country in Africa has its own culture. Some are better off than others. They often present a different face to tourists than they do to the locals. Infrastructure in general is lacking and not reliable. Some are still using early colonist railroads. Schedules come and go as available. Crime is in general a serious problem in many places. However, in spite of all the challenges, there are many positives in the continent. Perhaps the rapid western industrialization and urbanization is not what they need.

The Passenger

The Passenger by Chaney Kwak

The author was a freelance travel writer sent on a Norwegian cruise on the Viking Sky in 2019. While cruising around the Arctic Circle, the ship hit some rough seas. The engines failed. The ship started flailing in all directions and was getting close to hazards that could sink. Everyone came out to their muster stations to await orders. May passengers were evacuated via helicopter. After a day tossing and turning, the ship was able to get attached to a tugboat. With engines restarted, it was able to take the rest of the passengers back to a port to disembark. 

One of the more memorable parts of the story is the exposure of the facade of the cruise ship. The passengers are mustered with the "forward" facing staff that they see. However, the author convinces the peronelle to let him go to his cabin to get something. There, he sees many of the "back of the ship" people at their muster stations. He also sees his room is a huge wreck with things tossed all over the place. Later when things return to normal and he is allowed to go back to his room. When he gets there, he finds everything is immaculate and the TV is even set to resume the show he was watching.

The drama of the story had a positive ending with everyone surviving. However, in the process, the author describes the end of his relationship, which alas didn't survive.

The Planet's Most Spiritual Places

The Planet's Most Spiritual Places by Malcolm Croft

This book would probably work better as a coffee table book than an e-book. There aare many places covered, each with pictures and a short description. There are a few different sections. Some are actual modern places of worship. Others are ancient sites that once were significant places of worship, but now are more tourist sites. Others are natural areas. It can be interesting, though there is a significant bit of editorializing.

The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914

The French were feeling invincible after completing the Suez Canal. They thought they could complete the same success in Panama. Little did they know that the jungle is very different from the desert. The leader of the effort was strongly opinionated and forced the matter of a Panama canal regardless of the potential merits of Nicaragua. There was a strong desire by the general public to invest in the canal and the initial team probably sold themselves short in paying to drum up business and not taking in enough capital.

The French effort eventually failed. Yellow Fever and Malaria killed off many workers. (Mosquitos were not fully understood to be the carriers.) The terrain was much more difficult than anticipated. Progress was slow. The shenanigans to get funding also came back to light. The effort eventually went belly up.

The United States had initially been strongly in favor of a Nicaragua. After the French fiasco, there was little desire to restart work on a canal. Teddy Roosevelt changed that. This time Panama actually won on merit.  However, there was a (false) sense that Columbia was trying to extort the US. There had been a fomenting Panama secession movement. The US felt no problem supporting this (even as they and Columbia were allies.) The United States ended up with a fairly one-sided treaty with Panama. Columbia lost valuable territory. And Panama had its independence and a nice source of income.

The US picked up the French assets and resumed canal construction. Effort were made to eradicate disease carrying mosquitoes in order to preserve the health of workers. Workers, black and white were brought in from all over, with the type of jobs restricted. Health care was excellent for the times, though black workers died at a much higher rate than white ones. 

Construction included lots of digging. Locks were essentially horizontal skyscrapers. The Chagres River was dammed to create artificial lakes. It rains a lot in Panama and the ground was not always the most stable. Eventually the canal was finished and opened to traffic. The United States kept ownership of the canal zone for decades before finally transferring it Panama.