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Recently in Salon Travel

Vagabonding
Adventures in the skin trade
Our correspondent's brothel tour of Phnom Penh takes some unexpected twists.
By Rolf Potts
[06/22/99]

My sacred place
For an introspective wanderer, a two-room flat in a generic Japanese suburb offers all the possibilities of a traditional shrine.
By Pico Iyer
[06/19/99]

Wanderlust
Love on the line
On the road, the rest of the world can begin and end in a stuffy phone booth.
By Diane LeBow
[06/18/99]

Travel Advisor
Saving money in Williamsburg
Our expert offers advice on family deals at the colonial attraction, plus safety in Indonesia, smoke-free Vegas and hot-air balloons.
By Donald D. Groff
[06/17/99]

Book Bag
Heart of darkness
An accomplished writer journeys deep into the twisted plight of the orangutans of Borneo -- and the humans who would save them.
By Don George
[06/16/99]

Complete archives for Travel

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One reader sent in a compelling mini-tale to accompany her recommendation of Paul Bowles' "The Sheltering Sky" (which was nominated by a number of readers):

"I just finished reading through your list of top travel books of the century and was surprised to see no mention of 'The Sheltering Sky,' written by Paul Bowles shortly after World War II. I first learned of 'The Sheltering Sky' in a review of Bernardo Bertolucci's dreadful 1990 film version of the novel. Fortunately, I stayed clear of the movie (trust me, skip it), but decided to take the book with me on a driving trip through the jungles of the Yucatan Peninsula. The setting was perfect, and I was absolutely mesmerized. I stayed up reading until after midnight every night, feeling the hair stand up on the back of my neck as I turned the pages.

"For me, Bowles' story presents the ultimate peril that (just maybe) underlies every travel adventure: the possibility of traveling to a place from which you cannot return, either physically or psychologically. By the time I reached the last page, I was wondering if I ever dared to travel again (but, of course, I do, and will always do so).

"Now, whenever my travel plans take a turn for the uncertain, I joke with my traveling companions about the possibility of the 'sheltering sky' that may loom over events to come. Please, put this strange but thrilling story on your list, so that others may read it and form their own opinions. Thanks for the opportunity to comment!"

Another reader sent in a detailed synopsis/review of his favorite:

"As a Monty Python fan, I would naturally go for 'Around the World in 80 Days,' by Michael Palin. But the book/video series has stayed with me these past 10 years, and has burrowed itself into a part of my memory that few other things have.

"First, there's the sheer momentum of the journey. The 80-day deadline gave Palin's journey tension. Will he make it or won't he? The sheer complexity of traveling around the world is brought home.

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"Second, there's the variety of experiences Palin encountered, from the comforts of the Orient Express, to the train journey through China, to spending a week on a dhow run by a crew of Arabs who did not speak English. Palin never settles down in one place long enough to get a great grasp of the local cultures, but we get enough of a taste to understand just how varied they are. One particular example: The owner of the dhow prepared for the arrival of Palin and camera crew by washing down his boat not just with water, but with drinking water.

"Third, on repeated viewings/readings, it becomes apparent that there's a second story going on -- the making of the series itself. While the video likes to show Michael as going around the world by himself, the truth is that he's accompanied by at least five people and the influence and money of the BBC. One begins to wonder just what scenes were recreated for the camera, and discrepancies can be noted between the video and the book. It becomes apparent that some stories were shifted in time to accommodate the video series, among other things.

"But the struggles of Palin and his Passepartout were real, and sometimes things were beyond his control. The best scene in this regard is when they reach the Reform Club -- where they and Phineas Fogg began their separate journeys -- at the end of a long day's travel that was interrupted by a bomb threat on the Underground. They arrive only to find that the Club will not open up for them so they can film Palin's arrival. Palin ends the series standing on the street outside the club.

"OK, this is more a nomination for the video than the book. The seven-tape series travels at its own pace and conveys the sense of being there by not cramming every second with narration. The sounds bleed through: the loud Arabic pop music played by the taxi driver on the journey from Cairo to Suez, the sounds of men in Shanghai washing up at a public fountain in the morning, the piano player bashing out "Sweet Georgia Brown" on the Malibu beach. They also stretch and compress travel time: The week-long trip on the dhow from Saudi to Bombay takes one episode, the same length as the trip from San Diego to the finish line.

"So, this is not a deep book or portentous read. It's amusing, which Palin does so well. But for anyone wondering just what the world is like outside their door, this is a fine introduction."

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