Chronicles of On The Road Travel

A Guide for Non-Guidebooks

Today I came across Salon.com's Literary Guide to the World. Although the guidebooks (and OTR of course!) can be helpful for navigating your way through foreign territory, destination literature, whether fact or fiction, can be a great way of gaining a deeper understanding of a new culture. The site has a fancy map that allows you to click through to your destination of interest and find the books that they recommend for that country. Unfortunately they do not have much to recommend for Latin America.

On The Road Travelers are typically those who travel to learn more about new cultures. As such, we have our own recommendations for books to read if you are going to Brazil, Argentina or Guatemala. Keep in mind that it is often difficult to find these books while you are on the road (you are generally limited to the penguin classics and whatever you can trade at your pousada), so we recommend that you buy them before you go.

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OTR - Uncensored

According to the AP, the executor of Jack Kerouac's estate just signed a contract with Penguin to publish  the unedited original scroll version of On The Road. This will include incidents that had originally been removed because of censorship rules that existed when the book was first published way back in 1957.

Chariots of the Gods

This past week I took advantage of the cross-continental flight to knock another book off my list. This one was a bit quirky, but had caught my attention while researching Peru, which will be the next country we cover on the site.   Erich von Daniken's theory that the earth was once visited / inhabited by aliens might seem a bit off-the-wall, but it goes a long way towards explaining some of the wonders of the world. I was intrigued by his theory that the Nazca lines, located Southeast of Lima along the coast, were in fact a landing strip for spaceships. Tours are available today allowing you to fly over the area and see these gigantic lines laid out in geometric patterns. The author questions 'What is wrong with the idea that the lines were laid out to say to the 'gods': "Land here! Everything has been prepared as you ordered"?

He goes on to question the traditional views of several other wonders, including the Gate of the Sun at Tihuanaco, which is a 10 x 16.5 foot sculpture carved out of a single block, that is estimated to weigh over 10 tons. The legend  of Tiahuanaco tells of a woman named Oryana who came to them in a spaceship from the stars.

To be honest the book lost me at some points. Although I enjoyed hearing the conspiracy theories about some of the world's mysterious sculptures and formations, it does tend to go a bit off the deep end at times. Nonetheless, its is a quick, interesting read if you've ever wondered how the pyramids possibly could have been built.

Vagabonding

The 4th of July - our first real weekend away – no Internet access, no cell phone service, just the sound of the landline ringing 3 times a day when Seth’s work came calling…

I took advantage of the break to read the first book I’ve been able to sit down with in months. I was introduced to Vagabonding by Justin Mounts, our first Brazilian Editor for OTR. Justin and Rolf Potts (our generation’s Vagabonder – check out his blog www.vagablogging.net) were both part of an expedition team for Drive Around the World (www.drivearoundtheworld.com), a 15-month excursion that took 9 volunteers across the globe in order to raise funds to help cure Parkinson’s Disease.

Vagabonding is a quick read (anything that takes me less than a weekend is definitely a quick read) but an informative one. Whether you are a seasoned traveler who has crossed the globe several times over or a novice who is planning your first excursion into the wonders of a new culture, this book provides tips and advice on how to approach the experience.

Potts describes Vagabonding as taking an extended time from your normal life – could be six weeks or two years – to travel the world on your own terms. He points out that Vagabonding does not require a ton of cash, but rather the mere will to walk through the world in a more deliberate way. He stresses that you shouldn’t worry about these extended travels creating a ‘gap’ in your resume, but rather you should unapologetically include them along with the many skills you will have picked up along the way: independence, flexibility, negotiation, improvisation… I like the way this guy thinks!

His stories will inspire you to get out there and experience the world, for the first time, or the hundredth time. His reminder that the goal of Vagabonding is to improve your life not in relation to your neighbors but in relation to yourself really hit home. Although it has often been criticized as ‘running away’ I have always come back with a renewed perspective on my surroundings. He goes on to point out how liberating the experience of being ‘out of your element’ can be. When you are no longer bound to your past you can break old habits and test out repressed facets of your personality. You’ll find it easier to be open-minded and mentally you will crave new challenges and learning.

His tips are great reminders for even the most traveled Vagabonder and apply not only to your travel experiences but to life in general: ‘A big prerequisite for keeping your sense of humor is to first cultivate a sense of humility. After all, it can be hard to laugh at yourself if you swagger through the world like you own it.’

Potts closes the book by suggesting that you ‘learn to treasure your worst experiences as gripping new chapters in the epic novel that is your life’. I’m not sure that I needed to write the chapter about the parasite that crippled me in Malaysia, nearly causing me to miss my first days in the real working world and leaving me with an unidentified ‘stomach ailment’ that has persisted to this day. I guess that if all things happen for a reason then I can justify it by saying I really didn’t need to include potatoes and pasta (today’s aggravators) in my diet anyways! And I now know to be a little more cautious when eating street meat in foreign countries.

You’d think that with such a long review there wouldn’t be much left to read in the book, but it is filled with tons of great reminders and advice and I recommend it for all travelers – regardless of how full your Travel CV is.

Travel Writing

I am finally getting back to the part of my job that I love... the travel. Today was spent mostly planning my upcoming trip to Peru. Talking to people about their experiences and recommendations, and speaking to the locals about their culture.

There's a great little store on Market Street in San Francisco called Get Lost Travel Books. I always wonder how a store like this does with the ease and discounts of Amazon.com, but I have to admit, I love making the trip down there to browse their selection and lose myself in my list of places to see before I die.

Tonight they hosted a reading in honour of the release of the latest Travelers' Tales book: The Best Travel Writing, 2006. Four of the collection's writers were there to read passages from their stories. Travelers Tales are some of my favorite reads while i'm on the road. They are a collection of various travel writer's stories from specific regions our countries. They are not guidebooks, but rather stories of people experiencing the local culture. Travelers' Tales has also branched out into theme-based books on topics such as Women Travelers (one of which was titled The Thong Also Rises...) If you're looking for a good read that will give you a bit of insight into the culture you are visiting, I highly recommend them.