Is there anything better than travel? OK, don't answer that and I won't either. But I'm constantly longing to get on the road again. And while I can't, there's always the delights of travel writing to savour. Three of my favourites:
Pico Iyer is superb -- check "Falling off the Map" and "Tropical Classical", and certainly don't miss his novel "Cuba and the Night". Preferably, read it while visiting Havana, and you'll understand better why Marti said: "Dos patrias tengo yo, Cuba y la noche." Also, I was comforted to know that the statue of a bear with the inscription "BERLIN 2380 km" in Reykjavik befuddled Iyer ("Falling off the Map") just as much as it had befuddled us.
Emily Hiestand's "The Very Rich Hours" is another treat. She explores so many thoughts, lines, tangents. Just writing this here reminds me that I need to return to the book.
And finally, Salon's Don George edited a fine collection of travel essays called "Wanderlust". Iyer himself has an intro and an essay on Bali. Simon Winchester's "Romance in Romania" and David Kohn's "Hog Heaven: At the Memphis World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest" are two little masterpieces. If you never thought you'd want to visit a place where everybody's cooking meat, that last is for you.
Going back to the map -- here instead is a map of the countries I want to visit (not including those I want to return to some day). That's the ones in red. Coming?
5 comments:
I like what you did with the map. If you head to Ecuador or Bhutan, I'm in!!
Roshan
Just one more year. Then, hopefully lots of travelling(with an empty pocket, undoubtedly). Anyway, if you're offering me a trip , why not?
Guys, guys! Let's do it soon. Set our sights closer to home, then further afield. Konkan coast for a start? What about Olympics in Beijing, 2008? The wife and I have just talked about that idea...
Neela, everyone probably should try shellfish, and then some of them find out they have an allergy (me, for example). Thuly, everyone should try travel.
Actually I think this is a serious point: more and more in this sometimes nutso world, I think everyone who can afford to do so must travel, and as widely as possible. In fact, I think it was Pico Iyer who once wrote an essay for Time where he said that a deal more eloquently than I just did. If I ever dig up a URL, I'll post it.
Laos, anyone?
Dilip,
There is one and only one reason that the Indians have not produced a Gold metal. It is because you have not adequately carried the torch and spread the gospel of Nautilus to your countrymen. When you took my course at Brown with Victor, I saw both of you as worthy disciples who would passionately speak the truth about strength and conditioning throughout your adult lives, but apparently I've misjudged! LOL
Saw your piece in the BAM and thought I'd touch base. You were in there once before too weren't you? I'm Hammerhead '84 (John Shalvey)by the way. You were a student in a class I taught at Brown in Phys. Ed. It was proper stregth training using Nautilus and Universal. I remember you and Victor (never learned his last name)as being fun students. Hope you are having a blessed life.
In all honesty, most of success in athletics involving strength more so than skill (like sprinting, jumping, etc.) are dominated by genetics. This is why there are very few Jews in the NFL. They are not genetically predisposed to having large powerful muscles. Perhaps Indians are genetically predisposed similarly and therefore cannot compete at the highest levels of competition like the Olympics. The use of Nautilus equipment and proper strength training techniques would at least give above average genetic predisposition a chance to be competitive at the highest levels. Just like there are a few Jews that have made it into the NFL, there will someday be an Indian to land a Gold for your country. It will continue to be a long shot however, simply due to the genetics.
Hope you have kept up with exercising more than just tennis! JAShalvey@gmail.com
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