I've been itching for some good travel lately, but unfortunately, circumstances have kept me home-bound...so definitely time for some armchair travel. I've never traveled by train, but romanticize about it, and Paul Theroux seems to be the master of this type of travel.
The Great Railway Bazaar was written over 30 years ago and chronicles Theroux's escapes on the rail through Asia. He is very matter of fact in his writing, and it reminded me a great deal of Kerouac's
On the Road - just detailing day-to-day life, sight seen, strange people met, and general observations. But, unlike many travel diaries/memoirs written today, there isn't a lot that felt personal about the writing. While I'm sure Theroux learned a lot about himself on the trip, he didn't delve into his past or make any psychological evaluations of his experience. Rather, this is more of a straight-forward travel diary - it made for a less salacious read than I'm used to, but still quite educational and inspiring.
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