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[dedalusj]

Growing up in Montana means being off most people's radar geographically.   I grew up reading obsessively and I can still remember every book (by non-local writers) I read that mentioned Montana.  There were two.  Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig and Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck.  The only times Montana was

Comments

[muckefuck]

I don't disagree with you, but I think what you say is mostly true of the kind of commercial travel writing you see in large-circulation dailies and glossy magazines. My favourite kind of travel writing is the sort where the author gets some boneheaded project in mind ("Hey, let's go eat in Battambang!" "He, let's track the Yangtze to its source!" "Hey, let's sneak into Mecca!") and then spends most of the account talking about the obstacles, detours, side trips, wacky encountres, and so forth rather than the big important stuff everyone's supposed to want to know about.

[genhawk]

"Dark Star Safari" is cool like that. Of course, I have yet to finish reading it...

[dedalusj]

I agree but I would classify these as 'travel memoirs,' in that the major focus is not explaining the place, but relating a specific experience. These are better because they do not try to generalize based on personal experience, since the whole point of these fandangoes is to be unusual. This is what I was trying to say above: travel is a personal experience but travel writing demands generalizations. As a result it never can match the experience or, what is worse, it overpowers the experience.

What I love about travel is that something ALWAYS goes wrong and often that is the best (or at least most memorable) part of the trip. But travel books cannot say, "okay, now try and get yourself lost."

[driftingfocus]

Hey there. I saw that you had added me, so I have now added you back, since you also teach in Korea. How did you find me?

Also, since my journal is primarily friends-only, you should probably go back and take a second look at it now that you can read what's actually going on in my life.

[dedalusj]

I found you by just looking at all the people who listed their location as Korea. I was looking for other people that spoke or were learning Korean but your page was very interesting. My father is not an reenactor but he is a collector of that sort of stuff. I think except for an M-14 and a BAR he has every small arm used in 20th century combat (both US and non-US) and many used in the 19th century. I am more a rifle and target shooting aficionato. Anyway, I like how you write and I really like your photos. Looking back through previous entries has been interesting.

Also I have been in Korea about 3 and a half years, so if you have any questions, just ask. I may not know the answer but I'll know people who do.