#5 Palin - Sahara

'The Sahara is a potent, evocative reality. It is one of the world's great brands. No one name so completely epitomises an environment. Oceans can be Atlantic or Pacific or Indian, mountains can be Himalayas or Andes or Alps, but if you want to convey desert, you only have to say 'Sahara'.'

Sahara is perhaps the most challenging novel of Palin's travel series, both to read and of course, to experience (on his part. Although the combination of his vividly illustrated desert heat and England's present warm weathers - 30 degrees as of today - convinced my sub-conscious of my actually experiencing the words I read... perhaps a better read for those long winter days!).  

 

Definition - 'hard to read': I couldn't pronounce 99% of the names of people or places he encountered.

 

I began the novel expectant of an empty, sandy journey, with chance encounters of a few camels here and there, and perhaps a mirage or two. In fact, as the blurb perfectly depicts, 'the Sahara is no empty wasteland, but home to a diversity of cultures whose long history stretches from the time of the ancient Egyptians to the oil-rich Islamic republics of today.'

 

In fact, the Sahara is only 15% sand.

 

The place synonymous with the idea of a desert, is only 15% sand.

 

15%.

 

Amongst this sea of sand, lie numerous vibrant and unique civilisations; some exist haunted by previous colonialized times by the French or Spanish, many exist as independent republics trying to reinvent an indigenous identity free of their past, and others experiencing rapid desertification exist as dwindling populations retaining unique traditions and architecture.

 

In the form of the other works in his travel series, Palin narrates his travels across the Sahara in the form of a daily diary, such that the novel is not overpowered by facts and figures but rather retains an accessible, personal element to it, which inevitably enlivens the experience of the reader. Unfortunately, in the modern day, many of the countries visited by Palin have become interchangeable with war, conflict and social unrest - ironically, having read the book only yesterday, Algeria was in the news this morning regarding a missing plane. Palin's intertwining of both a subjective and objective exploration of such areas of Northern Africa help to personalise the areas, reminding one that below the 'corrupt' exteriors of distant countries, there are innocent people.

 

It was also a refreshing reminder that there is a Saharan part to Africa, away from the magnified focus upon on Sub-Saharan Africa, rich in culture and society too.

 

'It embodies scale and mystery, the thin line between survival and destruction, the power to take life or transform it. A self-contained, homogenous, identifiable world, uncompromising and irreducible.'

 

Palin's predominant focus on the cultures he inhabited, if only for brief periods of time, and the people and traditions he encountered reminded me of an image I'd seen - see insert below. Wouldn't it be refreshing to read a Good News paper in the package of the typically monotonous, objective newspaper of reality? I guess that's just human nature, a fascination with the darker elements of reality. 

 

I obtained a message reflective of Tom Young's in his novel Africa (a thought-provoking political and social insight into the history of Africa, with it's past of colonialism and many country's new-found independence) from Palin's Sahara.

 

Side note #1: I think it's more a challenge than a message.

 

Rather than achieving the goals of expanding our empires and assisting in the 'civilisation' and 'development' of less matured countries or nations, may we actually have had the effect of hindering the development of these civilisations?

 

Has our colonializing of said nations deprived them of national, indigenous identities in some cases?

 

Both novels have equally and additionally led me to question my personal role in development (more specifically in terms of tourism - I'll expand on  this tangent after this point) as well as the role of 'outsiders' in development.

 

Passive development vs. Assertive development:

 

In the red corner, we have assertive development! LEDC's are immature and need guidance. He knows what to do! He's been there, done that. He'll command them and lead to become a victorious nation! He'll beat away those irrelevant practices and introduce ones that work where he lives!

 

And in the blue corner, we have his ferociously overpowered component - passive development! He believes in providing LEDCs with the tools and facilities for development, allowing them to mature into their own nation. He presents them with opportunities. He uh, believes in working with the people and their environment! Uh.

 

Side note #2: All imagery aside, these novels have inspired such a conflict within my consideration of the world.

 

'Kristin is adamant that Western solutions cannot be applied to African relationships. 'What men find attractive in Africa doesn't necessarily correspond to what is attracting a man in Europe. You know, in Europe a woman should be skinny, but here a woman should be fat.''

 

'He nods. 'When he sees a nude lady on the beach, he thinks it means she is looking for adventure. They should respect our culture, our religion. They can come for the sun but they don't have to take all their clothes off and walk.''

 

And now to entertain your obviously aching interest in my aforementioned bracketed tangent: individual impact on development.

 

Fundamentally however, I think a large part of travel itself (unless of course you're actually going to a beach resort aimed at the respective behaviour i.e. lying on a beach in scraps of cloth absorbing the sun) is to experience the place socially and environmentally. To immerse and occupy, rather than lead.

 

I think that's what the quotes above relate to - respecting the indigenous culture and experiencing it in its primary form.

 

Which leads on to development specifically related to tourism; although the influx in tourism is economically and socially beneficial for a country to stimulate development and consequently improve the quality of life for the natives and (in some respects) the environment, when it begins to change the demographics of the nation detrimentally, eroding and disrespecting traditions/culture/the environment, perhaps it's not such a good thing.

 

Side note #3: Ah, the existential musings of a teenage girl.

 

Ah,

les rêveries existentielles d'une adolescente.

 

Side note #4: I thought it looked more official in French. Non?

 

Regardless, Sahara is a stimulating and engaging read, as I'm finding much of Palin's work to be.

 

For a few weeks (I am, shock horror, leaving tomorrow for my own lazy holiday in a villa away from the nation's culture),

C

P.s. I speak from limited experience, merely expanding on my musings inspired by the views presented in the books read. I lack a wider knowledge on development so as to definitively parade my views all over the internet. 

#4 Al Gore - An Inconvenient Truth

'We have everything we need to begin solving this crisis, with the possible exception of the will to act.'

Former US Vice President Al Gore has compiled a compelling, frightening and interactive book about the undeniable, and ironically inconvenient, truth of climate change. 

His more illustrative approach to conveying the problem through pictures, graphs and case studies makes it more accessible to one on an individual level. 

'Gore is downright on fire about... The suprisingly stirring truth.'

- Leonardo DiCaprio

 

Unlike other more one-dimensional approaches to depicting climate change, Gore provides both the problem and the solution - both on levels that are international, national, local and personal.

As well as his book, Al Gore has a documentary-styled film entitled 'An Inconvenient Truth' exploring the presentation of his powerpoint and passion behind the project.

Side note #1: on this occasion, the movie is every bit as good as the book! 

'It is time that we steered by the stars, not by the lights of each passing ship.'

- General Omar Bradley

 

The message that was most eminent in both Gore's movie and book was that not only is the origin of climate change down to our personal decisions and ignorance, but its solving is our duty too; a moral obligation more than a duty. 

Hence his ingenious title - the truth, although inconvenient, much like the reality of the link between cancer and cigarrettes during the 1960s, is what it is. 

The Truth. 

 

It was also refreshing to read/watch Gores no-nonsense approach to the fact of the matter - climate change and mankind are not two separate spheres, just as nature and mankind are not two separate notions. 

We are nature. Nature is us. We are 'inconveniently' and inextricably linked. So what we inflict upon nature, we inflict upon ourselves. 

 

Until next time, 

C

#3 Bryson - Down Under

'Australia is mostly empty and a long way away. Its population is small and its role in the world consequently peripheral. It doesn't have coups, recklessly overfish, arm disagreeable despots, grow coca in provocative quantities or throw its weight around in a brash and unseemly manner. It is stable and peaceful and good. It doesn't need watching and so we don't. But I will tell you this: the loss is entirely ours.'

 

What I thought I knew about Australia:

1. G'day mate

2. Kangaroos and Koalas

3. Hot

4. Crazy killing-machine animals 

5. Far away

6. Began its inhabited life as a prison

How wrong and conventionally dismissive was I. 

 

What I know about Australia:

1. You will fall in love with the idea of it

2. We really don't know all that much about it

3. Crazing killing-machine animals (amongst beautifully rare native animals, of course)

The predominant message I gathered from Bryson's exploration of The Land Down Under was that despite it being a developed country, with many Brits longing to migrate there (Random comment: I had a slight obsession with watching Wanted: Down Under. Normal teenage behaviour, right?), we know a limited amount about it and all too often disregard it.

Fun fact: What remains to be mapped and explored? Not merely the conventional 'the ocean, obviously' answer, but much of Australia.

 

'Australia is the driest, flattest, hottest, most desiccated, infertile and climatically aggressive of all the inhabited continents. (Only Antarctica is more hostile to life.)'

 

'You wouldn't think that something as conspicuous, as patently there, as Australia could escape the World's attention almost to the modern age, but there you are. It did. Less than twenty years before the founding of Sydney it was still essentially unknown.'

 

Bryson interlaces his travelling experiences and findings with comical stories and snippets of illustrative Australian history, taking you vividly through the Australian outback and states with such veracity and character that at the conclusion of the final line you feel as though you are being forced to say goodbye to a dear friend and close the door on a whirlwind romance with a place you've never been to.

 

I found it fascinating and actually quite humbling just how little we know of this infamous land. It is a land abounding in undiscovered species of plants and animals, indigenous to its uniquely harsh environment, teeming with beautiful views and entertaining names for places (e.g. Tittybang) moreover posing as home for perhaps the oldest civilised group of people ever - the Aborigines, thought to have first inhabited Australia up to 60,000 years ago.  

 

Encountering the wonders of Australia's environment was what enamoured me most within this book; be it the presence of Stromatolites, the awe-inspiring Great Barrier Reef, or the distinctive animals, I was overwhelmed with the beauty of nature itself. Living in a country which is vastly urbanised and developed, with a temperate climate lending itself to no particularly eccentric organisms, I find it easy to forget the true power and awe-inspiring magnificence of the world. It was eye-opening too, to see so explicitly demonstrated man's lack of dominance over nature no matter how egotistically we may think ourselves able to control it, in the form of a bushfire.

 

Side note #1: Stromatolites are the organisms credited with creating life on Earth, and making our planet habitable for us - found only in The Land Down Under. ...That sounded like some cheesy commercial advertising a weekend getaway - from only £29.99, and kids go free!

 

'It was during a heat wave so bad that department store mannequins' heads actually started to melt. Can you imagine that? That one burned up most of Victoria.'

'So how much at risk are you here?'

He shrugged philosophically. 'It's all in the lap of the gods. Could be next week, could be ten years from now, could be never.' He turned to me with an odd smile. 'You are totally at the mercy of nature in this country, mate. It's just a fact of life. But I tell you one thing.'

'What's that?'

'It sure makes you appreciate something like this when you know it could all go up in a puff of smoke.'

It was equally eye-opening to recognise the planet's invisible people, the Aborigines, and just how amazing and more recently pitiful their history really is. As Bryson so stresses, when was the last time you actually read anything about the Aborigines, let alone Australia, in more depth than a few dismissive lines?

 

I don't want to write anymore for fear of ruining the experience of the book for you. But honestly, Down Under is one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read, regarding both fiction and non-fiction.

 

Side note #2: read it.

 

Time to start saving for a plane ticket.

C

 

 

#2 Palin - The Truth

'If Astramex represented the wrong way, then what was the right way? To offer them change but not too much? Could - should - the modern world tolerate ignorance, even if it was blissful ignorance?'

The Truth (TT) is one of Palin's fictitious works, centering around modern Geographical topics ranging from cultures and development to environmental damage. 

To surmise: An ingeniously plotted, beautifully written and hugely enjoyable book.

- As composed by the Daily Telegraph.

 

TT follows a middle-aged British environmental journalist by the name of Keith Mabbut, who decides to write a novel. His family is slowly drifting apart, with his wife plotting for a divorce, his relationship with his son in deep waters, and his daughter in love with a refugee; his intention is that this novel is to be his literary saviour after a meagre career following his small environmental journalistic breakthrough a decade or so previously. But then he gets offered a book deal to write a biography on the elusive humanitarian hero Hamish Melville, a man of whom everyone knows, yet about who everyone knows nothing. On his journey to track Hamish, both Mabbut and Hamish grow as characters, gaining insight into their previously idealistic natures, and encounter several environmental situations thought provoking to the reader as to our own relationship with the world.

 

'After all, the truth can sometimes be better revealed by a story.'

 

I personally find development and its effect on nature as well as remote cultures fascinating, and hope one day to go into writing of some form, so found TT a thoroughly enjoyable and insightful read. If you're shy of picking up a non-fiction book, this is a great novel to encounter subjects that really matter in a less factual, heavy manner.

 

Side note #1: read anything by Jared Diamond if you too are interested in development or likewise areas.

 

'A wise man once said, there are no superior or inferior cultures, there are just cultures which satisfy the needs of their members in different ways. This is a message that seems self-evident yet everywhere it is under threat as each country and each religion seeks to promote its own interests at the expense of others.'

 

Such an idea was at the heart of this novel, and was one that resonates throughout Diamond's 'The World Until Yesterday' - the question as to whether any one society really does reign entirely supreme over another.

 

Does the dominating West have nothing to learn from smaller, more remote cultures and civilisations? Are we so perfect that it is our role to command other countries how to develop, to encourage them to emulate exactly our cultures and practices?

 

Of course, some developments such as in healthcare are beneficial to pass on to less developed civilisations and cases such of transnational companies building factories in less developed countries help to improve the quality of life by providing jobs and greater educational opportunities (etc.) in said countries, however, it is in developments such as displacing small groups of civilisations in order to gain mineral-rich land to satisfy the greed for power (to use an example lifted directly from TT - but basically, anything unbeneficial to the 'receiving' people or environment as it were) that our motivations need questioning.

 

Plus, is the addition of another clone town with a McDonalds, KFC and other chain businesses worth the loss of diverse indigenous cultures and practices?

 

When it comes to aiding development in other countries, I think the focus should remain on motivations whereby the goal is to provide opportunities and a greater quality of life for the receiving country.

 

'Look, Kumar is a Masira. His family came from the hills. They used to chop wood and walk ten Ks to sell it for charcoal. They'd never seen a white man till the missionaries arrived. He was brought up at the bottom of the food chain. Well, tell me, you've spent time with him, is there anything you can do that he can't? Given the right opportunities, those who want can achieve anything.'

 

It reminded me of George Orwell's infamous 'Animal Farm' statement - All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. A preferable view to cultivate therefore, may be that regardless of background or economic status or developmental stage, we are all equal.

 

I mean, we are all humans right? That is, fundamentally, the same?

 

I in no way intend to victimise the West - it's not the solemn bad-guy it may come across as through my musings! I aim more so to address our individual view of other peoples and our perception of development not to be so one-dimensional as I find it easy to slip into the attitude of being. 

 

I'll conclude with a case study I find awesome (as in wow, not as in dude! That's so cool bro! Although, it is pretty cool. Bro.): apparently there is a tribe in Africa, known as the BaBemba tribe, who, when someone does something harmful and wrong, take the person to the centre of the village where the whole tribe surrounds them. For two days, the tribe will tell the man of all the good things he has done and said, before welcoming him back into the community. Through this ritual they aim to remind him of his naturally good nature. I'm not sure as to the validity of this cultural act or tribe, but even just the idea of it fascinates me.

 

Until Australia,

C

 

Food For Thought (1)

If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room. 

- Unknown 

I've decided to do a series of posts independent of books, based upon quotes or articles and the like that catch my interest.

 

Quite simply: a discussion of anything that makes me think. 

 

I came across this quote on Tumblr and wanted to write about it because it struck me, most especially as I'm at a time in my life where I'm having to make large decisions about my future - although, it could be argued that we're all permanently at such a crossroad.  

 

Interposition #1: before this gets too philosophical and 'deep', I shall move swiftly on...

I think in our perceived societal expectations, we are expected to settle when and where we are the best in our area at our respective fields; or to put it in fewer words - where we are comfortable. This, I believe however, is not a developmental gain in human nature. To be frank, I think it quite an indolent attitude to inhabit. 

Side note #1: this is more a challenge to myself than me preaching to anyone. I need to lecture this to myself!

Where's the joy, the stimulation, in remaining stagnant? But it's comfortable and it's what we know and there's no risk of falling and -

 

Another quote (by e.h.):

''But what if I fall?' Oh, but darling, what if you fly?'

Why, in a world where technologically things are constantly upgrading and developing, does it remain the norm to idealise a place where we feel we are above others, be it intellectually or athletically or any other form? 

I'm very into sports being an athlete myself, so will use an athletic image to allude to what I'm trying to get across: Are you the best in your school for the 100m? Enter a county competition. The best there? Why not try regional level? Again? National. The best in your nation? International. What then? Strive to better yourself and others. This may not seem so challenging, but when you're comfortably the best in the county - say you're unbeaten all season - and then the opportunity arises to enter the national championships, but you're not ranked highly nationally, and have a small chance of progressing through the heats, it's a very attractive option to dismiss the championships and stick to your county. I've been in a similar position, but I've also been in the position where I entered the national championships, and although I may not have achieved anything spectacular, the experience itself of being surrounded by greater athletes was so inspiring that I worked even harder the following winter and grew not only as an athlete, but as a person.

 

Interposition #2: soppy, philosophical and metaphorical story over. Cue sigh of relief.

 

~ sigh of relief ~

I think the same goes academically. The option to apply to a University or course where I won't be as pushed or challenged as in others, and perhaps have the chance to be an 'oo she's smart' person (I am in no way egotistically suggesting my intellect to be Einstein-like, but the label lends itself well to the point - end of tangent.), I'll admit, often looks appealing. Especially so during those months of AS revision and trying desperately to understand projectile motion in Physics! 

But what would be the point? 

We live in a rapidly upgrading material world, so why not try to 'upgrade' ourselves? Without challenges, how does one evolve? 

So, just as I look to challenge myself at University, I hope you too don't settle for anything less than your potential in whatever areas of your life lack stimulative - and importantly, healthy and beneficial - challenge. There's no point in doing something so challenging and unnerving that it damages your well-being and happiness, but taking small opportunities where presented to better yourself, I think the quote is trying to say, helps with personal and perhaps even societal development.

 

Interposition #3: if you can get your hands on a copy of the 2008 National Geographic 'China' special edition - some of the articles in there demonstrate the idea of 'upgrading oneself' as well as the detrimental side to when this becomes too competitive.  

I think such a statement could extend to society as a whole too (as in keeping with Interposition #3); if say someone or some nation develops a cure for ______ or invents a sustainable solution to a Malthusian food crisis or devises a way to improve the quality of life in areas where population density is abnormally high or (...you get the point) then they shouldn't sit smugly with it in the place of their origin, but rather share it will others so that it can both be improved/developed further and implemented elsewhere to help on a wider scale. Any development should not, however, be forced upon another party - this is where humility comes into the statement; by surrounding yourself with other people of intellect (or whatever is applicable to the example) not only are we challenged and encouraged to grow, but we retain a humble attitude. 

It's all too easy in this day and age of 'selfies' to become self-concerned. 

So basically: an attitude of humility and an embrace of challenge and development.

Side note #2: I think I go off on too many tangents.

Until next time, 

C

Source of the flying quote: http://thepoeticunderground.com/post/85456372695/there-is-freedom-waiting-for-you-on-the-breezes-of
 

#1 Palin - Around the World in 80 Days

'But my journey around the world gave me a sense of global scale, of the size and variety of this extraordinary planet, of the relation of one country and one culture to another which few people experience and many ought to.'

 

To dispel any misconceptions: this book is not an in-depth recount of various cultures and different places, but rather provides snippets of elements within such cultures and places as a sort of enticing, brief introduction. Honouring the thematic and finite time period for Palin's travels, it was an unavoidable reality that he would be unable to immerse himself entirely into so many cultures around the world - particularly given the ever-present threat of having to be on the move almost consistently so as to match the fictitious feat of Phileas Fogg.

 

Rather, the central theme of 'Around the World in 80 Days' is the experience of travel itself.

 

The composition of Palin's narrative, embedded with enthusiasm, empathy and entertainment (a dubious allusion to his endearing British humour and patience - but so many words would have destroyed the alliteration!),  makes for a light and eventful read; it is as though you are not only reading his travel journal, but partaking in his travels too.

 

Whilst relating his travels from London to... well, London (via Folkestone, Boulogne, Paris, Venice, Athens, Heraklion, Alexandria, Cairo, Suez, Jeddah, Riyadh, Qatar, Dubai, Bombay (Mumbai), Madras, Singapore, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Yokohama, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Aspen, Chicago, New York, and Le Havre), Palin depicts the highs and lows of the traveller - the formation and inevitably subsequent termination of friendships, the strain of time, the many facades of nature, the experience of new ideologies and patterns of living... and thus the list continues. For me, it is the presence of such elements in his writing that gives life to the printed words on the page - without the relation of such dynamics, this piece of non-fiction would own up to the contentious label as one-dimensional and boring.

 

Although often brief in singular locations, Palin's relation of the juxtaposing relationships shared between man and nature in different areas is enough to lure anyone into a state of wanderlust.

 

'For a long time, the land is just a smudge on the horizon, barely distinguishable from the sky, but the moment when it becomes definably land, when features can be picked out, is for me one of the most exciting moments of sea travel, especially when it is a new land. Sumrata was just a name I'd pored over in stamp albums and inky school atlases and read about in explorers' tales and quite probably Biggles stories. Now as I sit with the smell of wood smoke, roasting turkey and diesel fumes gently about me, it is slowly becoming a reality beneath a slow band of dark rain clouds on the south-eastern horizon.'

 

What I enjoyed most was Palin's narration of the stark contrast between the attitude of those from less developed worlds, and those in the privileged West; I was particularly surprised at the revelation that, as Palin writes, 'those who have least are prepared to give most' and are somewhat more accepting of their life and those around them. It would seem (through Palin's snapshot of the world) that more people of such a status also possess a greater enthusiasm and interest in life, whilst bearing a strong national identity. That which I found most challenging in such an idea, was how (in India) 'poverty and appalling destitution, malnutrition and deformity are on public view, but nervous breakdowns are almost unknown... the Indians do not betray impatience.'

 

And yet where I live, surrounded by blessings and opportunities many can only dream of, breakdowns and impatience are as common as rain in Hawaii's Mount Waialeale.

 

Such is something not illustrated in textbooks or syllabus', where the focus on the destitution suffered by such places stains and conceals the simultaneous and eye-opening presence of these radical cultural attitudes.

 

Does the extensive possession of material things truly connote happiness and the status as 'better off'? Perhaps such a status should be awarded to the possession of a more harmonious relationship between man and nature, and importantly, between one another.

 

Until later posts,

C