A Walk in the Woods
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson 1997 Anchor Canada
the reader in me: I read Bryson's account of his escapades in Europe years ago. This time he takes me on an amazing hike along the eastern states of USA - the 2,000 mile Appalachian trail. His account is honest and makes fun of the human foibles that become apparent when people step outside of their city comfort zone. He provides a lot of researched facts and history about the trail. His honest introspection about backwoods camping is worth the read if you want some humorous giggles.
the critic in me: Okay, I got bored in places when Bryson felt it necessary to give all that non-fiction info about the trail, the history, geology, and biological tidbits concerning flora and fauna. The storyline, however, was great fun in true Bryson style. Is it believable? Sure... I believe something similar happened during his summer on the trails and if there is a bit of exaggeration, it just makes for great entertainment. I also watched the movie on Netflix. It kept close to the book until his hiking partner takes a break from the trail. The movie also wisely left out all the boring bits! Fun stuff.
the writer in me: Maybe it is time to try a travel story of my own. It just so happens that I am planning a trip to China in the spring so maybe..... something worthy of a few laughs may happen. Maybe something in the pre-trip planning?
the choice: when I visit my mom's, I can grab a book out of their
Residence Library. I love Bryson's travel stories and this one was a bonus
because its also a memoir I could use for that memoir book club. But I always wonder how much Bryson exaggerates in his humorous stories!
the reader in me: I read Bryson's account of his escapades in Europe years ago. This time he takes me on an amazing hike along the eastern states of USA - the 2,000 mile Appalachian trail. His account is honest and makes fun of the human foibles that become apparent when people step outside of their city comfort zone. He provides a lot of researched facts and history about the trail. His honest introspection about backwoods camping is worth the read if you want some humorous giggles.
the critic in me: Okay, I got bored in places when Bryson felt it necessary to give all that non-fiction info about the trail, the history, geology, and biological tidbits concerning flora and fauna. The storyline, however, was great fun in true Bryson style. Is it believable? Sure... I believe something similar happened during his summer on the trails and if there is a bit of exaggeration, it just makes for great entertainment. I also watched the movie on Netflix. It kept close to the book until his hiking partner takes a break from the trail. The movie also wisely left out all the boring bits! Fun stuff.
the writer in me: Maybe it is time to try a travel story of my own. It just so happens that I am planning a trip to China in the spring so maybe..... something worthy of a few laughs may happen. Maybe something in the pre-trip planning?
Lately I have been skimming through various travel books about China.
It seems illogical that they are all too heavy to stick in a suitcase. It seems
the travel books about China rival the size of the actual country. They are
huge.
The hint from experts is to rip up the travel book and only pack the
portions you need. And toss the sections that you finish visiting before
heading off to the next destination. I will confess two things:
- I hate the thought of hurting a book
- I experience anxiety if I don’t have a map (even a historical novel goes much better if I have a map -no matter how imaginary)
As I keep looking for the ‘perfect’ book for my upcoming trip, I begin
to research a bit about each stop on our itinerary. Each unpronounceable spot
sounds fabulous and mystical. Beijing, Xi’an, Wuhan, Yueyang, Dongting,
Jingzhou, Yangtze, Chongqing and Shanghai… I start humming nonsense lyrics when
I tire of stumbling over all those city names.
Do
wah ditty ditty dum ditty do
Interesting
facts about each place become clouded and mixed because mentally, I can’t place
them in a useful location. So that is when I print off a map of China – big
with only the common spots named in print. Then I begin locating my
destinations on the map. I happily explain to my husband a wonderful plan of
mine, to put a pin-hole in each city so all the detail isn’t muddled with my
messy labelling.
I start snapping my fingers and shufflin’ my feet, singin’ Beijing, Yueyang, jingzhou and Yangtze
I start snapping my fingers and shufflin’ my feet, singin’ Beijing, Yueyang, jingzhou and Yangtze
Oh, it looks good, it looks fine
I can’t really explain how this simple creative idea keeps me so
satisfied; a page-size map allowing my brain to process more information. Later, when I go
back to reading about one of the final cities, Chongqing, I grab my map knowing
it is the most western city we will visit. I put my lovely map up to the light
of the window, watching for all the comforting pin-holes to reveal my future
travels. There's Chongqing!
Do wah ditty ditty dum ditty do
Do wah ditty ditty dum ditty do
But wait, the pin-hole for Chongqing is smack in the middle of my page
and I see another pin-hole way to the
left. I don’t remember our trip including a city that far west. I’m ready to
get out the full itinerary to confirm – China is a huge country. It’s so huge, I start to fret that this vacation will involve way too
much time endlessly sitting on a bus or train or plane. This is not the sort of
trip I signed up for…
looked
good, looked fine, and I nearly lost my mind
And then I look at the name of this most-western spot on my map. The
pin-hole has printing beside it in my husband’s handwriting.
Middle of Nowhere.
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