Travel books seem to either be carefully researched histories and geographic description, with a bit of “how I got there” thrown into it to justify the historical discourse, or travel diaries that focus on the journey and experiences in the moment without a lot of reference beyond the author’s own experience The best of these are rare and combine the two into a literate, poignant whole that makes you keep thinking about it all. This is one of them.
Working from his own historical material, he recounts part of the larger trip (more to come, I hope) with the benefit of reflection and age, and impressions of people then as well as descriptions of how much things have changed. All of this is done with wry Irish wit, a genuine liking for the people he encounters, and an unquenchable optimism.
Bonus: He’s posted pictures taken on the trip online.