stargazer

Unforgettable Places to See – and books to accompany them

With my Marie Kondo approach to interior design, I own a limited amount of physical books. My carefully selected library solely consist of these five categories: Travel, art, science, philosophy and photography.

BBC has produced some wonderful travel books, which I can browse for hours. For this post, I am going to take a look at Unforgettable places to see before you die.

Unforgettable places to see before you die by Steve Davey

The book features 40 places across the world, of which I’ve visited exactly half. Below, I’ve highlighted a few favourites and tried to match them with a book. Thus this post also doubles as a potential TBR for my Reading Around the World project. If you have read books from the countries below, suggestions are welcome.

1. Peru: Machu Picchu & Lake Titicaca

Two destinations in Peru are included in the book. The lost Inca city, Machu Picchu, is of course a must. It is located in an inaccessible part of the mountains – see photo below. Having walked the Inca trails, it’s a riddle how they managed to get there, let alone build an extensive city. The craftmanship is also impressive, with the buildings having survived some 700 years partly covered in jungle.

The best views of Lake Titicaca may be seen from the Bolivia side, but if you are in Peru, it is certainly worth investigating by boat.

For my Peru reading, I’ve selected Death in the Andes by the famous Peru author, Mario Vargas Llosa. Goodreads says: Death in the Andes is both a fascinating detective novel and an insightful political allegory. Mario Vargas Llosa offers a panoramic view of Peruvian society, from the recent social upheaval to the cultural influences in its past.

2. Nambia: Sossusvlei

I’ve already featured the red desert, Sossusvlei, in an earlier post, Literary Locations: Desert Edition. So I will refer to that, if you are interested in more details.

The Sheltering Desert by Henno Martin would be an obvious match for Sossusvlei. It’s about two German geologists, who survive in the Namibian desert during WW2. However, I am not sure, it meets my criteria. Ideally, books included in my Reading Around the World project teaches me about the people, culture and history of the country. If the author is a native – even better.

The Purple Violet of Oshaantu is one of the relatively few accessible books, which fulfils both criteria. Goodreads says: This compelling novel, set in the village community of Oshaantu in rural Namibia, draws on several interconnected stories to offer a compelling picture of the plight of African women. 

3. China: The Bund Shanghai & Yangshuo

The contrast between old traditions and modern urbanism is extreme in China. Beijing and Shanghai are like two different worlds. On balance, I prefer the old China, but I enjoyed spending a few days in Shanghai. The Bund refers to a stretch along the Huangpu River, which is extremely popular amongst locals and tourists to walk, to see and to be seen. Whilst strolling, you can watch the characteristic Pudong skyline on the other side of the river.

The cities of China are huge and overwhelming. I am sure, London is considered a small village by Chinese standards. When you’ve had enough of the noise, traffic and people, Yangshuo is a nice place to relax. I loved taking in the beautiful landscapes on foot or bicycle.

China has a huge offering of translated literature and I have randomly selected one. However, I would be happy to hear alternative suggestions.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is an award winning novella from 2000. Goodreads says: In this enchanting tale about the magic of reading and the wonder of romantic awakening, two hapless city boys are exiled to a remote mountain village for reeducation during China’s infamous Cultural Revolution. Apparently, the author Dai Sijie was sent to reeducation camp himself in 1971 – 1974.

4. Cuba: Havanna

I have already written a post about my trip to Cuba, where Havanna was the ultimate highlight.

To make life easier for myself, I have chosen a book, I’ve already read.

I mostly found Our Man in Havana entertaining and the paranoid climate in Cuba under the cold war was the perfect setting for a satirical spy story. The stupidity of MI6 almost seemed too exaggerated to be funny. But since the plot is inspired by Graham Greene’s own experience with the secret service, who knows… 

5. Tanzania: The Ngorongoro Crater & Zanzibar

My trip to Tanzania might be one of my most memorable holidays. Climbing Kilimanjaro was the outstanding activity, but the spectacular safari and the diving and sightseeing on Zanzibar also contributed to a truly amazing holiday.

The Ngorongoro Crater is a caldera formed, when a volcano collapsed million of years ago. The caldera is brimming with life, most of which is trapped by the caldera walls. The huge amount of wildlife also means huge amounts of tourists and the whole experience was a bit like visiting a gigantic zoo. I much preferred safari on the Serengetti. Whilst spending more time to look for the animals, at least it felt like being in the wild.

I didn’t expect too much from Zanzibar, but enjoyed exploring Stone Town with its narrow streets and old Omani wood doors. We also went on an interesting spice trip.

When searching for Tanzanian literature, the Booker-nominated author Abdulrazak Gurnah popped up all the time. Having been born on Zanzibar, he seemed like a good fit for this post.

Gravel Heart has a 1970s Zanzibar setting. According to Goodreads, it’s a powerfully affecting story of isolation, identity, belonging, and betrayal, and Abdulrazak Gurnah’s most astonishing achievement.

6. India: Taj Mahal, the Ghats Varanasi, Jaisalmer Fort
Ganges, Varanasi

When I visited the northern part of India, there was an unusual degree of cold and foggy weather, which meant all my photos are terrible and my flight back got cancelled.

Taj Mahal in the fog

It was a close call, I even got to see Taj Mahal, which was completely hidden in the dense fog, when I first arrived.

For India, I have selected another book, I’ve already read. In The Bandit Queens a group of Indian women bicker, gossip and even blackmail each other. But ultimately, they are in the same boat with drunk, violent husbands in a society, where a woman’s position is closely linked to her husband. And when push comes to shove, they support each other, realising they are stronger together.

So there you have it. One travel book, six unforgettable places to see and four potential books for my Reading Around the World project. Not bad, huh?

Six Degrees of Separation is hosted by Kate@booksaremyfavouriteandbest.

31 comments

  1. You’re fabulously well travelled! What an inviting post. Apart from Our Man in Havana, I’ve only read – and enjoyed – Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. Lots of ideas here. (Commenting via the Reader. I’m still forbidden via your blog.)

    • Good to hear you enjoyed Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, it sounds like it is a good choice for my project. Sorry to hear you still have problems commenting. I may try to send you a screenshot, just to understand what the form looks like, when you try to comment.

  2. Love this chain – so clever. I haven’t read any although my daughter has highly recommended The Bandit Queens.

    • Thanks Joanne. I can only agree with your daughter, The Bandit Queens is a lot of fun, even if it deals with serious topics.

  3. What amazing adventures you’ve had, filled with wonderful memories I’m sure. I’d hoped to see Sossusvlei myself but sadly had to cancel our Namibia trek when my husband became ill. We did eventually get to sample it while on a cruise but it just left me wanting more – one day maybe! You did well to find a suitable book – I came up blank despite asking in a bookstore.

    The “Balzac” novel is a good choice. Can I also recommend The Good Earth by Pearl Buck which focuses on the life of the rural poor. Though she was American by birth, she lived in China for many many years.

    • Oh no, I am sorry your husband fell ill and you had to cancel the Namibia trip. I though it was a fascinating place, but very hot. Plenty of water was crucial.

      I’ve realised, it isn’t going to be easy to find books for every country of the world. Especially, since I prefer ebooks and audiobooks. But I’ll see how far I get. I am glad you find the Balzac novel a good choice and I will look into The Good Earth, which I hadn’t heard about. Thanks for the recommendation!

    • Thanks Davida, traveling and books are some of my favourite things.

  5. For a book set in Havana may I suggest any of the books in the Mario Conde Series written by Leonardo Padura. They take place in Havana circa 1989. All have a strong sense of place and are well translated books about a disillusioned police detective and failed writer who is obsessed with baseball, rum and Hemingway.

    • That sounds like a perfect choice for Cuba! To begin with, I love books with a crime / mystery element. And a strong sense of place is ideal for my Reading Around the World project. I will try to check them out. Thanks for the recommendation!

    • Thanks! Good to hear you loved Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. It seems like a good choice for my Reading Around the World project.

  7. This is a great list and I am interested in your Reading Around the World project. The Peru book sounds good, and I have a copy of the ones for China and Havana.

    • Thanks! I just started my Reading Around the World Project. Some people have managed to get through all 200 countries relatively quickly. For me it is going to take ages. But it is fun to read international literature.

    • The Dai Sijie book sounds like a popular choice! I look forward to reading it. Btw. I left a comment on your Six Degrees post, but it might have gone into the spam folder (at least I don’t see it).

  9. Great post and photos stargazer! Love this approach to Kates challenge … have only heard of a couple of the books but they make a good list of recommendations.

    • Thanks so much! I was thrilled when I saw the starting book was a travel guide. I can’t resist combining books and travel, two of my favourite hobbies!

    • Haha, glad you think so. It was a fun twist to do on the post. And traveling is the best! 😀

  13. Wow wonderful post! I love hearing about all these places you’ve been to. Many are fantastic. I visited the Tanzanian crater in 1990 and I think we were the only range rover there on the morning we went and it was a remarkable day. A hot lion went to nap in the shade under our car. But I also liked the Serengetti too … the giraffes there were amazing. And we went to visit Olduvai Gorge … and saw the prehistoric life found there. My trip to Africa was one I haven’t forgotten.

    • Thanks Susan, I love to write about traveling. Africa is an amazing continent. Tanzania is one of my favourite countries, but I’ve had many great adventures in Africa. Good to hear you enjoyed it as well. The giraffes are certainly amazing. Cheetahs are my favourites, though. So beautiful and sleek. I didn’t go to Olduvai Gorge, maybe I missed out there.

      I also wanted to mention, I can’t comment on quite a few blogs these days. I left two comments on your previous post, which didn’t appear. If your settings let spam be deleted instantly, I guess the comments are gone for good. If you send spam to the spam-folder (to be deleted after 15 days) you may find my comments there. I hope to find a solution, but not quite sure what to do. Edit: it looks like, I could comment on your latest post.

  14. I’m sorry you’ve been having problems leaving a comment on my site. I just went in to my Spam folder and found 2 comments ugh ! So I hope you’re Never in that folder again. Very sorry. It is frustrating when that happens.

    • Perfect, it seems it works now. By unspamming you signal that my comments aren’t spam. The frustrating thing is, it happens to me on a lot of blogs at the moment, which is rather frustrating.

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