A Gentleman's Travels through the Americas

That's what Paul Theroux's The Old Patagonian Express should be re-titled. I was enticed to buy the book after hearing the famous travel writer speak at a book-reading in Bombay. I even got my copy autographed. However, I was as relieved to have finished the book as the author was to leave Argentina for Boston, at the end of his journey.

His journey is rather placid - just short trips on and off the train. To make matters worse, today we have been spoiled into thinking that all worthwhile travel experiences are extreme ones. For 75% of the book he drags the reader through what he sees as hopeless countries with hopeless people. He hates the poverty, the illiteracy, the weather and the crumbling infrastructure and governments. At times I fancied putting the book away. But then I remembered all the books that are lying half-read on my bookshelf and how piqued I feel when I see them staring at me like little Bombay street urchins, saying, " What did we do to deserve this fate?" So I trudged on.

My friend Shivjit had heard enough of my complaining one evening, and went straight to a Canadian couple sitting next to us at coffee shop for their opinion. One of them read a few pages quite carefully and said that it may not be the best book in the world, but Theroux was a good writer, and that the book was filled with subtle humor. I trusted her judgement and decided to trudge on with the book.

The author is frank that he prefers order over adventure and he writes, "It was not enough for me to know that I was in uninhabited altitudes; I needed to be reassured that I had reached a hospitable culture that was explainable and worth the trouble." He was comforted by the European feel of Argentina, after the the rugged landscapes of Bolivia and Peru. Ironically, during my own travels to Peru I was enthralled by the very same desolate moonlike landscapes. Of course my trip was far shorter and I traveled quite comfortably. So it's not right to compare the two experiences. But I loved the diversity of the continent, the different topographies, the history and culture. The travel through thick forests was a dream come true for me.

Theroux redeems himself a little with his decriptions of his meeting with the great Argentinian writer Borges. They connected immediately and each meeting was a delight to read about. But it's going to be some time before I think of picking up another book by him.