When I read Sarah Vowell's Assassination Vacation, I had such a good time listening to an audio book narrated by its author that I picked up Michael Palin's account of his journey through the Himalayas. The former Python's travel log wasn't half as interesting as Vowell's trips to sleepy small towns and historic home tours. One thing I can say for Himalaya, is that it got better the more Palin read.
Palin's attempts to paint the scenery of his travels were well meant, but poorly executed. "Lugubrious" may score well in a game of scrabble, but using it to describe a train whistle results in purple prose.
Another detractor was Palin's focus on the tourist aspect of travel- bars, restaurants, hotels, cars, itineraries, and bathrooms. I'd have rather heard more about Palin's interesting experiences than reminiscences involving a former trip to Africa and his use of Imodium.
That said, Palin had several shining advantages over the many British tourists I met in Italy, that made the book a pleasure to read despite the purple prose and tourist's woes:
1. He had a genuine enthusiasm for the places he traveled, and felt real joy at the opportunity to see the sights of the Himalayas and to get to meet the people.
2. Palin's fame as a comedian allowed a special kind of interaction between himself and the locals that a regular tourist just can't experience. It was delightful to listen to how folks from Pakistan to Bangladesh reacted to his presence.
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