THE THREE ALPHA TRAVEL

Jack Kerouac’s “Dharma Bums” was to come… and it did come… and I will probably read it many more times too.

Beat Generation’s greatest gives an insight to what happened after the years of “On The Road”; his most famous book. In the character list of protagonists many of his famous friends are included; Gary Snyder, Neal Cassady, Allen Ginsberg and Peter Orlovsky (between others). What a cast and what a story…

The Dharma Bums Deluxe Edition

It is one of those books that once you read it, you are not the same person. Or better said, once you read it, your mind runs faster than you could ever do. And mine did. It made me think of my next journey and of the way of travelling. It made me think of travelling lighter (even lighter), spending less and concentrating on one place at a time – instead of being on many places for less time. The story does not matter I think. What matters is that the “backpack revolution” Kerouac is talking about is but to be saved. Can we travellers change the world? Can we change ourselves for this matter?

When the book was out, the critics did not like it at all – even if Kerouac was getting fame at the time. His way of writing is what i loved. Not structured and with harsh traditions it is a bit like the way I write – when I do – in my notepad. Who cares about form when you can transfer the message? All in all it is a great book but for dreamers it can be seriously addictive I found. I shall not read another Kerouac book as long as I am travelling – I might stay on the road for ever….

What a pleasing read! I always knew about the book and I was happy that I had the chance to read it. It was written in 1922 and only published in the USA in 1951 – I wonder why…

The book cover

The book handles the story of the founder of Buddhism beautifully and as everything coming from Buddhist philosophy not once I felt I was reading something with relation to religion. Hesse tackles problems every thinking man will some time find himself wondering about. Spiritual beings; is man one of them?And if he is how does he reach his personal heaven? Does he have to be? I like the conclusion that everything is in the mind. The world is the mind and your world therefore is your mind. Good VS bad acts were always – so far – dictated by religions. Guiltiness was their judge but Hesse and the philosophic background on where he moves suggests something else.

Things are really simple. The way to simplicity though is not. Coming back to the book as such; it can be read many times. Its tight coherence makes it perfect for writing basis. Writing of your thoughts and the beginning of endless existential conversations. Read it but be sure to have a friend and a beer beside when you finish it. You will make the most out of both for sure!

Take it easy ’till the next time!

Somewhere between the islands of Koh Tao and Koh Phangan I finished Frank Herbert’s “The Santaroga Barrier”. Many people know the author of “Dune” – a great book filmed into a movie by David Lynch. I had no idea he had written so many other books.

The Santaroga Barrier by Frank Herbert

I really liked the book – everything but its ending. It does not follow standard science fiction conventions and at times it reminded when I was younger; devouring Stephen King’s novels withouth second thoughts. And it could so be a Stephen King’s novel I reckon. First thing it came into my mind half way through the book was how different was from Dune’s world and story. I guess it shows the author’s multiple talents but it is not what you expect from Frank Herbert after having read “Dune”. The similarities are there nonetheless though. “He who controls spice, controls the present and therefore the future” becomes in this book “He who controls Jaspers…”. Jaspers is a substance that gives the habitants of Santaroga some strange powers and resistance to the “exterior” world. Are they the rebels of their time or just some strange close-minded village people.

Read it and find out

It was strange but somehow reasonable to read some science fiction book while in a place full of jungle and animal life. Isaac Asimov’s “Foundation’s Edge”, like so many other books, found its way inside my backpack unexpectedly. I picked it up in my first night in Kuching and for starters I thought it is too heavy and bulky for me to carry it. Having read the first chapter though I could not resist keeping it.

The fourth book of the "Foundation" series

The book was first published in 1982 and its series was and still is one of the classics of the science fiction genre. I have never read the first trilogy but I am sure that I will do if I bump into it in the future. Asimov’s writing is really easy to read and gives the story out without a lot of pauses and waiting. I was actually surprised because I thought he would run out of ways to turn the action towards a new direction! But he did not… he has not made a name for himself for nothing… I always admired people who are capable of creating their own cosmos – a whole universe whereby everything is connected and related to each other. What is Tolkien for the fantasy world is Asimov for the space age.

The three worlds described here; The First Foundation, the Second Foundation and the Gaia are all closely connected and share a common question; where did we come from, where from did we begin? It is twenty thousand years from our time that the story takes place and the people seem to have forgotten this question – until now. If you find it, read it. It will not require much of your brain power but it will sure keep you interested for a couple of days.

Here in Singapore is amazing what you can read in two days after having walked so much! My body was tired but my mind was clear. I found two books in the hostels’ shelf and I devoured them.

Amitabha Buddhist Centre

The first one is “Essence of Tibetan Buddhism” by Lama Thubten Yeshe. Actually it is a free publication of the Amitabha Buddhist Centre here in Singapore and an easy read – especially if you are in the horizontal position.

Onze Minutos by Paulo Coelho

The second one is “11 Minutes” by Paulo Coelho. It took me four hours to finish. I never thought I would read a Coelho novel that fast. Maria, from the interior of Brasil, goes to seek her fortune in Switzerland, only to find that reality is harsher than she expected and she ends up working in a brothel on Rue De Berne, the heart of Geneva”s red-light district. The book deals with issues surrounding sex and sexuality, such as prostitution, sacred sex, and like sex alot in the context of love. Because of its graphic descriptions, the novel has been described as “erotic”. – Wikipedia. I have never read a Coelho novel before but I know understand why he sells a lot. It’s not that his writing is complicated but makes people dream I guess. Try it if you have not but do not expect anything mind-blowing – just a very good read

“What I wanted from my journey was something so far beyond my comprehension that I would have to step completely out of my skin to understand and become a part of my surroundings…”

Stranger In The Forest

I do not say this, Eric Hansen does in his book “Stranger In The Forest – On Foot Across Borneo”. When I found this book in the village of Cemero Lawang and before trekking around Bromo, I offered its owner 40,000 Rupiah (about 4 USD) hoping that he would sell it to me. I just had to have it! Malaysian Borneo is my next destination and just like before my visit to Uluru, this book has served as a pump of excitement and knowledge.

Now, many would argue that Mr. Hansen did not do the journey entirely on foot. He got boats upriver and downriver and has waited in villages but this is not the point. The point for me is that what he is describing is a lost world (?). With the logging industry committing literally crimes on the nature of Borneo and its people, I am not sure what Sarawak will look like.  Thirty years have passed since Hansen did his trip. Will I be able to find traces of his? Will the longhouse experiences be similar at all to his? The answer is something I am too eager to see while I will try to follow his path…

A definitely good travel book that will make you wonder; what am I doing siting on my couch? Enjoy!

It is very nice when you read a book that you don’t expect it would capture you and it suddenly does just that!

“The Slave” is a novel by the Jewish author Isaac Bashevis Singer given to me by the same friend who gave me “The Wave”. Maybe she was trying to tell me something…

The Slave

Read it! It is an easy read with nice descriptions of Poland in the 18th century. The love for a Jew in a Christian community leads him to “stray” into actions he would not normally do. But when he reaches the dream – to have her as his wife in a Jewish environment – the former slave sees that there is no such thing as a paradise…

Just yesterdayI started and finished another book called “The Wave” given to me by a friend in Melbourne. Here in Darwin, waiting for my flight to Denpasar there is not much more to do

The Wave

The setting of “The Wave” is Gordon High School, 1969, California. The plot revolves around history teacher, Mr. Ben Ross, who cannot answer the question of why the Germans allowed Hitler and the genocidal Nazi Party to rise to power, acting in a manner inconsistent with their own pre-existing moral values. The only way he can see to answer the question is to start an experiment that shows the students what it may have been like in living in Nazi Germany. It has been made into a movie as well with some sequels but this is a different story.

Interesting? Well, not something very mind blowing there but a good story to pass a day with and make you wonder…

I just thought I’d let you know. For now, my regards.