Two years ago I read the travel book Vagabonding, which I enjoyed. I was pleased to discover the author had written another book.
Marco Polo Didn’t Go There: Stories and Revelations from One Decade as a Postmodern Travel Writer (Travelers’ Tales Guides) by Rolf Potts is a collection of travel stories. Most of the stories had been published before in other formats over the past decade. They were all new to me though.
Rolf Potts is a very good writer and I loved his openness to travel adventures. He goes to places far off the beaten path, such as the remote villages of Cambodia and the beaches of Grenada. He gets robbed. He gets sick. Then he picks himself back up and continues the journey. I wouldn’t consider the book to be funny like Smile When You’re Lying. To me it spoke about having a healthy attitude in your daily adventures with people, be they in the Indian Himalayas or in a small town in Kansas. Recommended.
Note that each chapter has notes at the end. There are not essential to enjoying the book. I only read the ones of the places I may visit in the future.