LAURENCE MACKIN reviews Ghost Train to the Eastern Starby Paul Theroux Penguin, and the Lonely Planet guide to Vietnam.
Ghost Train to the Eastern Starby Paul Theroux Penguin, £8.99
Paul Theroux made his name with The Great Railway Bazaar, his account of an enormous train journey through Europe and Asia. After three decades, he retraces the route and this is the result. Theroux takes nothing for granted and regards travelling as one of the laziest ways on earth of passing time; moreover, travel writing is "little better than a licence to bore", and "the lowest form of literary self-indulgence". This, though, is disingenuous harping, and Theroux remains one of the finest travel writers still taking trains and the less beaten path today. In most cases, he forsakes luxury for the anonymity of travelling as an ordinary citizen, and in so doing unearths the glittering, personal jewels of experience that so many routes are paved with, whether in the country-sized madhouse of Turkmenistan or discussing wandering the streets as a holy sadhu on the night train to Jaipur. Theroux's relentless hunger for conversation and local insight makes this book rattle along at a fine clip.
Vietnam Lonely Planet, £14.99
One of the many countries Theroux winds his way through is Vietnam, though I doubt he had a guidebook about his person. This one goes some way towards putting the country’s turbulent history into context, with a decent opening section and a substantial, colourful section on food and drink. The itineraries, from classic to tailored, should give you some idea what to focus on. It’s the little break-out panels, though, that are perhaps the most satisfying for the potential Vietnam visitor, from nuggets on My Lai to a guide on responsible diving.