Hold the Enlightenment

Cracking open a Tim Cahill book fills me with a delicious anticipation of worthwhile hours lerning about mind-boggling physical exertions in exotic locales. Cahill, who made his bones writing for Outside magazine, fills the reader with an easy humor, a down to earth view of what he is trying to accomplish, and a death defying description of the task at hand. He is careful not to interject too much of himself into his challenge, at the same time giving enough background so the reader develops an understanding of him. In this book, most of the stories are about animals he encounters, and not about threats to his personal safety. However, "The Caravan of White Gold" is a story about a trip through the African Sahara where his party is being trailed by marauders. I always read Cahill wih a tinge of envy because he has what seems like the best job in the whole world. Visiting exotic locales, and writing witty, relevant thoughts on the subject. This is not my favorite Cahill offering, but every one is worth the read.

Let's be perfectly honest with ourselves, here, folks. Deep down, we are all Tim Cahill - slightly pudgy, kind of geeky, and always a fish out of water when we travel. Not a single one of us can go anywhere in this world and immediately blend in, feel comfortable, look natural. It's impossible and while some of like to pretend that we are jet-setters, globe-trotters, and travel afficianados, the fact of the matter is that we're usually ignorant of the cultures we visit, the places we see, and the historical importance of the lands we visit. There's nothing wrong with that and Mr. Cahill proves that our ignorance can lead to enlightenment, adventure, and humor - albeit at our own expense.Mr. Cahill has made a career of poking fun at himself in a way that's self-depreciating but allows his readers to develop and foster an unwavering respect for this man and his persepctive on the world - which I think is a common sense approach to people and places. But more importantly, you like the author. You feel you can call him Tim, meet him at a bar in Montana, throw back a few beers, and tell each other wild stories and blatant lies. He's that engaging, friendly, and comfortable in his style.Being an avid reader of this type of travel lit., I've read many different authors who all try to emulate Tim in one way or another. But unlike his peers (Bill Bryson, for example) his humor is light-hearted and not caustic or sarcastic. And more importantly, when he does have an opinion about an issue his touch is light and simple - there are no vitriolic diatribes against a developer or policy.Don't think for one second, though, that he can't turn around and whip off a piece that will leave you in a blubbering mess of tears. I read 'Enlightenment' in one sitting - sure, it was a long sitting, but one single one - at a local coffee shop. I got a plethora of stares and strange looks as I guffawed my way through it. The looks doubled when I finished the book in tears and sat there drying my eyes with a coffee-stained napkin.No exaggerations here, this book will have you in hysterics one moment and tears the next. Buy this. Read this. Treasure this.

This is not a quest for enlightenment, as the title says. Tim Cahill doesn't bore you with touristy descriptions of scenery and high culture that you get from the more button-down travel writers, but diaries of everything that goes wrong with world travel. In Cahill's case this can range from the comical to the disgusting to the downright dangerous. He's not a comedy writer, as some think, but uses humor effectively at key points in his writing to drive his accumulated insights home. Otherwise he is very perceptive and even serious when the situation demands it. This is a loose collection of essays from locations ranging from remote and dangerous third-world hellholes to American commercial adventure destinations. The writings are delivered with a lot of humble pie, which is Cahill's secret weapon. A funny example is when he compares himself to a platypus: "so strange, so different from the rest, so inherently dorky as to be unclassifiable by science." I can identify with that. Some winning essays here, among many, include a trip to a town in Ecuador on the verge of demolition by a volcano, and examinations of the true personalities of gorillas and dolphins. Another winning collection from Cahill, in which he proves that enlightenment is not the travel writer's friend. [~doomsdayer520~]

When I first discovered Tim Cahill I would finish his books with a little bit of sadness. Like the best of adventure writers, when you look up from his books you are startled to find yourself still at home. I wondered what Cahill would write about when he grew too old to jump out of airplanes. This book has been a relief to me - Cahill can write about a walk to the shopping mall using a cane and entrance you just the same. I think this book is his best so far. And perhaps it is mis-named. It is a little bit less bruising, macho, extreme travel and a little bit more bliss.