Tim Cahill: Hold The Enlightenment

Reviewed by MARK FRYER



The working class Paul Theroux" says the endorsement from the New York Times, and who are we to disagree?

Less peevish than Paul, less self-obsessed too, and if the prose isn't quite as elegant as the stuff Theroux turns out, I know who I'd rather be stuck with on a slow boat to nowhere.

Here's the deal: regular guy goes to exotic location, has unusual experience, muses on the wonders of the world, enjoys a few laughs, then writes it up in a way that's not so much "how awe-inspiring" as "hey, I could do that".

Which isn't quite accurate; even in the age of adventure tourism, hanging out with Colombian revolutionaries or dodging Kurdish separatists while hunting the elusive Caspian tiger may be a touch more adventure than most travellers are ready for.

But Cahill does such a fine line in self-deprecating humour that he comes across as a man who doesn't seek adventure so much as stumble upon it. And who can resist an adventurer who's not afraid to admit he's scared of the dark?

This is a collection of short articles, most originally penned for Outside magazine. Locations and subject matter skip about: from the sex lives of dolphins (ugly stuff, these animals need counselling), to visiting the salt mines of the Sahara, from chasing platypuses, to taking a barge down the Congo.

One piece in this collection - Cahill's rules for travellers - pretty much sums up his approach. It boils down to this: travel with a quest, read the guidebooks but be prepared for them to be wrong, don't get obsessive about saving money, respect the locals, try eating what they eat, and be prepared to be bored occasionally - "boredom is often the price we pay for marvels".

Oh, and if you want to avoid provoking homicidal rage among your travelling companions, never forget rule 6, corollary 1: "No one wants to hear about your last bowel movement."

Random House, $27.95