Distant Places

This book is more a collection of essays than a cohesive narrative, but it does move from start to end in a fashion. Noel Barber is attempting to explain his life a bit, but avoiding the parts he has already told in his many books. For my shelving I have only included countries which feature majorly in a chapter, rather than the many he passes through very quickly in a couple of the chapters.

I have also decided to summarise each chapter (which is a stand alone story), and rate these to assist me in concluding with an overall rating.

This book was published in 1959, but reaches back a fair way, not always very clear, and the chapters are not necessarily linear!

1 - Polyglot Family - About the authors family and interactions with language - plays on the fact that the extended family all speak different languages. Amusing 3.52 - Fly by Night - An essay about the authors time travelling by plane - a lot of time being a journalist who is sent off across the world on a whim. The essay revolves around the fact he once flew 14000 miles for dinner (from Paris to Saigon, return), and his tips and trials with air travel. 3.5

3 - The World's Oddest War - Aden as a British Protectorate, at war with the Yemen, where Barber spent time as a journalist. Both sides chewing qat, mutually arranging ‘days off' between the parties, this is a strangely non-confrontational war! “Well you see”, confided Husein, “fighting is all very well, but if we can arrange when we fight, then we all know how we stand”. He added thoughtfully, “It's a great pity the British don't chew qat too, instead of working so hard at being soldiers”. 3/54 - School for Snake Charmers - Near Delhi is a small village called Molarbund. It is here that the cream of India's snake charmers are taught their profession. Barber shares inside secrets, explains their training. 5/5 - this one was great.

5 - The Lady with Six Husbands - India again, in Ahmara, where fraternal polyandry is practiced. This essay explains the situation Mrs Bhajo, who when marrying her husband, was automatically married to his five brothers - and then to his sixth brother, born after their wedding! A fact which explains how a seven year old boy can have a five year old father! Barber examines how the relationship works, the reasoning behind it, and the advantages and disadvantages! 5/5, again a great chapter.6 - Why Not Drive to Tibet? This chapter explains a sponsorship deal where Barber was provided with a Land-Rover to drive from the UK to Tibet. This is about the journey, rather than the destination. Even then it is only about ‘parts of the trip' which Barber found memorable. 4/5

7 - The Petrified Valley - Goreme in Turkey, well before the tourist trade went mad! 4/58 - The Saudi Slave Trade - An explanation of the chattel slave situation in Saudi (at the time of writing), the legal slave markets, the licensed slave traders. 3.5/5

9 - From Hong Kong to Tokio (sic) - Jumps around a bit, covering some specific anecdotes in China and Japan. 2/510 - The Travellers and the ‘Lady' - “The Travellers” - a private and exclusive club (for men) in Paris, its membership, some anecdotes about the club and it's operation, including its one female ‘member'. 3/5

11- Wonderful Copenhagen - the opening sentence is If this chapter reads like a tourist guide, I make no apologies. It is, with a particular focus on Danish food for the fist half, and some interesting Danish characters in the second. 3.5/512 - I Owe it all to Illness - In this final chapter explains the various injuries and illnesses the author has been subjected to, and focuses on the positive sides of these - time off. Whether it is saving his marriage by finally spending time with his wife (such as his honeymoon - only saved when he was called away to Casablanca, promptly stabbed by a terrorist, allowing him to return to his wife the following day!), or an enforced break which allowed him to concentrate on writing a book. 4/5

I found it an enjoyable read, lots of enjoyable chapters, far fewer that didn't work.
Adding up the stars awarded above, it makes 44 from a possible 60, gives 3.6, rounded up to 4 stars.