One of the (many) fallouts of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a closing of borders and a general wariness when it comes to non-essential travel. As a result, our mid-year holidays have been cancelled or postponed indefinitely. But what if there was a way to still explore different parts of the world without stepping out of your home? Books can help you here since they open up windows into places near and far and give you a chance to live vicariously through the author’s adventures. This list is a selection of books that help you travel the world, showing you parts of India and other countries from the comfort of your couch.
01
The Caliph’s House: A Year In Casablanca
Tahir Shah
Inspired by his childhood vacations in Morocco, Tahir Shah decides to move there for a year with his family. They move into a crumbling mansion in Casablanca, but soon realise that their new life is rather different from what they’d expected. As Shah attempts to restore the mansion to its original glory, he (and his family) face djinns, exorcism rituals, gangster neighbours – all while dealing with a vastly different culture. Written with charm, humour and tremendous respect for the people and the culture of Morocco, The Caliph’s House shows its readers a land of adventure that manages to blend the old customs with the new, right from Tangier to Marrakesh and Casablanca.
Buy it here.
02
The Shooting Star: A Girl, Her Backpack And The World
Shivya Nath
This travel memoir is a collection of several of the author’s experiences while travelling across the world. The reader becomes a silent companion to Shivya Nath on her adventures where she visits an indigenous Mayan community in Guatemala, hikes along the Ecuadorian Andes, swims across the Panama Canal and sleeps under a meteor shower in the Thar desert. Filled with vivid descriptions and moving encounters, The Shooting Star shows its readers different parts of the world, teaches them to follow their hearts by focussing on the things that truly matter and highlights how they can live life to its fullest.
Buy it here.
03
The Great Railway Bazaar: By Train Through Asia
Paul Theroux
Originally published in 1975, The Great Railway Bazaar is Paul Theroux’s unique and entertaining four-month-long railway odyssey through Europe, Asia and the Middle East and is considered to be a modern classic of travel literature today. Here, Theroux recounts his adventures as he travels on legendary trains and across legendary routes that include the Orient Express, the Khyber Pass Local, the Frontier Mail, the Golden Arrow to Kuala Lumpur, the Mandalay Express and the Trans-Siberian Express. The travelogue is an ode to the long train journeys that have been a part of many summer holidays, and is filled with fascinating observations on the landscape, people and cultures that Theroux encounters during his journey, making it an essential read for ardent adventurers and armchair travellers.
Buy it here.
04
Video Night In Kathmandu: And Other Reports From The Not-So-Far East
Pico Iyer
Video Night In Kathmandu is a collection of insightful essays that are based on the author’s travels across 10 Asian countries. The reader follows Pico Iyer as he explores the impact of the West on the East, and displays a sharp eye for evocative detail as he discusses baseball mania in Japan, prostitution in Bangkok and the Philippines, tourism around the Great Wall in China, movie-making in India, and more. Each insightful essay offers its readers a different experience of the countries that make up the chaotic and colourful continent of Asia, thus making the book an entertaining read.
Buy it here.
05
Hot Tea Across India
Rishad Saam Mehta
Anyone who has travelled even a little bit in India is aware of the presence of tea stalls along every road and highway. These stalls are gathering points – for locals and for travellers. They are the places where stories and adventures are shared and form a unique aspect of travel in India. Rishad Mehta realises this as he travels across the length and breadth of India. This witty, sensitive and riveting travelogue takes the reader on an adventurous journey across India as Mehta’s pillion rider, with every page making them realise that just like the flavour of the tea changes from one part of the country to the other, so do the stories.
Buy it here.
06
Travels With A Tangerine: A Journey In The Footnotes Of Ibn Battutah
Tim Mackintosh-Smith
In 1325, Ibn Battutah left for Mecca from Tangier, his hometown. When he returned 29 years later, he had travelled most of the known world – all of which was documented in his book, The Travels Of Ibn Battuta: In The Near East, Asia And Africa. Inspired by Battutah’s travels, Tim Mackintosh-Smith decided to follow in his footsteps. Travels With A Tangerine covers the first part of Battutah’s journey, from Tangier to Constantinople (now Istanbul), and describes the various adventures Mackintosh-Smith experiences along the way. What makes this book a fascinating read is the attention to detail and cultural respect shown by the author as he brings Battutah’s centuries-old journey to life and paints vivid pictures of the places he visits and the people he meets.
Buy it here.
07
Turn Right At Machu Pichu
Mark Adams
Turn Right At Machu Pichu is Mark Adams’ attempt at retracing Hiram Bingham III’s discovery of Machu Pichu by following in his footsteps and going on a journey through the Andean region around Machu Pichu. Guided by an antisocial Australian survivalist and several Quechua-speaking, coca-chewing mule tenders, the non-adventurous Adams takes his readers on a fascinating journey through the historic landscapes of Peru, the ruins of Vitcos and Vilcabamba and the ancient Incan capital of Cusco. Along the way, Adams discovers the hidden facets of a relatively-unknown country, thereby giving his readers the unique opportunity of exploring an ancient part of Peru from the comfort of their homes.
Buy it here.
08
Lands Of Lost Borders: A Journey On The Silk Road
Kate Harris
Lands Of Lost Borders is a travelogue that combines science, history and literature and describes Kate Harris’ journey as she retraces the ancient Silk Road across Asia, on her bicycle. Her book explores the stories hidden within real and metaphorical borders, the limits they place on people as a result, and the importance of breaking these borders to truly understand one’s self. Crafting memorable images through the smallest of details, Harris offers her readers a travel account that is both exuberant and reflective and celebrates the ‘wildness of the self that can never be fully mapped’.
Buy it here.
09
In Patagonia
Bruce Chatwin
In Patagonia is Bruce Chatwin’s delightful account of his journey through Patagonia, located on the southern-most tip of South America. First published in 1977, this book helps de-mystify the hidden stories and folklore that form a part of this far-off land’s appeal. Chatwin’s book is peppered with bits of history, his own memories based on the stories narrated by his grandmother and the folklore shared by the people he encounters during his journey. He takes his reader on an exhilarating journey as he goes in search of almost-forgotten legends and Butch Cassidy’s log cabin and discovers a country and its people that is teeming in history and beauty.
Buy it here.
A love for the written word has led Oishani to structure her life around reading. Books introduced her to a world filled with so many possibilities, and helped her understand the power of a well-written story. With an educational background in English Literature and Film & Television Studies, she has worked as the editor for an arts magazine in the past. She believes in the healing powers of a perfectly brewed cup of coffee and the chance to explore a new city. And, no matter where she might be, her Kindle (loaded with books) is never too far from her person.
She is the editor at The Curious Reader. Read her pieces, here.
An amazing list of books. I have read 3 of them and I am gonna read the rest one by one. Thanks for sharing this amazing blog 🙂
From Heaven Lake, Vikram Seth.