Not so much a Break-out - more a Breakthrough., 05 Jun 2002
Definitely not for simply decorating the coffee table, this book avoids the professional photos and places to visit format, and takes you from the wonders of ancient China in winter, to the spectacular scenery of Canada, and on to pot-holed roads and cricket in the warmth of the West Indies. All as seen and described in Percy's own inimitable manner. Unable to always navigate successfully from the map in his hand, and to have the confidence to travel the modern world without a watch, indicates the offbeat approach - with just the odd touch of panic in certain circumstances! - that Percy brings to his journeys.
Everything interests him. A tree, the construction of an ancient tomb, a termite trail, a garden: all are viewed with a critical eye for detail and thus described. And how many tourists today would consider taking their lunchtime rolls - in a Sainsbury carrier bag - and asking a total stranger if they could sit on their porch to eat them? Or ask a chamber-maid when was her day off, with the sole object of getting a personal guided tour of the area and for no other reason! The intrepid Mr. Salmon does, and in so doing learns more of the people and the country he is travelling through than most other visitors ever would. His conversations with the local inhabitants - from all walks of life - that he meets along the way are many, and you can see yourself sitting with them, passing the time of day and enjoying a beer or two in the evenings in their clubs and bars. On the cricket tour, whilst not describing every ball bowled, the emotions of the Test Series are well portrayed, and although by his own admission not a cricket buff, his love for the game is obvious.
Written in diary form, every day provides an anecdote or two, each faithfully recorded and on many occasions involving his fellow travellers, who, it would seem, were for the most part happy to accept his sometimes eccentric, always inquisitive outlook. And to enjoy his company. Many readers find travel books difficult to get into but I rambled as easily through this one as I would imagine the author rambles through life. It deserves a wider audience than it will probably reach but I for one enjoyed it, and it gives credence to the old adage "Everyone has one good book in them".
This is Percy's.