The Way of Wanderlust The Best Travel Writing of Don George

by George, Don; Iyer, Pico

• ISBN13: 9781609521059
• ISBN10: 1609521056
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2015-09-08
• Publisher: Travelers' Tales

Summary

As a professional travel writer and editor for the past 40 years, Don George has been paid to explore the world. Through the decades, his articles have been published in magazines, newspapers, and websites around the globe and have won more awards than almost any other travel writer alive, yet his pieces have never been collected into one volume. The Way of Wanderlust: The Best Travel Writing of Don George fills this void with a moving and inspiring collection of tales and reflections from one of America’s most acclaimed and beloved travel writers.

From his high-spirited account of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro on a whim when he was 22 years old to his heart-plucking description of a home-stay in a muddy compound in Cambodia as a 61-year-old, this collection ranges widely. As renowned for his insightful observations as for his poetic prose, George always absorbs the essence of the places he’s visiting.

Other stories here include a moving encounter with Australia’s sacred red rock monolith, Uluru; an immersion in country kindness on the Japanese island of Shikoku; the trials and triumphs of ascending Yosemite’s Half Dome with his wife and children; and a magical morning at Machu Picchu.

Author Biography

Don George wrote the book on travel writing, literally. His book, Lonely Planet’s Guide to Travel Writing, is the best-selling travel writing guide in the world. Don has been a pioneering travel writer and editor for 40 years. He has been Travel Editor at the San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle, founder and editor of Salon.com’s Wanderlust travel site, and Global Travel Editor for Lonely Planet. He is currently Editor at Large and Columnist for National Geographic Traveler and editor of BBC Travel’s "Words and Wanderlust" section. Don is the co-founder and chairman of the renowned Book Passage Travel Writers & Photographers Conference. He has visited 90 countries and has published hundreds of articles in dozens of magazines, newspapers and websites worldwide. He has also edited ten award-winning literary travel anthologies. He speaks and teaches regularly at conferences and on campuses around the world, and is frequently interviewed on TV, radio and online as a travel expert. He lives in Piedmont, California.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Pico Iyer

Introduction by Don George

Short prologues precede each story

Pilgrimages
1. Climbing Kilimanjaro
2. Sunrise at Uluru
3. Delos Diary
4. Notre-Dame
5. Conquering Half Dome
6. Japan’s Past Perfect–Shikoku
7. Machu Picchu Magic
8. Ryoanji reflections
9. Family Adventure in the Galapagos
10. A Pilgrim at Stinson Beach
11. Thanksgiving in Connecticut

Encounters
1. In Love, in Greece, in the Springtime
2. Pakistan Karakoram Postcard
3. Dubrovnik
4. A Day in the Life of Dubbo
5. Baja: Touched by a Whale
6. Insights into Nice at the Musee Matisse
7. Making Roof Tiles in Peru
8. Building Bridges in Mostar
9. Spin the Globe—El Salvador
10. Jordan–Exhilarating Encounters, Enduring Lessons
11. Living-history Lessons in Berlin

Illuminations
1. Pythion
2. Japanese Wedding
3. At the Musee d’Orsay
4. Prambanan in the Moonlight
5. Aitutaki–Finding salvation in the South Seas
6. Africa–Wildlife Illuminations
7. Unexpected Offerings on a Return to Bali
8. French Connections–Saint Paul
9. Lynn Ferrin
10. The Intricate Weave–Italy
11. Finding a Sense of Home Abroad

Epilogue: Every journey Is a Pilgrimage