Some countries are like people. They find themselves living on the wrong side of the tracks. In the various cities I’ve lived in throughout my life, I’ve ventured into and out of all sides of those tracks. What I’ve found is that just because people live in the rougher sides of town, that doesn’t mean they are all rough people. In fact I’ve found the opposite: sometimes living in the bad neighborhoods brings out the best in people. I’ve certainly found that the biggest assholes I’ve ever met have been people living in the nicer neighborhoods or the suburbs. I’ve had a few nasty encounters in some rural areas of America too and in fact, almost all of the crime and violence I have encountered have been in the USA. The same can be said for countries. I’ve lived in and traveled in sixty different countries and most of them were in the Global South. I imagine Tony Wheeler, author of Bad Lands: A Tourist On the Axis of Evil would have a similar view.
Tony Wheeler writes for Lonely Planet, that omnipresent series of guidebooks you used to see in the hands of almost every backpacker and hostel dweller you ever encountered on the road twenty or thirty years ago. In this book he delves into the genre of travel narrative very much in the spirit of what Lobely Planet was all about. Now anybody who prefers to stay at home with their eyes glued to their TV sets or the internet might have the impression that life outside America is both bizarre and dangerous. The truth is that such a viewpoint is about eighty percent wrong. Wheeler visits some of these forbidden zones to find out what they are like.
Something has to be said about what Wheeler means by “badlands” and how he chose his travel destinations. When George W. Bush, the second worst president in American history, made his first State of the Union Address, he identified the countries of Iraq, Iran, and North Korea as being an axis of evil, state sponsors of terrorism that sought to destroy America. Actually Iran was the only one of the three countries that was legitimately a state sponsor of terrorism, but that is neither here no there for the purposes of this book. Those three countries are included in Wheeler’s itinerary. The others he includes are nations that have low regards for human rights; they include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Cuba, Libya, and Saudi Arabia. He also includes Albania because they were a severe violator of civil liberties under the lunatic regime of Enver Hoxha not too long ago in historical terms at least. I myself have traveled in Albania, as well as Myanmar and Saudi Arabia. Note that Wheeler’s selection of destinations are not the most dangerous countries in the world, just the ones that are on the West’s shitlist with the exception of Saudi Arabia, the USA’s darling on the Arabian Peninsula.
So what did Tony Wheeler find on his journey through the badlands? Lots and lots of friendly, helpful, hospitable, and often happy people who were proud to show off their countries. There were lots of visits to tourist sights too. He visits ancient minarets in Afghanistan, castles in Albania, Buddhist temples in Myanmar, classic architecture in Cuba, museums in Iraq, beautiful mosques in Iran, Roman ruins in Libya, bizarre communist monuments in North Korea, and the ancient ruins of Madain Saleh in Saudi Arabia. He relies heavily on local transportation which can be a test of one’s patience when traveling in the third world. This takes him across deserts, through mountains, along seacoasts, and up rivers in shoddy vehicles with stops along the way in small villages. The only real danger he encounters, aside from horrible driving, is a riot in Kabul which he actually is not close to when it happens, although it is bad enough that he hides out in the British embassy while it goes on. Not alll of it is good though; Cuba is decrepit and he says the government treats people there like patients in a mental institution. Saudi Arabia is just a little bit dull. Otherwise you can say that his travels are like ordinary backpacking adventures that just happen to be in countries that America considers to be enemies. The descriptions of what he sees and does are good and for anybody who likes exploring life off the beaten path, this book can resonate well, bringing back memories and making you want to hit the road once again in search of unique experiences.
Being almost twenty years old, it is interesting to see what has changed since it was written. Afghanistan is now entirely governed by the Taliban. Albania has a booming economy and a growing tourist industry; Tirana may even be the next Barcelona. Myanmar has sunk into disaster after Aung San Suu Kyi proved to be a better leader while under house arrest and the Rohingya genocide continues without any interest from the outside world. Or is that genocides aren’t really genocides when they are done by post-colonial people who aren’t white? Cuba has opened up to the rest of the world, but their economy still continues to crumble. The war in Iraq is over and tourists are coming back even though it still is not a safe country. Iran is still Iran. North Korea is still North Korea. Libya has fallen into chaos after the Arab Spring, the assassination of Gaddafi, and the resulting civil war. Saudi Arabia has gone through massive social and legal changes, finally making progress while the rest of the world turns towards authoritarianism. Some countries got better, some got worse. If Tony Wheeler were going to do this again, he probably would need to include Venezuela, Russia, Belarus, Haiti, Syria, Sudan, Yemen, and China. Now that Donald Trump has been tragically elected president a second time, it may not be long before the USA becomes a badland itself.
After finishing Bad Lands, I was reminded of Plato’s famous “Allegory Of the Cave.” Today’s troglodytes are the masses of Americans and Westerners whose perceptions are trapped and distorted in their caves made of movies, TV, news, social media, and cell phone junk. Tony Wheeler is like the guy who leaves the cave and comes back to tell them what the real world is about, but they scoff and call him crazy, going back to their lives of ignorance dominated by sports and political propaganda fed to them by the ruling classes. It’s their loss. Tony Wheeler is right. The world outside the media cave is an amazing place, much more interesting than anything you will ever see on a screen. The world is there for you and everybody else. It’s endlessly fascinating. If the things you watch on your screens are more interesting than what you do in real life, then you are doing life wrong. Go out and live.
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