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Tony Wheeler's Bad Lands
In an age of plastic knives on planes, Tony Wheeler can make the extraordinary claim of having visited all the rogue countries currently on newreaders' lip. Badlands is a witty first-hand account of his travels through some of the most repressive and dangerous regimes in the world: Afghanistan, Albania, Burma (Myanmar), Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea and Saudi Arabia. Taking into account each country's attitude to human rights, terrorism and foreign policy, he asks 'what makes a country truly evil?' and 'how bad is really bad?' - all the while engaging with a colorful cast of locals and hapless tour guides, ruminating on history and debunking popular myths. Written by the founder of Lonely Planet, this fascinating account of life in these closed-off countries will appeal to anyone with an interest in the state of the world today.
Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2007
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July 27, 2011
This book does a fine job conveying key historical facts that lead to each of the "Bad Lands" becoming what they are today. It also relates some useful info about little-known tourist sights as well as a general sense of tourist accommodations. But the book is sorely lacking in info about these lands' cultures, peoples, customs, etc. When these things are mentioned, they are like small footnotes rather than the meat of the conversation. Travel, for me, is mostly about the people and culture and only secondarily about the history and landmarks; so I found this book disappointing. If your idea of travel is more about history and landmarks, though, you may find "Bad Lands" to be a perfect read.
February 25, 2016
I'm more or less convinced that this is a case of right book, right time. I've been thinking a lot about how the world changes rather quickly. When my father was my age, the Soviet Union was still around making Eastern Europe a hilarious mess, Iran was still a secular state, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq were more or less stable (at least, I know Westerners who traveled through them pre-1979). India wasn't quite going insane, China was going through its chaotic meltdowns into the 20th Century, Vietnam and Southeast Asia were in tatters, etc. etc.
Today all of those things are changed. What's even more incredible is that the nations included in "Bad Lands" (Afghanistan, Albania, Burma, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, and Saudi Arabia) were all incredibly different a generation ago. But when I first read this list, I was a little surprised that there was only one African nation, and an Arab Muslim one at that, and no South or Central American countries. Surely, China, India, or Russia could easily make the list given their pollution problems (apparently Delhi surpasses Beijing in pollution. Having recently been to Beijing... oh Gods...) and their human rights problems?
Well, Wheeler was writing in 2006 and he's a founder of the Lonely Planet - a company that writes and promotes famous travel guides. So this book can be seen as a sort of "Guide Book toward deciding whether or not to try this country." What got Wheeler to put these countries on his list? As he explains, he starts with George W. Bush's "Axis of Evil": Iran, Iraq, and North Korea. And then slowly puts countries on the list by reputation, including Albania (weirdly) as a sort of control. Albania is a country that got rid of its dictator, has a liberated population (that is historically Muslim to boot) that participates in democracy, and is trying desperately to catch up with Europe.
If you look at the list of countries, you can see that those are all the ones (minus Albania) that were in the media's poor graces more or less. The list is... pretty different today and some of it is rather sad and disappointing. For example, I don't see any country which should be removed from the list, but rather that it would be quite expanded. Maybe Burma could be removed since The Lady (Aung San Suu Kyi, that is!) has won an election and the government seems to be following through with their promise to let her accept the seat and she'll be lining up for Prime Ministerial status soon... but that's only the tip of Burma's iceberg worth of problems.
One of the sad moments comes in when talking about Libya. When Wheeler visited Libya, it was still run by Ghaddafi, whose country was trying to figure out how to enter the First World (and yet appeal to African Union... and yet keep the Africans out. It was weird). Obviously, since the Arab Spring, and the War began (and hasn't seemed to end), Libya has been quite a different place and those early dreams of increased tourism, so naively inspired by Ghaddafi back in Aughts, will take a while to recover.
Afghanistan seems to be recovering. Somewhat.
Iraq's long post-Saddam nightmare has only continued and spread to Syria, and is now in its horrible George Lucas-esque "Prequel as Sequel" horror show now reprised as Daesh/IS/IS/L.
North Korea was a fascinating chapter. Partly because it's a pretty good and entertaining summary of Target North Korea: Pushing North Korea to the Brink of Nuclear Catastrophe. He summarizes the history of every nation quite succinctly, but I was impressed with not just his honesty, but the thoroughness with which he documents the sorts of shit the North does (the capture of an American naval vessel, their terrorism against South Korea in overseas flights and in Kuala Lumpur, the secret tunnels, and the submarine incidents, the kidnapping of Japanese citizens) about why it certainly deserves its horrible reputation in the media, without taking any sort of ideological stance.
Iran and Saudi Arabia can be added to that list. Iran continually sounds like a fascinating place to visit and entirely enjoyable! But Saudi Arabia sounds like they have a few screws loose. Wheeler doesn't take too many stances with Iran, except wondering why other than for politics would the United States ally with Saudi Arabia - a backwards monarchic regime that exports terrorism because its overflowing their own domestic market - and be sworn enemies with Iran - a democratic, albeit Islamic sort of style, state with a modern-leaning populace (so Islam had a bit of a bump in 1979? Big deal...).
He goes on to explain in the book essentially that he asked himself if South America and Sub-Saharan Africa could also make the "Bad Lands" list and lays out some criteria with which he judges Bad Lands: Personality Cults, External Threat (to other nations), Terrorism, and the ways it treats its own citizens. He discusses a little bit about what this means in the context of each country, but what I was surprised about was how he didn't express how his own tourism impacts the countries. At least he didn't discuss it in a direct way.
His Cuba chapter was very interesting because he describes the lives of ordinary Cubans and describes his segregated tourist existence as "very uncomfortable" especially knowing that the staff at his hotel will go home with worthless currency to buy the nothing that floods so many stores and markets in Cuba. Yet, everyone seems mildly content by comparison. Still, the segregated existence bothers him. Yea. It would bother me, too.
But this doesn't seem to hit him in North Korea. And, hell, if there's anything keeping me out of the DPRK (other than the insanely high VISA) it's the idea that not only are my dollars going right into the Kim Dynasty's pockets, but also that my very presence is confirmation that North Korea is worthy my patronage. You think those hotel workers, or the people you see in Pyongyang or wherever those "minders" take you have any better lot than the Cubans?
I found this book to be mildly philosophical. What qualifies as a "bad land"? How quickly, easily, and horribly "bad" can a country go? When do these countries get taken off the list? And when do others go on? Other than that, it was an interesting travel diary from a not-so-long-ago world.
Today all of those things are changed. What's even more incredible is that the nations included in "Bad Lands" (Afghanistan, Albania, Burma, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, and Saudi Arabia) were all incredibly different a generation ago. But when I first read this list, I was a little surprised that there was only one African nation, and an Arab Muslim one at that, and no South or Central American countries. Surely, China, India, or Russia could easily make the list given their pollution problems (apparently Delhi surpasses Beijing in pollution. Having recently been to Beijing... oh Gods...) and their human rights problems?
Well, Wheeler was writing in 2006 and he's a founder of the Lonely Planet - a company that writes and promotes famous travel guides. So this book can be seen as a sort of "Guide Book toward deciding whether or not to try this country." What got Wheeler to put these countries on his list? As he explains, he starts with George W. Bush's "Axis of Evil": Iran, Iraq, and North Korea. And then slowly puts countries on the list by reputation, including Albania (weirdly) as a sort of control. Albania is a country that got rid of its dictator, has a liberated population (that is historically Muslim to boot) that participates in democracy, and is trying desperately to catch up with Europe.
If you look at the list of countries, you can see that those are all the ones (minus Albania) that were in the media's poor graces more or less. The list is... pretty different today and some of it is rather sad and disappointing. For example, I don't see any country which should be removed from the list, but rather that it would be quite expanded. Maybe Burma could be removed since The Lady (Aung San Suu Kyi, that is!) has won an election and the government seems to be following through with their promise to let her accept the seat and she'll be lining up for Prime Ministerial status soon... but that's only the tip of Burma's iceberg worth of problems.
One of the sad moments comes in when talking about Libya. When Wheeler visited Libya, it was still run by Ghaddafi, whose country was trying to figure out how to enter the First World (and yet appeal to African Union... and yet keep the Africans out. It was weird). Obviously, since the Arab Spring, and the War began (and hasn't seemed to end), Libya has been quite a different place and those early dreams of increased tourism, so naively inspired by Ghaddafi back in Aughts, will take a while to recover.
Afghanistan seems to be recovering. Somewhat.
Iraq's long post-Saddam nightmare has only continued and spread to Syria, and is now in its horrible George Lucas-esque "Prequel as Sequel" horror show now reprised as Daesh/IS/IS/L.
North Korea was a fascinating chapter. Partly because it's a pretty good and entertaining summary of Target North Korea: Pushing North Korea to the Brink of Nuclear Catastrophe. He summarizes the history of every nation quite succinctly, but I was impressed with not just his honesty, but the thoroughness with which he documents the sorts of shit the North does (the capture of an American naval vessel, their terrorism against South Korea in overseas flights and in Kuala Lumpur, the secret tunnels, and the submarine incidents, the kidnapping of Japanese citizens) about why it certainly deserves its horrible reputation in the media, without taking any sort of ideological stance.
Iran and Saudi Arabia can be added to that list. Iran continually sounds like a fascinating place to visit and entirely enjoyable! But Saudi Arabia sounds like they have a few screws loose. Wheeler doesn't take too many stances with Iran, except wondering why other than for politics would the United States ally with Saudi Arabia - a backwards monarchic regime that exports terrorism because its overflowing their own domestic market - and be sworn enemies with Iran - a democratic, albeit Islamic sort of style, state with a modern-leaning populace (so Islam had a bit of a bump in 1979? Big deal...).
He goes on to explain in the book essentially that he asked himself if South America and Sub-Saharan Africa could also make the "Bad Lands" list and lays out some criteria with which he judges Bad Lands: Personality Cults, External Threat (to other nations), Terrorism, and the ways it treats its own citizens. He discusses a little bit about what this means in the context of each country, but what I was surprised about was how he didn't express how his own tourism impacts the countries. At least he didn't discuss it in a direct way.
His Cuba chapter was very interesting because he describes the lives of ordinary Cubans and describes his segregated tourist existence as "very uncomfortable" especially knowing that the staff at his hotel will go home with worthless currency to buy the nothing that floods so many stores and markets in Cuba. Yet, everyone seems mildly content by comparison. Still, the segregated existence bothers him. Yea. It would bother me, too.
But this doesn't seem to hit him in North Korea. And, hell, if there's anything keeping me out of the DPRK (other than the insanely high VISA) it's the idea that not only are my dollars going right into the Kim Dynasty's pockets, but also that my very presence is confirmation that North Korea is worthy my patronage. You think those hotel workers, or the people you see in Pyongyang or wherever those "minders" take you have any better lot than the Cubans?
I found this book to be mildly philosophical. What qualifies as a "bad land"? How quickly, easily, and horribly "bad" can a country go? When do these countries get taken off the list? And when do others go on? Other than that, it was an interesting travel diary from a not-so-long-ago world.
August 13, 2015
While I give Tony Wheeler more than a little credit for having taken to heart the inept phrasing of a former American president, this book is hardly a very memorable addition to the wealth of travel books already on the market. That said, I have made use of Lonely Planet Guides when traveling about & particularly to some more exotic, less visited countries. Tony Wheeler's approach to travel books has definitely altered the format of travel guides. I find them just about the right blend of history & culture + the essential information on hotels, restaurants, museums, etc. These individual country & regional guides are the result of a collaborative effort by many contributors who so thoroughly research & add their commentary to enhance travel to a particular country or a region, usually providing an excellent blend of opinions.
However, Badlands conveys a more limited approach to countries that would probably appeal only to the most intrepid of travelers, almost as if reaching the destinations was sufficient to satisfy armchair travelers. There seems little of the curiosity that one would expect of an adventurous traveler to places such as North Korea, Afghanistan, Albania, Libya & Cuba. And one might suppose that Mr. Wheeler's persistent disparaging of the U.S. was really being aimed at Mr. Bush for having cast the countries visited in this volume as members of an "Axis of Evil". That said, there appears the same sort of consistent low-grade contempt for Americans in his follow-up volume, Dark Lands, covering the two Congo Republics, Haiti, Columbia, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Israel & Palestine, Papua, New Guinea + the flyspeck of a country, Nauru. In the latter book, I did enjoy Wheeler's reflective look at Pakistan, having lived there with his family as a young boy.
There are most certainly better accounts of travel to landscapes rarely encountered but it is the effort to capture a list of places & report on the author's perspective on each that makes Tony Wheeler's books of interest in spite of some stated shortcomings, almost like capturing odd bits & pieces for a global treasure hunt. In some cases, the act of gaining a visa and merely reaching some of these out-of-the-way places represents a major achievement, even in the age of jet travel. One book of a similar vein that I enjoyed more is Outposts: Journeys to the Surviving Relics of the British Empire by Simon Winchester, an older (1985) book that represents the last few surviving colonies, plus one or two that that have since become independent nations, or in the case of Hong Kong, at least no longer linked to Great Britain. Alas, Winchester is perhaps a more gifted story teller and that makes a considerable difference.
However, Badlands conveys a more limited approach to countries that would probably appeal only to the most intrepid of travelers, almost as if reaching the destinations was sufficient to satisfy armchair travelers. There seems little of the curiosity that one would expect of an adventurous traveler to places such as North Korea, Afghanistan, Albania, Libya & Cuba. And one might suppose that Mr. Wheeler's persistent disparaging of the U.S. was really being aimed at Mr. Bush for having cast the countries visited in this volume as members of an "Axis of Evil". That said, there appears the same sort of consistent low-grade contempt for Americans in his follow-up volume, Dark Lands, covering the two Congo Republics, Haiti, Columbia, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Israel & Palestine, Papua, New Guinea + the flyspeck of a country, Nauru. In the latter book, I did enjoy Wheeler's reflective look at Pakistan, having lived there with his family as a young boy.
There are most certainly better accounts of travel to landscapes rarely encountered but it is the effort to capture a list of places & report on the author's perspective on each that makes Tony Wheeler's books of interest in spite of some stated shortcomings, almost like capturing odd bits & pieces for a global treasure hunt. In some cases, the act of gaining a visa and merely reaching some of these out-of-the-way places represents a major achievement, even in the age of jet travel. One book of a similar vein that I enjoyed more is Outposts: Journeys to the Surviving Relics of the British Empire by Simon Winchester, an older (1985) book that represents the last few surviving colonies, plus one or two that that have since become independent nations, or in the case of Hong Kong, at least no longer linked to Great Britain. Alas, Winchester is perhaps a more gifted story teller and that makes a considerable difference.
October 2, 2019
A bit self indulgent, in my opinion, but interesting nonetheless. While it's never referred to directly it's apparent that Tony Wheeler's money and influence in the travel business gave him a leg up that ordinary tourists likely wouldn't have in some of these countries, like hiring the fixers in Afghanistan. Even then he wisely stayed away from places like Helmond and Khandahar.
I thought the chapter on Saudi Arabia was one of the more interesting, possibly because he interacted with actual people more often, despite the hideous, oppressive government (reason enough to stay away, IMHO). I liked his description of doing battle with the bureaucrats in order to see some of the sights, as illustrative of how the country works. His descriptions of Iran I thought were also good, evocative of an ancient but still vibrant culture.
In the end though, the question I took away was 'Why would anyone want to go to some of those places?' as there are so many more welcoming/interesting/safer destinations. And what was learned or experienced travelling to some of these "badlands" didn't seem to be worth the effort. North Korea, in particular.
As for Cuba, for anybody except Americans, it's just another Caribbean beach resort destination these days ( with worse food). He describes the segregated tourist system (modelled on the old Soviet "Intourist" organization) but to anyone with an ounce of initiative it's easy to meet ordinary people in Cuba. And yes, North Americans and western Europeans are more economically privileged than most Cubans. That's also true in most of the rest of the world as well, unfortunately.
To be fair, much has changed since Wheeler wrote his book, so some of his "badlands" just aren't so bad (Cuba, Albania). Others (Libya, North Korea, Saudi Arabia) are likely as bad, or worse.
I thought the chapter on Saudi Arabia was one of the more interesting, possibly because he interacted with actual people more often, despite the hideous, oppressive government (reason enough to stay away, IMHO). I liked his description of doing battle with the bureaucrats in order to see some of the sights, as illustrative of how the country works. His descriptions of Iran I thought were also good, evocative of an ancient but still vibrant culture.
In the end though, the question I took away was 'Why would anyone want to go to some of those places?' as there are so many more welcoming/interesting/safer destinations. And what was learned or experienced travelling to some of these "badlands" didn't seem to be worth the effort. North Korea, in particular.
As for Cuba, for anybody except Americans, it's just another Caribbean beach resort destination these days ( with worse food). He describes the segregated tourist system (modelled on the old Soviet "Intourist" organization) but to anyone with an ounce of initiative it's easy to meet ordinary people in Cuba. And yes, North Americans and western Europeans are more economically privileged than most Cubans. That's also true in most of the rest of the world as well, unfortunately.
To be fair, much has changed since Wheeler wrote his book, so some of his "badlands" just aren't so bad (Cuba, Albania). Others (Libya, North Korea, Saudi Arabia) are likely as bad, or worse.
June 20, 2011
I think this book had a little too much factual stuff in it for me. And maybe the topic wasn’t as interesting as I thought it would be. The found of Lonely Planet travelled to the most dangerous countries in the world. The ones I found more interesting were N. Korea and Cuba. Mainly because those are the two that get the most coverage in the US. I was looking forward to this book and the payoff wasn’t that great. I don’t know if I’ll pick up the sequel.
Grade: C-
Grade: C-
December 4, 2024
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 Badlands: 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 Badlands, 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.
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 Badlands, 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.
November 1, 2019
The subject matter of this book was very promising and, as a frequent user of Lonely Planet guides (noteably, given the subject matter of this book, I found the Iran guide to be particularly helpful) I was really looking forward to reading it. However, it was very disappointing. As other reviews have noted, it often felt that to go to the relevant country was job done and I took away no real sense of what the country was really like.
In each chapter, Wheeler intersperses a brief history of the country and how it came to be on the "Bad Lands" list with places he visited when there and anecdotes about the environment he found himself in. I felt that it read somewhat like my own travel journals - today we visited this place, learned that about the country and also this happened. This makes it easy to read and understand, but difficult to follow and without a coherent narrative. In places, the writing also came across as ignorant and dismissive - for example, (naturally and rightly) criticism was made of the Iranian requirement for women to wear hijab. However, Wheeler entirely ignored the religious and cultural background behind such clothing (and the fact that a number of women across the world choose to wear hijab), commenting about a Saudi couple on the flight out of Tehran:
"The couple are both traditionally attired; she's in full-covered-face mode. So how do you eat when your head's in a bag? You take food in one hand, grab your face covering in the other to pull it above your mouth, pop the food in and pull the covering back down. Awkward and ridiculous looking? Absolutely."
I did not think that I would be drawing parallels between this book and the culturally-deaf Sex and the City 2.
In each chapter, Wheeler intersperses a brief history of the country and how it came to be on the "Bad Lands" list with places he visited when there and anecdotes about the environment he found himself in. I felt that it read somewhat like my own travel journals - today we visited this place, learned that about the country and also this happened. This makes it easy to read and understand, but difficult to follow and without a coherent narrative. In places, the writing also came across as ignorant and dismissive - for example, (naturally and rightly) criticism was made of the Iranian requirement for women to wear hijab. However, Wheeler entirely ignored the religious and cultural background behind such clothing (and the fact that a number of women across the world choose to wear hijab), commenting about a Saudi couple on the flight out of Tehran:
"The couple are both traditionally attired; she's in full-covered-face mode. So how do you eat when your head's in a bag? You take food in one hand, grab your face covering in the other to pull it above your mouth, pop the food in and pull the covering back down. Awkward and ridiculous looking? Absolutely."
I did not think that I would be drawing parallels between this book and the culturally-deaf Sex and the City 2.
September 5, 2020
There's a definite subgenre within travel lit around ranking the worst / most dangerous / hardest to get to countries in some fashion, then visiting all of them. The classic in this is Kaplan's Ends of the Earth, still the examplar. This particular version was written by one of the founders of Lonely Planet, and the collection of usual suspects countries (North Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq...) reflects its time of publication around 2010. Unlike Kaplan, who mixes wanna be spy daring with massive scholarship and research, Wheeler's reports are breezy, informative in an easy reading style, and filled with logistics - as you'd expect from a lonely planet writer. The result is a nice break in this time of quarantine - a chance to "travel" abroad, and maybe also see that there are still places more screwed up than the US! And its a little sad how little has changed since 2010 for these countries; if you were writing today, the list would be largely the same. The political asides get a little old (we get it, you are not a fan of US foreign policy), but at least they are fair as he also is quick to criticize his own country.
April 1, 2023
Interesting book and I appreciate the insight of what life is like in these ‘bad lands’ for ordinary people. The historical context for each country was much appreciated. As it was written 15 years ago it is interesting to read this book and compare it to modern times. Some countries like North Korea have changed very little, while others like Afghanistan appeared to be improving and the writer was optimistic at the time of writing which is sad for a 2023 reader that is aware of the events of the past year.
I disagree with the conclusions the writer draws at the end of the book, as he measured the extent to which a country is a ‘bad land’ from his own perspective as a privileged male and consequently did not consider that for some parts of society life in a country that he considers not too bad can be terrible. I did appreciate the way he compared these ‘bad lands’ to countries like the US. He showed that people may judge countries that undertake similar actions very differently based on their personal bias. Overall a thought provoking book
I disagree with the conclusions the writer draws at the end of the book, as he measured the extent to which a country is a ‘bad land’ from his own perspective as a privileged male and consequently did not consider that for some parts of society life in a country that he considers not too bad can be terrible. I did appreciate the way he compared these ‘bad lands’ to countries like the US. He showed that people may judge countries that undertake similar actions very differently based on their personal bias. Overall a thought provoking book
December 18, 2018
A Lonely Planet Literature piece with a chapter dedicated to each country decided by Tony to be top scorers in the ‘evil’ rating featuring obvious cases like North Korea but some more unexpected offerings like Saudi Arabia. This is a very easy going and enjoyable book, good for dipping in and out of. I did feel it offered some different perspectives on country’s painted in a very particular light by western media. However I just think it made light of too many serious issues and was a little too light hearted for sometimes difficult issues. Perhaps if there were half the number of country’s but double the amount written it might have been better.
January 29, 2021
A 2007 book - the author, a seasoned traveler, visits the countries in George Bush's Axis of Evil, plus a number of others with a bad reputation: Afghanistan, Albania, Burma, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea and Saudi Arabia. None of these places are high on my Bucket List - and yet he is able to find the interesting sites and things to do in many of them. And he has good insight into the events that led to each country's pariah status. A little dated in 2021, but still a very interesting travelog.
February 18, 2018
The book wasn't exactly what I'd hoped for; I was expecting a *little* more in the way of analysis. This is a little for of a light-and-breezy - and very smartass - travelougue. While I'm sure the point is "Look, see, people are people wherever you go, and it may be more normal than you assume!", I would have liked a little depth. Also, a surprising amount has changed in these countries since this book was published.
June 22, 2025
I wouldn’t normally write a review for a dnf, but this book made me mad. The book judges the people of the various countries with an “evil meter.” Having also traveled quite extensively and to at least one “evil” country if there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that you can’t judge a country by the actions of a few. I’m not sure what I expected from a book called “Bad Lands” but from the creator of the Lonely Planet Guidebooks I certainly expected better than this dismal outlook.
Dnf.
Dnf.
October 2, 2018
I really like reading Tony's travel stories, because he always mix them with the recent history of the places providing a good understanding.
This book is few years old and some countries changed - some didn't.
This book is few years old and some countries changed - some didn't.
October 19, 2018
A bit outdated as life in these countries have progressed. I enjoyed reading the book but was disappointed with the assessment at the evil meter at the end. In my opinion it didn't match the described trips in the previous chapters. There was some other.judgement or political correctness
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2020
I was hoping for some more travel color - there was some, but a lot of history that now feels out of date. More interaction with people, different types of activities (understanding the constraints) would have been more interesting.
July 7, 2025
A solid insight into a few countries off the beaten tourist path.
I enjoyed hearing the brief histories of lots of different countries, as well as some stereotypes being both debunked and reinforced.
I enjoyed hearing the brief histories of lots of different countries, as well as some stereotypes being both debunked and reinforced.
August 29, 2017
Travel inspiration for the fearless
This is one of the most honest books on travel that I have ever seen. It gives one a lot of reality and bang for the buck....
This is one of the most honest books on travel that I have ever seen. It gives one a lot of reality and bang for the buck....
November 21, 2018
Better than the follow-up but still relatively one-dimensional.
March 1, 2019
Made me want to go on holiday in some dodgy place. It needs an update though, it would be great to know what has changed since this was published.
November 17, 2022
Ja leuk dit. Verhalen over reizen. Herkenbare vrolijkheid van de LP reisboeken komt hier ook terug. Gezellig lezen over ongezellige landen. Ik zou een deel2 zo oppakken.
September 6, 2009
Tony Wheeler, the founder of Lonely Planet, set out to visit nine ‘bad lands’ or countries that are essentially corrupt, where dictatorial rulers treat their own citizens badly, and that pose a threat to their neighbours. As Wheeler points out, it has nothing to do with geography or topography, but with how the people who run the country behave. So how did he choose the ‘bad lands’ to visit? Well, he started with what George W. Bush described as the ‘axis of evil’ (now here some alarm bells are starting to ring): Iran, Iraq and North Korea. He added others that are frequently considered ‘bad,’ including Burma (Myanmar), Cuba and Libya, as well as Afghanistan due to its never-ending troubles. He also included Albania, which mended its ways already years ago, as well as Saudi Arabia, which definitely belongs on the list, although it seldom is included because of the kingdom’s oil and seemingly friendly relations with the United States. The list is by no means exhaustive—and some of the countries shouldn’t really even be on it—but the author apparently had his reasons to travel to these selected ones. As the reader finds out farther in the book, the traveller does take a more nuanced view and does not accept the mostly Western stereotypes of these countries as bad or evil.
I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Tony Wheeler is an overall nice guy and his observations are mostly smart and well informed. However, the stories are too often just describing what he did during the days he spent visiting these nations. There are long descriptions of specific historic or cultural sites and museums, the dinners he had. He also compares what he sees today with his experiences visiting several of the same places on the hippie trail decades ago. Some of the observations are interesting, but others seem trivial. Also, the interestingness of the chapters varies considerably, with some being quite absorbing while others are rather tedious.
In all fairness, much of this is not the author’s fault. After all, these are mostly rather closed societies and only accessible through organized tours—we know that’s not Tony’s preferred mode of travel, but what can he do? He talks to local people to the extent possible, but often it just isn’t as tourists are not encouraged to communicate with the natives. Often the conversations are filtered through tour guides, interpreters and political guardians. Some of the countries, like Cuba, are rather open for visitors to explore on their own; others, like North Korea, certainly are not. Yet in other places, like in Iraq, the security situation limits where a traveller can safely wander.
Some of the best parts of the book are when Tony Wheeler ruminates about the historical and political events that have shaped these countries to become what they are. Here he is able to demonstrate his knowledge of history and understanding of the societies acquired over decades of travel and interest in international affairs. His casual way of relating the stories is appealing.
Towards the end, Tony Wheeler introduces his Evil Meter™ that he then applies to the countries that he has visited. The tool measures countries on three basic scales: how well they treat their own citizens, whether they promote terrorism, and whether they pose threats to their neighbours. He then doles out one extra point to countries with significant personality cults. Rated on this scale, North Korea emerges as the worst of the lot and Cuba scores hardly any points. The book was published in 2007 and does not therefore reflect some of the more recent events (for example the Iranian election debacle of June 2009 or the hero’s welcome to Al-Megrahi, the alleged Lockerbie bomber, to Libya). Whether these would change the results in any way is debatable. One could also criticize the Evil Meter for paying too much attention to terrorism and threats to neighbours (after all, these two are arguably related) and too little to, say, oppression of women. Despite its appalling performance on the latter front, Saudi Arabia emerges almost unscathed!
In the final chapter, Wheeler discusses other bad-lands candidates and, rightly, lists many a country that could be perhaps worse than those visited by him for this book. Somalia, Sudan, Zaire/Congo and Zimbabwe in Africa range from failed states to dictatorships where citizens’ human rights are routinely violated. Others, such as Haiti, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, are pretty bad and Wheeler also lists Pakistan as a noteworthy contender for the status. He also speculates about what scores would the United States of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney acquire, but unfortunately doesn’t provide a rating. Finally, and in my mind correctly, he concludes that there is “the combo that is arguably the baddest Bad Land of them all”: Israel/Palestine.
I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Tony Wheeler is an overall nice guy and his observations are mostly smart and well informed. However, the stories are too often just describing what he did during the days he spent visiting these nations. There are long descriptions of specific historic or cultural sites and museums, the dinners he had. He also compares what he sees today with his experiences visiting several of the same places on the hippie trail decades ago. Some of the observations are interesting, but others seem trivial. Also, the interestingness of the chapters varies considerably, with some being quite absorbing while others are rather tedious.
In all fairness, much of this is not the author’s fault. After all, these are mostly rather closed societies and only accessible through organized tours—we know that’s not Tony’s preferred mode of travel, but what can he do? He talks to local people to the extent possible, but often it just isn’t as tourists are not encouraged to communicate with the natives. Often the conversations are filtered through tour guides, interpreters and political guardians. Some of the countries, like Cuba, are rather open for visitors to explore on their own; others, like North Korea, certainly are not. Yet in other places, like in Iraq, the security situation limits where a traveller can safely wander.
Some of the best parts of the book are when Tony Wheeler ruminates about the historical and political events that have shaped these countries to become what they are. Here he is able to demonstrate his knowledge of history and understanding of the societies acquired over decades of travel and interest in international affairs. His casual way of relating the stories is appealing.
Towards the end, Tony Wheeler introduces his Evil Meter™ that he then applies to the countries that he has visited. The tool measures countries on three basic scales: how well they treat their own citizens, whether they promote terrorism, and whether they pose threats to their neighbours. He then doles out one extra point to countries with significant personality cults. Rated on this scale, North Korea emerges as the worst of the lot and Cuba scores hardly any points. The book was published in 2007 and does not therefore reflect some of the more recent events (for example the Iranian election debacle of June 2009 or the hero’s welcome to Al-Megrahi, the alleged Lockerbie bomber, to Libya). Whether these would change the results in any way is debatable. One could also criticize the Evil Meter for paying too much attention to terrorism and threats to neighbours (after all, these two are arguably related) and too little to, say, oppression of women. Despite its appalling performance on the latter front, Saudi Arabia emerges almost unscathed!
In the final chapter, Wheeler discusses other bad-lands candidates and, rightly, lists many a country that could be perhaps worse than those visited by him for this book. Somalia, Sudan, Zaire/Congo and Zimbabwe in Africa range from failed states to dictatorships where citizens’ human rights are routinely violated. Others, such as Haiti, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, are pretty bad and Wheeler also lists Pakistan as a noteworthy contender for the status. He also speculates about what scores would the United States of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney acquire, but unfortunately doesn’t provide a rating. Finally, and in my mind correctly, he concludes that there is “the combo that is arguably the baddest Bad Land of them all”: Israel/Palestine.
September 18, 2011
Tony Wheelers has with Badlands written a piece of quite decent air port litterature. If you are ever stuck in an air port, waiting for your connecting flight to leave in 4 hours - then Badlands and a big fries can be a good alternative. When it comes to the ultimate guide to the Axis of evil though, Wheelers is right that there is a book to be written here, but unfortunately Wheeler missed his chance.
There are several reasons why this is not the ultimate Axis of Evil guide that you have been waiting for.
First, there are countries that evidently should be included in such a guide that are missing. For one thing Sub-Sahara Africa is not even represented. Sudan, Ivory Coast, Somalia, Congo and Zimbabwe are only a few of the most obvious countries that he can pick from. Several of them have unique places and actrivities for travelers and an interesting history as well and have therefore a potential to become far better chapters than the weakest of those already included. Would not Sudan be better than Cuba? And it is quite obcious that with one country representing Europe, it should be Belarus and not Albania. And talking about former Soviet Republics, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, have interesting destinations for tourists a rich history and Soviet Union past to spice up the chapter with. Latin America and the Middel east are two soruces for other potential great chapters.
Albania illustrates the 2nd shortcoming of the book, that there are several countries that hardly belong in this book. Germany would be a better choice than Albania, as their both got rid of their communistic dictatorship at about the same time, but Germany would in addition have the 3rd Reich, WWII and more cold war stuff to spice of the chapter with. As Wheelers point out himself, he found Cuba slightly boring - then why not find a more interesting country to write about?
The 3rd point is the varying quality of the chapters. Wheelers really knows his Afghanistan and the chapter on Iran is also good. He finds Cuba boring and to some extent that is reflected in his writing. I totally agree with the reviewer saying that Lebanon has no business in the Burma chapter. Either drop Lebanon or write a chapter about Lebanon. Writing a chapter of Iraq that only covers the Kurdish region is involuntarily funny. I can very well understand he did not go, but there are other sources of information...
What countries that is finally included I guess is not that important. What is important is that all the chapters that in the end is included is really good. Now it is like that 2/3 of the book is quite good, the rest consists of chapters that should be worked more on and/or chapters that should be thrown out because he could choose from other countries that he succeeded better on wrting about.
There are several reasons why this is not the ultimate Axis of Evil guide that you have been waiting for.
First, there are countries that evidently should be included in such a guide that are missing. For one thing Sub-Sahara Africa is not even represented. Sudan, Ivory Coast, Somalia, Congo and Zimbabwe are only a few of the most obvious countries that he can pick from. Several of them have unique places and actrivities for travelers and an interesting history as well and have therefore a potential to become far better chapters than the weakest of those already included. Would not Sudan be better than Cuba? And it is quite obcious that with one country representing Europe, it should be Belarus and not Albania. And talking about former Soviet Republics, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, have interesting destinations for tourists a rich history and Soviet Union past to spice up the chapter with. Latin America and the Middel east are two soruces for other potential great chapters.
Albania illustrates the 2nd shortcoming of the book, that there are several countries that hardly belong in this book. Germany would be a better choice than Albania, as their both got rid of their communistic dictatorship at about the same time, but Germany would in addition have the 3rd Reich, WWII and more cold war stuff to spice of the chapter with. As Wheelers point out himself, he found Cuba slightly boring - then why not find a more interesting country to write about?
The 3rd point is the varying quality of the chapters. Wheelers really knows his Afghanistan and the chapter on Iran is also good. He finds Cuba boring and to some extent that is reflected in his writing. I totally agree with the reviewer saying that Lebanon has no business in the Burma chapter. Either drop Lebanon or write a chapter about Lebanon. Writing a chapter of Iraq that only covers the Kurdish region is involuntarily funny. I can very well understand he did not go, but there are other sources of information...
What countries that is finally included I guess is not that important. What is important is that all the chapters that in the end is included is really good. Now it is like that 2/3 of the book is quite good, the rest consists of chapters that should be worked more on and/or chapters that should be thrown out because he could choose from other countries that he succeeded better on wrting about.
September 24, 2014
I really enjoyed the historical background Tony gives on some of the countries he visits. Very interesting stuff. What I think I had a hard time with is that it seems almost all of this type of travel book has the author going to a place most of us wouldn't go and then having a great time and never running into any trouble and saying that everyone in the country is really nice and more people should go there. It just seems repetitive.
Tony is a British buy who currently lives in Australia. In some parts of the book he likes to highlight some of the terrible things the US has done and why these countries probably would be just fine if it weren't for the US. At least that is how it comes across sometimes. There are things that I certainly agree with him on but I do get a little tired of Europeans always pointing out the mistakes the US has made while they behave like they are perfect. British colonialism, Dutch, Portuguese and Spanish discovery all have their own aspects of terrible to them as well that still influence things today. It would be nice if authors could simply write the book about the location they visited, include the necessary history, and then leave out the political and (in some cases) religious statements or rants.
Tony even decides to close the book with his top 10 bad lands. A very interesting list indeed but he places Israel at number 1. I'm sorry but based on his own scoring method that is ridiculous. It comes across as a bit antisemitic even though I'm sure he isn't. I think he is just going with the popular world view that Israel is the problem and not the 15 Arab countries around it that all want to see Israel destroyed and all Jews dead.
The book is still worth a read though. Again, lots of great information and history.
Tony is a British buy who currently lives in Australia. In some parts of the book he likes to highlight some of the terrible things the US has done and why these countries probably would be just fine if it weren't for the US. At least that is how it comes across sometimes. There are things that I certainly agree with him on but I do get a little tired of Europeans always pointing out the mistakes the US has made while they behave like they are perfect. British colonialism, Dutch, Portuguese and Spanish discovery all have their own aspects of terrible to them as well that still influence things today. It would be nice if authors could simply write the book about the location they visited, include the necessary history, and then leave out the political and (in some cases) religious statements or rants.
Tony even decides to close the book with his top 10 bad lands. A very interesting list indeed but he places Israel at number 1. I'm sorry but based on his own scoring method that is ridiculous. It comes across as a bit antisemitic even though I'm sure he isn't. I think he is just going with the popular world view that Israel is the problem and not the 15 Arab countries around it that all want to see Israel destroyed and all Jews dead.
The book is still worth a read though. Again, lots of great information and history.
April 5, 2013
I love to travel and reading this book just helped me to check out a few interesting places I am highly unlikely to visit myself (save Burma, and potentially Cuba). Tony Wheeler writes the way he speaks -- I know because I bought this book after hearing him give a talk about his travels, the wonderful humble origins of Lonely Planet, and his impressions and thoughts on travel today. His style is light-humored yet informed, you can tell he has put in a lot of research and thought into each country's history.
You can tell Wheeler is the type who enjoys observing more than anything else, while on travels, and can still appreciate a cheap and cheerful accommodation, in addition to enjoying high-end luxury. I also like that his wife Maureen (who has been with Lonely Planet from their very first trip overland from England to Australia, via Asia) is frequently mentioned too.
Another thing this book made me think of is how different Wheeler's experiences would be were you a female traveller, though on a few occasions, especially when describing the Middle East countries, he does note some crucial differences in experience.
Overall, not the best writing on travel - but definitely fun and interesting. I liked the idea of going to "bad lands" - especially since few of us are likely to go ourselves. Most fascinating was perhaps the North Korea chapter. What a wackadoo land!
You can tell Wheeler is the type who enjoys observing more than anything else, while on travels, and can still appreciate a cheap and cheerful accommodation, in addition to enjoying high-end luxury. I also like that his wife Maureen (who has been with Lonely Planet from their very first trip overland from England to Australia, via Asia) is frequently mentioned too.
Another thing this book made me think of is how different Wheeler's experiences would be were you a female traveller, though on a few occasions, especially when describing the Middle East countries, he does note some crucial differences in experience.
Overall, not the best writing on travel - but definitely fun and interesting. I liked the idea of going to "bad lands" - especially since few of us are likely to go ourselves. Most fascinating was perhaps the North Korea chapter. What a wackadoo land!
April 28, 2009
With the ranks of global jetsetters increasing, travel journalists no longer enjoy any distinction as elite rangers of far-off, exotic lands. Leave it to Lonely Planet founder and veteran travel journalist Tony Wheeler, however, to bring back this bygone mystique by going where no author has gone before with the travel narrative: rounding up in one volume what he deems the most forbidden—and forbidding—lands on earth. The book, Tony Wheeler's Bad Lands, works hard to do it all: to educate, entertain, debunk, evoke, and provoke. Ultimately, though, it burns much of its fuel presenting the basic history lessons necessary for any readers unfamiliar with nine touristically idle places such as Iran, Afghanistan, and Burma. Bad Lands makes light fare of political and cultural devastation, cataloguing countries by what Wheeler calls his EvilMeter(TM), jokily characterizing North Korea as a "gulag run by Monty Python," or capriciously reflecting on the accommodations of "guests" at Gitmo. Add to this questionable taste the even more questionable judgment involved in presenting his own experience touring as a seasoned, well-connected, knowledgable traveler as that which any brazen, but woefully green, wayfarer might now expect to have after reading this book, and Wheeler's handy reference may be, by far, the most dangerous development to come of his global romps.
July 5, 2016
Tony Wheeler, the founder of Lonely Planet, took it upon himself to visit some of the world's scariest places, including the "Axis of Evil" (Iran, Iraq, and North Korea) and some of the countries with bad reputations due to isolationist policies in the past (such as Albania and Myanmar) or dictators (Libya and Cuba). He tried as much as possible to travel on his own, but was forced to join tour groups in North Korea and Libya. For the most part, he writes with an experienced traveler's honesty about what is odd because of being foreign to him and what is odd because of the country's less-known historical experiences (such as comments about Albania's strange towers built by its former dictator). He also does not try to hide some of his beliefs about fairness (such as some jabs at Saudi Arabia's veiling of women and restrictions on where women can go and what they can do). Overall, I think this was a fine read for getting a taste of what it is like to be a tourist in each of these places, although I picked it up because I really wanted to know more about North Korea than most western authors describe.
November 12, 2011
Bad Lands chronicles Wheeler's travels in the Axis of Evil and other countries with unfriendly governments. It's a fascinating insight into places few civilians from the US and its allies go, though the book suffers from trying to do too many things. It's part mini lesson in history for each of the featured countries, part travelogue, part highly subjective analysis of real conditions in places with a reputation as hellholes. I can't decide whether I wish the book had cut some countries in order to give more in depth attention to others or included some notably absent Bad Lands (like anywhere in subsaharan Africa).
Despite not quite managing to be all things to all readers, this book is an informative and entertaining read. Reading the chapter on Libya under Gaddafi was especially interesting in the days immediately after his fall from power and eventual death. Also, I now really want to visit Iran. (Luckily my list of places to visit is long enough that I can put that off in hopes they eventually get a less scary government.)
Despite not quite managing to be all things to all readers, this book is an informative and entertaining read. Reading the chapter on Libya under Gaddafi was especially interesting in the days immediately after his fall from power and eventual death. Also, I now really want to visit Iran. (Luckily my list of places to visit is long enough that I can put that off in hopes they eventually get a less scary government.)
February 16, 2015
A very interesting travel book about a man's journeys to countries where the regimes are infamous for oppression, terrorism, war, and other crimes against their citizens. I found it interesting to learn about the political histories of countries such as Myanmar, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, and Afghanistan. In addition, it was interesting to look at these places as tourist destinations, as they do have interesting, historical sites of interest to visit. However, their political troubles have overshadowed any desire for tourists to visit these countries. In addition, in the final chapter, it is interesting to read about countries that are not considered "Badlands," but have much in common with countries like Myanmar and North Korea in human rights violations, war mongering, etc...countries such as the US and France. Wheeler reminds us that it is easy to judge other countries, but that every country is susceptible to bad policies and their consequences.
February 4, 2017
Autor odwiedza miejsca odradzane przez biura podróży - objęte niedawnym konfliktem zbrojnym lub dyktaturą - Afganistan (w którym talibowie wyburzyli starożytne posągi Buddy), Albanię (z setkami mini-schronów), Arabię Saudyjską (kraj bogaczy sponsorujących działania terrorystyczne i zasłaniający kobiety rodzące przeciętnie 16 dzieci), Birmę (kraj, który uwięził własną noblistkę - Pokojowej Nagrody Nobla), Irak (gdzie Saddam Hussajn masakrował własnych obywateli), Iran (kraj z ciekawymi świata ludźmi, ale spętanymi dyktaturą), Koreę Północną (gdzie kult jednostki jest przeciągnięty do granic absurdu), Kubę (o ogromnych dysproporcjach pomiędzy turytami a tubylcami) i Libię (gdzie Kadafi marzył o zjednoczonej Afryce). Jest to częściowo przewodnik turystyczny, ale w istocie książka traktuje o tropieniu zła, które sprowadziły na dany kraj konkretne działania polityczne. Założyciel Lonely Planet stawia sobie za cel zrozumienie zwykłych ludzi i historii najnowszej danego państwa.
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