Vanishing Tales from Ancient Trails

by James Dorsey

Adventure traveler James Dorsey takes readers around the world to not only explore ancient trails, but to help immerse readers in the old traditions of lands that seem to be disappearing in the modern world. This book of short stories takes readers on a descriptive journey through parts of Asia, Africa and South America. "James Dorsey is no ordinary travel writer. In this remarkable book, ranging from Southeast Asia to West Africa, he takes us inside tribal cultures that many readers will be surprised to learn still exist. The author's sincere fascination with remote lands and the ancient practices of their inhabitants often makes him as much participant as observer. That a 21st-century man could yet invoke the spirit of a Stanley or a Shackleton makes "Vanishing Tales from Ancient Trails" all the more a must-read." - Dick Russell, author of "Eye of the Epic Passage from Baja to Siberia."

Kindle Edition

First published August 15, 2014

About the author

This is the disambiguation profile for otherwise unseparated authors publishing as James Dorsey

See also:
James Owen Dorsey
James Michael Dorsey
James E. Dorsey
James M. Dorsey
James Dorsey, Japanese specialist.

Reviews

[Tripfiction · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amuse Bouches of Travel writing..

South East Asia, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Timbuktu, Africa, Cairo, Peru, Greece, Grand Bahama (and yes, Ernest Hemingway does get a brief look-in) and more.....

"For me, travel is a way to learn and experience. Ultimately I was drawn to leave the beaten path in search of truly different ways of life".

James Dorsey is a dedicated traveller who has 44 countries under his belt at the time of writing. He is someone who knows what it is to travel. He knows how to get under the skin of a country and get close to the variety of cultures and people that exist around our wonderful globe.

Short and peppy chapters are devoted to each locale that he has chosen to visit, and his stories are as varied in experience and storyline as the earth has colours beneath his feet. The black and white photos show him, his companions and the people he meets in a variety of poses and traditional costume, fabulous faces that express lives lived, terrains that are taxing, and exoticism that is beyond the reach of many.

It is hard to convey the full range of experience that Dorsey assembles in his book, so I have cherry picked just a few of the places he visited that appealed to me.

He travels the Mekong to Cambodia and sets about exploring Beng Melea which is only 65km East of Siem Reap. It is the 'ancient soul of Cambodia', temple ruins fighting for survival against the tendrils of the jungle. A quiet and dignified site that contrasts with the neon brashness that now colours Angkor Wat. He later meets Akira who was orphaned and then trained by the Khmer Rouge to lay land mines - today, they are still a huge issue and Akira now works in the jungle finding them and then detonating these 'perfect soldiers' Pol Pot's epithet for these killing machines.

Moving on to China he is faced with an array of dietary challenges from baked baby sparrow to boiled rabbit embryo, as well as the stunning sites of the Terracotta Army and the Three Gorges Dam. Poverty, Buddhism and class issues all come into his orbit and he approaches the people and cultures he meets with sensitivity and insight. This continues as he moves on to Africa. Here is voice changes in that there is more depth and history and a fullness in prose. The immutable Saharan landscape rolls along as Dorsey travels in the company of the Tuaregs and encounters Whirling Dervishes, journeying on to Timbuktu.

As the author says nothing, could be as "far away as Timbuktu". He ponders the derivation of the name, whether it means woman with a big navel or a big lump (take your pick), or whether it simply means a depression between sand dunes. Today it is a 'low, brown city, mostly hidden under a layer of sand. But that is a disservice to the color brown. It is a brown filtered through blowing sand and baked by a relentless sun. It is a brown full of mountain purple and sunset yellow.' From this brief sentence the reader can glean how lyrical some of the author's prose can be.

The chapters are full of encounters and observations, whether he is musing about the camel, who can drink 100 gallons of water in 10 minutes; or exploring the lives of the Maasai warriors, and how they might tackle the killing of a lion; meeting a pigeon fancier in Cairo and smoking khat in Ethiopia; recounting the role of the guinea pig in Peru, whether it is a tasty dish to eat or used to diagnose illness (yes really).

He truly does espouse the idea that "Travel does not always begin with the boarding of an airplane, but rather at the moment one opens the mind to new possibilities". This comes through very strongly in his writing and this book is a whistlestop tour around the world, that will inspire and challenge. And if this book takes you to places you could not, or would not go, then, in the author's eyes, it is a success. Which indeed it is.

The multiple locations brought together do offer a multifaceted overview, but as the book draws to the end, the choice of locale begins to feel a little random. Consolidation and focus on the main areas of Asia and Africa, which apparently are the author's principle interest areas, might have felt more cohesive, as the section 'Tales from Elsewhere' featuring Peru, Grand Bahama, Greece and Russia feels like a bit of a tag on.

This review first appeared on the TripFiction blog: http://www.tripfiction.com/james-dorsey/

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m glad Mr. Dorsey made these treks to places I would never go. From Timbuktu to the jungles of Peru, into the dark heart of Africa he makes friends and is embraced by primitive tribes. He writes with compassion and partakes of ceremonies and entertains beliefs alien to his own, or what moderns might find acceptable. I especially enjoyed his tale of smoking from a pipe handed to him by a woman in the Amazon and being transported into an altered state for a day or two. He is experimental, not judgmental, and sincerely wants to be accepted by the primitive tribes he seeks out and respects their wisdom. I was awfully frightened for him when he kayaked solo among a pod of Orca engaged in a feeding frenzy with him in the middle ducking salmon trying to escape their net. I enjoyed the images included in the telling that brought even more authenticity to his tales. This is armchair travel at its best. Informative, entertaining and well-written with a keen appreciation for those he is writing about.
Lost Angel Walkabout: One Traveler's Tales

[Robert Williscroft · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Dorsey comes across as a kindly grandfather who has spent a bit too much time at the dinner table. If you buy into this, however, you will be sadly mistaken. James is no ordinary man. He worked his way into several little known African tribes with a reputation for murderous intent toward outsiders – but James befriended them, spent quality time with them, stayed with them, and now shares his stories with the world. But it’s not just Africa, it’s South America and Asia as well. Think “Stanley.”

BTW – as I write this, James is arriving in Myanmar for his next venture. In the meantime do yourself a favor and read his latest book.

[Hannah McKelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated the variety of the author's recollections, but found certain parts to be half baked and the writing style itself lack luster. Merely travelling to exotic destinations does not make you a writer. I will, however, say that the heart of the stories, particularly the ones taking place in Africa, and the story about the female monk, was there, and therefore made the entire piece enjoyable to read.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interspersed with moments of sheer beauty, but all of it interesting adventure.