So not so good

The Wonder Trail
by Steve Hely

Travel writing. I love reading it; I aspire to writing it. And this book made me think about it--

Why didn't I love this book?
 
And...if I didn't love this book, then what is the difference between books I adore and books I only tolerate, and how can I make sure my own writing falls into the 'adore' category?

There's no single answer. But in this case, I figured out my problem when I was nearing the end--he doesn't share the intense interest I have in the natural world. Human history is cool, but natural history is cooler, and a great travel book ought to have some of both.  He tries to include the history (human) of the places he visits but seldom any of the non-human history, and he writes best when describing the crazy and zany and fascinating people he meets.  And wow, does he meet a lot of those!

After writing that I went back to find a funny "crazy person" episode, and found this,

Strange and wonderful creatures are what you go to the Galapagos to see. Just in case, I'd brought two with me. My favorite thing about sailing around the Galapagos was hanging out with my friends Alan Tang and Amy Smozols.

He goes on to describe them, and yes, they are truly strange and wonderful. And I get the joke. But

On the Isla del Sol, in the middle of Lake Titicaca, not sure what else to do, I walked up and across the island as far as I could, up steep steps from the shore that're said to date back to the Incas, or even before. I walked past an old church that didn't look much used lately, and a few farms. On the trail, there were donkeys passing along without too much supervision, knowing and accepting,  it seemed, what they were there to do and what paths to follow. Only a few llamas in the walled fields, wooly, kept around for show maybe, or out of deep llama-fondness.

I sat, looked back across the lake. As otherworldly a place as I'd ever seen, but the beauty of it was a touch harsh, the landscape on the far mountains semi-bare, the few boats on the lake almost disappearing on the vastness of the surface.

Welp, I guess that's Lake Titicaca, I thought.

See what I mean? The impression I'm left with is "Welp, I guess that's about the best I'm going to get out of this. Wish I hadn't spent some much time hoping."