Lucy Knisley’s Latest Travelogue Takes Us To Tanzania And Back Again
The full, 60-page ebook, however, offers a fuller story, about her further travels in Tanzania as well as the strange nature of press travel trips. Knisley lets us in on a little inside baseball, including the strangeness of reviewing a trip that's paid for by the travel company. She also confesses her fear of snakes (alluded to in the Saveur excerpt), takes us to a series of increasingly gorgeous lodgings and revels in the local history and culture. And there are tons of amazing, I-want-to-go-there experiences on tap, from horseback safaris to visits to a spice plantation. Lest we be too swept away by the romance of it all, the trip is bookended by two long sets of flights between Tanzania and New York City.
Tanzania Travelogue isn't as tightly meditative of Knisley's essays, though there are quieter, reflective moments. What comes through on every page (even the jet-lagged ones) is an unabashed joy in visiting a new place, the thrill of new experiences, and the comforts of friendly people and delicious food. If the touring company was looking for an advertisement for Tanzania tourism, I'm not sure they could have done better than Knisley's comics.
Did I mention there are lions?
Knisley's complete Tanzania Travelogue is available from Lulu.