30: A Sense of Adventure and No Sense of Direction
by Mark Callaghan
Copyright: © 2008
$15.50 Paperback
208 Pages
ISBN: 9781409218197
There are two types of dreams: those so bizarre and imaginative, and so out of reach that we think of them as nothing more but dreams. These sleep stories can be a buffet for a writer. Then, there are those dreams that are within our grasp, but often we are too busy to consider reaching for them. Maybe we choose to write about them as well instead of actually attempting to achieve them. Not Mark Callaghan.
I recall with some clarity the moment I knew that I didn’t want to sit in an office and dream up inventive ways of wasting time until 5pm any longer.
And so begins a book about one man’s longing for adventure at a time in his life when he is weeks away from saying good-bye to his twenties and realizes he’s already punched too much time on the clock for someone else. So in 2005 while sitting on the toilet and playing video games on his cell phone, Mark has an epiphany. In celebration of his 30th birthday, he’ll travel the world and see 30 countries – one for each year of his life. After selling everything he can on Ebay and maxing his credit cards to fund the trip, Mark isn’t even on his first flight when he gets a call from his travel agent telling him his “around-the-world” ticket has been canceled. He’s able to book another flight, but things aren’t looking up for him so far. But that doesn’t stop him from grabbing Clive the backpack (Mark gives names to his inanimate belongings – there’s a cute 1/2 chapter that talks about this) and gets on a plane!
First stop – Estonia where Mark offers an in-depth look at hostel living – vying for the bottom bunk, living in communal quarters and meeting others, and “talking on the porcelain telephone” (the only toilet in the place, mind you.) In Sooma, Mark stays in a hut-like community center swarming with unattended children (Think Children of the Corn, he says) only to find out that he is the only one staying there. The entire place is empty.
Those bloodthirsty children have murdered all the other travelers. Possibly.
Since he’s the only guest for the night the receptionist informs him he should take a walk through the bog to occupy his day. It’s a 5km trail, but it is also 6km away. The receptionist offers to drive him out to the trail, but Mark will have to find his own way back. While on the trail, Mark remains leery of witches rumored to inhabit the bog and ends up crashing a party of croaking frogs while imitating Paul McCartney’s The Frog Chorus. He catches a ride back with a local Estonian who stops and picks him up. Not able to speak the language, Mark becomes really good at playing charades in order to communicate.
Mark’s off-the-wall commentary and quirky details are what make this type of book so much fun to read. We’ve all sat through Gramp’s vacation slides to the Rocky’s or a coworker’s photo albums from their honeymoon cruise, but nothing beats the minute details that stick out in our minds above all else like DJ Tomas, the Lithuanian bus driver taking accordion music requests on the way to Warsaw, or Mark’s bus trip to Auschwitz with a group of frat boys. Some of my favorites from the book were a toe nail clipping episode in a hostel in front of a scantily clad American girl, the train of terror, and some ‘massage, lady, boom-boom’ in Siem Reap.
Mark pushes you through each country quite quickly, often leaving out details when you might have wanted more of them, but he doesn’t bore you with philosophical self discoveries while out on the mountain tops. You know Mark’s purpose for the journey right from the start, so there are no hidden meanings to life to be uncovered in his travels although I’m sure he experienced plenty.
Ireland, Cambodia, Australia, New Zealand, Buenos Aries, Chile, Italy, Peru…this book is an “off the beaten path” non-touristy paradise. Sure, Mark saw the David statue in Florence just like everyone else, but he made it a point to experience much more than what anyone would find in their travel brochure. Unfortunately, the book does come to an abrupt ending where “normality and routine suddenly kick in.” Mark is back at work again and earning a paycheck. His stories of adventure are growing dust. BUT…the answer to the question, “Is there more to life than this?,” has been answered. Indeed there is.
And as Mark puts it, anything can happen.
I would have enjoyed pictures to accompany each country (Mark was nice enough to send me a few to include in this review). But overall this is a great book for anyone who ever received Dr. Seuss’s Oh, The Places You’ll Go as a graduation gift, for the would-be tourist, or simply for anyone stuck behind a desk all day and too busy dreaming about what they’d really like to do in life. It will motivate you to take chances and enjoy the journey along the way. One of the best, and most inspiring, books I’ve read all year!
New Comments