Book review: Blue List 2008

Published by Lonely Planet. Review by   Chris Ord. 

Lists are an editor’s ever-faithful lapdog; a guaranteed reader magnet, or so the given wisdom goes. And admit it: as a reader you’re bound to cop a peek at what they’ve rated as the best Carassius auratus of all time. Let’s face it, you WANT to disagree. That’s half the fun. I mean, c’mon, the Lionchu? That’s so not the best goldfish in the world. It’s a cross breed for chrissakes.

Anyway. Lists. Love ‘em or hate ‘em you’re surrounded by them: in newspapers, magazines and in books. Publishers have always been privy to the particular ability of an opinionated and purposefully debatable (or bollocks-full) list to set the cash register ringing, especially leading up to Christmas – a coincidence that an avalanche of listy-like books launches through Oct-Dec I think not.

Travel genre publishers especially rely on the allure of the list, noting not only every newspaper travel supplement ever produced but also the ubiquitous The Best This To See Before You Die / The Best That To See Before You Die and similarly long-winded but definitely proto-pumped-list titles that are now multiplying like a amoeba on an Indian street food vendor’s left hand.

There’s so many of the damn titles that you’d be dead before finishing the original (Unforgettable Places To See Before You Die by Steve Davey, www.stevedavey.com).

I’m holding out for The Best ‘The Best (…) Before You Die’ To Read Before You Die (stick with me) to be published. Just so I know which ones not to waste time on, err, before I die.

Maybe the best measure of credibility is to look at who’s behind the lists. An editor with a yesterday deadline and a trigger-quick finger peppering out G-O-O-G-L-E on the keyboard? Or is there some substance and research behind the decision-making process (yes Steve, you’re one of the well qualified ones).

In this respect, the Blue List 2008 carries kudos, published as it is by travel market pioneers Lonely Planet (a dollar for every time I’ve written that). Given the Wheelers sold out to the BBC recently (like that wasn’t on the cards for, oh, the last ten years), you are forgiven for thinking that the wandering soul of the Great God of All Itinerants may be lost. You’d be right, but lets face it, the true spice of all things nice and hippy slipped away gently around the time the company made its first couple of million.

Flipside though: sometimes they do turn out a cracker piece of travel porn and for my few quid, the latest Blue List gets me itching the passport like a man fresh out of an Istanbul hostel with suspect hygiene.

Presented in semi-coffee table book form, it has the feel of a magazine in many respects. That’s a good thing. There’s less of the short, stop-start-sputter throwaway paragraphs of most lists and more in-depth, get to know you over a shisha pipe type conversational articles, many with themes. Responsible themes even, noting the extended section on unveiling the veil (with all due respect) of Islam.

I can’t decide if the themed section on where to see endangered wildlife is irresponsible or not. Does it encourage a see it, love it, donate to the cause, pitch in and help result? Or a go there, cheers the last twenty tigers with a cocktail or ten in the eco-jungle lodge before throwing up in the toilet that sends sewerage back to the local forest in which the same tigers feed, but not for long result? Okay, that’s a drama queen approach, I admit.

This is not: I expect better of Lonely Planet – an organisation that prides itself on being independent and willing to engage in political issues to the point of choosing a side of the fence – when it comes to coverage of Bhutan (listed in the Go Countries section).

Should people travel there? Sure. Should the Blue List espouse its beauty, its culture, and its warmth of welcome? Sure. But it should also, at least in passing, make reference to the ongoing issue of 140,000 Bhutanese refugees kicked out of the country 16 years ago by the so-called benevolent King Wangchuk, famed for his social policy of considering Gross Domestic Happiness over and above Gross Domestic Product (see past coverage of the Bhutan issue here: www.thetravelrag.com/docs/10137.asp).

Gross Domestic Happiness my arse. Gross Domestic Ethic Cleansing more like it. If people are going to travel there – and they should – they should also be aware of the issues regarding the ruling monarchy’s violence toward, rape and expulsion of an ethnic minority. The Blue List seems happy to join the chorus of wilful ignorance by mass media that brushes all that under the carpet of a well-marketed Shangri-la image.

Ok, had my rant.

As an outgoing editor of a UK-based walking magazine, I do congratulate Tony Wheeler for his introduction in which he notes that “if travelling more sustainably is going to become an increasingly important part of our travel experience then walking is the best way to travel.” Hear! Hear!

Of course, he then goes on to describe his world travel itinerary which would have racked up more air miles and CO2 debits than you can shake a conference full of Kyoto bills at. Such is the contradictory nature of Lonely Planet in general. By huge measure a great and good outfit, but sometimes too big for it’s own good.

And the list itself? Pretty damn good actually. Up and comings are just that: places that aren’t exactly devoid of travellers, but possibly devoid of tourists. Nice. The Go list mirrors in large part my wish list…there were very few places on it not deserving and most were a little left of centre, even if not always off the beaten track. I would have liked to see Sao Tome in there. The inclusion of Papua New Guinea is a gem, the half island nation still rating as my numero uno travel destination ever.

Other lists include:
  • The Best of Cosmopolitan Africa: this one’s a little predictable.
  • Great River Trips: not so predictable – the Volga in Russia?! Narrowboating in England is an inspired choice, too.
  • Best Brews: c’mon, there’s better than Cascade in Australia, guys!
  • Countries on the Rise: Uruguay, yes! Nepal, welcome back. Zambia…old news, try Burkina Faso. Or Angola. Seriously, war’s over guys. Mostly.
  • Film Festivals: a little bland, Tropfest is so last century. Try Projectile, the anarchist film festival in Newcastle, UK www.projectile.org.uk.
  • Tropical Paradise: no complaints, this rocks.
  • Friendliest countries: I would have thrown in PNG.
  • Best value destination: Uruguay (included) absolutely, as is neighbour Argentina (left out). What about Bolivia (left out) and…New Zealand (and that’s coming from an Aussie!).
  • Explorers & Their Journeys: they went the obvious route here. Hard to blame them though. Vasco De Gama (India) did raise my cynically beaten brow however. Maybe Sir Wilfred Thesiger should have got a run, too? (www.thetravelrag.com/docs/travelstory.asp?article_id=10177)

And that’s not all of them. Try the Sleep Behind Bars list. Maybe Space Travel will knock you out of this world? Try the Travel for a Higher Cause list. It goes on. And on. Just like this review.

Yes, the Blue List certainly packs a punch and with some weight. But I won’t go into the rest of the lists…you have to have something to explore and enjoy without a guide, eh?

Overall, the book is spot on. Apart from my own Bhutanese beef, which is admittedly a personal one in many respects, all other content had me blissed-out like the girl on page 43 and drooling like the bear on page 153 (must have been a beefy photographer).

So unreservedly I say, buy it.

And for the record, everyone knows that the best Carassius auratus (goldfish) in the world is none other than the Ryukin. But then, what would I know, I’m just an editor with a deadline.