One of the things I enjoy most in Australia are the libraries. During my first trip to Melbourne, I went through more than two dozen volumes of mangas. On my recent trip I stocked up on travel books instead.

They had a great selection of travel books, the Footscray Library. Though I looked for familiar names like Moore, Bryson and Mayle, I also picked a couple of books from authors I haven’t encountered yet, but had a catchy title.

Here are some snippets from my favorite travel books I read while in Australia.

Too Much Tuscan Sun by Dario Castagno

Today I am astonished to recall how innocently and naturally we did these things, but at the same time we felt that all Chianti was a bit ours. Indeed, it was this sense of proprietorship that kept us from anything as malicious as vandalism.

It’s easy - and perhaps natural - to make such generalizations. Who hasn’t, while traveling, made the mistake of judging an entire nation based on the behavior of a few individual citizens?

Round Ireland with a Fridge by Tony Hawks

I was reminded of something Nigel Walker had said: “There are two words I don’t want to find myself uttering as an old man, and they are “If only…” If only. We all have our ‘if onlys.’ If only I’d studied harder, if only I’d stuck with those piano lessons, if only I’d spoken to that girl at the bus stop, if only I’d remembered Alison Wilcox’s name in the morning.

Apart from the particularly crude joke which now adorned the fridge door, one other message caught my eye. On the back, just below ‘Stay Cool!! Luv Chris and Jean,’ it read, ‘Life is a mystery to be lived, not a problem to be solved.’

I had learned not to worry;to make my choice and allow things to happen. For most part they turned out to be good, and when they weren’t - like the night from hell in a hostel - then they were character building. There weren’t any wrong or right paths to choose, just different ones, and where they led was governed by the attitude adopted towards them.

Encore Provence by Peter Mayle

“Tourists, of course, are always other people; never us. We are different. We are travellers - intelligent, well-mannered and cultured, a blessing on our chosen destinations, a delight to have around. It’s a common attitude, and one that I have always found condescending and offensive, as well as inaccurate. If you travel away from home for pleasure, you’re a tourist, no matter how you like to dress it up.

Vroom by the sea by Peter Moore

I found an English translation of the first ‘Apple’ ad in a book Filippo had called “The Cult of Vespa.” It was written by Gilberto Filippetti and rather more poetic than the ads we’re used to today. It described how the ‘apple’ could be eaten alone or in company, at sunset, on the rocks or with your hard streaming in the wind. Just bite the apple, it said, rev up your Vespa and leave all those people devoid of imagination behind you.

There is a scene in the movie Il Postino, filmed on Salina, the island I’d visit next, where the young postman asks Don Pablo, the famous poet, how to become a poet. Don Pablo tells him ‘walk slowly along the shore as far as the bay and look around you.’ Nature would reveal the poetry. And the poetry would reveal what was important in life.

If you’re looking for a new travel book to read, why not try books by these four authors? They really are good.

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When you travel, you try to take in as much as you can in the limited time you’d be in one place. You’ll try to visit all the attractions listed in your guidebook, dine at all the restaurants friends and acquaintances recommend and buy all the native trinkets you can find.

We try to cram everything in a day or three, because we don’t want to miss anything. After all, who know when you’ll be back in that place again?

Unfortunately, there are times when you’ll miss something — a concert of your favorite artist, performing just before you arrived; a festival that wouldn’t start until after you’ve left; or in my case, missing the chance to see Marcus Schenkenberg in person

That’s why this time, I made sure I know what’s happening in Melbourne, and I take careful notes to the events I want to join. I purposely gave the Melbourne Cup a miss because even though it’s the biggest event here, I find that I’m not really interested in it (the Flemington Racecourse is just 10 minutes away, whereas I flew 800 kilometers for the Mardi Gras). One thing I didn’t pass on was the chance to attend the WordCamp Melbourne, and a chance to meet my favorite travel writer, Peter Moore.

Initially, I planned on attending the formal launching of his latest book, Vroom by the Sea, but schedule conflicts meant I’d have to stay home that night. Luckily, Peter invited his readers to join him for drinks at the Espy, along with fellow travel writer, Brian Thacker.

I was actually hesitant to go at first, fearing that I’d feel ill at ease, but Peter and Brian were a couple of really nice guys. They both have travelled to the Philippines, and I am so ashamed to admit that they’ve travelled to more places around Luzon and the Visayas than I have. I was glad that I went to the Espy instead of the book launch, because it was more informal and I was able to chat with my favorite travel writer.

I remember my friends lining up, just so Neil Gaiman can sign their books last year. This year, Anna found out that he’s coming back, but the book signing this time would be at Subic, and it would only be limited to a hundred or something. And me? I just went for a chat over drinks and steak burger. Now, don’t you wish more author-reader interactions are like this?

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I’ve been seeing Kinder Bueno chocolate bars in Manila, but never the Kinder Surprise. So when I read Peter Moore’s Vroom with a View, where he went through several Kinder Surprises to get the elusive green Vespa, the first question that came to my mind was, where can I get one?

I chanced upon a stack of Kinder Surprises inside a milkbar in Lancefield.

Picking up one, I made a silent prayer that inside is a little green Vespa.

It wasn’t. It was a green airplane, which is fitting I think, given my near-obsessive fascination over the Airbus A380 lately.

Of course, thinking of Kinder Surprises and green Vespas made me think of Peter Moore so I headed on to his website to see what he’s up to lately. Great timing, I should say, as he’s scheduled to launch his latest book, Vroom by the Sea on the 21st of Novembe here in Melbourne. I may have missed The Cat Empire in Australia yet again, but I’m not letting this one pass. Hopefully, I can figure out how find that bookstore before the launch…

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If you’ve been reading this blog long enough, you’d know that I am a bit of a shopaholic and a sucker for bargains. My recent addiction though, are travel books.

Now, I love to read. I love books. However, I’m not as fond about buying them. For one thing, I am not the most careful book owner. Secondly, I go through phases where I’d go crazy over one author, buy or borrow all his/her books and read nothing but their work for months. That’s why I hesitate to buy books that goes beyond a certain price.

My first travel book (apart from guide books) was Vroom with a View by Peter Moore. I found it at this record store in Yarraville that has a table with a bunch of brand new books at discounted prices. My second find was my first Bill Bryson book, Down Under. It was in good condition, though it was second hand. A pretty good find for a hardbound book at AU$3.99. From then on, I was always on the lookout for familiar names, hoping to get another good find. I did found another Peter Moore, The Full Montezuma. It was well worn, to say the least, but at only AU$0.50, I’m not complaining. I was also able to find Come Fly with Me, a collection of travel stories from around the world, edited by Sarah MacDonald.

During my stopover in Singapore, I fully intented to just stock up on Pinkies and Mangas. In my quest to get to my goal, I managed to stumble upon a couple of stores selling second hand books. Aside from a must-visit place for toy collectors, China Square Central also have a weekend bazaar where independent sellers can rent a booth to sell their goods. Apart from the toys, the clothes and accessories, there are also stalls that sell second hand books. It was in one of the hobby stores though where I found Holy Cow! by Sarah MacDonald, a book about her adventures in India, for only SG$10.

While hunting down the last couple of volumes to complete my Ouran High Host Club loot, I went to the biggest (?) Popular bookstore in Singapore; the one in the Bras Basah Complex. It turns out that this place is also home to more than a couple second hand bookstores. It started raining heavily while I was browsing inside Popular, and it still haven’t let up after I paid for my books. To pass up the time, I browsed through the other stores and found By the Seat of My Pants: Humorous Tales Of Travel And Misadventure from Lonely Planet for only SG$9.90.

Unfortunately, Manila bookstores have very limited selection of travel books. Not only that, they’re past the price I’m willing to pay. Last week though, while waiting for the Shroud of Turin tour to start, I felt something calling out to me, the same feeling I get when I know I’m going to find something good inside trift shops. True enough I chanced upon Frances Maye’s Under the Tuscan Sun AND Bill Bryson’s Notes from a Small Island. Save for a crease or two, both books are in pretty good condition. And the price? Php110 (approximately US$2.40). Not bad, eh?

Booksale at the Mall of Asia probably has the best selection of books. I’m a frequent browser at their SM North Edsa branch and occasionally at Megamall, but this has to be the first time I saw these authors inside their store. They have a great variety of titles, and the best condition of second hand books. Oh, and they also have a number of smutty books for only Php45. *koff koff*

Starting your travel book library doesn’t have to be expensive. If you know where to look, the authors to look for, and with a little bit of luck, you will be starting your collection in no time!

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I’ve always wanted to say that. But this one isn’t from MTV, it’s from LakbayPilipinas.com.

Inside, Ms. Zafra has written:
“You’re acceptable to Melo,
so you’re acceptable to me.”

How sweet.

I haven’t finished reading it yet, but I’m liking the three pages I’ve read so far. The book starts in Indonesia in 1996. I guess what made it appeal so much for me is that it takes me back to the first time I traveled overseas: to Jakarta in 1995. Ah, memories of dangdut, bajaj and kreteks.

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