The silence of the Sahara, temperatures exceeding 70º on the ground, ancestral customs, and the intrusive sand in every corner of your body. Paul Bowles, like a modern Marco Polo, took the trouble to suffer in distant, alien, and wild lands, enduring all that leaving one's comforts might imply for an American. If we think that adventure is a voyage on the high seas with all the storms, venturing deep into the jungle at the mercy of its rhythm, or flying, consider traveling through the desert and interfering in customs, rituals, and a way of life completely different from what we know as a great option.

In a large part of his book (called "Green Heads, Blue Hands" in Spanish), he narrates his years in Morocco, where, through a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, he dedicates himself to mimicking among North Africa to record local music and rituals, going through a series of inconveniences, each one more difficult than the previous one, and wisely learning from the customs of the natives.

The narrative and descriptive skills of Bowles are the true protagonists of this book that fills us with freshness with his diaries, sometimes even feeling the odors that torment him and deciphering the reasons why we are such different cultures on this small planet.

As he points out in his Introduction, we are so confused with each other that we consider strange or jumbilis all those who do not conform to our identity... But there is also the possibility that we are the strange ones for them.

Perhaps I will never take a trip to the desert, but if I do, I will try to have my eyes as open as this unusual traveler to dissect the taste for such a trip. The chapter on the parrots is phenomenal.

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Bowles, as an expatriate musicologist, holds a distinct perspective. He truly endeavors to understand the people in the places where he resides and travels. However, he also appears rather odd and isolated from both the Western and Eastern individuals he encounters.

His stance is that the (primarily) Saharan countries he deliberates upon are being marred by their intellectual elements who wish to embrace Western ideals at the cost of shattering their native cultures.

Yet, it is not until the final essays - encompassing a contemplation on solitude and silence in the Sahara, a comical discourse on parrots, and a rousing portrayal of a music and dance performance - that one truly gets a clear sense of all that he enjoys about Morocco, Algeria, and the like.

The quoted passage poses the question: "Why go?" The response is that once a man has been there and endured the baptism of solitude, he has no choice. Once he has been under the spell of the vast, luminous, silent country, no other place holds sufficient allure for him....

I would be extremely intrigued to read about the region today, over 60 years later. Any suggestions?

In what could just as easily be titled "Scenes in Morocco and Other Locations", Bowles skillfully achieves the three main aspects of truly outstanding travel writing. Firstly, there are the interesting people he encounters. Their unique personalities and stories add depth and color to the narrative. Secondly, the fascinating places he visits are vividly described, allowing the reader to almost step into those locations. Whether it's the bustling markets of Morocco or the quiet corners of other destinations, Bowles brings them to life. Finally, the smoothly flowing narrative structure holds it all together. The story unfolds seamlessly, drawing the reader in and keeping them engaged from start to finish. Bowles manages to accomplish all of this in this small collection, and it has left me eager to explore more of his writing when I have the opportunity. I'm certain that there are many more精彩的 travel tales waiting for me to discover in his works.

This book is truly such a captivating read that it has had a profound impact on me.

In fact, within just two days, I was so engrossed in it that I missed my tram stop not once, but twice.

The unique style and atmosphere that Paul Bowles manages to convey throughout the story are simply unparalleled.

His writing has this magical quality that draws the reader in and makes it impossible to put the book down.

With every turn of the page, I find myself being transported to another world, completely immersed in the characters and their experiences.

It's as if I am living through their joys, sorrows, and adventures right along with them.

Paul Bowles has truly mastered the art of storytelling, and this book is a testament to his incredible talent.

I can't wait to see what other masterpieces he has in store for us.

I truly adored this. It was extremely charming.

It provided a wonderful and vivid sense of what Morocco was like during the 1950s and 1960s.

The description was so detailed that it felt as if I was transported back in time to that era.

I could almost envision the bustling markets, the colorful architecture, and the unique culture that was prevalent during those years.

The author did an excellent job of painting a picture in my mind, making me feel as if I was experiencing Morocco firsthand.

It was a truly captivating and engaging read that left me with a deep appreciation for the history and beauty of Morocco.

I would highly recommend this to anyone who has an interest in learning about different cultures and time periods.

It is a must-read for those who want to gain a better understanding of what life was like in Morocco during the 1950s and 1960s.

Overall, it was a remarkable piece that left a lasting impression on me.

Bowles has a totally different side that I absolutely loved. It's like uncovering a hidden gem. This aspect of Bowles展现出了一个全新的魅力世界。 It might be a personality trait that was previously unknown or a talent that has been kept under wraps.

Whatever it is, it has completely changed my perception of him. Instead of the familiar image I had in my mind, this new side of Bowles is exciting and refreshing.

It makes me want to explore more and discover what else lies within this complex individual. Maybe there are more surprises waiting to be revealed, and I can't wait to see what they are.

Loving this different side of Bowles has opened my eyes to the fact that people are full of unexpected qualities, and it's always worth taking the time to get to know them on a deeper level.

This book is truly incredible.

For what seemed like an eternity, I remained seated in the patio, completely engrossed in listening to the cacophony of sounds from the bustling city outside. At times, I would catch the faint strains of music that tantalized my ears, making me yearn with all my heart to hear it more clearly.

I watched, entranced, as the square of deep-blue sky above my head gradually transformed into a softer and lighter shade of blue with the approach of twilight. It was a magical sight that filled me with a sense of peace and wonder.

As the day finally drew to a close and the muezzins began their calls to evening prayer, I eagerly awaited the swallows that would wheel and dive above the patio. Their graceful movements added a touch of beauty and life to the otherwise still scene.

In that moment, I simply existed, lost in a state of anticipation, hoping against hope that someone would come and something wonderful would happen before too many hours had elapsed.

This passage from the book painted such a vivid and captivating picture in my mind that I couldn't help but be drawn into the author's world.

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of eight travel essays.

The essays took me on a journey from Morocco to Sri Lanka, presenting a plethora of unexpected observations about people.

What was truly remarkable was that these observations seemed to apply not only to the specific individuals the author was writing about but also had a broader universal appeal.

My interest in this author was initially piqued after seeing the film The Sheltering Sky.

Once I started reading these essays, I knew I wanted to explore more of this author's work.

In fact, now I find myself with a strong desire to read everything I can get my hands on by this talented writer.

The vivid descriptions, the keen insights, and the engaging storytelling in these essays have left a lasting impression on me, and I look forward to delving deeper into the author's literary world.

The sky holds a significant position as a reference point in Paul Bowles' writing, as vividly depicted in the stories within "Their Heads are Green and Their Hands are Blue".

One such story is 'Baptism of Solitude', where it is described that "Immediately when you arrive in the Sahara, for the first or the tenth time, you notice the stillness". And then there is the sky, in comparison to which all other skies seem lackluster. Solid and luminous, it always serves as the focal point of the landscape.

In another story, 'Africa Minor', Bowles writes about a fourteen-hour truck ride from Kerzaz to Adrar. He states that "In North Africa, the earth becomes the less important part of the landscape because you find yourself constantly raising your eyes to look at the sky. In the arid landscape, the sky is the ultimate arbiter. When you have grasped this, not merely intellectually but emotionally, you have also understood why it is that the great trinity of monotheistic religions - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - which shifted the source of power from the earth itself to the spaces outside the earth - were developed in desert regions."

Overall, Bowles' descriptions of the sky in these stories offer a profound exploration of the relationship between humans and the natural world, as well as the influence of the environment on religious and spiritual beliefs.

\\"Every time I go to a place I have not seen before, I hope it will be as different as possible from the places I already know.\\" This sentiment, which I share, kicks off Paul Bowles' collection of travel essays. I often complain about the sameness of 21st century American cities (UGH I'm so sick of micro greens and chicken on a ciabatta roll). However, I doubt I could survive in Paul's world. He lived as a perpetual expat for decades, collecting North African music for the Library of Congress, reporting on fishing in Ceylon, and encountering numerous parrots along the way.

He employs personal interactions to drive the narrative of diversity and adventure. From the foreword:
\\"If people and their manner of living were alike everywhere, there would not be much point in moving from one place to another. With few exceptions, landscape alone is of insufficient interest to warrant the effort it takes to see it. Even the works of man, unless they are being used in his daily living, have a way of losing their meaning, and take on the qualities of decoration. What makes Istanbul worth while to the outsider is not the presence of the mosques and the covered souks, but the fact that they still function as such. If the people of India did not have their remarkable awareness of the importance of spiritual discipline, it would be an overwhelmingly depressing country to visit, notwithstanding its architectural wonders. And North Africa without its tribes, inhabited by, let us say, the Swiss, would be merely a rather more barren California.\\"

He made his trips on the cusp of globalism, often before consistent electricity or comfortable amenities reached these distant lands. Thus, I trust his authority in painting an accurate picture of the challenges of finding suitable lodging, navigating an unfriendly culture, or negotiating to find a particularly rare musical instrument (whose recording I can't locate online). He's a talented writer, capable of weaving a complex image of the give-and-take between a man and wife in Moslem life. The resentment and violence inherent in such an exchange may shock us, but he presents it as almost a cultural necessity, an arms race of sneaking and gossip among women and simmering upset in men, played out as a game time and again. Many of these transactions are described as games, which might be an accurate portrayal of a foreign culture: you learn the rules, which bypass our rigid Western logic.

It's a captivating portrait, although I don't desire to visit the depths of the Sahara (\\"Then there is the sky, compared to which all other skies seem faint-hearted efforts\\") and sleep next to a latrine as he did. Of course, that may not be an option anymore. I suspect that many of the places he describes no longer exist, or would be unrecognizable to a reincarnated Paul Bowles. But I'm glad to have this one account of these exotic locales.

\\"Today's paper announced an outbreak of bubonic plague in Bellary. I keep thinking about it, and I wonder if the almost certain eventual victory over such diseases will prove to have been worth its price: the extinction of the beliefs and rituals which gave a satisfactory meaning to the period of consciousness that goes between birth and death. I doubt it. Security is a false god; begin making sacrifices to it and you are lost.\\"

Part travelogue, part memoir, part anthropological study, this book offers a diverse and engaging exploration. The majority of the text delves into Bowles's experiences in Northern Africa, painting a vivid picture of the region's culture, landscapes, and people.

A couple of essays focus on his travels to India and Sri Lanka (referred to as Ceylon at that time), providing unique insights into these distant lands.

One of the final essays is a charming account of the various parrots, parakeets, and other birds he has lived with. Bowles emphasizes that one never truly "owns" a parrot; instead, they are like cats, allowing us the privilege of sharing in their glory.

Overall, this book is a captivating blend of personal experiences, cultural observations, and a love for the natural world.