The Hobo Traveller Leaves Iraq

I've been following the Hobo Traveller's blog for about two weeks now. He's a near-professional traveller from Indiana who was in the first wave of private visitors to the new Iraq. He's now wrapped up his month-long journey through that country. I strongly recommend reading his archives for the entire period. Fair warning, however: they're very exhaustive, and there are hundreds of photographs.

His style is very Daoist - a very spare writing-style, strongly influenced by the Basic English he seems to get along with in his travels. He doesn't seem to be a big advocate of learning local languages - he's quite stern on the subject, and argues that people with less than a hundred words in the local language are more likely to get themselves in a pile of trouble than talk their way out.

He's a strange blend of judgment and neutrality - he insists on not feeling superior or inferior, and tries not to mis-represent himself as being other than an American. On the other hand, he can get quite heated about local bigotries, and isn't inclined to excuse much, either.

Strongly, strongly recommended.