REVIEW: Quest for the Kasbah

I LOVE travel books.  Reading about places I’ve been or not yet been.  Even reading about places where I would never want to go.  Great travel stories make me smile,  laugh, and sometimes cry.  And they give me an appreciation for the wonderful world that I inhabit.

Recently, I was sent a copy of Quest for the Kasbah by Richard Bangs, a tie-in for his PBS series, Adventurers with Purpose.

What I know about Morocco comes from watching the movie Casablanca.  I mean, what in the heck is a Kasbah?

A Kasbah was a safe haven, a palace or fortress.  Morocco was a stopping point for travelers on the way to somewhere else, and they’d stop off at the kasbah to rest.  It was a place to exchange goods, get information, share ideas, and talk.  It wasn’t a place where travelers stayed, it was just for passing through.

Since Morocco is no longer just a way-station, but is a destination in itself, is there a modern day Kasbah? The answer to that question is part of the journey through this book.

An excerpt:

The ancient nomads of Morocco went from place to place – and they had to take a lot of stuff with them (including their livelihoods and families).  The emerging class of digital nomads also wander, but they take virtually nothing with them; wherever they go, they can easily reach people and information.  And the barriers to entry are falling.  You don’t have to be rich to be a nomad (I am evidence).  It is getting harder to find places that don’t have internet connectivity or cell service.  I’ve phoned home from the tops of mountains, while floating down deep-canyoned rivers, while sailing on the ocean, even from deep in the Libyan Desert.

Bangs is a marvelous storyteller, sharing all the details of his experiences in Morocco without ever talking down to his reader.  I felt like I was along for the journey, not listening to a lecture, which is the style of travel writing that I relate to best.  He shares the history, culture, and beauty of the country without candy-coating its flaws and shortcomings. 

Another excerpt, this one about Tangier:

Caid’s Bar, down a flight from the lobby, looks familiar, and as I belly up and order a Mahia, a fig cognac, the barkeep tells me why. . . it was the inspiration for Rick’s Cafe in Casablanca, he says.  It was Tangier, non Casablanca, which was the international zone during the war, and where the spies and expatriates mingled,.  This was the inspiration for the story, and where Victor Lazlo would have fetched his transit papers.

Bangs does what I think all the best travel writers do – he makes me want to visit the places that he’s writing about.  And yes, I want to go to Morocco.

Take a peek at the sight, sounds, and flavor of Morocco, and then check with your local television guide to see when it airs on your local PBS station.

Morocco anyone?

Book photo:  Courtesy of Open Road Publishing