“Mars is a barren wasteland and I am completely alone here. I already knew that, of course. But there’s a difference between knowing it and really experiencing it.” -Mark Watney in The Martian by Andy Weir
Egyptian Desert as seen from a Nile cruise.
I remember the days before I had my Kindle. Stacks of books taking up space in my bags. I could easily go through 5-7 books per trip. And god help me if I had only brought a few in a series…and it finished on a cliffhanger! I remember many frustrating trips to local bookstores trying to find the next book in the series.
But now I have hundreds of possible reading options right at my fingertips! Prior to my trip to Egypt, I got everything ready. I was brining a Kindle E-Reader, a tablet, and my smartphone. Each was backed up, charged, removed old items, and filled with great new content. And it was great to be prepared…but I ended up getting hooked right off the bat on a single novel: The Martian by Andy Weir!
I had seen the movie right before leaving on my trip, and had enjoyed it immensely. (Then again, I always love Matt Damon movies!) I had heard that the book was more “sciencey” and that it was for people who liked seeing how things were figured out. That seemed right up my alley.
So prior to my trip on a whim I also added the book version. And started it on the airplane over. I fell in love with it instantly. I love Watney’s humor and perseverance. I loved all the great details and problems olving. But there wasn’t much time to read early in the trip, as the days in Egypt were long and tiring. It wasn’t until I got to Aswan that I had more time to read. And the scenery was perfect. While Watney was stranded in the red desert of Mars, I was flying over the desert towards Abu Simbel. I was watching the desert scenery move past while on a train and cruise ship. I could imagine myself at Mars with Watney.
View of the desert outside of Abu Simbel. Photo by E. Gibson
“All around me there was nothing but dust, rocks, and endless empty desert in all directions. The planet’s famous red color is from iron oxide coating everything. So it’s not just a desert. It’s a desert so old it’s literally rusting.”
Luxor desert outside the van window.
And when Watney talked about traveling in the small rover, I was traveling in a small van. When he talked about packing up his items, using them in different ways, I was doing that too. And when he lost contact with Earth, I was on the cruise ship with no WIFI. And with so few tourists at the sites in Egypt, I also felt a strange aloneness at certain sites. It was an interesting parallel to my own trip.
Walking alone in the desert near Saqqara.
But beyond the unique parallels to my trip, the book was so realistic that I kept having to remind myself that it wasn’t real, and that our space program wasn’t that advanced…yet. It definitely made me feel more support to NASA. The book & movie was inspiring, and I highly recommend it! And it will forever be linked to my memories of my Egypt trip!
Every other week Travel Thursday brings you travel tips and information on the amazing sights and activities the world has to offer.
I loved both the book and the movie too! The book a bit more so because so much more happens in it, and because you learn more about Watney — just how much he hates being in the river, for instance.
Really cool to have your memories linked that way. Looks like it was a really amazing trip!
Good Morning! I just finishes a book (OK, no big deal). It was the book MARS. Oh man, it was tough. I had to put it down and come back many times. There were many technical details which I love, but the book was a challenge. One of the issues is that the cast of characters is quite large. It important to wrap your head around that early on or it is easy to get lost. Perhaps a weakness in the writing was at times it seemed sparse on details to add context (time passage, events, outside conditions).
I must say that I enjoyed the people-story buried in the book.
To be honest, if this had not been a heart-felt Christmas gift, I would not have toughed it out.
I mention this because perhaps it is your cup of tea?
Happy Tuesday!
David