The Size of the World

Greenwald (Shopping for Buddhas) has produced a travel book like no other. While few will be tempted to follow in his frustrating paths to outposts of civilization, his tale of the journey is an armchair delight for its originality, humor and striking prose. In late 1993, Greenwald sets out on the eve of his 40th birthday to circle the globe without resort to airplanes--a pilgrimage to retrieve his lost sense of the real size and nature of the world. Ambivalent about traveling alone, he persuades Sally, a former lover, to accompany him. Sally, whose real interest is spiritual self-realization, leaves him in Athens to join her guru in India. Greenwald aims to reach Nepal in time to join a trek to the Buddhist holy mountain of Mt. Kailas. Among his talents is the knack for instant intimacy with strangers, which can turn a reluctantly granted five minutes with Paul Bowles in Morocco into a warm fellowship spanning three days. Funny and engaging, this is one-of-a-kind travel literature. (Oct.)