Robert Byron, the Penultimate Travel Writer, on Visiting Russia and Tibet in the early '30's.
His visit to Russia, perspicacious observer of customs, intelligent, entirely at odds with the revolution and the 5 year plan, rejecting all offers to tour the factories and means of production instead spending his time in the churches looking up the Icon Painters Roublev & Theophanes, studying Byzantine art, visiting the portrait "Our Lady of Vladimir", making his notes on architecture, the mood and disposition of the populace.
He's erudite, well educated, informed, the ideal travel writer.
Then, by Aeroplane to Iraq, which takes a week as they are forever stopping in Spain, Italy, Greece, Africa, Turkey - for lunch, to overnight, to visit and see the sights, take on petrol, pick up mail, much like a jaunty automobile trip, visiting all the furthest flung outposts of the Empire, stopping at abandoned forts and castles still populated with the dressed skeletons of the former inhabitants.
Once upon a time he was the norm, for an educated man of privilege, now he would be rarer than...well.
His descriptions, Darjeeling, the climb into Tibet, the oft-repeated instances of British Bad Behaviour and unfavourable reporting on their customs (culturally insensitive, and Byron after his own fashion continues the tradition) in Tibet had made them rather unwelcome visitors, and so he's travelling without the certainty that he'll be allowed in...
British Tourism hasn't changed much.
Comical but cruel descriptions of the locals, stooping to the scathing, his descriptive powers are unsurpassed, every course of every meal is detailed, his descriptions of the flora, fauna, customs, he epitomizes the British Nobleman Abroad, easy manners, privilege, his condescension towards the local people and custom.
It's a great read, and I while I frequently find I share his views (or means of expressing them) it also is a reminder to question my prejudices, again, it would be as interesting to read some of the local commentary made upon him. A much different travel writer than Alexandra David-Néel, who covered the same ground but in an entirely different fashion not even a decade before.