Experimental Blog # 201

Comments on "On a Shoestring to Coorg" - An Experience of Southern India and "Wheels Within Wheels" by Dervla Murphy

"On a Shoestring to Coorg" - An Experience of Southern India is Dervla Murphy's 5th book, and it was published in 1976. The author is traveling, for the first time outside of Europe in 5 years, she says; and she is traveling with her daughter Rachel. Their trip lasted from November of 1973 to March of 1974.
Dervla Murphy's many detailed and vivid descriptions of everything about this journey in southern India, including many histories, are far too numerous to try to relate.
It appears that the author had her 42nd birthday at the beginning of this trip, in November. Very soon Rachel, too, had her birthday, in December. Rachel became 5 years old! Throughout their journey Rachel demonstrated that, like her mother, she was born to be very strong, mentally, as well as physically.

"Wheels Within Wheels" was published in 1979 and was Dervla Murphy's 8th book. The book is the story of the author's life from the beginning right up to the death of her father at 60 years of age in February of 1961, soon followed by the death of her mother, probably at 55 years of age, in August of 1962; and then comes the publication of her first book, "Full Tilt - Ireland to India With a Bicycle", in 1964.
"Wheels Within Wheels" is filled with unexpected events and narratives of all kinds. The result could hardly be more thought provoking.
At about 47 years of age Dervla Murphy was not yet half way through her life of extra arduous travel and travel writing.