Their Heads Are Green And Their Hands Are Blue

Their Heads Are Green And Their Hands Are Blue (1963) is a collection of essays about travel by Paul Bowles. Bowles has a gift for telling observations about travel in places that weren't really meant for tourists, as well as exposing interesting aspects of the people who live in the obscure places he traveled. "Fish Traps and Private Business" is about his travels in Sri Lanka (Ceylon)--a place that he once had a residence. He does an overview of the culture and religion of North Africa (Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria). Travel in India is covered in "Notes Mailed at Nagercoil."  One of the more interesting pieces was his portrait of the average Moslem, who Bowles suggests is about to disappear in the near future, in "Mustapha and His Friends." There is another interesting portrait of a Moroccan character who Bowles brings to Turkey to help him navigate the country in "A Man Must Not Be Very Moslem." Bowles was also a composer and while living in Morocco, Bowles tried to record and preserve the folk music of the region. In "The Rif, to Music" he recounts his time traveling around the region trying to capture music. Bowles celebrates the solitude of the desert in the "baptism Of Solitude." "All Parrots Speak" reveals Bowles appreciation of parrots as pets. The final essay, "The Route to Tassemsit," is another record of his attempts to preserve the local folk music. All in all, it is a very enlightening and entertaining collection of essays about places I would like to travel to, but not in the rustic manner Bowles did.