One fine morning on my breakfast table, I stumbled upon the book ‘My Journey to Los Angeles’ by R.P Bhattarai.
My mother told me that Prof. Govinda Raj Bhattarai suggested that the book would be a good read. And mom said that I should give it a read whenever I got the chance to.
At first, I was skeptical about it, wondering how fascinating a travelogue could be. Does it glue me to it? I was asking this question to myself.
I guess the author would be happy to know that he thrashed my disbelief to the ground and took me on an incredible adventure while I rested on my sofa.
The book is very different from what I usually read or prefer reading. I am used to reading books about life lessons and fantasies. I never pushed myself into the genre of travelogues, and now I started regretting it.
The first thing about the book that made me feel so good and warm was how all his brothers at the good stands of their respective fields of professionalism wrote forewords in the book. The support and appreciation from brothers to a brother made me smile.
Another thing that’ll stay within me forever is the title the author wrote in the preface, “Travel- And Why Not Write Something?.” What is better than being successful in taking your readers on an adventure through your stories without them have to lift their legs? Although you do have to raise them once in a while, or else you’ll get paresthesia because you won’t want to get up once you take this book into your hand.
One of the significant pros I found about this book would be how relatable it is. Although I never visited Los Angeles or the USA in particular, I could imagine myself being there and everywhere in the USA. I felt like I had been to all those places the author described in the book. I felt like I was traveling with the author himself, and I believe it is one of the significant accomplishments as a successful author to connect your readers to your book and yourself.
Other than that, what I loved about the book was how descriptive it was. The author manages to include everything from the travel time to costs, places to visit there, and about the people and the weather of every destination. He has described things in the book in an exciting manner. I feel prepared to visit the USA after reading the book. That is how interestingly insightful it was. Also, he portrayed the cultural difference between Nepal and the USA beautifully, whether it be about the sin city in Vegas or the incidents of him visiting the hospital too often. It helped me gain a perspective about western culture even more broadly. Also, what caught my interest about the book was how close he makes his readers feel.
He shares his personal experiences and difficulties in such a manner that a reader couldn’t just ignore the pleasure it gives by flipping the pages over indifferently. Anything, be it when Pratik fell sick or his wife, Gayatri was admitted to the hospital or the joy he felt when he saw his granddaughter after so long and much more. Every anecdote and memoir gives the readers a sense of belonging and connection to their own life experiences. He succeeded in making his readers feel at home.
The only con I found about this fantastic writing was how occupying it is once you start it. Every day, the first thing I did in the morning after freshening up was to pick this book up. In short, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that this book is the small USA in itself. I enjoyed this wonderfully constructed travelogue.
This book undoubtedly helped me discover and love a new genre of writing. It made me realize how wonderful it is to write down your travel experiences and share them with others. If you travel but do not write about it, the memories will fade out someday. If you write a book on your travel and visit of places like the author of ‘My Journey to Los Angeles‘, Mr. R. P. Bhattarai beautifully did in this case, you can save the joy and thrills of life for yourself and for the generations to come.
Reading this book, beyond doubt, you can travel places of the United States at the ease of your own time. But remember, without flying to America but by sitting with the comfort of your cozy couch, you can peek into the places in America with the sensations of all your five senses.
I would say ‘Thanks’ to Prof. Bhattarai for suggesting this book for me to read and to my lovely mom for bringing his message to me.
The writer, passionate about singing, sketching and writing, is an A Level graduate student from Kathmandu, Nepal.
Perfectly reviewed book dear Aashotosh congratulations to and to Yamm bhaai who got this published.