Dark Tourism & Mummies – and more book work

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Hello Subscribers!

I continue to be extremely busy with the editing of my book, and for that reason, again, only one new blog post went up this week, yesterday to be precise, and it again partly utilized material I could retrieve from my archives. It also had a few new bits, though, not least about Brno, featuring the photo reproduced here. This was taken at the fabled Capuchin Crypt of Brno, famous for the naturally semi-mummified bodies of deceased monks that you can see there. This one with the hood I found especially spooky-looking ...

As for the book work: I’m basically back to 60-70 hours working weeks (weekends included); which reminds me a bit of what it was like when I started as a university lecturer in Bradford, England, back in my previous life. Although the nature of the work now is of course totally different. Despite the effort it requires, though, it’s coming along nicely and the end result will look very cool indeed. You just have to be patient.

One interesting new aspect related to the production of the book has just been brought to my attention: originally the book was to be printed in China, but the publishers were forced to change plans – because of Chinese censorship! The Chinese “GAPP” checks every book that enters the country, even if it’s just to be printed there but not even published in China. Apparently they have become much tighter in their censorship grip in recent years. And as my book contains a few chapters about Taiwan, and one about Tiananmen Square and the massacre of 1989, they would reject it. So the book will be printed in Europe instead. (And I must say, I’m actually happy that it now won’t say “printed in China” in it!)

This level of reality manipulation and suppression of free expression, coupled with all the censorship, repression and comprehensive surveillance within China itself, has taken on truly scary proportions (far beyond the worst Orwellian nightmares we may have had in the past; 1984 is child’s play compared to what China is doing these days).

That’s also the reason I would no longer consider ever travelling to China again, even though there’d be many good reasons in terms of DT (Nanjing, the Three Gorges Dam, all those Mao sites; and then all that fabulous scenery and the cuisine …). But I just wouldn’t feel safe there any more – what if they also checked my website and found the critical things I had to say about the country there? I just wouldn’t want to risk it.

Not that much travel is possible right now anyway, certainly as far as exotic Asian destinations are concerned. And with rising infection numbers indicating that the feared ‘second wave’ is already upon us, not least here in Vienna, any ideas about travelling would have to be put on ice again. I’m glad I did at least go on those three short trips in August (Brno, Venice, Switzerland) while it was more or less safely possible. I can see us stuck in Vienna for the entire winter. And hopes that my planned trip to Taiwan at Easter (postponed from last Easter) will be possible have shrivelled more or less to zero as well. Even the deferred Namibia trip in August 2021 doesn’t look certain … Well, fingers crossed this nasty pandemic can somehow be overcome before too long …

Wishing you a good week – despite these strange times