a living treasure has passed

just heard thet eric newby passed away at the age of 87. there were few who led such a full life, much less written about it in such an eloquent, funny, and thouroughly english way. he was always an insperation of mine. his books are some of the absolute best in travel literature.in "love and war in the appenines" he tells of being a p.o.w. on the lamb in the mountains of italy and living in a cave where he met his lifelong wife, wanda, who would bring him food. in "slowly down the ganges", one of my favorite books ever, he and wanda float the length of the ganges, a truly epic adventure, one that had me laughing aloud while trekking peru. in "a short walk in the hindu kush" he and a buddy decide to climb a peak in afghanistan with no prior experience - and they drive there from england! in "around ireland in low gear" he and his wife cycle tour ireland in their later years. this guy can make suffering so damn funny!! truly a must in traveling companions!