In fact his experiences are uneventful, much though you feel he'd like to have had a few close shaves on the basis of which he could spice up his story. He does his best, relating that the Wa only finally gave up head-hunting in the 1970s, but in the event he finds them insanitary but good-natured. His narrative alternates with his re-telling of Scott's journey of a hundred years before. Scott opted not to introduce soccer to the Wa, he explains, as most of the men "were not only heavily armed but also profoundly intoxicated on opium and rice liquor -- conditions which were hardy conducive to explaining the offside rule."
The United Wa State Army make several appearances, and the Shan State Army an occasional one. Whereas for the first part of his travels Marshall took with him a Shan translator called Hseng, later he travels in the company of a young American called David, a Christian and an enthusiast for energy-giving fast foods.
Their final destination, a lake called Nawng Hkeo, is something of a disappointment. You feel Marshall needed some stirring conclusion to his travels, and that had to make do with this in the absence of anything better.
On the Myanmar situation generally he is intransigent, however. "Over 1,800 political prisoners still languish in jail," he writes, "among them students, doctors, teachers, lawyers, writers, farmers and housewives." And the military seems more powerful than ever.
This may not be the best travel book you'll encounter this year but it's good-natured and very easy to read. Andrew Marshall has discovered a region to write about that's little visited by even the most assiduous professional travelers, and he's in addition found an amusing historical character to bring back to life to parallel his own experiences.
The book is illustrated by black-and-white pictures, some taken by Marshall, others older ones taken by George Scott. These latter are far and away the more interesting.
And there are some choice quotations, such as British prime minister Lord Salisbury's maxim on foreign affairs: "Whatever happens will be for the worse, and therefore it is in our interest that as little should happen as possible." It's not difficult to wish this was still the UK's basic foreign policy principle.
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