Style Model for Travel Writing

Bagmati Dreams

He'd met me in a dream the night before. I couldn't remember. I must have been asleep. He recognised the long plait down my back and the dragon tattoo up my leg. His long orange robe, wispy beard and waist-length dreadlocks piled up high on his head, all seemed strangely familiar - like we'd met once before, a long time ago.

We wandered all day, through the streets, mud and temples of enchanted Kathmandu. While meandering along the banks of the Bagmati, young boys pushed the smouldering remains of their immolated relatives, from the crumbling stone burial pyres, into the filthy slow brown river. The remains now departed, they dived in, head first, submerging themselves in the effluent and ashes. Seconds later, their glistening heads emerged, alive and still laughing, defiant of the death and disease that was slowly swirling around their small brown bodies.

They fed him on bananas as they thought him to be holy. He'd surrendered this world, for the spirit, so street sellers seemed willing for this small sacrifice. It wasn't that much but it would keep him alive.

I'm sure that we spoke of so much and so many but it all seems so long ago now. Once vivid, it flows slowly away like a dream.

Comments; This piece uses a narrative hook that really grabs the readers attention as it doesn't give away whats going to happen and introduces a character by saying 'he'd'. Doing this attracts the reader to read more as we want to know who the character is. The writer also mentions meeting this character in a dream which is another way to convince the reader to read on as its not a normal travel writing convention. This piece also uses a narrative thread of being in a 'dream' or the experience feeling like a dream. He introduces this idea in the very first line and carries it through to the very last line. We aren't told who this character is properly so it leaves the reader with a feeling of wanting to know more. Furthermore, the writer uses a range of emotive language to add to the dramatic feel of the text, for example, 'glistening', 'smoldering' and 'immolated'.