His series on traveling in India I still quote to friends who've been there, to nods of agreement all around.

However, this particular article is either an example or a faux example of a genre I think is beneath him: the school of "know-nothingness". The kind of article where a writer with either real or false humility admits to knowing nothing about what he's doing, indeed that he's probably a danger to himself and others, but what the hell is doing it anyway because really how hard can it be for a clever resourceful chap like himself?

Either he's being disinguous for effect, which as I said is beneath him, or he really doesn't, which is worse.