Product Description

With a bottomless taste for the absurd, Doug Lansky takes the reader on a global odyssey. In Naples, reputedly the world’s worst place to drive, Lansky rents a car. In Berlin, he dons a latex jumpsuit and spiked collar for a visit to the notoriously erotic Kit Kat Club. And in Tokyo, determined to deepen his appreciation for sumo wrestling, Lansky takes lessons from a master and rediscovers how it feels to be lifted into the air by a wedgie. Other adventures include climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in ill-fitting hiking boots, competing with the mobs to get picked for The Price Is Right, and tandem hang gliding with a daredevil pilot in New Zealand.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #596514 in Books
• Published on: 2001-05-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 276 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Unflappable NPR correspondent Doug Lansky (There's No Toilet Paper on the Road Less Traveled, ed.) intrepidly ventured from the peak of Kilimanjaro to Berlin's erotic Kit Kat Club to Sweden's 100 guest-capacity Ice Hotel (rebuilt each winter just north of the Arctic Circle) to a Texas cattle auction where the auctioneers "talk more and say less than a room full of presidential candidates" and lived to write Last Trout in Venice: The Far-Flung Escapades of an Accidental Adventurer. Some of his destinations are truly strange and, evidently for good reason, truly obscure though readers will definitely get a laugh from Lansky's tenure (one day) as a bellboy in Jules' Undersea Lodge (scuba access only capacity: four guests), 20 feet underwater.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
It IS possible to hear too much of a good thing. These tapes, for example, are fun in small doses, but you wouldn't want to listen to them all at once. To his credit, Lansky says as much in his introduction. Lansky's travel adventures--varied, fascinating, sometimes bizarre--range from mildly amusing to wildly funny. Amanda Karr's narrative role is minor, but the addition of a female voice breaks the sameness. Paul Mercier's delivery is appropriately comedic, although he occasionally overuses the pregnant pause, or raises the pitch of his voice as if to say, "Laugh now!" His narration is funniest when he isn't trying so hard to be funny. This book will have adventurers and armchair travelers smiling, giggling, and laughing out loud. E.S. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

Funny Funny Stuff
This is an entertaining and delightful read. Lansky has tried many things we have all wondered about -- and some we'd never dream of. From his 'tail' of running with the bulls in Spain to what sounds like the most grueling cross-country ski challenge ever, it is put together in a way that is mostly humorous, at times informative, and always surprising. I recommend it.

Great for the bedside, the john, or the airplane
I recently finished reading this book, and I loved it. I started out reading on the airplane. The short articles make it easy to read for a while and then take a break. I also enjoyed reading one or two stories before bed and while in the bathroom.

I don't get a chance to travel as much as I would like, and I felt as though I was able to travel vicariously through Doug Lansky, the author. I imagined myself trying to steer a gondola in Venice or hiking in the mountains. It's just a fun book to read--it kept my imagination going and made me laugh out loud a few times, too.

CERTAINLY ENTERTAINING!
If you find yourself having one of those ho-hum days, dreary days and are in need a quick pick-me-up, search out this book and buy it. Time flies when you are having fun! Lansky brings more than a chuckle or two; some of his escapades are downright sidespliting and hilarious. No one would ever dream the "running of the bulls" could be quite as Lansky tells it. My only regret is that he didn't take me with him, especially to the "gondola school." Just imagine travelling anywhere with this zany, outrageous man. He could certainly turn an ordinary adventure into a ride on the wild side. At least, by reading the book, you have the safety and comfort of home but the "pleasure of the trip" - great author, terrific off-beat book - don't miss it!