Description
Book SynopsisThis is a unique collection of brief encounters and adventures from working in seventy countries - a kaleidoscope of landscapes, sounds, smells, politics, humour dialogue and, above all, people. E T Laing recounts episodes that include a Chinese Red Guard reminiscing about the day her parents were hauled in front of her to be sentenced; unreconstructed Russian apparatchiks; and sailors on a Turkmenistan ferry knocking back vodka. A warts-and-all account of the author's travels, with disasters and miseries alongside the high points, he takes you to danger zones, wars of startling savagery in Sierra Leone, Pakistan and Angola, coups and dubious elections. He narrowly avoids death in India, Mexico and Nigeria. In other episodes he simply savours the pleasures of travelling alone. As the author says, 'Nothing sharpens the understanding more than seeing things done ten different ways in ten different countries.'
Trade Review'...ideal for those with an avid interest in travelling, politics or history. Laing's work can only be described as an occasional but very enjoyable read. Essentially, if you've used up your air miles for 2012, this book is the ideal armchair travel read to take you on a metaphorical holiday.' Hampstead and Highgate Express '... a good choice for a commute.... some tales of note are 'Nigeria' and 'The Taj Mahal Intercontinental Mumbai' ...sure to grip you wherever you happen to read them. E.T. Laing proves that every port has a story - and each one of them worth telling.' Wanderlust magazine
Table of ContentsTABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Dubai 2. The Taj Mahal Intercontinental, Mumbai 3. Eritrea 4. Nigeria 5. Hong Kong 6. South Africa 7. China 8. Memories of Tasmania 9. Belize 10. West Pakistan 11. Sunset in Croatia 12. Moscow in 1971 13. Angola 14. Albania 15. Georgia 16. Russia in the 1990s 17. Bangladesh 18. Mexico 19. Mumbai 20. Night Flight 21. Hash House Harriers 22. The Philippines
