Lost on Planet China: The Strange and True Story of One Man's Attempt to Understand the World's Most Mystifying Nation, or How He Became Comfortable Eating Live Squid
The bestselling author of The Sex Lives of Cannibals returns with a sharply observed, hilarious account of his adventures in China—a complex, fascinating country with enough dangers and delicacies to keep him, and readers, endlessly entertained. Maarten Troost has charmed legions of readers with...
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The bestselling author of The Sex Lives of Cannibals returns with a sharply observed, hilarious account of his adventures in China—a complex, fascinating country with enough dangers and delicacies to keep him, and readers, endlessly entertained. Maarten Troost has charmed legions of readers with his laugh-out-loud tales of wandering the remote islands of the South Pacific. When the travel bug hit again, he decided to go big-time, taking on the world’s most populous and intriguing nation. In Lost on Planet China, Troost escorts readers on a rollicking journey through the new beating heart of the modern world, from the megalopolises of Beijing and Shanghai to the Gobi Desert and the hinterlands of Tibet. Lost on Planet China finds Troost dodging deadly drivers in Shanghai; eating Yak in Tibet; deciphering restaurant menus (offering local favorites such as Cattle Penis with Garlic); visiting with Chairman Mao (still dead, very orange); and hiking (with 80,000 other people) up Tai Shan, China’s most revered mountain. But in addition to his trademark gonzo adventures, the book also delivers a telling look at a vast and complex country on the brink of transformation that will soon shape the way we all work, live, and think. As Troost shows, while we may be familiar with Yao Ming or dim sum or the cheap, plastic products that line the shelves of every store, the real China remains a world—indeed, a planet--unto itself. Maarten Troost brings China to life as you’ve never seen it before, and his insightful, rip-roaringly funny narrative proves that once again he is one of the most entertaining and insightful armchair travel companions around.
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Format: hardcover
ISBN:
9780767922005 (076792200X)
ASIN: 076792200X
Publish date: July 8th 2008
Publisher: Broadway
Pages no: 382
Edition language: English
Category:
Non Fiction,
Travel,
Humor,
Autobiography,
Memoir,
Funny,
History,
Cultural,
Book Club,
Asia,
Biography Memoir,
China
This was fine. Mildly entertaining & some interesting observations about visiting & traveling through China.
Read by Simon Vance.Having so much fun with this. Troost captures to a tee my first encounter in Beijing, from the live scorpions, the clack of bicycles, the traffic, the wall, Yellow Mao, to the cranes, Gobi gobs, Forbidden City etc etc - and he does so in such an amusing way. Many laugh out louds ...
The good things about this book, the things I enjoyed:- Maarten’s sense of humor, making sometimes difficult subject matter easier to get through.- The sheer amount of information, useful for anyone interested in China’s current culture, recent history, or travel opportunities.- The “everyman” sense...
Just in time for the 2008 Olympic Games, I get a behind the curtain look at China. And that look at China is not pretty. Despite all attempts to appear as a modern nation, China's leaders continue to rule the country with an iron hand. The law is wielded despotically and seemingly at a whim. Capital...