Lost on Planet ChinaLost on Planet China
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.
Troost, best known for his off-the-wall books about his life in remote tropical regions, now takes on the mystery of China. He traveled from Hong Kong to Tibet, the Gobi Desert, Beijing, Shanghai, and dozens of stops in between, and he relates his experiences in a tone of confused bemusement, not intended to be objective. He is challenged by the food and overwhelmed by the level of industrialization and pollution, and the people he meets tend to either want to sell him something or tell him something he doesn't understand. This is a book for the armchair traveler who needs a reason not to go to China. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
The best-selling author of The Sex Lives of Cannibals presents a witty, insightful chronicle of his adventures in China, recounting his rollicking odyssey from the urban megalopolises of Beijing and Shanghai, to the desolate wastes of the Gobi desert and the distant mountains of Tibet as he describes the cultural wonders, unusual delicacies, and strange perils he encountered along the way. 60,000 first printing.
The author chronicles his odyssey in China, from the urban megalopolises of Beijing and Shanghai to the desolate wastes of the Gobi desert and the distant mountains of Tibet, as he describes the cultural wonders and strange perils he encountered.
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- New York : Broadway Books, c2008.
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