Adventures of a Continental Drifter; An Around-the-World Excursion into Weirdness, Danger, Lust, and the Perils of Street Food

by Elliott Hester

• ISBN13: 9780312312411
• ISBN10: 0312312415
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2005-09-01
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Summary

In October 2002, Elliott Hester sold his car, abandoned his apartment, and took off alone on a trip around the world, during which he drifted to over fifty destinations. Elliott's tales about his travels range from the bizarre to the hilarious to the flat-out shocking. Travel with him as he: · Chases off transvestites in the South Pacific · Gets drunk on Estonian moonshine at the maker's eightieth birthday party · Impersonates Samuel L. Jackson at the 38th International Film Festival in the Czech Republic · Ponders the Finnish tradition of sprinting from steamy sauna to plunge into the frigid Baltic Sea--naked! · And much more. Only an around-the-world excursion could produce such outlandish, hair-raising, hysterical adventures. And only Elliott Hester could make such vivid observations and write such vibrant insights about life---and people---on the road.

Author Biography

Bestselling author Elliott Hester is an award-winning travel writer. He writes “Continental Drifter,” a syndicated travel column carried nationwide, and has no fixed address.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	xv
Introduction	1	(6)
Argentina	7	(34)
Don't Stare at Me, Argentina	9	(5)
The Color of Futbol	14	(10)
Love and the Bad Empanada	24	(5)
Train to the Clouds	29	(6)
Bodily Fluid	35	(6)
French Polynesia	41	(38)
Le Freaks Come Out at Night	43	(6)
Snoring in Paradise	49	(5)
Slow Boat to Nausea and Other Exotic Ports	54	(8)
The Marquesas Cow-Poaching Fiasco	62	(17)
Australia	79	(42)
Sex(?) on the Beach	81	(10)
Life in Coober Pedy	91	(16)
Hard Rock, Madonna, and the Flies	107	(5)
Turtle-Man!	112	(9)
Southeast Asia	121	(46)
Welcome to Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei)	123	(10)
The Prince of Jeredong Park (Brunei)	133	(6)
Virtual Thieves (Brunei)	139	(6)
Bad Night in Bangkok (Thailand)	145	(8)
Subway to Cleanliness and Purity (Singapore)	153	(7)
Bali by Motorbike (Indonesia)	160	(7)
India	167	(34)
Sacred Offerings	169	(7)
Delhi Belly	176	(10)
Go South, Young Man	186	(8)
Sickness in the House of Irani	194	(7)
Northeast Africa	201	(24)
Street Kids (Ethiopia)	203	(4)
Lalibela (Ethiopia)	207	(7)
Security Risk (Egypt)	214	(5)
The Long Camel Ride (Egypt)	219	(6)
Eastern Europe	225	(38)
Being Samuel L. Jackson (Czech Republic)	227	(8)
The Last Municipal Bicycle in Vilnius (Lithuania)	235	(7)
Trout Fishing and Other Estonian Escapades (Estonia)	242	(14)
Black Russian (Russia)	256	(7)
Western Europe	263	(32)
Sauna Party (Finland)	265	(6)
Inside the Erotik Museum (Germany)	271	(4)
Snobs 'R Us (Italy)	275	(5)
Hard Nipples, Limp Dicks (Greece)	280	(4)
Barcelona II: Return of the Drifter (Spain)	284	(11)
EPILOGUE	295	(8)
There's No Place Like Home, There's No Place Like Home?	297	(6)
Author's Biography	303

Excerpts

"In October 2002, Elliott Hester sold his car, abandoned his apartment, and took off alone on a trip around the world, during which he drifted to more than fifty destinations. Elliot's tales about his travels range from bizarre to the hilarious to the flat-out shocking. Travel with him as he: chases off transvestites in the South Pacific; gets drunk on Estonian moonshine at the maker's eightieth birthday party; impersonates Samuel L. Jackson at the 38th International Film Festival in the Czech Republic; ponders the Finnish tradition of sprinting from a steamy sauna to plunge into the frigid Baltic Sea - naked; and much more." "Only an around-the-world excursion could produce such outlandish, hair-raising, hysterical adventures. An only Elliot Hester could make such vivid observations and write such vibrant insights about life - and people - on the road."--BOOK JACKET.