The author Glen Johnson decides to give into his midlife crisis (he's only forty-one – it hit early) and he gives away all his worldly possessions and embarks on a journey of a lifetime – to see as much of the world as humanly possible, before he's buried six feet under it.
With no fixed address, and all his material property fitting snugly, and heavily, upon his back (in a very impressive backpack) Glen leaves his country of England behind to follow his dreams. Living on royalties from his books, and having just signed an eight book deal with a large American publisher, he heads to the sprawling city of Bangkok, and the infamous Khaosan Road – a place he is utterly unfamiliar with and doesn't speak a single word of the language. All the while, he has over a million words to write to fulfill his contracts, and he has other deadlines to meet, while trying not to die in a tuk tuk, or choke on a ping-pong.
Part One follows him as he unclutters his life, while physically and mentally preparing to leave behind his family and friends, and everything he has ever known to travel and eat his way across Asia. It also covers the first two weeks of his journey following his antics on the infamous ‘Backpackers Ghetto’ Khaosan Road, and how he deals with the change of culture and scenery.
Luckily, there is a silver lining, he has convinced (with promises of untold riches, exotic delicacies, scantly clad females on deserted beaches, and the fact he's paying for everything) his older brother Gary to join him on the journey – so at least he has someone to carry all his stuff, and a supply of warm protein, just in case of an emergency. Gary offers his own form of ‘tactful’ insights as they awkwardly learn the lessons of trying to settle into a new routine in a foreign country.
Glen has previously visited twenty-nine different countries, and lived in Mexico City, Mexico for far too long for a pale skinned European. However, he soon realizes that they are completely and utterly unprepared for what they are about to face.
Glen Johnson's unique sense of humor (and the fact he’s a weirdo magnet) and unusual view of the world makes Living the Dream – Part One: Khaosan Road, Thailand unlike any other travel book you have ever read. Oh, and there might even be some useful tips about the country and culture you will be able to use if you are thinking of traveling to the same locations.
Contents:
Prologue – Deciding to Go
1. More About Me
LONDON, ENGLAND
2. Saying Goodbye
3. Flight AI-112 from London, Heathrow to New Delhi, India
4. Bollywood’s Finest
5. Wet Dog and Grumpy Guards
6. Piggyback Fight Anyone?
7. Flight AI-332 from New Delhi to Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, Thailand
BANGKOK, THAILAND
8. Touchdown
9. Bartering
10. Black Market Organ Harvesters
11. Miss. Thailand in Hotel Paradise
12. Rutting Season
13. Pushy
14. A Helping Hand
KHAOSAN ROAD
15. Backpackers Ghetto
16. A Room with no View
17. Stalker
18. Tattoo, Tigers, and a Scorpion
19. A Very Nice Man
20. The Standing Buddha
21. Routine and Food
22. Wat Bowonniwet Vihara
23. Chasing Our Tails
24. The Smell of Death
25. Time to Move On
26. Gary’s Journal
The Discovery Café Guesthouse
About the Author
Highlights of this edition are:
•102 colour photos taken by the author and his brother.
•It is formatted for ease of use and enjoyment on your kindle reader.
•An active (easy to use) Table of Contents listing every chapter accessible from the kindle “go to” feature.
•Perfect formatting in rich text compatible with Kindle’s Text-to-Speech features.
•326 pages in the kindle format.
With no fixed address, and all his material property fitting snugly, and heavily, upon his back (in a very impressive backpack) Glen leaves his country of England behind to follow his dreams. Living on royalties from his books, and having just signed an eight book deal with a large American publisher, he heads to the sprawling city of Bangkok, and the infamous Khaosan Road – a place he is utterly unfamiliar with and doesn't speak a single word of the language. All the while, he has over a million words to write to fulfill his contracts, and he has other deadlines to meet, while trying not to die in a tuk tuk, or choke on a ping-pong.
Part One follows him as he unclutters his life, while physically and mentally preparing to leave behind his family and friends, and everything he has ever known to travel and eat his way across Asia. It also covers the first two weeks of his journey following his antics on the infamous ‘Backpackers Ghetto’ Khaosan Road, and how he deals with the change of culture and scenery.
Luckily, there is a silver lining, he has convinced (with promises of untold riches, exotic delicacies, scantly clad females on deserted beaches, and the fact he's paying for everything) his older brother Gary to join him on the journey – so at least he has someone to carry all his stuff, and a supply of warm protein, just in case of an emergency. Gary offers his own form of ‘tactful’ insights as they awkwardly learn the lessons of trying to settle into a new routine in a foreign country.
Glen has previously visited twenty-nine different countries, and lived in Mexico City, Mexico for far too long for a pale skinned European. However, he soon realizes that they are completely and utterly unprepared for what they are about to face.
Glen Johnson's unique sense of humor (and the fact he’s a weirdo magnet) and unusual view of the world makes Living the Dream – Part One: Khaosan Road, Thailand unlike any other travel book you have ever read. Oh, and there might even be some useful tips about the country and culture you will be able to use if you are thinking of traveling to the same locations.
Contents:
Prologue – Deciding to Go
1. More About Me
LONDON, ENGLAND
2. Saying Goodbye
3. Flight AI-112 from London, Heathrow to New Delhi, India
4. Bollywood’s Finest
5. Wet Dog and Grumpy Guards
6. Piggyback Fight Anyone?
7. Flight AI-332 from New Delhi to Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, Thailand
BANGKOK, THAILAND
8. Touchdown
9. Bartering
10. Black Market Organ Harvesters
11. Miss. Thailand in Hotel Paradise
12. Rutting Season
13. Pushy
14. A Helping Hand
KHAOSAN ROAD
15. Backpackers Ghetto
16. A Room with no View
17. Stalker
18. Tattoo, Tigers, and a Scorpion
19. A Very Nice Man
20. The Standing Buddha
21. Routine and Food
22. Wat Bowonniwet Vihara
23. Chasing Our Tails
24. The Smell of Death
25. Time to Move On
26. Gary’s Journal
The Discovery Café Guesthouse
About the Author
Highlights of this edition are:
•102 colour photos taken by the author and his brother.
•It is formatted for ease of use and enjoyment on your kindle reader.
•An active (easy to use) Table of Contents listing every chapter accessible from the kindle “go to” feature.
•Perfect formatting in rich text compatible with Kindle’s Text-to-Speech features.
•326 pages in the kindle format.
