With an inability to sit still, a knack for handling uncomfortable travel, and a mission to see most of the world with as little time and money as possible, the author embarks on a whirlwind tour of five continents. His style of travel often incurs unexpected adventures, including sleeping with bums in Tokyo, Rome and Krakow; getting sick from street food in Amman and Shanghai; and being detained in small rooms by authorities in Cambodia, Siberia, Grenada and the United States. His travels take him from the beauty of Scandinavia, Tierra del Fuego and the Caribbean, to the shadier sides of Guyana, Pakistan and Kenya. In addition to the travelogue, "101 Countries" includes background information on places visited, discussions of different standards of living, and tips for independent travel.
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Editorial Reviews
About the Author
P.J. Parmar was born in Canada, raised in the Chicago area, and currently resides in Denver. He spends his time working in the environmental and medical fields, and with the Boy Scouts at Philmont Scout Ranch. His spare time is spent climbing mountains, running and playing guitar. His favorite place in the world is the one where he has not been yet.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent Guide,
This review is from: 101 Countries: Discovering the World Through Fast Travel (Paperback)
Mr. Parmar's book is an excellent guide for those who see the world from a very human point of view. His narrative is easy to place into a context of not just travel, but travel through cultures, personalities, lives, and life. There is a real sense of adventure that seems to be missing in most fiction, but also an element of curiosity and facination that some other travel writing lacks.
On a more practical level, this book has great value to would-be travellers (though seasoned travellers will certainly be rewarded with the text). By examining the small realities of world travel, those for whom attempting trips outside of comfort zones seemed unimaginable can see the potential of exploration of humanity through real travel.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Travelling without seeing,
By William LeChat "btc" (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews
This review is from: 101 Countries: Discovering the World Through Fast Travel (Paperback)
It must be a terrible burden to travel while being weighed down by the burden of plenty, openly disdaining one's own home life while glorifying anything that is different. I really wanted to like this book. As an avid traveller and travellogue reader, I was interested in the outlook of the ADD generation. It is a wonder to check off so many names without actually noticing the places you rip through and deriding those who actually take the time to absorb another culture. I hope Parmar's sensibilities mature in time to actually notice where he travels even to the point where he can at least assemble a small list of favorite places instead of relying upon snarky answers.
Granted, there are some interesting parts of this book. These occur when the travelers back off the hammer and actually try to see and experience an area. All he seems to have now is an extensive list of places as flat as the sheet of paper they are written upon.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
How to see the world on a tight budget,
By
This review is from: 101 Countries: Discovering the World Through Fast Travel (Paperback)
While searching for travel books for my trip to Asia last year, I came across this book and read through it. I was curious what Fast Travel meant because I too had limited time, wanted to see as much of the world as I could, and all of this on a tight budget. Frankly, I didn't think such a thing was possible without money and lots of time, but this book proves me wrong.
The accounts of the author are captured in a short descriptive manner which gets the point across and has you longing for more information. Several times along the way he has run-ins with the authorities which require him to pay a bribe or a penalty or some other form of tomfoolery. It makes you realize how different each country really is. The book isn't written like Lonely Planet or Rough Guide travel guides. It is more about the real-life experience of the author. Where he slept, what he saw, how he made contacts and connections, how he communicated, how he travelled, but most importantly what he ate. You realize in the beginning the author is vegetarian and in some countries finding food or communicating that you are vegetarian can be quite tricky. Being vegetarian myself, I find I can relate to it and picked up some knowledge for my own worldly travels regarding cheap methods of sleep, food, and making contacts. It's definitely hard to put this book down because you are always curious as to what's going to happen next in the travels of the author. While your goal may not be to see 101 countries but only a handful, this book still applies. If you are a traveller like I am, but want to know about the real experiences behind worldly travel beyond the travel guides, I highly recommend this book.
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