It's Only the Himalayas
And Other Tales of Miscalculation from an Overconfident Backpacker
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4.1 • 8 Ratings
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
A laugh-out-loud travel memoir that reveals backpacking’s awkward side.
Sue, a disenchanted waitress, embarks upon a year-long quest around the world with her friend, Sara—who’s exasperatingly perfect. Expecting a whimsical jaunt of self-discovery, Sue instead encounters an absurd series of misadventures that render her embarrassed, terrified, and queasy (and in a lot of trouble with Philippine Airlines).
Whether she’s fleeing from ravenous lions, dancing amid smoking skulls, trekking Annapurna underprepared, or (accidentally) drugging an Englishman, Sue’s quick-witted, self-deprecating narrative might just inspire you to take your own chaotic adventure.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In a hilarious travelogue for a social media generation with "Just think of the Facebook status!" inspiring some daring adventures Bedford, a 20-something waitress from Toronto, starts her story out slowly, building drama and suspense until she reaches the wild, drunken climax in Southeast Asia. Readers accompany her on a yearlong trek with her best friend, Sara, on African safaris, into reality-shaking India, and to the Himalayas (where their fathers join them). The pair make a number of questionable decisions and mistakes during their journey, and Bedford has an admirable ability to deftly make even the grossest moment engrossing, though her narrative might not inspire readers to hit the road: "It wasn't until I was puking my guts out in a teahouse with the architectural stability of a Jenga game that I felt like a true backpacker." The denouement, however, is nonexistent, and after following Bedford and Sara's soul-searching, readers will wonder which directions they take after they return home. At one point, Bedford muses, "Perhaps I was looking for answers in the wrong places," leaving the door open for another journey. If it is anything like this trip, it'll be worth reading too.
