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Trials & Tea Ceremonies: Misadventures in Far Away Places
A love story disguised as a travel memoir. Or perhaps, the other way around.
"An engaging and compelling travelogue with a vital and strong emphasis on connection and experience over ticking off the bucket list... Overflowing with the author's curious spirit."
— LoveReading (Indie Books We Love)
"A richly written, unexpectedly profound journey. The book highlights how travel can add richly to the meaning of one's life."
— Mike Richards, bestselling author of The Travelling Ape
"For a hearty dose of mind, body, spirit, travel, and Zen in remarkable places, pick up Basho's musings and take yourself somewhere magical—wherever you are."
— Goran Powell, bestselling author of Waking Dragons
"This book reminded me why we travel: not for the postcard moments, but for the mishaps, characters, and revelations along the way."
— Alastair Humphreys, English adventurer, author and motivational speaker
"A story of perseverance, agility, the happy, the sad, and the tests of faith and belief."
— Akenga Evanson, OnlineBookClub (5/5 stars)
What happens when 'normal' life feels... wrong? Like a splinter in the mind?
Ever had that nagging "Is this it?" doubt—the job, the routine, the quiet erosion of evenings? That feeling life is an endless pilgrimage, chasing a destination that never quite satisfies?
Staring down thirty-something complacency, our relationship fraying under unspoken strains, Cesca and I did the mad thing. We quit our jobs, packed two bulging rucksacks, and set off for a year across twelve countries, testing not just the world, but us. Could we survive stripped bare, with no safety net of home's comforting bath? Would we find the 'music' in the moments, or just more mishaps and eight-legged nightmares?
But this wasn't a postcard holiday. The real thread was our marriage, laid raw on the road and healing in unexpected ways—from tense silences in third-class trains to quiet hand-holds under the Bodhi Tree, proving that love, when tested, can rewrite the map entirely.
This Memoir Reveals...
• Puncturing the 'backpacker bubble' with third-class train tickets in Mumbai, finding genuine, sweat-soaked connections that smell more of chai and chaos than Instagram filters.
• A comedy of errors, from alpacas launching dry spit volleys and gut-wrenching food poisoning in Goa to a perpetual dance with giant spiders in the tropics.
• A practical shift from life's 'pilgrimage' grind (school > job > promotion) to embracing it as 'music,' sparked by Zen gardens in Kyoto and Daoist climbs in China.
• The ultimate relationship test: navigating Varanasi's deathly rivers and Tokyo's neon contradictions with just two rucksacks and frayed nerves, discovering that love thrives on shared resilience, not comfort.
Perfect for readers of Wild, Eat Pray Love, or Notes from a Small Island, this is more than a travelogue. It's a deeply personal, often hilarious, answer to that nagging, thirty-something question: "Is this... it?"
About the Authors:
Basho is a British writer and filmmaker whose curiosity spans martial arts philosophy to AI research. Born in Bath, England, he has pursued answers to the 'Is this it?' question his entire life.
Cesca is a visual storyteller known for capturing quiet moments and overlooked beauty. Drawing on a background in international branding and garden design, her photography showcases life lived in motion, one frame at a time.
"An engaging and compelling travelogue with a vital and strong emphasis on connection and experience over ticking off the bucket list... Overflowing with the author's curious spirit."
— LoveReading (Indie Books We Love)
"A richly written, unexpectedly profound journey. The book highlights how travel can add richly to the meaning of one's life."
— Mike Richards, bestselling author of The Travelling Ape
"For a hearty dose of mind, body, spirit, travel, and Zen in remarkable places, pick up Basho's musings and take yourself somewhere magical—wherever you are."
— Goran Powell, bestselling author of Waking Dragons
"This book reminded me why we travel: not for the postcard moments, but for the mishaps, characters, and revelations along the way."
— Alastair Humphreys, English adventurer, author and motivational speaker
"A story of perseverance, agility, the happy, the sad, and the tests of faith and belief."
— Akenga Evanson, OnlineBookClub (5/5 stars)
What happens when 'normal' life feels... wrong? Like a splinter in the mind?
Ever had that nagging "Is this it?" doubt—the job, the routine, the quiet erosion of evenings? That feeling life is an endless pilgrimage, chasing a destination that never quite satisfies?
Staring down thirty-something complacency, our relationship fraying under unspoken strains, Cesca and I did the mad thing. We quit our jobs, packed two bulging rucksacks, and set off for a year across twelve countries, testing not just the world, but us. Could we survive stripped bare, with no safety net of home's comforting bath? Would we find the 'music' in the moments, or just more mishaps and eight-legged nightmares?
But this wasn't a postcard holiday. The real thread was our marriage, laid raw on the road and healing in unexpected ways—from tense silences in third-class trains to quiet hand-holds under the Bodhi Tree, proving that love, when tested, can rewrite the map entirely.
This Memoir Reveals...
• Puncturing the 'backpacker bubble' with third-class train tickets in Mumbai, finding genuine, sweat-soaked connections that smell more of chai and chaos than Instagram filters.
• A comedy of errors, from alpacas launching dry spit volleys and gut-wrenching food poisoning in Goa to a perpetual dance with giant spiders in the tropics.
• A practical shift from life's 'pilgrimage' grind (school > job > promotion) to embracing it as 'music,' sparked by Zen gardens in Kyoto and Daoist climbs in China.
• The ultimate relationship test: navigating Varanasi's deathly rivers and Tokyo's neon contradictions with just two rucksacks and frayed nerves, discovering that love thrives on shared resilience, not comfort.
Perfect for readers of Wild, Eat Pray Love, or Notes from a Small Island, this is more than a travelogue. It's a deeply personal, often hilarious, answer to that nagging, thirty-something question: "Is this... it?"
About the Authors:
Basho is a British writer and filmmaker whose curiosity spans martial arts philosophy to AI research. Born in Bath, England, he has pursued answers to the 'Is this it?' question his entire life.
Cesca is a visual storyteller known for capturing quiet moments and overlooked beauty. Drawing on a background in international branding and garden design, her photography showcases life lived in motion, one frame at a time.
381 pages, Paperback
Published July 7, 2025
4 people are currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
Bashō Matsuo
1 book2 followersBASHO is an acclaimed travel writer, digital storyteller, and recognised AI ethics leader. At the height of his career, he and his partner, Cesca, left their jobs to spend a year living out of backpacks. Their journey through twelve countries—from the Australian outback to sacred Chinese peaks—changed them forever and invites readers to discover what it truly means to come home.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 7, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A funny, soul-searching adventure that made me laugh, think, and (almost) book a one-way ticket
I picked up Trials & Tea Ceremonies expecting a light travel memoir, but what I got was something much deeper and far more rewarding. Yes, Basho Matsuo takes you through alpaca-spitting farms and spider-infested bathrooms, but underneath the hilarity is a raw, honest look at what it means to let go of the life you thought you were supposed to want.
From the first chapter, Basho’s voice is sharp, funny, and unflinchingly self-aware. The book opens with him and his partner, Cesca, on the cusp of turning 30, ditching their jobs and routines in search of something more meaningful. What unfolds is part travel diary, part philosophical reflection, and part love story, with plenty of misadventures along the way. (The scene in the Laotian toilet? I laughed out loud and gagged at the same time.)
What I appreciated is that this isn't just a highlight reel of beaches and temples. It's messy. It's honest. Basho openly grapples with burnout, relationship tensions, and the uncomfortable truth that you can run halfway across the world and still carry your baggage with you. And yet, the book never feels heavy. His humor and sense of wonder kept me turning pages.
There are beautiful moments of clarity, too, particularly in Japan and India, where the writing becomes almost poetic. You can tell Basho has spent time sitting with questions that many of us avoid: Am I living the life I want? What happens if I stop chasing and start listening instead?
This is one of those rare books that manages to entertain while also nudging you to reexamine your own choices. If you’ve ever daydreamed about quitting your job, hitting the road, or just pressing pause to ask, “Is this it?”, this book is your permission slip.
Highly recommend it to fans of Bill Bryson, Cheryl Strayed, or anyone who’s ever had a quarter-life crisis and a backpack.
I picked up Trials & Tea Ceremonies expecting a light travel memoir, but what I got was something much deeper and far more rewarding. Yes, Basho Matsuo takes you through alpaca-spitting farms and spider-infested bathrooms, but underneath the hilarity is a raw, honest look at what it means to let go of the life you thought you were supposed to want.
From the first chapter, Basho’s voice is sharp, funny, and unflinchingly self-aware. The book opens with him and his partner, Cesca, on the cusp of turning 30, ditching their jobs and routines in search of something more meaningful. What unfolds is part travel diary, part philosophical reflection, and part love story, with plenty of misadventures along the way. (The scene in the Laotian toilet? I laughed out loud and gagged at the same time.)
What I appreciated is that this isn't just a highlight reel of beaches and temples. It's messy. It's honest. Basho openly grapples with burnout, relationship tensions, and the uncomfortable truth that you can run halfway across the world and still carry your baggage with you. And yet, the book never feels heavy. His humor and sense of wonder kept me turning pages.
There are beautiful moments of clarity, too, particularly in Japan and India, where the writing becomes almost poetic. You can tell Basho has spent time sitting with questions that many of us avoid: Am I living the life I want? What happens if I stop chasing and start listening instead?
This is one of those rare books that manages to entertain while also nudging you to reexamine your own choices. If you’ve ever daydreamed about quitting your job, hitting the road, or just pressing pause to ask, “Is this it?”, this book is your permission slip.
Highly recommend it to fans of Bill Bryson, Cheryl Strayed, or anyone who’s ever had a quarter-life crisis and a backpack.
September 4, 2025
I absolutely loved Trials & Tea Ceremonies. It’s one of those rare books that had me laughing out loud one moment and quietly reflecting the next. Basho Matsuo’s voice is witty, raw, and completely engaging, and the way he balances hilarious travel mishaps with deeper questions about life, love, and purpose felt both entertaining and meaningful. I devoured it from start to finish and came away not only with a smile but also with a sense of clarity about my own choices. This book is a gem, and I’d recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone who enjoys smart, funny, and deeply human storytelling.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
September 3, 2025
A book with a lot of love, humour and humanity. It’s a warm read that will make you want to book a flight immediately, inspiring travel and wanting to get to know the world and its joys more deeply.
Basho is thorough with their descriptions of the landscapes and character of the people and places, and so it’s an immersive read as well as an educational one where I learned about some unique places I hadn’t ever known before, I now have lots more pins on my map!
Basho is thorough with their descriptions of the landscapes and character of the people and places, and so it’s an immersive read as well as an educational one where I learned about some unique places I hadn’t ever known before, I now have lots more pins on my map!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews