It is a travel book from a different angle. I was an armchair traveller who travelled to 20 countries . Some of the countries mentioned will not be first on your list of destinations. The author doesn't sugar-coat the facts of a country. It shows the current and the past of a town and look what changed the city to what it is today. If I read the book I am walking in the streets of the cities and tasting and smelling all that is part of the country. After reading the book I wish I can be Dorothy in the wizard of Oz, kick my heels and go to Iceland and fulfil my dream to see the Aurora Borealis.
For a travel journal, this book was good. The author compile his notes on his various business trip across countries, and he enjoy savoring particular detail & eccentricities on the city he has visited. I found the book on a book sale, and thank God I took it, lol. Great reading.
Quite the cynic! Very clever and humorous writer, although the mostly negative recounting of his travels may turn off many novice and even seasoned travelers.