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19 Stories from Up the Amazon Without a Paddle
Doug Lansky searches the planet for adventures and reports them with a wry wit. CNN has described him as "having the world's most interesting job." Read about Lansky's experiences:
fending off hippos with a canoe paddle on the Zambezi River
test driving Ferraris in Italy
surviving the world's largest tomato fight in Spain
swimming with dolphins off the coast of New Zealand
blowgun hunting with the Jaguar Indians in the Amazon
riding an ostrich in South Africa
lassoing reindeer above the Arctic Circle
wrestling an alligator in Florida
playing ice golf in Finland
296 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1999
3 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
Doug Lansky
20 books15 followersDOUG LANSKY is an American travel writer and keynote speaker based in Sweden. He spent about 10 years traveling the world nonstop, visiting over 100 countries, and has since lived outside the US for an additional 13 years. Doug has contributed to Esquire, Men’s Journal, The Guardian, National Geographic Adventure, Reader’s Digest, COLORS Magazine, PublicRadio, and many others. He has written books for Rough Guides and Lonely Planet (advice and photo books, not guides) and has had a nationally syndicated travel column in 40 newspapers around the United States. He has always been mindful of the effects of travel writing and the impact of tourism, and currently writes about this in a regular column for Skift and speaks about it at tourism conferences around the world.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
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April 13, 2013[Moving my conversation with Thirteenth Peer to this review]
Peer: I propose we boycott Manny till he returns his content to the community that fostered him with our "likes". Let's hit him where it hurts and refuse to "like" any more of his reviews and even remove our old "likes"!
Me: Peer, I respect your opinions, but I am collecting my favorite reviews and preserving them where our new corporate masters are unable to tamper with them. They are available as nicely formatted PDFs or as printed books. I am just asking for a few dollars to recompense me for the time my editor and I have invested.
I strongly encourage others to do the same thing. There are plenty of people on this site whose reviews I would be prepared to buy on similar terms.
Peer: Manny, as I see it you already had collected and preserved your favorite reviews by making your book. (Of course the same functions could be accomplished by simply copying to your own harddrive or even printing them out.). I think it's cool that you decided to make a book out of them and I certainly don't object to you charging a few dollars.
On the other hand it really kind of bothers me that you put up a "pay wall" where your reviews are no longer accessible to people like me. That seems to me a separate issue from the gr amazon deal making.
Now I will be clear, it's not my business really what you choose to do. On the other hand as someone who has looked up to you and appreciated your contributions to the community, I'm having a "Say it ain't so Joe" moment with you using the amazon acquisition as a pretext to "monetize" your writings.
I certainly feel some sense of betrayal due to the amazon acquisition of gr. on the other hand I'm still thinking about what it means to me and have been reading other people's postings on the topic with interest. I would certainly like to hear your opinions on the topic as well. But I wanted to register with you personally my feeling of disappointment with your choice.
Me: Peer, it's very hard to know what the right thing is to do in a situation like this. It appears that we've all been transformed into commodities: the site has been valued based on the number of members. I do not see any way of turning the clock back.
One sensible thing to do would be to leave, and several people I respect, e.g. notgettingenough and BirdBrian, have done that. I am trying a different approach: accepting that it's now a commercially run site, and being commercial myself.
I am not taking a very tough line here. I post my reviews openly as I always have done, but sometimes I may remove them later and leave links to a version which you can purchase for a small amount of money. If people want, they are free to download my reviews themselves while they are up. I imagine, though, that it will generally be simpler to pay a few dollars and let me do a hundred or so at once.
This is basically a way to feel like I am less of a sucker. I have helped create value here, and some people are making plenty of money out of it. I am making a token protest to the effect that I would also like to be paid. I'm trying to do that in as neutral a way as possible.
As I said, I encourage other people to do the same. There are quite a few people here whose work I would be happy to buy on similar terms. I am curious to see what happens if a large number of members start doing this. I imagine looking at the bookcase in the living room and seeing a shelf and a half of nicely formatted "best-of" collections which my friends here had published, and I kind of like it. You know, old-fashioned paper books instead of bytes on a server controlled by some impersonal multinational.
Mind you, I'm sure Amazon would prefer it if everyone meekly accepted the new status quo and carried on as before.
Peer: I propose we boycott Manny till he returns his content to the community that fostered him with our "likes". Let's hit him where it hurts and refuse to "like" any more of his reviews and even remove our old "likes"!
Me: Peer, I respect your opinions, but I am collecting my favorite reviews and preserving them where our new corporate masters are unable to tamper with them. They are available as nicely formatted PDFs or as printed books. I am just asking for a few dollars to recompense me for the time my editor and I have invested.
I strongly encourage others to do the same thing. There are plenty of people on this site whose reviews I would be prepared to buy on similar terms.
Peer: Manny, as I see it you already had collected and preserved your favorite reviews by making your book. (Of course the same functions could be accomplished by simply copying to your own harddrive or even printing them out.). I think it's cool that you decided to make a book out of them and I certainly don't object to you charging a few dollars.
On the other hand it really kind of bothers me that you put up a "pay wall" where your reviews are no longer accessible to people like me. That seems to me a separate issue from the gr amazon deal making.
Now I will be clear, it's not my business really what you choose to do. On the other hand as someone who has looked up to you and appreciated your contributions to the community, I'm having a "Say it ain't so Joe" moment with you using the amazon acquisition as a pretext to "monetize" your writings.
I certainly feel some sense of betrayal due to the amazon acquisition of gr. on the other hand I'm still thinking about what it means to me and have been reading other people's postings on the topic with interest. I would certainly like to hear your opinions on the topic as well. But I wanted to register with you personally my feeling of disappointment with your choice.
Me: Peer, it's very hard to know what the right thing is to do in a situation like this. It appears that we've all been transformed into commodities: the site has been valued based on the number of members. I do not see any way of turning the clock back.
One sensible thing to do would be to leave, and several people I respect, e.g. notgettingenough and BirdBrian, have done that. I am trying a different approach: accepting that it's now a commercially run site, and being commercial myself.
I am not taking a very tough line here. I post my reviews openly as I always have done, but sometimes I may remove them later and leave links to a version which you can purchase for a small amount of money. If people want, they are free to download my reviews themselves while they are up. I imagine, though, that it will generally be simpler to pay a few dollars and let me do a hundred or so at once.
This is basically a way to feel like I am less of a sucker. I have helped create value here, and some people are making plenty of money out of it. I am making a token protest to the effect that I would also like to be paid. I'm trying to do that in as neutral a way as possible.
As I said, I encourage other people to do the same. There are quite a few people here whose work I would be happy to buy on similar terms. I am curious to see what happens if a large number of members start doing this. I imagine looking at the bookcase in the living room and seeing a shelf and a half of nicely formatted "best-of" collections which my friends here had published, and I kind of like it. You know, old-fashioned paper books instead of bytes on a server controlled by some impersonal multinational.
Mind you, I'm sure Amazon would prefer it if everyone meekly accepted the new status quo and carried on as before.
August 17, 2011
Travel commentary at its funniest. I laughed aloud during nearly every adventure. The cover says "Jack Kerouac meets Dave Barry in a 3rd world youth hostel." Yup. Makes me want to get a press card to really get to do all (well, half) that stuff for free. Seriously light reading (no in-depth analyses of the countries or cultures), but sometimes refreshingly cutting and cynical. What an ideal job!
August 17, 2014
Absolutely hysterical.
Reminiscent of Bill Bryson, yes, but Doug Lansky has his own little special writing thing going on.
In addition to the fact that I laughed out loud during nearly every chapter of this book, what I really appreciated about this is that Lansky treats experiences as they actually are.
Let me explain this.
I studied abroad a long time ago, and to this day I get self conscious when people ask me about it, because they always seem more excited in their curiosity than I do in my telling of the story. I felt that my time abroad was worthwhile, educational, and at times fun, but there are also aggravations that come with international travel, feelings of personal insecurity and incompetency, and annoyance with those around you (be they natives of where you're visiting or fellow Americans/tourists you're traveling with). In other words, travel is in many ways an everyday experience -- you still eat, bathe, sleep, talk to people, etc. in France just as you would at home.
But I feel that so often it is regarded as this flawless thing -- all gelato and romance and vistas all the time.
Lansky, I felt, let an experience be what it really was. He didn't get too deep into some of the negative travel emotions I listed above, which kept the book lighthearted, which I loved. But he didn't make an experience out to be more or less than it actually was for him. When telling his story of fishing in Namibia*, he makes fun of himself for catching a bunch of kelp in the ocean. And for the rest of the essay, while making the reader laugh continually, if you look closely, all he does is tell the story, as it happened. Creatively and funnily, but without embellishment to alienate the less-traveled reader.
I tend to get jealous when I read the work of most travel writers (minus Bryson and now, Lansky), because it simply reminds me that I haven't been able to travel to that place where they have. I may be the only one who has this issue, and I admit I have jealousy things to work on in my life. But I also know that there is a way to include your reader, by inviting him or her to enjoy the same laugh you had, and Lansky achieves that.
I really enjoyed this book and will be looking for more Lansky material to read.
I often avoid travel writing (because of all the jealousy), but while waiting for my mom recently at the library, I actually pulled this off the shelf. I am so glad I checked it out and gave it a chance.
*Interestingly enough, the country where I studied abroad
Reminiscent of Bill Bryson, yes, but Doug Lansky has his own little special writing thing going on.
In addition to the fact that I laughed out loud during nearly every chapter of this book, what I really appreciated about this is that Lansky treats experiences as they actually are.
Let me explain this.
I studied abroad a long time ago, and to this day I get self conscious when people ask me about it, because they always seem more excited in their curiosity than I do in my telling of the story. I felt that my time abroad was worthwhile, educational, and at times fun, but there are also aggravations that come with international travel, feelings of personal insecurity and incompetency, and annoyance with those around you (be they natives of where you're visiting or fellow Americans/tourists you're traveling with). In other words, travel is in many ways an everyday experience -- you still eat, bathe, sleep, talk to people, etc. in France just as you would at home.
But I feel that so often it is regarded as this flawless thing -- all gelato and romance and vistas all the time.
Lansky, I felt, let an experience be what it really was. He didn't get too deep into some of the negative travel emotions I listed above, which kept the book lighthearted, which I loved. But he didn't make an experience out to be more or less than it actually was for him. When telling his story of fishing in Namibia*, he makes fun of himself for catching a bunch of kelp in the ocean. And for the rest of the essay, while making the reader laugh continually, if you look closely, all he does is tell the story, as it happened. Creatively and funnily, but without embellishment to alienate the less-traveled reader.
I tend to get jealous when I read the work of most travel writers (minus Bryson and now, Lansky), because it simply reminds me that I haven't been able to travel to that place where they have. I may be the only one who has this issue, and I admit I have jealousy things to work on in my life. But I also know that there is a way to include your reader, by inviting him or her to enjoy the same laugh you had, and Lansky achieves that.
I really enjoyed this book and will be looking for more Lansky material to read.
I often avoid travel writing (because of all the jealousy), but while waiting for my mom recently at the library, I actually pulled this off the shelf. I am so glad I checked it out and gave it a chance.
*Interestingly enough, the country where I studied abroad
September 9, 2008
Each chapter by itself was funny. Too much to read a lot all at once. Some sections were hysterical and others were just so-so. Lots of pop-culture references to when these individual travelogues were written (c. 1990s) giving this a nice pre-9/11 innocence. The only section that I didn't like was the epilogue. Can't believe that Epcot could ever compare to real locations and depressing to think that real locations might be getting increasingly Disneyfied -- I'll disagree with the author on that one.
August 3, 2019
This guys adventures are so blasé that it has given me cause to write my own book.
February 1, 2025
This book is one of my favorites, covering as it does 60 misadventures from a droll but wide-traveling connoisseur who isn't particularly good or qualified to try any of them but who generously comments on his experiences anyway.
All the pieces are short and grouped together by area (South America, for example). You'll be wrestling with an alligator in Florida at one moment, then being acupunctured in Beijing or tossing a boomerang in Australia the next.
It all adds up to a repeatedly interesting and fun exploration of many activities most readers will never otherwise experience, so well worth the time!
All the pieces are short and grouped together by area (South America, for example). You'll be wrestling with an alligator in Florida at one moment, then being acupunctured in Beijing or tossing a boomerang in Australia the next.
It all adds up to a repeatedly interesting and fun exploration of many activities most readers will never otherwise experience, so well worth the time!
January 14, 2020
Doug Lansky is hilarious!! He paints a vivid picture of his adventures AND misadventures!! I’ve read everything he’s written. His words never fail to entertain!!
June 29, 2021
Some places visited were very interesting/funny. Some just so-so.
October 26, 2025
Mostly funny, especially the first half. Then it got a little boring for me. But wow he’s gone to a lot of places!
April 11, 2011
This is a totally entertaining book. My favorite chapter was "Rudolph's Last Stand: Reindeer herding in Sweden," despite the fact that he misnamed Donder, Donner. Everyone else does this too. This chapter was totally silly mostly because of coffee cheese. I'm generally pretty willing to try just about any food, and I even had cheese soda in Switzerland, but coffee cheese, I've never before heard of.
The book is basically a series of 60 adventures, each written in about the length of a blog post. I believe they were each travel articles that were compiled into a book, but I didn't bother to actually check that.
I did like the way Lansky ended the book with traveling in the US, specifically to Epcot. He makes an interesting point that as the world continues to become smaller, and people travel more, many unique locations try to become more what people (here he's referring to Americans in particular) expect them to be, and less what they might have been that originally drew people to them.
When my husband and I travel, we try to follow the "when in Rome" mentality as much as possible, but, as Lansky points out, most people speak some English. I always feel a bit like a typical American traveler because I don't speak another language, and I do feel a little bit guilty about forcing people in their country to speak my language.
But now I've digressed. This is an entertaining read, a "bathroom book" is the way the woman who loaned to me described it. At any rate, it's perfect for when you don't want to think too hard, or for those times when you're, say, waiting at the dentist's and you don't want to get too involved in something.
The book is basically a series of 60 adventures, each written in about the length of a blog post. I believe they were each travel articles that were compiled into a book, but I didn't bother to actually check that.
I did like the way Lansky ended the book with traveling in the US, specifically to Epcot. He makes an interesting point that as the world continues to become smaller, and people travel more, many unique locations try to become more what people (here he's referring to Americans in particular) expect them to be, and less what they might have been that originally drew people to them.
When my husband and I travel, we try to follow the "when in Rome" mentality as much as possible, but, as Lansky points out, most people speak some English. I always feel a bit like a typical American traveler because I don't speak another language, and I do feel a little bit guilty about forcing people in their country to speak my language.
But now I've digressed. This is an entertaining read, a "bathroom book" is the way the woman who loaned to me described it. At any rate, it's perfect for when you don't want to think too hard, or for those times when you're, say, waiting at the dentist's and you don't want to get too involved in something.
January 22, 2016
I read this book while in college, to give my brain a break from all the academic reading I had to do, as well as to cheer me up from the constant stress of college. I loved every word and page of this book, and have purchased copies and given them to people I know, to encourage them to get off the beaten path when it comes to global travel.
This book is hilarious, laugh out loud, funny. Landry does an excellent job of balancing the absurd with self deprecation, and his ability to describe the often insane situations he finds himself in (the spelunking and the Chinese opera chapters are two that come to mind even after all of these years) do not sour people on globe trekking, but rather inspire them to stuff a backpack, book a flight, and just experience as much as possible!
This book is hilarious, laugh out loud, funny. Landry does an excellent job of balancing the absurd with self deprecation, and his ability to describe the often insane situations he finds himself in (the spelunking and the Chinese opera chapters are two that come to mind even after all of these years) do not sour people on globe trekking, but rather inspire them to stuff a backpack, book a flight, and just experience as much as possible!
January 24, 2016
Up the Amazon Without a Paddle: 60 Offbeat Adventures Around the World by Doug Lansky (Meadowbrook Press 1999) (910.4). Quirky travel writing by a guy who seems to have fun at what he does, and he does some really cool stuff! He tells a half-dozen or more tales from each continent except Antarctica (none), and he also tells a few from the Middle East. Doug Lansky is a very good storyteller, and I bet that it would be fun to travel with him! My rating: 7/10, finished 7/27/15.
April 23, 2012
I started out having a hard time getting into this book. I felt like the author tried too hard to be funny with his anecdotes. The more I read the more I warmed up to his writing style and began to really enjoy his stories. By the end I had enjoyed the entertaining short stories.
July 5, 2012
This is this second of his books that I've read (I also read Last Trout in Venice: The Far-Flung Escapades of an Accidental Adventurer) and I enjoyed it. He enbarks on many adventures and makes them sound very fun and interesting.
May 8, 2015
Very funny and interesting book. He is certainly a brave traveler and truly immerses himself where he goes. This seems to be a collection of random articles put together for the book but it is broken up into nice sections. Would love to read more about his travels.
July 11, 2007
One of the funniest travel books I've ever read.
October 4, 2007
Fun, and sometimes hilarious, short travel stories from all over the world. Easy read.
September 24, 2007
funny! the second in the true series by this author - a very comedic travel writer who chooses to live on really remote islands
quite humorous in the spirit of a Bill Bryson
quite humorous in the spirit of a Bill Bryson
September 3, 2008
Funny. A quick read. The stories are very short and entertaining. But the book lacks continuity and perhaps needs more substance.
December 21, 2008
I enjoyed reading about the author's adventures around the world. I appreciated his sense of humor.
June 13, 2009
Loved it especially for the section on Australia which was why I started it in the first place. If you enjoy Bill Bryson you will love this one. Funny yet informative.
December 25, 2009
This is a different track, a different kind of reading for me. Enjoyable, but I still feel that I learn more about life and the world from great fiction. Nothing could be better.
January 5, 2010
A fantastically funny book. Lansky uses great metaphors and a laid-back style to describe his adventures around the globe.
March 29, 2011
Very funny travel essays.
February 10, 2020
He tries too hard to be funny, bad writing. It would have been fun to do the actual travel
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews