Today's tourist, in Osborne's estimation, has too much money, undergoes too little education, possesses even less knowledge, and lacks completely the intellectual curiosity that makes travel compelling and rewarding. Osborne sets out across the globe, working his way east from Dubai through India and Thailand into remote areas of Papua New Guinea. In Dubai he surveys a money-obsessed society determined to remake a desert seafront into a sort of Islamic Disneyworld with manufactured sandy beaches on artificial islands. He finds Calcutta a ruined, failed city, still beset with Marxist idols. Bangkok caters boldly to carnal pleasures, and a trip to the hospital for some vaccinations uncovers a haven for sex-reassignment surgery. Less-radical changes may be had at Thai spas. The exotic culture of Bali attracts Osborne, but his objective remains Papua New Guinea, where too much cleanliness can be dangerous since the locals confuse soap perfumes with evil spirits. Nevertheless, in this South Pacific remoteness, Osborne finally attains his travel goal of reaching a place where no one has yet seen tourists.

Share/Like this Review?