by Matt Gross
Fodor’s Tunisia, 17–19
Food passions
Bologna disappointments, 95
broadening the palate, 49–56
as connection to people, places, 54
frugal tips, 133
learning from A-Mui, 209–213
loss of appetite from giardia, 48
shared with brother Steve, 202
for Vietnamese food, 40–41
when hiking in German Harz Mountains, 58–61
writing gastro-tourist narrative, 245–246
Fox tapeworm (fuchsbandwurm), 60–61
FoxNews.com, 111–112
France, 157–162, 177–180, 231
Freelancing, 110, 113, 126
French Indochina, 14, 39
French language, 176, 203–204, 224
Friendships
of Bodhi Tree expats, 69, 84, 88–89
challenges in establishing, 68–69
with Douglas, 73–74
ephemerality of, 83
of Lucy Hotel circle, 83–90
as motivation for traveling, 134
needed for stories, 77
of refugees Roshan and Ahmed, 159–162
with single point of commonality, 66–67
with Tom of Tâm Tâm Café, 72–74, 84
with Vietnamese people, 70–71
“The Frugal Traveler” column
introduced, 6–7, 19–20, 116–117
budgets, 117
cheap traveling tips, 132–134
cross-country (US) assignment, 75–77, 124, 130
early problems with round-the-world stories, 93–98, 118–120
readers’ comments, complaints, 81, 120, 134–135
story writing approaches, 124–125
Gastro-tourist, 245–246
Geissler, Christoph, 61
George, Don, 171–172
Georgia (country), 80, 120, 172
Germany, 58–61
Getting lost
childhood experience, 166–167
deliberately, 172–185
nongeographically, 176–177, 182, 183–184
for people with no sense of direction, 171–172
“Getting Lost” treks
Chongqing, 183–185
Las Vegas, 180, 182
Mediterranean Odyssey, 180–182
Paris, 177–180
Tangier, 174–177
Giardia (Giardia lamblia), 42–48, 54
Giardia: A Model Organism (Luján), 56–57
Giardia vaccine, 56–58
Gone with the Wind (Mitchell), 53
Google
maps, 167
for researching activities, trips, 19–20, 133, 184, 236
Görgün, Kemal, 10, 121–123
GPS mapping, 169, 174, 184
Graceland album (Simon), 191, 215
Greece, getting lost in, 180–182
Grosmütz family name, 256–260, 271
Gross, Jean Liu. See Liu, Jean
Gross, Morris, 255, 258, 271
Gross, Nell, 192, 193, 195, 216
Gross, Sasha Raven
birth of, 129
as an intercontinental traveler, 187–189, 205–206, 216–217
plays with Mai’s child, 89–90
with stay-at-home dad, 267
Gross, Steve
complex relations with brother, 192–196
Montreal trip, 201–205, 213–215, 217–219
Guidebooks
inadequate, 15
traveling without, 10, 173, 174
See also Fodor’s Tunisia; Lonely Planet guidebooks
Gulf Islands of British Columbia, 21, 63–66
Gypsies, 20–21, 249–250
Hannity, 83, 130–131
Hanoi International Film Festival, 103, 104–107
Harissa chili paste, 18, 221, 245
Herzog, Werner, 105
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. See Saigon, Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh Open University, 27, 28, 98–100, 143
Home
in context of wanderlust, foreign “homes,” 248–252
as disappointing, 113
as life intertwined with travel, 236, 271
stasis becomes normal, 266–270
Horseback excursion in Kyrgyzstan, 31–34, 37
Human trafficking, 115, 148, 159
Illness
flu in Cambodia, 46–47
giardia, 42–48, 54
possibility of fox tapeworm, 60–61
severe close calls, 47–48
when traveling, 6
Independent traveling
as alternative to sightseeing, 235–236
by default, 8–10
inspired by solitude, 80–81
provides built-in drama, 126
India sightseeing, 79–81, 232–236
Indian circus, 235
Indians, American, 241–243
Innocence vs. ignorance, 34–35
International Herald Tribune newspaper, 109–110, 230
Ireland, 31, 177, 235, 256–257
Italy, 94–98
Jamaica, 90–91, 116, 127–129
Japan, 21–22, 50, 74, 169, 252–253
Jean. See Liu, Jean
Jed (Bodhi Tree expatriate), 69, 84, 89
Jewish identity, 69, 199, 257–260
Johns Hopkins University, 26, 111, 112, 198
Johns Hopkins University Bologna Center, 95–96
Jost Van Dyke island, 36
Journalism. See Writing
The Jungle Always Wins (Gross), 113, 114, 238
Kampot, Cambodia, 116, 168–169
Kentucky, 78, 82–83
Khmer language, 115, 138, 147, 155, 156
Khmer Rouge, 115, 144, 238
Khuyen, Cong Nguyen, 104–105, 106–107
Kills Crow, J. T., 241–243
Kite surfers of Mui Ne, Vietnam, 116
Kopilevich, Regina, 254–259
Kyrgyzstan, 31–34, 37, 172
La Belle Étoile in Calais, France, 158, 161
Language. See under specific languages
Lariam (mefloquine), 43, 45
Las Vegas, Nevada, 173, 180, 182
L’Assommoir (Zola), 164
Laurentian Mountains snowshoeing, 213–215
Legoland in Billund, Denmark, 24, 25
Leigh Fermor, Patrick, 254, 263
Lina, 137–138, 149–157, 161, 162
Lisbon and Galicia, Spain stories, 97, 98
Lithuania, 255–260
Liu, Jean
introduced, 111
conflicts with parents, 200–201
family visits in Taipei, 113, 196–198
and Fodor’s Tunisia, 16–18
marriage moratorium and marriage, 206–209
prepares for trips by shifting frame of mind, 250
pre-Sasha, 189–190
as traveler, 80, 112, 189–190, 231
Liu, Kan-nan. See Liu family
Liu family (Jean’s parents, relatives), 196–197, 200–201, 206–208, 215–217
Lodging tips, 132–133
Loneliness
and friendship in strange places, 68
as an outsider, 75
succumbing to, 6, 7
and Westerners’ fear of rejection, 80
Lonely Planet guidebooks, 15, 30, 102–103, 122, 227
Lotus. See ELT Lotus teachers
Lucy Hotel, Saigon
accommodations described, 28, 54, 109
circle of friends, expatriates, 83–90
owner, 84, 87–90
staff, 28–29, 87, 143, 230
Luján, Hugo, 56–58
Lu’o’n nu’ó’ng mia, 40, 56
Mai (Lucy Hotel friend), 85, 86, 89–90
Malaysia foodie road trip, 83, 118–119
Mali, 231, 266
Manhattan’s Lower East Side, 110–112, 253
Map reading and directional sense, 167–172, 179
Marijampolė, Lithuania, 255, 257–260, 271
Marxist-Leninist literary thought, 100–101
Mediterranean Odyssey, 180–182
Metronidazole, 44, 57
Mexico
Jean’s travel experiences, 189–190
Mercado Central, Mexico City, 231–232
and traveling with giardia, 47–48, 112
Money
earned in Vietnam, Cambodia, 101–109
injected by tourists into economies, 245
See also Costs of traveling
Montana, 6, 173
Montreal, Quebec trip, 201–205, 213–215, 217–219
Motivations to travel
overview, 260–263
exploration and making friends, 77, 123, 134
flowing naturally into lifestyle, 112–113
risks and adventures, 26, 31–34
Museum of American War Crimes, 75, 229
Myanmar (Burma) trip, 1–4, 5, 242, 266
Nana (Zola), 164
New York. See Manhattan’s Lower East Side
New York magazine, 112, 113
New York Times
bans press junkets, 125–126
concealing/revealing employment identity, 32–33, 65, 90–91, 127–131
Fish’s piece, 235–236
Travel section editors, 93, 97–98, 114, 116–124, 174, 184
See also under specific destinations, assignments, and “The Frugal Traveler”
Newport, Rhode Island, 117–118
Novel Without a Name (Duong Thu Huong), 14
Odysseus, 180–182, 249
Oglala Lakota Sioux, 241
Oklahoma City, 244
Pailin, Cambodia, 115, 238–240, 245
Paris
getting lost in, 173, 177–180
visiting Jean, 231
Patricia, 81–83
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
cafés, bars, 149, 151
film festival, 144–145, 229–230
lifestyle, 114–116
prostitutes, 137–138, 145–147, 149–153
searching for Lina, 153–157
Ph, 41–43, 56, 70, 230
Phuoc (Ms. Thanh’s student), 27–28, 70–71
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, 240–243
Police encounters, 11, 65–66, 87, 90, 242–243
Portishead Dummy album, 68, 73, 75, 76
Poverty
ethical dilemma of beggars, prostitutes, street kids, 138–142, 148
of Third World, 7
Prostitutes and prostitution in Southeast Asia, 137–138, 142–143, 145–148, 156–157, 222
Psychic challenges of travel
introduced, 6–7
feeling disoriented (for some), 164–165
friendships and loneliness, 68–69
poverty, beggars, prostitutes, 138–142, 148
Ramen, 21–22, 252–253
Ranthambore National Park, India, 232–235
Rapp, Tom, 72–73, 84
Refugees in Calais, France, 157–163
Reversal of Fortune movie and book (Dershowitz), 117–118
Rome, 125, 231, 237–238
Roshan (Sri Lankan refugee), 159–162
Round-the-world trip stories, 32, 93–98, 118–119
Saigon, Vietnam
background, context, 12–14, 27–30, 39
copyediting for Viet Nam News, 107–110
as model for facing travel anxieties, 7–8, 231
Pham Ngu Lao Street, 28–30, 102, 227
departing, returning to US, 110
Saigon Café, 30, 37, 68–69, 101
St. Augustine, 223, 262–263
Sandra, 79–81, 232–235
Saveur magazine, 4, 180
Shoot magazine, 111
Siddhartha, 34
Sidibé, Malick, 231, 266
Sightseeing as an obligation, 104, 232–236, 244
Sihanoukville, Cambodia, 153–155
Skateboarding, 26, 30, 67, 69, 194
Skinny-dipping, 21, 64
A Small World, 18, 19–20, 223, 224
Snowboarding, 112, 116
Solitude and isolation
craving companionship, 80–83
of cross-country US trip, 75–77
of hiking in Harz Mountains, 59
needing a soundtrack, 68
The Sorrow of War (Bao Ninh), 14
The Sot-Weed Factor (Barth), 34–35
Southeast Asian Film Festival, Phnom Penh (1997), 144–145, 229–230
Spin the Globe story of Tunisia for Afar, 15–19, 37, 221–226
Star Wars movie, 15, 226
Starfish Project, 137–138, 153–156
Steve (Lucy Hotel friend), 85, 86, 88–90
Strawberry Hill, Jamaica, 128–129
Street kids, 45, 140–141, 153–155
Superfudge (Blume), 49
Tabula Peutingeriana, 169–171
Taipei, Taiwan trips, 113, 196–198, 205–207, 209–213, 267, 270
Taiwan, 88, 215–217
Taj Mahal, 234–235
Tâm Tâm cybercafé, 72–74, 84
Tammy, 11–12, 88, 144
Tangier medina, 173, 174–177
Teaching
English as a foreign language, 12, 14, 69, 228
literature at Open University, 98–100, 143
Ted (Bodhi Tree café expatriate)
introduced, 69, 84
helps form writers group, 89
at Viet Nam News, 107–109
post-Saigon life, 90, 135
Texas hill country, 244
Thailand, 4, 112, 116, 206
Thanh, Le Thi, 14, 27–28, 51–52, 53
Third World countries, 7, 44, 139
Time magazine, 39–40
Tivoli Gardens, Denmark, 25, 166–167, 174
“To Be Young and Hip in Bangkok” story (Gross) in New York Times, 118
Tokyo, Japan, 21–22, 117, 252–253
Tolkien, J.R.R., 24, 167, 262, 264
Tourist–traveler dichotomy, 227–238, 244–246. See also Sightseeing as an obligation
Tourons, 139, 226–228
Train trips
to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 206
to Marijampolė, Lithuania, 259
from Sawai Madhopur to Agra, India, 79
from Urumqi to Beijing, China, 83, 123–124
Travel + Leisure magazine, 113
Travel agents, 8, 19, 112, 261
Travel and world perspective
antagonism toward tourists, 139, 227–228
connections between disparate points, 5–6, 8, 34
experiencing getting lost, 166–167, 171, 172–185
exploring and making friends, 77, 123, 134, 185
inexpensive approach, 112–113
intertwined with living, 236, 271
loneliness, 68
memories of failure vs. memories of successes, 6–8, 36–37
motivations (see Motivations to travel)
travelers vs. tourons vs. living in/knowing a country, 226–231
Travel preparation
intensive vs. serendipitous, 20–22
maps, 167–168
shifting frame of mind, 250
Truro, Massachusetts, 208, 247, 248
Tunisia, 18, 221–226, 245–246
Tuoi Tre newspaper, 108
Turkey, 121–123, 264
Tuyen (Lucy Hotel friend), 84–90
Twain, Mark, 237, 262
Twitter, 18, 224
Urumqi to Beijing railroad trip, 6, 83, 123–124, 260–261
Venice, Italy, 94, 97, 98, 173
Vienna to Budapest trek, 31, 47, 254
Viet Nam News
copyediting/writing in Hanoi, Saigon, 104–109
film festivals, 103, 144–145
Vietnam
first impressions, 26
film festival, 104–107
food world, 40–42, 54 (see also Food Passions)
government restrictions on press, 106–108
as model for living in/knowing a country, 229–231<
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preparing for, 12–15
departures, 110, 247
Vietnam Investment Review, 85, 103
Vietnamese language, 13, 71–72, 143, 229–230
Vince (Jean’s cousin), 211–213, 217
Vivian the 1989 Volvo, 75–76, 90, 241, 244, 266
Vollmann, William T., 73, 145
Walking trips
across Harz Mountains, 58–61
to get lost, 174–183
in Slovakia, 20
snowshoeing with Steve, 213–215
from Vienna to Budapest, 47, 254
Washington Post, 85
“Why Is Everybody Going to Cambodia?” (Gross) in New York Times, 118
Williamsburg, Virginia, 26, 49, 226–227
World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF), 121, 132
Wounded Knee, 241–243
Writers groups, 89, 109, 113
Writing
to cope with fear of death, 77
defines memories of trips, 264
as employment, 93–98, 109, 113, 228–229
qualities of good travel stories, 118, 119–120, 123–125
using gastro-tourist narrative, 245–246
Yang, Andrew, 51, 54
Yoon, Bonnie, 1–5
Zola, Émile, 163, 164, 264
