Chris Tharp recounts his misadventures in countries across the region he's called home for the last ten years. He takes us to the back-alley restaurants of Vietnam on a quest to eat cobra; to the neon streets of Japan, where he goes on tour with a jazz band, gets lost in the depraved depths of a comic book shop, and nearly causes a riot at a punk rock bar; to far Western China, where he narrowly misses a terrorist attack and endures a harrowing drive on the world's highest highway. Whether he's losing his lunch on the boat ride to the disputed Dokdo islets, surviving a bus wreck on a Korean highway, eating chicken embryos in the Philippines, or riding a dilapidated motorbike through the dirt tracks of Laos, Tharp delivers his tales with a mixture of honesty, wit, and humor that will inspire readers to strap on a backpack and hit the road.
"... insightful, humorous, and unflinching. A great read for the active and armchair traveler alike." - Michael Breen, author of The Koreans
"Tharp's done it again. He's got a knack for finding himself in, shall we say, interesting places and situations..." - Chris Backe, travel blogger at One Weird Globe
"... a thoughtful rampage through the backwaters of Asia. ... a refreshing, humble honesty, unafraid of exploring the gritty and grimy, the seedy and sublime. Witty poignant, and times even disturbing..." - Brandon W. Jones, author of All Woman and Springtime
"Illness, whether his stomach, or his motorcycle, forces Tharp to destinations he hadn't planned. Going off the beaten path leads to revelations that aren't just culinary ones, but philosophical quandaries that push toilet seats as well as his conscience. In that sense, the dynamic of Tharp's journey isn't so much that of Asia as it is the landscape of humanity. At the same time, his mix of visceral pain, self-deprecating humor, and unique cultural idiosyncrasies pervade throughout the travelogs and make for some damn good conversation." - Peter Tieryas, Entropy Magazine
"Tharp's writing is sharp witted... casual and inviting, I feel like I'm along for the ride. After finishing the book I felt like I always do after reading a good travel book, ready to hit the road." - Laura Bronner, travel blogger at An American Abroad
"The Worst Motorcycle in Laos never pulls any punches in its 400 page trek across the Asian continent. Some of the scenes I will never forget for their haunting depiction of life on the extreme end of the poverty scale. There are moments when you'll have to put the book down to think about what Tharp has just seen - a deformed child in a cart; a foul mouthed nine year old; the squalor of public defecation. This is important information, and it helps the book show a world that is changing, or very much needs to change." - Giacomo Lee, author of Funereal
"In his second collection of essays, Tharp gives us a glimpse into what many would argue is the proper way to travel. If you're looking to read up on yoga retreats, luxury spas, or Full Moon parties, you're flipping through the wrong pages... Tharp weaves his way through ten years of Asian vacations, sampling the local tastes while avoiding the well-beaten traveler cliche at every turn." - Chris Birdsong, Haps Magazine
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