Last Trout in Venice: The Far-Flung Escapades of an Accidental Adventurer

by Doug Lansky

Release Date: 10 May, 2001

Edition: Paperback

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Absolutely Hilarious

Disclaimer: I am part owner of Travelers' Tales, the publisher of this book, but I read it just for fun, like you would, and couldn't put it down. This is the funniest book I've read in a long time. Doug has sought out bizarre situations in his travels that most of us would be too embarrassed to try, and tells of his escapades in ways that made my sides split.

His "school" sequence -- gondola school in Venice (the source of the book's title), Sumo wrestling school in Japan, Kickboxing School in Thailand, to give only a few -- gives endless food for how much fun it can be to put yourself in awkward situations where you learn about the inside of something most tourists view only from the outside. His account of his visit to the Kit Kat Club in Berlin, and his attempt in advance to come up with a suitably outrageous costume is one of the funniest pieces I've ever read.

This is one of those books your friends will either hate you or love you for, because you'll be reading them all the best bits aloud.

If you like Bill Bryson, you'll likely love Lansky, since he's got a similar mix of travel and slightly off-color humor.

Why do we torture ourselves?

You know you are in for an hilarious treat when an author counsels his readers to read his book in "bite size" chunks, as the stories related are just about the right length for a trip to the bathroom.
In fact, nationally syndicated travel columnist Doug Lansky, author of Last Trout In Venice: The Far-Flung Escapades Of An Accidental Adventurer, even admits that he would be honoured if you decide to keep the book near the throne.

Readers will immediately respond when Lansky gives us an overview of the various catchy slogans and photos used by travel boards.
The slogans, no matter how clich� and vague they may be, all seem to send out the same message: "Come and spend you money here."
As for photos of beach scenes, the author asks, have you ever wondered why they rarely show any people?
In fact, we are reminded that they often look unstepped on, the skies are always cloudless and the hotels are brand spanking new. Where are the tourists? Perhaps the hotels had to close due to violations of the fire code.

Effective conveying of comical travel experiences requires keen observational skills, originality, and astuteness.
All of these elements are prevalent throughout the reading of Lansky's forty-six goofy essays as he gallivants around the world.

The tale pertaining to Berlin's famous erotic Kit Kat Club is side splitting.
To gain entrance to the club, our author was required to put on some kind of an erotic costume. As he states, "I,m an erotic fantasy novice, or beginner, or whatever the correct terminology is for someone completely ignorant about the details of kinky behaviour-until Bill Clinton's impeachment trial."
We accompany the author to an alternative clothing and fetish shop called "Exciting."
If you have never been to one of these establishments, you surely are in for surprise!
You can just imagine the scene when Lansky asks the sales clerk if he can have the rubber shorts in his size without the synthetic genitalia!

Reading Lansky's essays, you get the impression that there is no end to his shenanigans. He apparently is fascinated in trying anything from Summa wrestling, Swiss Yodeling, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, fly-fishing, and whatever else meets his fancy.
Did you know that hitting a ball in polo is like trying to play golf out of the window of your car while driving down the highway in rush-hour traffic?

Why does he submit himself to such torture? Is it a learning experience or is he the slapstick comedian who will do anything for a laugh?

This review was first published on the reviewer's own site
www.bookpleasures.com