"In 2003, Albert Podell realized that he'd been to 110 countries in the world. What if, he wondered, he could go to them all? He would set foot in not just the well-known tourist destinations in Europe or the vacation spots in Latin America, but the little-known, far-off lands that most people don't know exist. In Around the World in 50 Years, Podell recounts the misunderstandings, detours, accidents, breakdowns, robberies, and even wars that he needed to overcome to visit every corner of Earth. He describes his encounters with voodoo rituals, fruit-bat pie, the Ghost Fleet of Truk Lagoon, Cuban counterintelligence agents, the New Guinea wigmen, camel caravans, the Lord's Resistance Army, and much, much more. With a wry, exuberant style, Podell's observations on the unusual and exotic places that lay beyond the usual tourist trails make this book a standout on the travel writing shelf"-- Provided by publisher.

Between a croc and a hard place -- A late start -- The Land of a Thousand Horrors -- Weighed down in Egypt's land -- Into the teeth of the tiger -- Changing goals -- Making a splash -- "Just call me God" -- So, when is a country not a country? -- Doing God's work -- Travels in SPAM land -- Hanging Chad -- "Do not kidnap anyone today!" -- Your man in Havana -- You are what you eat -- Snow beneath the Southern Cross -- A poke in a pig -- No countries for old men -- Into the Indian Ocean -- On the whims of the dragoons -- Murphy moves to TomorrowLand -- To the land of the Great Leader -- In the steppes of Genghis Khan -- On the wings of the dragon -- A tropical depression -- Second thoughts -- My meddle in the Middle East -- Guerrillas and gorillas -- Plan X and the gray-blue eyes -- --and one more for the road -- Countries visited : in chronological order.