Here Theroux recounts his early adventures on an unusual grand continental tour. Asia's fabled trains -- the Orient Express, the Khyber Pass Local, the Frontier Mail, the Golden Arrow to Kuala Lumpur, the Mandalay Express, the Trans-Siberian Express -- are the stars of a journey that takes him on a loop eastbound from London's Victoria Station to Tokyo Central, then back from Japan on the Trans-Siberian. --From publisher's description.

"Picking up where Walking to Samarkand left off, Winds of the Steppe continues the astonishing tale of journalist Bernard Ollivier's 7,200-mile walk from Turkey to China along the Silk Road, the longest and most mythical trade route of all time. Taking readers from the snows of the Pamir Mountains to the backstreets of Kashgar--a Central Asian city that could be the setting for One Thousand and One Nights--to the Tian Shan Mountains to the endless...

In this classic thriller, two American tourists find more adventure than they bargained for when they get involved with Chinese gun smugglers and Muslim revolutionaries, learning first hand about the intrigue of the post-colonial world.

Traveling to Palanan Island in Southeast Asia, archaeologist Riley Smith is aware of the threat from treasure hunters who have no qualms about killing to get what they want. When she successfully evades them and finds the perfectly preserved body of a female warrior, it is just what she needs to entice Eve Duncan to join her. As they seek answers to the questions the body has raised, their discovery will change history-- if they can escape the island...

"As a teenager, Kate Harris realized that the career she craved--to be an explorer, equal parts swashbuckler and metaphysician--had gone extinct. From what she could tell of the world from small-town Ontario, the likes of Marco Polo and Magellan had mapped the whole earth; there was nothing left to be discovered. Looking beyond this planet, she decided to become a scientist and go to Mars. In between studying at Oxford and MIT, Harris set off by bicycle...

In Siem Reap, Cambodia, Cari gets a bird's eye view of Angkor Wat. Then, she's atop an elephant on her way to the famous temple. She's amazed at its architecture, and has great fun in its echo chamber. Later, she joins Cambodian girls to perform a traditional Apsara dance.

At an elephant orphanage in Laos, Cari meets the veterinarian who takes care of the pachyderms. She learns what it takes to be a mahout or elephant trainer and is put to work shoveling elephant dung. Cari ends her day with a playful trip through the river to give her elephant a bath.

After arriving by long boat in Luang Prabang, Cari meets up with a guide who takes her to a village to sample papaya salad. She joins the village boys in a game of takraw and is welcomed into the community with a special ceremony. Later, Cari dons a traditional Laos skirt and joins the girls in a dance of friendship.