When I left for a fourteen-month journey across Asia late in 2003, one of the books I carried in my pack was Paul Theroux’s Fresh Air Fiend: Travel Writings, an eclectic collection of essays he had penned in the 1980s and 90s.

"Here's a recipe for adventure:

    * 5 Mideast countries
    * 1 Seattle dotcommer
    * A one-way plane ticket
    * Several Lonely Planet guides
    * Pakistani rosary beads

Mix together with questions about identity and roots.

 Book Review: Frommer's Iceland