Around the World in 80 Martinis : The Logbook of a Remarkable Voyage Undertaken by Gustav Temple and Vic Darkwood

This title is a spoof of the Jules Verne classic and a "Rough Guide to the World" for "Chaps" everywhere. On a wet November evening, in the refined surroundings of the Sheridan Club on London's St James's Street, Messrs Temple and Darkwood entered into a wager: Is it possible to travel the entire world, crossing all five continents, using a different method of transport for every leg of the journey? This is the story of their remarkable attempt. It is an adventure that takes the "Chaps" into territory previously unchartered by gentlemen, such as three-star hotels and standard class railway carriages, and involves some of the more curious forms of travel, including balloon, yak, elephant, Kon-Tiki raft and a sperm whale. Along the way they have to negotiate the unpalatable cuisine of North America; cross the entire Congo jungle in a sedan chair; and resort to selling their internal organs after a disastrous night spent at a seedy casino in Bangkok. Their journey is eased by the indispensable "Trubshawe's Handbook for the Gentleman Traveller" and by Ahmed, their quick witted Moroccan boyservant, who can always be relied upon to locate the nearest opium den or baccarat table. Principally though, it is an adventure fuelled by dry Martinis - the only food stuff that Messrs Temple and Darkwood feel they can trust at every corner of the globe.