Tales of a Reluctant World Traveler - Louis B. Hobson

The 19th edition of the Calgary Fringe runs until Aug. 9 in Inglewood. There are 20 shows, and the way they are staggered each day, it is possible to catch four of them without rushing. There is even time to catch a quick snack between the second and third show.

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TALES OF A RELUCTANT WORLD TRAVELER

The early draft of Randy Ross' novel, God Bless Cambodia, was The Loneliest Planet Guide Book. Before he embarked on a four month world travel expedition, Ross read The Lonely Planet guide books of the countries he planned to visit. What he surmised, after actually going to each of these places. was the people who wrote those books likely didn't actually stay in, or visit, the places they wrote about, or things had changed drastically from when they did. In the first half of his show, using slides, Ross recalls some of this biggest disappointments and catastrophes, always zeroing in on the unpleasantness he encountered. He does admit a good deal of it was his fault. At 48, he was a bit too old to be staying in youth hostels and trying windsurfing. He was a lonely, middle aged man alone in foreign countries, and all the guide books had been so vehement about not contracting sexually transmitted diseases, he was doomed to feeling even lonelier. Ross is particularly self deprecating, and he succeeds in getting maximum laughs at his expense. This is not a travelogue show. Ross doesn't show the typical famous landmarks of each country but rather things that surprised him. In the second half of the show, Ross tells how difficult it was to get his experiences into print, and that proves almost as hilarious as his travels themselves.