Rating: 4 stars
ASIN: B008N2HBTU
Genre: Travel memoir
File Size: 249 KB
Pages: 86

Belly Up: Surviving and Thriving Beyond a Cruise Gone Bad describes how Gina Greenlee sets out to fulfill a 10-year desire to travel solo around the world only to find out that, 40 days into the trip, the cruise lines goes belly up in bankruptcy leaving the author stranded in Tahiti. Ms Greenlee decides to continues to realize her dream; with the help of her travel agency, she hops freighters, uses catamarans, airplanes, and other modes of transport to complete her round-the-world adventure.

There is no moping or carping; this is the story of a determined woman and the places she visited. The pace is quick and upbeat. Ms. Greenlee works wonders with words, creating vivid images. I loved phrases such as the “sing-song tenor of a two-tone doorbell;” having my stomach on the ceiling and my face in a bucket;” five passengers folded into one another like human origami;” a “heaviness in my heart offset by a buoyancy in my checking account;” and many others. Such gems are scattered thought the book, making it a very enjoyable read.

If you like unusual travel stories, read this captivating book.