5 Ways to Carry a Goat

Book excerpt: There's Nothing Like a blog post to inspire angry rants from anonymous readers: it's the talkback radio of the digital age. So why is Australia's leading travel blogger Ben Groundwater setting out to put faces to his reader's made-up names? Armed with a backpack, a laptop and a cover story in case of emergency, Ben has a plan: to travel the world, relying purely on the kindness of his sometimes frightening, but always interesting, readers. After posting a cry for help on his blog, he has a globe-circling itinerary of apparently friendly strangers who have offered him their homes - not to mention their radio shows, hallucinogenic drugs, beachside eco-resorts and daughters' weddings. This is Ben's chance to dig deep into the realms of his digital universe: Who's out there reading his blog? Where do they live? What are their lives like? And how do you carry a goat home in Ethiopia? Over 14 weeks, 14 countries and about a thousand beers, he answers these questions and many more. Five Ways to Carry a Goat is the hilarious tale of putting virtual friendship to the test of reality. Book jacket.