Adventure Capitalist : The Ultimate Investor's Road Trip

Rating:
Summary: an engaging but melancholy read
Review: Jim Rogers is the guy who started it all for me (a friend lent me his first book, Investment Biker, my sophomore year in college). Investment Biker seemed to create extreme reactions, either loved or hated for its brashness. His follow up, Adventure Capitalist, is more sober and contemplative, though still fun. The four dominant themes of Adventure Capitalist are bureaucracy, border hazards, untapped potential, and the transient nature of greatness. Country after country shows promise, but opportunity is sadly drowned by mind numbing red tape and colossal government ineptitude. Again and again there is trouble at the border, and disappointment inevitably follows. The one emerging market with a positive border crossing experience, China, is the only one Rogers is wildly bullish on. He sees 2004 Shanghai as analogous to 1904 New York.

With his father's illness a significant backdrop, mortality is clearly on Rogers' mind. He refers often to the grand sweep of history and predicts oblivion for many of the cities and some of the countries he passes through. Timbuktu, once great, now fading into nothing. Russia and Indonesia, countries dissolving. Saudi Arabia, reverting back to sand dunes centuries hence. Back in the states, even the glitter and glitz of Vegas simply reminds him of Ozymandias. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, nothing gold can stay. In the long run he's right, of course, but in the short run it's unclear what his message is, other than emphasizing the inevitability of change.

His views on foreign aid to Africa and NGOs, backed up by frustrating firsthand experience, were particularly eye opening. His "Africa plan" makes a lot of sense, and it's sad to think first world countries are only making things worse for the third world with their current ham-fisted efforts.

After the journey ends, we get a glimpse, or rather a written speech, detailing the big picture, the Jim Rogers macro view. Much of the world is still drowning in red tape, and America is slowly sinking into the muck. Buy China, buy commodities, and buy into war zones at the first sign of an olive branch. With the birth of his first child, there is more enthusiasm in the last two sentences than the last twenty pages. It's almost as if he were resigning himself to a humdrum existence, the grand adventure over and done, only to discover that being a father is a new adventure all over again. Cheers Jim.

Rating:
Summary: Jim go away please
Review: I really liked Investment Biker. I really hated this one.
Jim is getting old and boring and it showed in this Un adventure book. I hope he doesn't write an annoying book about his kids next!
Jupiter's Travels by Ted Simon is much better if you feel the need for a global trip type book.
I was aghast when Jim and his way to pretty for him wife blew straight through central America. I have spent time in Nicaragua and his crap about meeting the US drug agent and his dogs is an insult to the wonderful people of Nicaragua. I can only imagine what he left out of places I am not so familiar.
Don't forget Bill Bryson has some of the best biting travel books around. Sorry Jim I had to give you what you deserved.

Rating:
Summary: A great travel book for serious global investors
Review: I read several articles of Jim Rogers on his web site and financialsense.com. All are well written.

Following Jim's web leads I bought this book and his previous book of travelling on the bike.

The books glued me on the chair for many fun reading hours. It brought me to the world that I never could go and imagen. Europe, Eurosia, Asia, Siberia, Africa, S. America... All facinates me. His first hand investigative way to understand the economic status of each country makes those wall street analysts in the dust. For those who can not travel, do not have means to travel but wants to know what is happening in those countries, these two books provide an entry to explorations. If any one looks for a tip what to invest, this book probably will disappoint you. It does not provide much of that but fresh perspective to see the world.

Rating:
Summary: Just for effort alone
Review: It's tough to criticize Jim Rogers' "Adventure Capitalist," given that it chronicles a three-year commitment by he and fiance Paige Parker - a simple country-by-country listing of the trip's itinerary comprises 4+ pages (in a miniscule font no less). Just looking at a single line and see an eye-popping 30 days in single country (not uncommon)...now multiply that times 116 countries. Wow - what commitment and discipline.

Everyone is going to have their favorite parts of the book, and for me it was the trek through Africa. I found the traversing of Angola most interesting because of the way I was able to match it up with one of my all-time favorite books, Ryszard Kapuscinski's "Another Day of Life."

One of the best features of the book is Jim Rogers' blunt take on matters. This guy worked with George Soros, made his money and cashed out at 37. So, he owes no one. As a result, you get an unvarished take on all sorts of matters like immigration ("open the gates"), NGOs (to say he despises them falls a bit short of capturing his distaste), gambling (strongly against - which leads to a good take on why investing is the antithesis of gambling), Pinochet ("clearly guilty of crimes against humanity"), Pemex ('an inefficient operation run by corrupt officials on bloated paychecks")...you get the idea. There's chapter after chapter of red meat like that.

'Aventure Capitalist' is really worth your time.