About the Book
"We made our way down the street and arrived at the first intersection where one of the soldiers, who under the dark street lights looked to be only about 15 years old, placed his hand on my chest as a warning to stop. The other officer pulled a whistle strung to his hat and blew, a high pitch ring that shot through the tense night air. Within a second or two a reciprocal whistle came from up the road, and upon hearing it we crossed. At the second road the same procedure was followed, and as we heard the whistle we all breathed a sigh and crossed. However, at the third intersection our whistle received no reply. The guard scanned the scene with a slight hint of fear in his eyes before again blowing his whistle. I will never forget the sound I heard next: a whistle. Not the whistle from a plastic noise maker but the whistling sound of a bullet flying past my ear before it crashed into the soft cement wall of the street store behind us..." From the outlandish and unimaginable to the routine and universal, world travelers get thrust (or thrust themselves) into just about every situation you could possibly think of. With "From The Grand Canyon To The Great Wall: Travelers´ Best, Worst And Most Ridiculous Stories From The Road," author and editor David Slenk has collected 67 of those creative, unique, interesting, touching, disastrous moments - in short, the best stories our travels have provided us. Stories from 54 different authors that take place in 45 different countries from all around the world. Travel is a very powerful thing - whether your travel experience is full of one-week vacations, year-long globetrotting jaunts, missionary work or military deployment, travel affects everyone in both positive and negative ways. It shapes who we are and how we see the world. It exposes us to different cultures and new sights, and helps us connect with people we would never otherwise meet. It also brings with it scores of incredible nights, interesting conversations, brutal mistakes, and maybe even a handful of life-long friends. So, are you a 100% self-confessed world traveler seeking inspiration for your next trip? Want to see how your worst mistake ranks with some of our most epic disasters? Or maybe you´re hoping to understand a bit of the life of a globe-trotter? Looking for inspiration for a trip of your own - or looking forward to wincing at our mistakes and self-inflicted problems, totally satisfied living with a/c, hot water and no language barriers to trip you up? Or maybe you just want to read a bunch of well-crafted, quick-hitting, entertaining stories from around the world? Grand To Great brings our huge, wild world home with an outstanding collection of stories, experiences, and thoughts from around the globe. Stories that will make you laugh, cry, and think. Experiences that will inspire you to get up and create your own story - either right here at home or out in the farthest reaches of our world. So join David and authors from the USA, The Netherlands, Japan, Argentina, England and so many more countries on their never-ending trip around the globe - for better or worse, one amazing adventure after another.
About the Author: David Slenk was born in Annapolis, Maryland, and stayed there for the next 18 years. At age 22, he graduated from the University of Richmond with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and a minor in Spanish. He didn't speak anything but English, however, for the next three years, as he entered the business world and worked for a small consulting firm in the heart of Washington, DC. In the Spring of 2011, feeling like he had stagnated in a life he hadn't envisioned for himself, David sold his house and a good number of his possessions, quit his job and bought a one-way ticket to Guayaquil, Ecuador. The plan was to get to know South America - meet its peoples and cultures, learn and understand its history, and get to know better our big, wild, wonderful world. And if he happened to find a calling while he was down there, all the better. Four months into a year-long trip he realized that the people he was meeting on a daily basis and the stories he was hearing every night - around dinner tables and over beers -were incredibly interesting and really should be more widely available to entertain and inform readers around the world. He searched the 'net, realized no one was doing what he wanted to do, and decided that just maybe he had found his calling. He created SlenkDee LLC and began the process of "bringing stories from around the world, around the world." Grand To Great is the first step in bringing SlenkDee's vision to bear. This book brings together professional authors, semi-professional bloggers and amateur travelers who just have a great story to tell and for the first time have been presented with an outlet for telling it. David has compiled 67 stories from 54 authors from all over the world, taking place in 45 countries - from the United States to Yemen, Argentina to Thailand and just about everywhere in between. And, if he has accomplished his goal, this book brings our huge, wild world home to you the reader with an outstanding collection of stories, experiences, and thoughts from around the globe. Stories that will make you laugh, cry, and think. Experiences that will inspire you to get up and create your own story - either right here at home or out in the farthest reaches of our world. Feel free to let David know how he's doing at David.Slenk@SlenkDeeLLC.com.
