Book excerpt: He visits a bizarre flower-show in Pyongyang, crosses confusing ethno-religious fault lines in the Balkans and Lebanon, drinks tea with friendly Yemenis near Osama bin Laden’s ancestral village, explores prehistoric caves with Tuareg tribesmen in Libya, and plays Indiana Jones among pyramids shortly after a rebel attack on Khartoum. Through long-forgotten characters, bizarre coincidences of history and personal stories of individuals he encountered, Wee Cheng turns faraway lands alive, and convinces the reader that these are more than just places in the news.