Rudyard Kipling 
From sea to sea Letters of Travel 

The first 60% of the book is about his travels to the United States, Canada, and Japan. In those places, he seems to be bored and restless, writing like a paid public relations person for the Chamber of Commerce. The moment he gets off the boat at Port Said for a visit to Egypt and the Soudan, on the other hand, he — and the book — comes alive.