Confessions of an Addict in Asia

 Confessions of an Addict in Asia, Chad Vegas, 2021, Nathaniel Mansfield

Last in the series, this novel is the story of Chad, a young man from California who has spent the last several years as part of the California marijuana trade.

Shuttling between California and Peru, Chad quits the weed trade after a disastrous harvest back home. Living in Peru, Chad tries his luck as a male stripper. While working as a bartender in Cusco, he meets Frank and Jill, an American couple who are "working" as digital nomads, while partying all night, every night. Chad watches as they consume jaw-dropping amounts of liquor, then do it again the next night.

Chad starts to learn the digital nomad world from his mentors. He makes enough money to not be destitute, but he is far from "making a living" at it. They invite Chad to join them at their next destination, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It takes several different planes, and stops, but he makes it to Cambodia. 

The trio get introduced to the world of Asian ladyboys (look it up), and Frank and Jill continue to consume huge amounts of liquor every night. After a few weeks in Cambodia, where Chad meets a Cambodian "working girl," the trio head to Chiang Mai, Thailand. Do Frank and Jill teach Chad advanced digital nomad-ism? Does Chad progress to the point of making a living at it?

As with the other books in this series, get past the huge amount sex, drugs and alcohol in this book, and here is some really good writing. The author has justifiably been called a Latin American Hunter S. Thompson. The story does not drag at all, and is very much worth reading.

The Game of Life

 The Game of Life, Chad Vegas, 2020, self-published

This novel is fourth in a series about Chad and Max, two men involved in the California marijuana trade. Max bought a piece of land in Peru for some high-volume weed growing. There are squatters on the land, and Max has to deal with corrupt gold miners and the Peruvian justice system, which seems to move at the speed of continental drift. Max is ready for the challenge. That leaves Chad in charge of growing, harvesting and selling high-quality weed back in California to make money to send to Peru.

Large-scale marijuana growing is very labor-intensive. There is a fine line between a successful crop and total failure. After it is harvested, there is a short window of opportunity to trim the bad parts off of each plant, leaving only the good parts. Then comes the problem of selling it for a good price.

Everyone is getting into weed growing, causing the price per pound that Chad can get to plummet. There are only a certain number of dispensaries to sell to, forcing Chad to drive farther away to sell his crop. Chad begins to wonder if growing and selling weed is still worth it.

Is Max successful with his legal case, despite the Peruvian justice system? Does Chad get out of the drug business?

As with the previous books in this series, this is not a boring book. Some might have a problem with the insane amount of drugs that are consumed in this book. Get past that, and there is lots of good writing here that will certainly keep the reader's attention.

Sex, Drugs and Corruption: Welcome to Peru

Sex, Drugs and Corruption: Welcome to Peru, Chad Vegas, Amazon.com Services, 2017

 

First of a series, this novel is about a young man named Chad, living in present-day California. Construction jobs are few and far between, because of the Great Recession. He meets an older man named Max, and they decide to get into the marijuana business.

Growing marijuana on a large scale is extremely time-consuming. If the plants are not harvested at exactly the right time, the crop is almost worthless. Night time dew on the leaves can cause them to rot, making the crop almost worthless. After harvesting, each leaf has to be individually trimmed in a very short time, or the crop is almost worthless. But, the payoff can be huge. This was the time when California had legalized medical marijuana, so everyone was growing their own. This led to a huge glut in the market.

Meantime, Max had married a woman from Peru, and he bought an isolated piece of land, deep in the Amazon, for more large-scale growing of marijuana. The land has suddenly become very valuable, so Max is faced with constant bureaucratic and legal attempts to steal it from him. Max is very much up for the battle. Traveling to Peru, Max and Chad learn that the Peruvian justice system does not just have a "laid back" attitude, they honestly don't want to work without appropriate bribes.

Being a red-blooded, and very horny, young man, Chad finds a couple of women in Cusco, the nearest large city, who want to have a good time. They are interested in going to a local discoteca, getting totally drunk and/or high, then going back to Chad's room, for a night of wild, no-holds-barred sex. Chad learns some very interesting things about Peruvians. Drunken Peruvians tend to become mean drunks. Get a Peruvian woman angry at you, for some reason like alleged infidelity, and you take your life in your hands.

This book is very easy to read, but it is not for everyone. Some might have a problem with the huge amounts of drugs, sex and alcohol in this story. Get past that, and this will certainly keep the interest of the reader.

Ass, Cash and Grass

Ass, Cash and Grass: Welcome to Cali, Chad Vegas, Amazon.com Services, 2017

Part 2 of a series, this continues the story of Max and Chad, who are trying to make it in the marijuana business in 1990's California. Max has bought a piece of land in Peru, for some heavy duty growing of weed. The land has suddenly become very valuable, so powerful people, with the help of the Peruvian Government, are doing their best to steal it from him. Max and Chad are back in California to sell some of their weed supply, to help pay the legal bills.

This was the time when medical marijuana was legal in California, so everyone was growing their own. This led to a huge drop in price for people like Chad. Evidently, driving all over central California to sell several pounds of weed to dispensaries is not something to be done alone, or sober. Jorge, a friend and fellow total drug addict, is up for a road trip. Armed with huge amounts of drugs and alcohol (for them), they are off.

Along the way, there is a home-made porno film (done in a casino hotel room), there are several instances of Chad passing out (from way too much drugs and alcohol in his system at the same time), and Chad gets a chest-sized tattoo that includes a Care Bear taking a Xanax. What happens with Max's court case in Peru? Is there a Part 3 to the series? (spoiler alert: Yes)

As with the first book, this is certainly not a boring book. It will very much keep the attention of the reader. Some might have a hard time with the insane amounts of drugs and alcohol that are consumed in this story. Get past that, and there is lots of good writing, and this book is very much recommended.

Nature, Spirituality and Illegal Gold Mining

Nature, Spirituality and Illegal Gold Mining: Welcome to the Amazon, Chad Vegas, Amazon.com Services LLC, 2019

Part of a series, the narrator is living in the Amazon jungle in present-day Peru. He is occupying a piece of land, on which marijuana is grown, for Max, the owner of the whole operation.

Along with a couple of local men assisting in holding the land, the narrator faces many battles. On one hand, he has to watch for illegal, scorched earth, gold miners, who have no problem with killing anyone who gets in their way. Along with the always-encroaching jungle, there are also squatters on the land, who will not go quietly.

Max, who is arriving soon, wants Chad, the narrator, to go through the police, and legally remove the squatters. Chad learns, through experience, that Peruvian police don't just have a laid-back attitude, they actively don't want to work without appropriate bribes. They treat squatter removal day as a joke. Several of the police spent the previous night drinking, then show up very hung over.

As a young man with a very active libido, Chad travels to Cusco, the nearest big city, every month or so, to satisfy his sexual needs. He has a couple of women that he calls whenever he is in town. As long as their boyfriend/sugar daddy is away, they are more than happy to have sex with Chad. He already has a bad ulcer, from excessive drinking, and he is very familiar with cocaine. This leads to a practically non-stop alcohol and drug-fueled sex binge, from the time he arrives in town until he has to return to the jungle.

This is certainly not a boring book; it will keep the reader interested. The author has, justifiably, been compared to Hunter S Thompson. There is lots of really good writing, along with lots of drugs, alcohol and sex, so it is not for the faint of heart. Other than that, it is very much worth reading.