4 comments about International Business Etiquette: Asia & The Pacific Rim.

1. Ann Marie, I received my book a few minutes ago from Amazon.com Re: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ETIQUETTE .. Asia & the Pacific Rim. Even though I purchased it for my official job, it will prove beneficial to me as well in my personal life as a poet/storyteller/performing artist. I have travelled abroad to Europe several times--most recently in Jan/Feb of this year to perform in 5 countries in behalf of the Armed Forces Professional Entertainment Organization, Department of Defense, the Pentagon. I may also have an opportunity to perform in Japan. This books is a useful tool for conducting business above scale and with confidence.



2. Asia & The Pacific Rim is a must read book for those who are interested in doing business with Asian countries. Ann Marie Sabath in her book explained the Asian customs and cultures throughly but simply enough for everyone to understand and grasp. As a student from China, I believe reading this book will make your business trip to Asia more pleasant and sucessful.



3. I have often wished that there was an outstanding source on business etiquette in various countries, and have searched in vain for one. I was quite interested to read this one to see if it would fulfill my needs. Obviously, I could not evaluate the advice for countries where I have not done business so I checked out the countries where I had done business. The results disappointed me.

   Issues that came up within the first 24 hours of trips to Asia and the Pacific Rim were not addressed in the book, such as how I should work with the companies I was planning to visit to arrange for the details of my visit. Also, many social habits that were important in meetings were not addressed, like how one should respond in various situations during business meetings (such as if the other side brings up something that is a deal breaker).

   On the other hand, the book clearly provides useful advice as far as it goes, and it attempts to cover the waterfront (13 areas and 24 subjects per geography). That's probably the reason why it is too basic in approach. You will get good help here on important basics like how many hours of time difference (so you don't call at the wrong time), how dates are written down so you can decipher the messages you get, when holidays are so you won't offend someone by suggesting a meeting on an important religious or national holiday, and gift-giving etiquette (an area where Americans often err).

   I do suggest that you acquire this book to have these basics available near to your computer and telephone at work. Also, the bibliography seems to provide a list of longer books on each geographic area. Those books may give you more details. There's probably no substitute for speaking with a business person from the country before you go, and getting advice from the concierge at a good hotel once you're there. Naturally, if you are fortunate enough to have colleagues in your company who work there already, they can fill you in. So this book is primarily aimed at those without a local operation.

   Some of the better sections included information about what are appropriate conversational topics, rude gestures and actions to avoid, punctuality, seating etiquette, the special issues for women in business, and the weather conditions you can expect.

   A book like this is a good reminder of how much we are conditioned by our culture. If nothing else, it can help you understand the sources of stalled thinking that can harm our business relationships in other countries because of our typical American approaches.

   I liked what was in the book. I graded it down two stars for what was not...END




4. Ann Marie Sabath ever so politely documents the social and business etiquette practiced in 13 Asian and Pacific Rim countries. Chock full of practical "do's and don'ts," the book includes plenty of basic information about each country, including history, air travel, telephone, currency, holidays, language, religion, time zones and weather. To fit so much into only 200 pages, the author presents only the most important highlights and writes in a concise, authoritative, yet upbeat style. We [...] recommend this book to those doing business in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, New Zealand, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, and to those doing business elsewhere with men and women from these countries. And, just remember what Mom said, "Mind your manners wherever you go so they'll know you weren't raised in a barn."

5 comments about National Geographic Traveler China (National Geographic Traveler).

1. The photos and color are beautiful, as you would expect from National Geographic, but the actual guides to major sightseeing areas are fairly poor. They are somewhat "snobby" with too much criticism of places "for tourists." The book is actually hard to handle since, I assume for the sake of the photos, the paper is very heavy and glassy, certainly nothing you could actually bring with you on your trip to China.



2. Excellent book for general knowedge on planning a trip. worththe $.



3. I found this book invaluable on my recent trip to China. It is not a typical tourist book, however, it provides a treasure of genuinely valuable background information for the serious traveler.



4. Very good book for someone planning to make a trip to China.



5. This volume is a mine of fascinating and important information, with comprehensive yet succinct narration and explanation about Chinese history, customs and culture, along with a great array of pictures and maps as well as practical guidance for preparing for and making a trip to mainland China.

3 comments about The Rough Guide to Cambodia 2 (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

1. In the group I was traveling with we had both the Rough Guide and the Lonely Planet guide and we consistently found the Rough Guide superior to the Lonely Planet in terms of narration, history, accuracy, ease of use, and better maps. Neither book was entirely comprehensive but the Rough Guide was a must have to point you in the right direction.



2. In January 2008 I crisscrossed Cambodia for three weeks. The two guides I took were Lonely Planet and Rough Guide. Both are worthy guides. This guide was at its best (better than L.P.) when it came to Siem Reap/Angkor Watt. Its coverage of Angkor Watt and the multitude of other temples is excellent.
   
   Caveat: both guides were published in 2005, which means that they were researched in 2003/04. So? Well, much has changed in five years. Restaurants and accommodations have changed or closed and you can find new accommodations and restaurants that are super but not mentioned in the guide. I did. Thus, these guides will be at their best as an orientation to Cambodia. They point you to sights to see and Rough Guide gives you a solid understanding of the history, religion and culture of this country. It has good maps, reliable recommendations of what to see and do, a good history/religion section and a very good 'recommended books' section.
   
   Cumbersome, with all Rough Guides, is the "price code" system for accommodations, ie. 1=less than $5, 2=$5-$10, 3=$10-$15, etc. You need to memorize the amounts or flip back to the codes. Lonely Planet is easier to use; it tells you what it cost in dollars - Duh. Rough Guide also fails to tell you what you should expect to pay for your meals. So at one eatery you may pay $2 and another $20 - not good.
   
   Overall, if you are going to explore this little known, astonishing and wonderfully mysterious country, you will do well with this guide. I would recommended watching two excellent DVD before you go (Pol Pot -1997 & The Killing Fields 1984) and also taking "The Gods Drink Whiskey" by Stephen Asthma, excellent. Happy Trails, you will love Cambodia. Strongly recommended.



3. I've found it best to bring both this one and the lonely planet version. Each complements the other.

5 comments about Fodor's India, 5th Edition (Fodor's Gold Guides).

1. Hello to fellow travellers to India.

   I bought this 2000 edition of Fodor's India because I got a deal online, but found the book to be of very limited use.

   One of the best features of this book is the recommendation of itineraries based on the number of days that you might spend in a neighborhood. For example, if you intend to visit the state of Tamil Nadu, the book recommends specific itineraries if you have 4 days, 7 days, or 10 days at your disposal. If such a feature is important to you, this may be a very satisfactory book for you. The section on travel tips is also a good one.

   I found the book to lack in comprehensiveness. For example, if you intend to visit any places in Maharashtra other than Bombay (Mumbai) or the Ajanta, Ellora caves, you wont be able to find it in this book. The hotel and dining recommendations were also disappointing. We stayed at the beautiful Park guest house on the beach at Pondicherry and ate at wonderful Annalakshmi restaurant in Madras (Chennai). Neither was listed in Fodor's.

   Another helpful feature that you find in other guides such as Footprint is the location of money changers (for foreign exchange) in any given city - a feature that you will not find in Fodor's.

   If you are looking for historical details about locations, it is hard to beat the Blue guides. I was also impressed by the Rough guide and Footprint guide. The latter is especially good about including detailed maps of cities. (I got a chance to look at these various guides in a local library and would recommend to others that they look at as many guides as available in your local library before buying one to take with you to India.)

   No matter which travel guide you use, I hope you have a great time in India!




2. When you're embarking on any big adventure, and India certainly is, you'd be foolish to rely on one guide, and this one is no exception. (Take a look at my review of Lonely Planet India). Fodor's is always pretty reliable when it comes to restaurants and hotels, especially if you're not a low budget traveller. Prices of course are usually out-of-date pretty quickly, and the exchange rate fluctuates all the time, but their "$$$" system gives a good idea of the relative costs of different places. I also like the "star" system highlighting sites to see--in a country chock-full of palaces, temples, forts, and natural wonders, it helps to prioritize if time is short. The maps of local areas are OK as you plan your trip, but of course no guide book has really good maps--pick one up as you arrive in a major city, and as you plan your itinerary around the country, a country map is critical. Fodors is, however, short on history and culture, and some reading before you go is critical. And remember--things change, particularly in a place like India--local knowledge from your hotel or guide (from a reputable company, not someone you stop on the street) is always the best bet.



3. This is a good book for getting an overview of where to go and what to do. It also does a good job of listing hotels (though it's not the best for lower end venues). The book is frustrating, however, in that the person who makes the maps does not seem to be coordinating his/her efforts with the person who writes the text. Maps list main streets, but not the ones where major hotels are located (except in the big cities). Hence, you have no idea if your hotel is near or far away from major sites. This is especially problematic for single travelers who might wish to favor a central location to minimize commute times and the troubles that accompany them. Also, there is some inconsistency in the text. A suggested "ideal" itinerary will exclude an item that is later listed in the text as a "must see." Perhaps the problem occurs when different reviewers provide updates for the guides and don't bother to read the existing text carefully. Is the book worth your time? Yes, for the early stages of planning a trip. But you will definitely need another guide for information that could easily have been provided here. Finally, the guide subscribes to the PC nonsense that has become so popular lately....they soft peddle important things like SAFETY tips. It's not being a wet rag to acknowledge that there are some serious safety concerns you must keep in mind....and spelling them out for each area.



4. Now in an updated and strongly recommended fifith edition, Fodor's India is an information-packed travel guide to just about everything business or vacation travelers need to know or would like to see in this vast and dazzling nation. From where to go tiger-spotting to paying homage to holy sites to learning how to navigate bazaars and much more, Fodor's India brims with over 600 pages full not only of places to go, but tips for blending in and making the most of one's experience when one gets there. Over 600 pages cover the sights to see in various sections of India as well as a basic overview of the culture, language, and strategies for navigating. Fodor is a premier publisher of travel guides offering expert information on cities and countries abroad. Send for their free catalog for a complete title listing.



5. The book is very helpful for someone planning a first trip to India, answering many, if not all, of the questions I have. Because India is such a large country, there is almost an overwhelming amount of information. It is also a large book --more than 600 pages -- to carry in a day pack, but I plan to do it anyway!

3 comments about The Classic of Mountains and Seas (Penguin Classics).

1. The Classic of the Mountains and Seas is a geographical gazetteer of ancient China and a catalogue of the natural and supernatural fauna and flora allegedly dating back to the 8th century BCE and spanning a period of perhaps a millennium. It is also a repository of strange spirits, curious folkways, medical beliefs, and other related oral and written traditions of earlier origins.

   In many ways, this Chinese classic bears some similarity in content and theme to the Hippocratic treatise "Airs, Waters, Places," although it is not commonly associated with being a part of the Chinese medical corpus as the latter is in Greek medicine. For, like this ancient Greek treatise, The Classic of the Mountains and Seas is based upon a philosophical and scientific premise of nature--the Chinese "Weltanschauung." The Chinese quest for a harmonious union between themselves and their biophysical and socioanthropological environment gave rise to such a "world concept" in which people and their way of reasoning were conceived of as being an integral part of the cosmos and intrinsically interjoined with the spiritual, physical, and moral "influences."

   Dr. Birrell's translation makes for an interesting read, with her scholarship enhancing our appreciation and understanding of this fascinating work. Her detailed Introduction is most helpful in acquainting the reader with the historical background of The Classic of the Mountains and Seas. Its shortcomings lie in its lack of numeric footnotes, a more specialized bibliography, a concordance with Romanization and Chinese equivalents, and her rendering of the place-names and denizens found in this zoomorphic setting.

   One can never be too careful when it comes to the translation of ancient Chinese words, for it is not uncommon to find that many of them have been vitiated by the bland assumption that they meant then what they mean in later dynastic periods; accordingly, such assumptions can be distorted or entirely false. One of the pleasures found in ancient languages lies in their implicitness, whereas, modern languages revel in their explicitness. Fortunately, the rich resources of English are capable of coping reasonably well with the varigated shades of the implicity found in the former. Dr. Birrell has attempted to avoid this pitfall, although I question some of her renderings as being too much of an effort to appeal to a more popular readership.

   For those readers wanting to further explore the many ethnographic features of this setting, the following works are recommended:

   (In Russian) E.M. Ianshina entitled, Katalog gor i morei (Shan Hai Tszin), or "A Catalogue of Mountains and Sea: The Classic of the Mountains and Seas."

   (In Chinese) Yuan Ke's Shan hai jing jiao zhu, or "A Critical Commentary on The Classic of the Mountains and Seas."

   (In French) Rémi Mathieu's two-volume Étude sur la Mythologie et L'ethnologie de la Chine Ancienne.

   (In English) Richard E. Strassberg's A Chinese Bestiary: Strange Creatures from the Guideways Through Mountains and Seas.




2. Although I agree with the earlier reviewer's complaints about the absence of helpful apparatus -- to which I would add the difficulty of converting references using traditional Chinese section titles into parts of Birrell's translations -- I rate the book considerably higher. Descriptions and quotations tended to make it sound like Pliny's "Natural History," only dull. Birrell has made it read like an appendix to a Chinese Ovid, but more entertaining. Earlier attempts at translation that I have seen (mainly, it is true, of passages, often discontinuous) have been, at least from my point of view, almost unreadable. The self-imposed burden of trying to identify places and tribes can reduce even a few pages of what is reputed to be a fascinating, and sometimes whimsical, work to something more like an ordeal to read. To say nothing of the careful reproduction of Chinese names, which mean nothing to a reader who needs an English version!
   
   Birrell has chosen to treat the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" as a somewhat eccentric work of literature, which can be read for pleasure, like "Mandeville's Travels," or, to use other medieval European examples, Bestiaries and Lapidaries (accounts of strange beasts and the miraculous properties of precious stones). Although some sections are more consistently interesting than others, most pages hold something to keep the reader's attention. Since I can't judge the plausibility of Birrell's translations of Chinese names, I will say that I found her versions amusing. (I also noted the apparent ultimate source of the "Pokemon" convention that strange animals are named for the sounds they make, which happen to have meanings.)
   
   As a long-time reader of myths and legends, fantasy, and science fiction, I have fairly high standards for the entertainment level of a book about strange lands, peoples, and creatures. Taken as a whole, I found Birrell's translation entertaining and intriguing. Its major defects (lack of aides to the reader) could be, and I hope will be, repaired in some expanded edition in the future. For now, I am grateful to have it. The ethnographic, religious, geographical, and historical implications are fascinating -- and more properly the subject of a full commentary than a literary work for the Penguin Classics.



3. The reviews I read here for this book bamboozled me into buying it. I can only assume they are full time academics: no other explanation can be offered for their myopia.
   
   The book is admirably done, and the freeish rendering of Chinese mythological names is fine. The difficulty is that this is nothing but an extended catalogue, without stories or plot. It's a list. The descriptions are so unbelievably wierd that it's much fun to read for a page or two, but it's all so much the same, that after two paragraphs you've read it all. To call this a major source for Chinese mythology is simply untrue. Those interested in that subject should get a copy of The Journey to the West, or Chuang Tzu, or the stories of Pu Song Ling. To offer this to the reader as any sort of a narrative is an outright lie.
   
   The academic twits who have reviewed this so far do not seem to appreciate that just because a book's content is fictional doesn't make it fiction.

5 comments about The Gods Drink Whiskey: Stumbling Toward Enlightenment in the Land of the Tattered Buddha (Plus).

1. I have just finished reading this book for the second
   time. The first was about one year ago after a trip to
   Southeast Asia and then again when I had returned from
   another trip to Cambodia and Thailand. Cambodia is a
   truly remarkable place and I am also an avid Buddhism
   student, and I can say that on both of these fronts
   Dr. Asma has done an excellent and thoroughly
   entertaining job. His Cambodian stories all rang true
   to my experiences there and had me alternating between
   laughing out loud and in tears with memories of the
   people I met and the places I had visited. The
   Buddhism discussions are excellent at explaining
   complex ideas in an understandable manner. I TRULY
   enjoyed both aspects of this book and highly recommend
   it for anyone interested in Buddhism, or anyone who plans to,
   or already has traveled to Cambodia (a truly great
   place with wonderful people, who have had more than
   their share of suffering)



2. It's hard to know where to place this: THE GODS DRINK WHISKEY: STUMBLING TOWARD ENLIGHTENMENT IN THE LAND OF THE TATTERED BUDDHA could have been featured in travel, spirituality, or biography. Ultimately, however, it's an account of Buddhist beliefs and particularly the Theravada tradition, considered Buddhism's earliest, purest form, and comes from a Buddhist teacher and academic who relates his stories about his teachings in Southeast Asia during the 1970s. A dynamic story of dangerous times and beliefs emerges.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



3. I read this book during my second trip to Southeast and South Asia. The author is very articulate in explaining what appeals to him most about Theravada Buddhism, namely its rational and logical approach to explaining the nature of reality and consciousness as detailed by the Buddha in the Tripitaka. He writes fluidly, and makes many fine points. As a Buddhist, most of his points I had read elsewhere, but I enjoyed viewing Buddhism and SE Asia from his perspective teaching grad students in Phnom Penh. But as a Californian, who has lived all over the US and the world, and a Tibetan Buddhist, I found a lot of this book to be problematic and snide.
   
   As reviewers have pointed out, once Asma veers into his personal beliefs on politics, feminism, postmodernism, etc..., he starts to lose credibility. He begins to sound like a cranky Midwestern, straight-laced hetero guy who, just like a lot of Chicagoans, likes things straight-forward and none of that spacey California new-age stuff. And he does disparage Mahayana Buddhism a lot, complaing that though it only accounts for 6% of the world's Buddhists, it gets an inordinantly large amount of attention in this country. First of all, I don't know where he gets that figure, but I do believe that Japan, Korea and Vietnam, as well as whatever Tibetans are left, fall under the category of Mahayana, so that 6% figure can't be right. And as to why Mahayana gets this much attention, perhaps Asma should look up the term "Tibetan diaspora." That might jog his memory. His bagging on Californians as crystal gazing lotus-eaters is just good old fashioned stereotype-baiting. Got news for you - you can find those types in Chicago and the Midwest too buddy. Been there, seen it. And his views on prostitution ...he must be a Playboy reader. And other problems - in the end, he comes off as an good writer, great insights about Cambodia and Theravada, but also a very biased writer who is all too easily impressed with his own ideas and "brilliance."



4. I picked up The Gods Drink Whiskey primarily to learn about how Buddhism is really practiced by the people whose history is rich with its influence. I wasn't disappointed as Asma combines his historical knowledge of Southeastern Asia, years of religious studies and up-to-date observations on modern-day politics in Southeastern Asia into an interesting and accessible explanation on how and why Buddhism is practiced today in the countries where it first appeared.
   
   Unfortunately, the book could have been more polished. Asma devotes a large amount of time assuring the reader he's trying not to be overly presumptuous as a foreign scholar teaching in a less economically-developed country than the one he was born in, and then goes ahead and does it anyhow. This mostly manifests itself as occasionally patronizing portrayals of the locals and their lifestyles. Asma goes to great lengths to talk about a modesty that doesn't come across in his words, and it's all the more eye-rolling because it doesn't do service to the more scholarly, and more interesting, parts of the book.
   
   Not only that but despite Asma's extreme awareness of the complexities of life in the east, he turns around and blithely dismisses the idea of a similar complexity of thought in the west. There's not a little condescension as he seems to assume some of these blunt and unsophisticated viewpoints will be par for the course with his readers. This doesn't mix well the navel-gazing tangents Asma can't seem to resist inserting into the book. "Our pop-culture is infantile and you're sheep for buying into it! Prostitution is better off when it's regulated! Yeah I said it. Did I just Blow Your Mind?"
   
   Well, no. These are certainly topics worth investigating but it would've been nice if Asma assumed we're intelligent enough to have already given them some thought, or at least intelligent not to fall down onto our fainting couches until someone comes with the smelling salts.
   
   Apart from all this, I do think The Gods Drink Whiskey is a useful book on Buddhism in modern-day Southeast Asia. Asma has done his research into the topic in both formal academic and religious institutions and by polling the man on the street. The result is an insightful look at the transition between religious theory and its actual practice after idealism meets reality. Despite my gripes with the book's tone, if the subject interests you at all track down a copy somewhere.



5. Dr. Asma has done the worlds of anthropology, Buddhist studies, and nonfiction writing an amazing service with this book. Every page reveals a new discovery, and you actually feel that you're along with Asma as he investigates a world not covered in the media the way Tibet is. I read it in paperback, then bought it in hardcover because I needed it to have a place of honor on my bookshelf. It's that good.

5 comments about The Carpet Wars: From Kabul to Baghdad: A Ten-Year Journey Along Ancient Trade Routes.

1. The Carpet Wars is a sampler of informal writing from Australian journalist (and avid carpet collector) Christopher Kremmer over ten years in Central Asia. Since most of it was written, and concerns events, before 9/11, when the area was not established in the West's cultural radar as it is today, it gives a view of the region that is uncluttered by hindsight reevaluations.

   Kremmer writes of his time in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikstan, Kashmir, and Iran, giving us colorful and non-journalistic slices of life from each region. He enlivens his writings with vivid character studies of those he met on his travels, from dignitaries like ill-fated Afghan dictator Mohammed Najibullah and legendary guerilla Ahmad Shah Massoud to various carpet dealers Kremmer got to know over his time in the region. Between these character sketches and Kremmer's anecdotes, he delivers measured doses of regional history and politics, and he imparts a surprising amount of information about his favorite hobby, the Asian carpet.

   The result is more than just some very entertaining travel writing. Kremmer's lively and discursive work also functions as an excellent introduction to the Central Asian economy and politics. Besides being for those who just like to read about travel in interesting foreign parts, The Carpet Wars will also be useful for non-scholars who want to have some idea how movements like the Taliban came to be, but want to take a spoonful of sugar with this medicine.

   (Kremmer's book also taught me that I'll never know enough to bargain effectively for an Asian carpet -- but his rueful and wry work also admits that there is a certain pleasure in being cheated.)




2. Hand-woven carpets are one of the few products that Central Asia has consistently exported to the rest of the world, and by which the rest of the world knows of central Asia. As such, a traversal of the routes and bazaars that comprise the carpet trade would take one through many of the important places in Central Asia. Likewise, dealing with those involved in the trade would give insight into the history, economics and culture of those living in this area. This then is the subject of this book.
   
   The author travels the bazaars and trade routes of Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Kashmir looking for carpets. While doing so, his interactions with the locals open up a whole world of history, culture, religion, food, and habits that are alien to those in the west. Whether it is how to barter over goods, or the proper way to greet an older woman, the stories told by Mr. Kremmer bring to life places that many of us will never visit, yet that comprises a large part of this world both spatially and historically.
   
   The author intersperses his accounts with character studies of the various individuals he meets, side stories to fill in local histories, and editorials that connect what he seens in these far-off places to what occurs in Washington D.C. and the stockmarkets of the West. Overall, a great travel book, a great history book, and a great story that is told. I highly recommend this book.



3. This is one of those books that purports to be about something, and at some levels is actually about something pretty much unrelated. The next most important industry after oil in the Middle East is carpets. The author, Kremmer, is a journalist who spent a decade travelling around the region, reporting on various events for Australian new agencies of one sort or another. This is his story of his love affair with carpets, which turns into a pretty serious study of their styles, manufacture, sale and trade, and of the significance of these items in Muslim culture. While the oil is irrelevant to Muslims, except in terms of the money it generates, carpets can tell a lot about the heritage of the Muslim world.
   
   For the most part, this is interesting, and there's a lot to learn about Muslims and carpets. Only towards the end of the book does the author begin to veer into actual politics, and then, of course, he turns out to think that American policy in the Middle East is too agressive (this was late in the Clinton years...one shudders to think what his opinions are now). Thankfully, he at least hates Saddam Hussein and the mullahs who run Iran (journalists typically don't like governments that restrict freedom of the press, regardless of whatever else they do).
   
   This one proviso aside, there's a lot of intersting material here, and the book is well-written, the characters drawn interestingly, and the settings well-rendered. I would recommend this book.



4. Christopher Kremmer was a journalist in the 1990's in Afghanistan and across Central Asia. This book is an account of his travels in the region during a period when momentous events were commonplace. His uncensored accounts of the happenings of that time related via moving and personal anecdotes of real people experiencing them bring the Islamic world in all its extraordinary beauty and violence to print in a way that is rare. This book is a vivid depiction of the human condition. On the brink of the abyss of horror he also finds hope and dreams. This is about the power of individuals to endure. Kremmer has a journalist's gift for making situations that most of us can barely even imagine come to life. The newspaper 'The Age' wrote "If you read no other non-fiction book post-September 11, don't miss this one". I wholeheartedly agree.



5. I am writing this review while working in Kabul. Before Kabul I was in Dushanbe. The author tends to romanticize Afghanistan and mention (or gloss over) important subjects that he does not seem to understand or want to recognize. His section on Tajikistan introduces the reader to his meeting with Massoud (Lion of Panjshir and an ethnic Tajik). The author should have found another way to introduce his meeting with Massoud - a genuine hero to many Afghans as demonstrated by his posters on buildings, buses and cars in Kabul today.
   
   A careful reader will note that the author's tone and descriptions of Tajikistan and Dushanbe are not nearly as detailed (or romanticized) as the chapters devoted to Afghanistan. As a matter of fact, he portrays Tajiks as drunken, gambling clowns. I am embarrassed for my Tajik friends who live in Tajikistan and Afghanistan.
   
   There was also a brief mention about the origin of some silver trinkets the author saw for sale in Iraq. A vendor told a BBC journalist that the silver items belonged to Iraqi Jews. The author goes on to discuss how Zionists, with the help of an agent, convinced Iraq to let Iraqi Jews move to Israel. The author, by putting quotes around the words "rescue operation" to describe the Iraqi Jewish exodus from Iraq, is implying that the 150,000 Jews who were in Iraq were never in danger. If the author wants to discuss these issues he should be fair and impartial. It is common knowledge that the Jews who fled Iraq and other Arab lands in the 1950s were forced to sell their property and assets at ridiculously low prices. The author could have mentioned this which is common knowledge to anyone interested in the history of the region, rather than calling into doubt the reason why the Jews of Iraq fled to Israel in the 1950s. An event that made many Arabs outside Palestine very rich.
   
   The brief stories about carpet buying are very interesting. The author should stick to these encounters.

No comments about Delhi, Jaipur and Agra Travel Pack (Globetrotter Travel Packs).

No comments about Sacred River: The Ganges of India.

4 comments about Culture Shock: Indonesia (Culture Shock! Indonesia).

1. Indeed a very helpful and informative book for understanding Indonesian people and culture. Haveing spent almost two years living and working in Indonesia I found myself referring to this book often. I found myself explaining to my fellow expatriates why certain things happened the way they do in this country often referring to things I read. From conducting business to accomplishing everyday tasks, this book offers excellent example and explantions. Definately a book for expatraites living in Indonesia, business travellers, but also beneficial to the traveller wanting to ascertain a deeper, more sincere understanding of Indonesian people and culture.



2. This was one of the first books I purchased when I discovered we were going to be posted to Jakarta, Indonesia. Now almost 3 years later, I find that I still enjoy reading this book and have found its examples of every day life to be accurate. The book is very informative and many of its stories are humerous which enables an easy read. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is planning a move to Indonesia and even to those who are just planning a trip.



3. Indonesian culture? A bit like saying Western culture... a rather broad term. But this book acknowledges that right away and does an admirable job of isolating the most important manners for visitors to know and use.

   The book's practical tips are especially useful, and these are organized with finger-tip simplicity (Do's and Don't's appendix is great), making this book easy to consult at a moment's notice. Business section and home help section ("Translating Needs into Action") are especially helpful.

   There are also meaty and interesting sections about Indonesian values, social structure, and food. It's a good read, will serve well the traveler or expat.

   Cultural quiz at the end, a test so silly no one could fail it, is the only negative to this guide.




4. If your interest in Indonesia and its culture goes beyond what can be read in the tourist brochures, then this book is definitely for you. In a very entertaining way, it explains about the culture, habits and beliefs of the Indonesian people, and it includes a funny Cultural Quiz at the end. Highly recommended.