No comments about India (Rough Guide 25s).

No comments about Utopia Guide to Indonesia (2nd Edition): the Gay and Lesbian Scene in 43 Cities Including Jakarta and the Island of Bali.

1 comments about 400 Million Customers.

1. This book is a must read for any business student or in fact for anyone interested in China. Although it was written in the 1930's, many stories in the book are simply fascinating and give a greater undertanding of the Chinese culture and its people. A must read for understanding international marketing!

5 comments about Angkor: An Introduction to the Temples (Angkor (Odyssey), 3rd ed).

1. Great book with wonderful contents about the ancient ruins of Angkor. I found it very interesting since the book because it contained maps and diagrams of the temples and their whole layout. Of the best was that of Angkor Wat which is very well known by the Khmer people. Great attention was paid to the writing on this book and I found that this book is essential for those who want to explore Angkor itself. Wonderful photographs of the ancient ruins discovered late last century. The book actually covers most of the temples in and surrounding Angkor including the wonderful temple of Banteay Srey which is still considered by many as the "jewel of Khmer art" because of it's dependly carved statues and for the rose coloured sandstone temple which dwarfs Angkor Wat but built several hundred years earlier. Yet spectacular in it's right and so is this book too... I give it the thumbs up and yes... soon the understand for Angkor and it's mystery will grow...



2. Being a tourist who visiting Angkor for the first time, I want to find good guide book I could rely on. I'm more interested to know brief histories or stories associate with the sites (monuments) that I visit as well. I picked up this book at the souvenir shack in front of Baphoun which is one of the temple at Angkor Thom. It is a good book. I found Dawn Rooney did a fairly nice job of describing the Angkorean historical aspects in the Khmer religion, art & architecture style and present day restoration/preservation of Angkor. I'm not a bit surprised because the author is a PhD in art history. But the major disturbing flaw I found with this book is that the description of each monument left me blind as to where or what monument she's writing about. The book lack of enough monument pictures that she describing. For example, what does Phimeanakas or Prasat Soor Prat look like? Rooney should have included at least one picture of each monument she's referencing to or otherwise tourists who use this book will have a hard time trying to guess where they are and what monuments they are looking at. The book is good to those who want to know brief background of each monument but dont't care what that each monument looks like.



3. The book is fully packed of information. But then could the PhD Dawn Rooney sources be trusted ? Dawn Rooney maybe written from a Thai perspective. She irrelevantly made many references of Khmer's words as Thai words. For example, on page 125 she wrote: " 'wat' is the Thai name for temple, which was probably added to Angkor..." [so it became 'Angkor Wat']. Also on page 180, refering to "Preah Khan" monument, she cited that it is a translated word from "Nagarajayacri" of Thai means "The City of Sacred Sword". Therefore, she seems to imply the monument Pheah Khan (which is about 1.25 miles north of Angkor Thom) was a Thai monument. Dawn Rooney is wrong on both of these instances. 'Wat' is and was always a Khmer word for temple or pagoda. And 'Preah Khan' always means sacred sword. Cambodia is rich of her own culture, tradition and language. It is the Thai who uses a lot of Cambodian words and modified them as their own language. The origin of Thai language, according to the research of UCLA Language Material Projects, published that it "has borrowed heavily" from Cambodian(Khmer) words.

   The book is a fairly good reading but since Dawn Rooney did not get some of her facts straight, I wouldn't rate it for more than two stars.

   If you are interested to learn about the Khmer and her ancestors who built Angkor, I found the French translated books are excellent sources. Most French authors are archaeologists or expeditors to Angkor Wat themselves. I highly recommend Claude Jacqes "Angkor : Cities and Temples" in which Michael Freeman's photographs are stunning!!




4. If I had to choose one item to take to Cambodia it would be the 4th edition of Dawn Rooney's book on Angkor. The background on the geography, religion, architecture, and cosmology in the first half of the book provides a wealth of information that will enhance anyone's trip to Angkor. The second half, grouped into ten recommended tours, details each temple by giving an overview of the site, the historical setting, and the layout, which in most cases is accompanied by a plan. Descriptions of the carvings are clearly written and add to one's enjoyment of the site. My only complaint is that Dawn Rooney didn't tell us more as she obviously loves Angkor and is most certainly one of the world's experts on the subject. I've read the book three times--before, during, and after my visit and, thinking about the lively narrative, good photographs, and comprehensive content, I may just read it again. I give this book five stars plus! Don't go to Angkor without it!



5. I just returned from a week-long visit to Angor Wat and the surrounding temples and found this guide invaluable. It is concise and well-written, provides the historical background of the Khmer empire, and tells the visitor what to see and what he is seeing. I took the book with me everyday and feel that I would have missed a lot without it. It helped me to appreciate the spirit and beauty of the magnificent temples.

   I wish that more books on ancient sites were as easy to understand and as helpful as this book. Anyone going to Angkor Wat should take this book with them.

No comments about Thailand Travel Map (Thailand Regional Maps).

3 comments about At Home in Asia: Expatriates in Southeast Asia and Their Stories.

1. In this book, Stephens introduces the reader to some of the fascinating expatriate men and women he has come to know over the years. The stories are biographies of action photographers, artists, philosophers, entrepreneurs, sailors, environmentalists, and others, and are as varied and alluring as Southeast Asia itself. A word of caution: those who are dissatisfied with their present lives or occupations may be influenced by these characters and run off to distant lands seeking adventure or their own fortune



2. This book tells how people not only dream of different lives, but live them. You too can share their joys as well as their misadventures. Visit with them and enjoy the tales of the famous and not so famous visitors they have intertained. How can you make a living when you had nothing to start with. This not a "how to" book but shows what can be done when you set your mind and heart to the task. Mostly the characters have raised above the crowd in their likes, desires, and true life experiences. Reviewed by Dave and Connie Pryor.



3. I've been a reader of Stephens' work for some time, and enjoyed reading about the successes of various expats throughout the region. The reason this gets 3 stars is because every tale is about an expat who ends up having an almost 'storybook' adventure and, like all storybooks, lives happily ever after amongst their riches or in their castles. While a few of these stories sprinkled throughout the book would have added some vibrant color, an entire book of tales such as these was a bit much. I expected and would have appreciated the book to feature primarily regular-joe-type expats who are somewhat successful in Asia, yet still somehow have achieved successes that aren't out of reach of the average person with enough ambition.

1 comments about Lonely Planet Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) (Lonely Planet Ho Chi Minh City).

1. It's good it's good. Being light weight and small this edition is convenient. Plenty of useful information. The maps are accurate and comprehensive. Consulate information, and arrive/departure info. is good. The central area of Saigon is walkable and you can get some good exercise while seeing local street and shop life while admiring the nice archictecture. Some recent historical notes on what happened where in the city piques the interest. There are many listings in this LP edition for additional reading on Vietnam, and these books can be picked up here in the city, thanks to master copying abilities and black market. Changes are taking place here rapidly, but the communist government remains paranoid

1 comments about Raghubir Singh: Tamil Nadu.

1. These pictures, though some are interesting, don't have the beauty and density of those found in other of his woriks. One will not come away with any sense of the landscape or cityscapes of Tamil Nadu. There are too many shots of individuals, but not enough sense of place, and on the whole, not the painterly quality he usually brings to his work.

5 comments about Burmese Looking Glass: A Human Rights Adventure and a Jungle Revolution.

1. Edith Mirante's travel goals are pretty much similar to mine - see and report honestly, ignore travel hype, live as the locals, learn about political constraints, try to be sensitive to my gigantic country's effect on people in places where there are few American eyes. Are the people I meet in danger? Are they happy? Are they above the level of survival? Are they threatened by officials? For the reader who routinely asks such questions, Edith Mirante is the ideal travel guide. She rewrites the definition of "intrepid." She goes where no Americans are allowed, walking for days on blisters to visit Karen tribespeople, traveling clandestinely in hill country for the chance to meet a famous druglord and understand how the "Myanmar" army thugs have forced hill tribes to grow opium in place of crops. She braves Thai jail in order to push the envelope, sensing the most profound truths may lie just beyond those travel restrictions. They often do. Everywhere she manages to go, she tells us whom she sees, and what she hears. Everything Edith does stems from relationships. Edith brings gifts to her hosts. She is polite. She is properly outraged when she discovers mistreatment of the people she visits. And most of all, she goes the extra distance to return and hold her own American government responsible for mishandling the regional situation to the point of destruction. Most of us will never be able to travel to the places Edith takes us. If we did, there would be still fewer of us who could understand what we found when we got there. Since I read this book a year ago I have been surprised by how often I hear news items about Burma. What I hear often echoes the book. There are the accounts of farmers enslaved by the Burmese government to dig a pipeline for an American oil company - the farmers are now suing the oil company for enslavement in American court. Two young Karen brothers have had their pictures on the cover of a large-circulation American magazine for their desperate attempts to win back their lands and safety from the "Myanmar" army, which demands the complete destruction of all hill tribes. A much-beloved Burmese leader remains under house arrest. And, of course, American citizens are regularly requested to boycott American firms doing business with the brutal Burmese government. Burma may be half a world from the West. But it is no longer sufficient for westerners to rely on ignorance. It may be argued that increased worldwide communication allows us to be compassionate in new ways. We cannot all go to Burma to find out what is happening there. That is why a book like this is so valuable. Edith Mirante has already been there. She has done some of the preliminary footwork for the rest of us.



2. Edith Mirante's travel goals are pretty much similar to mine - see and report honestly, ignore travel hype, live as the locals, learn about political constraints, try to be sensitive to my gigantic country's effect on people in places where there are few American eyes. Are the people I meet in danger? Are they happy? Are they above the level of survival? Are they threatened by officials? For the reader who routinely asks such questions, Edith Mirante is the ideal travel guide. She rewrites the definition of "intrepid." She goes where no Americans are allowed, walking for days on blisters to visit Karen tribespeople, traveling clandestinely in hill country for the chance to meet a famous druglord and understand how the "Myanmar" army thugs have forced hill tribes to grow opium in place of crops. She braves Thai jail in order to push the envelope, sensing the most profound truths may lie just beyond those travel restrictions. They often do. Everywhere she manages to go, she tells us whom she sees, and what she hears. Everything Edith does stems from relationships. Edith brings gifts to her hosts. She is polite. She is properly outraged when she discovers mistreatment of the people she visits. And most of all, she goes the extra distance to return and hold her own American government responsible for mishandling the regional situation to the point of destruction. Most of us will never be able to travel to the places Edith takes us. If we did, there would be still fewer of us who could understand what we found when we got there. Since I read this book a year ago I have been surprised by how often I hear news items about Burma. What I hear often echoes the book. There are the accounts of farmers enslaved by the Burmese government to dig a pipeline for an American oil company - the farmers are now suing the oil company for enslavement in American court. Two young Karen brothers have had their pictures on the cover of a large-circulation American magazine for their desperate attempts to win back their lands and safety from the "Myanmar" army, which demands the complete destruction of all hill tribes. A much-beloved Burmese leader remains under house arrest. And, of course, American citizens are regularly requested to boycott American firms doing business with the brutal Burmese government. Burma may be half a world from the West. But it is no longer sufficient for westerners to rely on ignorance. It may be argued that increased worldwide communication allows us to be compassionate in new ways. We cannot all go to Burma to find out what is happening there. That is why a book like this is so valuable. Edith Mirante has already been there. She has done some of the preliminary footwork for the rest of us.



3. While I enjoyed reading this book, I was continually confused by it. I am one of a few Americans who lived in Burma for several years during the same time period. I found many of the author's descriptions compelling, yet rather sensationalistic. Was she telling a fictional story or a factual one about the tribes and political causes of Burma? Unfortunately, I came away disappointed by this confusion. However, for a reader who has has spent little or no time in Burma, the book would definitely be an exciting read.



4. I read Burmese Looking Glass about one year ago, after I had visited the Thai-Burmese border refugeee camps. I wish I had read it beforehand! This is an immensely informative narrative covering many aspects of the complicated and tragic situation in Burma, from underground pro-Democracy activists to drug lords to jungle warfare and women warriors. Its somewhere between political intrugue, war journalism, and travelogue. Much of what she reports is consistent with what I have learned from Burmese students in exile and pro-democray activists in the US and Thailand. I admire her chutzpah and honesty in painting this portrait of a horrendous and confusing situation as well as of herself. I found it totally readable, exciting, and inspiring.



5. It took we a while to warm up to Ms. Mirante. As the story unfolds, one has cause to suspect a liberal, bleeding-heart hand wringer. But, this isn't any emotive flutterer afraid to mar her pedicure. This is a jungle-tramping, malaria-be-damned, human rights activist commando.

   In the late '80's, Mirante traveled to Thailand to enhance her art career. She soon became aware of the human rights abuses perpertrated in Burma at the hands of the Tatmadaw, the Burmese government army under the control of socialist despot, Ne Win. Putting her art aside, she quickly adopts the cause of the Burmese hill tribes subject to brutal repression and in fear of cultural obliteration. Mirante courageously risks life and limb as she illegally moves among the Burmese tribes recording their stories for disbursal to the outside world. Undaunted, intrepid, unfailingly committed, Mirante catalogs the abuses of Ne Win, offers hope and assistance to the refugees, and battles valiantly to make their story known.

   Though she casts some political aspersions stateside that she fails to adequately defend, Mirante manages to write this story without recourse to the shrill and idle finger pointing one might typically uncover in such a book. In fact, any doubts of this woman's admirable pragmatism are shattered when she admits to loathing the song, "We are the World". One is left thinking that she finds the song a piece of overwrought theater blissfully (and, perhaps, all too conveniently) ignorant of life in the human rights trenches.

   Edith T. Mirante is a remarkable woman deserving the esteem of every lover of liberty. She writes a good book and fights a good fight and, for that, I say more power to her.

No comments about Yuki and the One Thousand Carriers (Tales of the World).