1 comments about City Lingering Splendour.

1. for those interested in the history of west meets east via Buddhism, this book will fascinate. reveals much lived detail of a lost culture of privilege and excess in pre-mao China. Kind of a 'Six Chapters of a Floating Life' from a westerner, before his florescence into a Buddhist scholar. Blofeld's other bio 'The Wheel of Life' takes up that story.

No comments about American Express Travel Guide: Hong Kong & Taiwan (American Express Travel Guides).

No comments about A Portrait of Lost Tibet.

5 comments about No Sense of Direction.

1. Unfortunately, Mr. Raff is only a mediocre writer. His descriptions are repetitive and he recounts mundane things in too much detail. We don't need to know that after the plane landed the flight attendant walked through the cabin to collect the empty cups and trash. It's tiresome to read about walking across the tarmac (describing it as dark), checking into the hotel (after walking up the sidewalk) and bargaining for a $5 room. If the author had such a great job in New York why is it that he became such an extreme penny pincher on the road? Was it to make a better story?

   He's not a very smart traveler, either. After being kicked out of Russia for not having a visa he sneaks in again. Spring for the visa fee for goodness sake! Consequently, he spends a good part of his trip fretting about being deported. Who needs that unnecessary stress? He doesn't know that Europeans and many other nationalities put the day of the month before the month in their numerical dates, causing yet more anguish and concern about whether he's going to be allowed to cross the border into China before his transit visa expires. He and his friends suffer through a horrendous tuk-tuk ride to the airport in Bangkok, three of them piled onto one little vehicle with their backpacks and other bags. Fork over a couple more dollars and hire a second driver! Why suffer to save a dollar or two? Once again, were some of these adventures undertaken with the sole purpose of writing about them later? Didn't he do any research before he left? He gets to Taiwan just in time for typhoon season. Raff gives the impression that he thinks it doesn't do anything but rain there and he couldn't get away from the place soon enough.

   Anyone expecting to read a bit about Raff's travels through India based on the book's cover will be disappointed. While the photograph appears to have been taken somewhere in India, Pakistan or Bangladesh, the author doesn't go anywhere near those places! Just when and where was that photo taken? Did the publishers superimpose his image on a generic "travelers' street scene," was that part of the trip left out or was this another journey altogether? It's a small point but personally I was looking forward to hearing about India.

   All in all, I'd have to say that only a few of Raff's tales are interesting, especially the descriptions of the people he hooks up with on the road. Was his relationship with the pretty, young blonde from Sweden purely Platonic? I'd like to know more. For the most part, however, the book fell flat. It's fairly short, with many frequent chapter breaks. Couldn't he have filled the story out a little more? He skips over major portions of the trip, only to flesh the book out with too much detail about personal minutiae and not enough about the places he visits.




2. I found this book to be a fun and interesting read. I haven't been able to travel all that much, and certainly not to any of the places the author went. His descriptions made it come alive in a way that made me want to book a flight and take a year off work! The people he met along the way really make the story. I read it over a weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it.
   
   This is the author's first book and definitely worth checking out!



3. This is a wonderful collection of the author's anecdotes from his travels. I was envious of the author while I was reading his book, wishing I could travel like that. He takes you from Denmark where he starts his travels, into Russia, and the Orient. He not only describes the places and people he sees and meets on his trip, he tells of the trip itself. Sometimes the journey is the best part of going somewhere. I found particularly amusing his escapades of getting in and out of Russia illegally, his time in Japan, Vietnam, and Thailand. Some of the places he visited I have been to and found his description of the country, people, and culture right on target.
   
   The author did an excellent job at getting his ideas across. This is a great book to read to escape or take a short trip in your own mind. It is laid out in short, seven to ten page passages, which make the book easy to read. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in travel, adventure, or someone who just wants a good read. You can tell the author loves what he does by the strong emotional impact the book has on the reader. We rated this book five Hearts.



4. No Sense of Direction was exactly what I needed to get away without actually getting away.
   
   This is a fun, and interesting, book that tells what it's like to travel on a budget without any set plan. I took a similar trip years ago, and while I was reading this book, felt like I was traveling again. The author meets very interesting people along the way, uses short chapters to keep the story moving, and has a style of writing that's very engaging. If your idea of traveling is staying in four-style hotels, then this isn't the book for you. But if you have a limited budget, and have ever had the urge to just take off and see where your travels take you, then I certainly recommend this book. Even if you don't go off and travel, you'll feel like you had!



5. As a preface, Raff's writing style was superb. To me, this book read like a novel in that throughout the read, I consistently had the feeling that there was another dramatic event lurking right around the corner. At those corners, Raff did not disappoint.
   
   There is something in this book that all travelers can relate to. Indeed, this is a must-read for young travelers who are taking long trips around Europe and elsewhere around the world. Let's face it, unless one comes from a wealthy family, an extended trip of many months would still probably cost one a huge bundle of money even when staying in inexpensive hotels and hostels, especially when considering there is no income during this time. Raff shows this huge class of travelers how it is done.
   
   Make no mistake though, this book is also for those taking one week to one month vacations while staying at mid-range hotels such as those running about $100 per night. I fall into this category and have experienced similar, albeit less dramatic adventures on overnight trains. Simply stated, it was for easy for me (and I suspect for most readers) to relate to his adventures.
   
   Indeed, even the high class traveler can learn something from Raff's book, as even high class travelers experience adventurous or dramatic situations. All travelers should undertand Raff's point that traveling is not about the destination but about the journey. Certainly, Raff imbues his readers with a sense of adventure while leaving them with a sense of yearning for more travel.

No comments about Travels in Manchuria and Mongolia.

No comments about The Great Wall of China.

1 comments about Narrative of the Expedition to the China Seas and Japan, 1852-1854.

1. This book is an excellent reference book in studying present American diplomatic negotiation-way with foreign coutries pursuing only American national interests and in knowing that a most amazing advanced Edo's infrastructure and highest literacy rate in the world in spite of uncivilized conditions because of the Edicts of Seclusion and that there are some Japanese who were cultivated in Western scientic and technological knowledge and could speak and read English as well as Dutch in spite of the Edicts of Seclusion. MY surprise is also great to know a visit of the Commodore Perry fleet to Japan did not occure abruptly but it was announced to EdoGovernement throug Dutch factory in Dejima, Nagasaki.

No comments about Notes upon Russia: Being a Translation of the Earliest Account of that Country. Volume 2.

No comments about Everest (The Mountaineers Anthology Series).

No comments about Hongkongitis: Reports from the wackiest place on earth.