1 comments about Travellers Thailand, 3rd (Travellers - Thomas Cook).

1. Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (11/06)
   
   "Travellers Thailand" is a useful, informative, but relatively basic guidebook to the charming country of Thailand. It follows the well-established and always handy format of some background information in the first few chapters, recommendations on the must-see places next and a handy directory for the important things such as shopping, entertainment, accommodations and more. The writing is accompanied by a vast array of great and colorful photographs.
   
   Although brief, all of the sections are apparently well researched and written with respect for Thai culture and way of life. The background information in the first section will provide the reader with a well-rounded understanding of the land, history, people and culture of Thailand, including the amazing array of absolutely fascinating festivals that indeed abound in Thailand. The following section, called First steps, will give you an even deeper understanding of how things really work in the land of smiles and why they are that way.
   
   The "sight-seeing" section includes numerous excellent tips on what one really should see in a certain part of the country as well as how to do the sightseeing. The described tours include such various offerings as walking, biking and even a tricycle tour. Easy to read and very detailed maps accompany all of the recommended sight-seeing descriptions. The interesting "features," featured in highlighted sections, include such diverse topics as spirits, Buddhism, rich harvest, hill tribes, the people of Isaan, royalty, wildlife and markets. A traveler would be well advised to read those in advance to avoid unnecessary culture shock and culture clash.
   
   The Directory section is surprisingly comprehensive in view of the grand total of 192 pages in the book. Excellent recommendations are given for a variety of activities, each section of the chapter starting with the description of the activity and useful tips and ending with addresses and phone numbers.
   
   My favorite section is probably the one on food and drink, in which the author managed to provide an excellent overview of the unbelievably complex matter of culinary arts in Thailand. It certainly made me wish to be able to go back to some of my favorite Chiang Mai restaurants real soon.
   
   I found "Travellers Thailand" to be an excellent guide for the first-time visitor to Thailand with a limited amount of time to spend there. The guidelines provided within will make your stay there safe, enjoyable and fun; and the compact format is great for carrying it around.

5 comments about Lonely Planet Bangkok.

1. Compared to LP London and LP Paris I read and have been early this year, I'm a bit disppointed with LP Bangkok. Although it has an amazing section on food/noodles, I'm rather disappointed that the book does not clearly direct and describe to readers how to get to the places/famous spots it suggested!!!! Also the book does not include a map on the Bangkok transit system - making public transit commuting difficult!!!



2. Amazon.com says this book will be published on March 2005. But try to go to Lonely Planet's online shop, then you can see that it has been published on Sep. 2004. Next, bn.com says it's been publised on March 2004. I don't know which is right. But I'm sure that this book came out already.
   
   I gave 5 stars, however, because I knows LP is a great series at least.



3. I was fortunate enough to spend a month in Bangkok and bought both the Lonely Planet and the Moon Guides. I generally read both books before I went anywhere, so I can fairly compare them.
   
   The Lonely Planet guide was always worth reading -- it often added something I didn't find in the Moon guide. The highly detailed map in the back of the book was also quite worthwhile. However, if I had to have just one book, it would have been the Moon guide by Carl Parkes.
   
   Carl's explanations always seemed a little bit richer, and a little bit more in touch. His introduction to the Thai language left me much better equipped to try my hand, and his culture and language sections also stood out. The overall impression, true or not, is that Carl has a deeper understanding and familiarlity with the Thais and Bangkok than Joe. But to be fair, I was happy with both books, and happier still that I had brought both with me.
   
   Its too bad that the Moon guide is harder to find than Lonely Planet's .... but I definitely recommend it.



4. As a frequent visitor to Thailand I recently used this latest guide for Bangkok from Joe Cummings (plus his assistants) and found it to be more than adequate. If anything, I would personally like more hotel recommendations for each area of this city, those one could call "a find". I found some on my own by walking the area I stayed in and moved to one of them as Joe was too kind in the description of hotel I first stayed in.
   
   Be sure to call about open times for restaurants as two I went to were closed earlier than was given in the guide (no fault of Joe's I'm sure).



5. I took this book everywhere I went. It gives you a great perspective on the things you will find, things to look out for, and a great guide on how to get to the places you want to go.
   
   I went on business to Bangkok, and during the 3 days that I had to go around, this book helped me find those things that mattered most.
   
   I think it is a great read for anyone who is planning to go to amazing Bangkok and it is a must when travelling around in the city. Lonely Planet books are seriously great!

No comments about Lonely Planet Chiang Mai & Northern Thailand (Lonely Planet Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand).

1 comments about Bangkok : Great Cities Series (Great Cities).

1. I've got to admit that the reviews below are somewhat misleading. I really have to disagree with the author's husband that the book is "breathtakingly beautiful", and can't understand the other reviewers' comment about the photos being "gorgeous".

   In fact, the photography is an utter disappointment, and nowhere close to being what I'd call professional quality.

   Focus is weak in far too many photos, and most of them have no compelling centre of interest. This being the case, the reader has to rush to the caption to try to understand the relevance of the photo, and in far too many cases is left puzzled by how the photo is meant to match the description. A good example of this, taken at random, is Photo 110 where the centre of attention, and the only subject in focus, is a man's head poking about a street vendor's cart. In the foreground, a single out-of-focus young girl stands with her back to the camera. The caption, however, reads "Little girls dress up for a New Year's Eve party". I'm afraid that the quality of photography and lack of relevance of the captions are equally bad in the majority of the photos. They really are very disappointing photos.

   The writing *is* generally "clear and lucid" (first reviewer), but not what I'd call "beautiful" (second reviewer). It also suffers occasionally from statements that betray the lack of detailed understanding of Thai history and culture ... but to be fair, only country specialists would pick up on most of these inaccuracies. The writing is not the problem with this book.

   I would not recommend anyone to buy this book without having a chance to look through the photography and decide for themselves if it is worth the money. Personally, for me it was a great disappointment.

No comments about Bangkok: City of Angels.

No comments about Bangkok (Not Just a Good Food Guide).

1 comments about Laminated Thailand Map by Borch.

1. In my list, this is the second best map of Thailand that I've come across. The main reason for this status is the durability of the map and its colorful nature: this map is laminated and therefore is waterproof, draw-able (you can mark your route on the map and wipe it off at will), hard to be torn apart and its colors are vivid and make it very nice to look at. Aside from that, it's very nice to handle thanks to its scale of 1:1,750,000. You will also find a Bangkok 1:100,000-scale map that will not be of use due to its small size and under detailed nature (dont worry, as you'll get a free copy at the airport).

   On the other hand, nothing compensates for the fact that there are no Thai subtitles for the names of the places side by side to the English names, especially in a country where so many locals don't speak or read English. For that reason, the Michelin Map (check out my review) is the best choice.

3 comments about The Most Traveled Man on Earth.

1. Llewellyn Toulmin's The Most Traveled Man on Earth is a delightful book for the seasoned traveler and the arm chair traveler alike. The book is filled with interesting information about little known places in the world and written in very readable style. Toulmin's knowldge and sense humor shine through on every page.



2. The part of the book about the most traveled people is only 20 pages long. The rest of the the book is the authors own mediocre travel stories.



3. I met the author when he came to speak at our travel club. I was impressed with his stories so I bought his book, and if you are a travel fan, you'll really enjoy this. He makes it clear that he doesn't consider himself "the most traveled man on earth" instead he describes the competition for that title, and how ultimately it's a hard definition to really pin down. He relays fascinating stories from his early years (you have to enjoy the one about Haiti and Papa Doc), and then he discusses various modes of travel like tall ships, perpetual cruiser's, and other experiences around the world. The section on genealogy drags a little bit, but if the reader happens to have an affinity for genealogy, this will be another star section of the book. He then discusses road rally's which had more detail than a mere mortal might need, but again, if the reader has any affinity for cars or racing, it's a star section. The book goes on to cover adventures around the world, including "Running with the Bulls" which probably every traveler has given some thought, if only "are those people insane?" It turns out some probably are insane, others are just posers, running the race well ahead of any bulls. Others are macho or completely psycho, or both. There's even a section on disaster preparedness (the author was in that business) and the government ought to tattoo the entire chapter right across "Heck of a Job" Brownie's face. The stories are light reading, very engaging, and pleasant. There are a couple of times where editing would have helped, because these stories were largely written for a magazine and then grouped together, so of course in that context, it's necessary to remind the reader what happened in the last installment, but in the context of a book, it's just irritating. If you have a friend or loved one that's a travel fan, this would make a spectacular gift.

1 comments about Patpong: Bangkok's Twilight Zone.

1. Nick Nostitz in PATPONG: BANGKOK'S TWILIGHT ZONE has written a photo-essay volume that casts some much needed light on a city that paradoxically trumps its myriad sins in a much lighted way but the city itself, its non-sex worker population, and its sustaining ethos and culture needs the very sort of attention that books like this one too often skimp on. The result, therefore, is a re-examination of a city that is probably the most sex-driven in the world. Many of the photos are of good looking Thai prostitutes in mini-skirts, but the cumulative impact grows progessively more saddened and less erotic. The photos are accompanied by small commentaries that shed some minor light as to why these sex trade women peddle themselves. Nostitz indicates that Bangkok had learned that since the end of the second world war its primary coin had to be its women. The corruption of the various regimes since then and the ubiquitousness of rapacious American servicemen and Japanese male tourists fueled the demand for the very women whose salacious pictures form the book. As I took in one picture after another, I could see both the surface allure and the less obvious repellence of the sex trade. Clearly, easy and cheap sex with bar girls, hookers, strippers, and transsexuals are the upside of what a male vistor with liberal spending habits can expect. The downside is the less obvious flirtation with HIV and the general slimy feeling that one gets when one uses money to obtain cheaply what one cannot get more honestly in one's home country. PATPONG: BANKOK'S TWILIGHT ZONE manages to explore both pictorially and verbally the allure that sleaze has for the decent if ignorant male tourist with excessive dollars in his pocket.

1 comments about Groovy Map 'n' Guide Bangkok By Day.

1. I got alot out of this map- it fell apart in my hands after the 3rd day I used it to death! Its written and reviewed by a foreigner living in the city for many years so there is alot of local insight into Bangkok, Thai people, the way things work etc. I was happy to be prepared about all these places and things to do as well as those insider tips and top 10 things to do. Quite Funny as well in places. Thanks to the crew over there for makign what is a huge place seem easy to deal with. Ed C.