4 comments about Chasing the Dragon's Tail: The Struggle To Save Thailand's Wild Cats.

1. "Like his first book, Jaguar, Rabinowitz's Chasing The Dragon's Tail is a telling testimony to the difficulties emarked upon in the attempt at large predator conservation. Rabinowitz's books are a must read for anyone interested in habitat preservation and conservation."



2. Self-indulgent prose about a self-involved man's self-pitying and self-important journey halfway around the world to assert himself and his culture on other people. I'm not qualified to comment on his zoological practices, but I don't come away impressed with him. His writing is C level work -- simply wretched. It does have the quality of being revealing, but not necessarily of the point he labors and fails to make. This book is a depressing first-person account of cultural imperialism. No wonder Americans are so universally reviled in other countries...



3. This is the true story of a biologist with a dark past heading to a small Asian country to study leopards. Though the story is about animal conservation, the human interactions are what make the bulk of it. The author is an emotional person, and the conveyance of his feelings and thoughts in his writing make this story very entertaining. He is also very candid about some of the things he did in Thailand.
   
   I have to say one more thing about his writing style. As I was reading the book, I could picture myself hiking along the trails of the forest reserve, or talking to the forest monks. I cringed and felt helpless as I read of the daily cases of skinning and cooking animals alive. And I felt the sense of helplessness and frustration of trying to stop an entire nation from devouring every bit of wildlife left.



4. This book describes the day-to-day life and frustrations of renowned conservationist Alan Rabinowitz in Thailand. While the large mammal biodiversity of the country is amazing, it is being severely depleted. The large mammals are victims of a local culture that seems to think of wildlife as free wealth to be plundered for subsistence or luxury.
   
   While he is primarily a conservationist, Dr. Rabinowitz sometimes assumes the role of animal rights advocate as he describes acts of heartless cruelty by the locals towards animals. Examples: a python which is skinned alive by some of his servants (it is easier to remove the skin when the animal is alive), and a magnificent gaur (the largest wild cattle species in the world) which had died a slow death from starvation after its jaw had been shattered by a bullet.
   
   A distinctive feature of Dr. Rabinowitz's passionate first-person narrative is that he cares for wild animals as individuals apart from his desire to save them as species. His study animals are given Thai names and not numbers. He is emotionally involved with their well-being and does not maintain the cold detachment towards them that one might expect from a scientist. He also does not hesitate to give vent to his anger and anguish when one of the animals he has grown familiar with dies a horrible death at the hands of poachers. His view of the local culture is heavily influenced by how they treat animals and is understandably negative. This has been described as "cultural imperialism" by a reviewer but it is hard not to be moved by the sufferings of animals which are skinned alive and left to die in agony. Readers would have to judge for themselves on this point. In my opinion, Dr. Rabinowitz would have failed in his duty as a conservationist if he did not portray accurately the problems of saving Thailand's biodiversity - and most of the problems undoubtedly stem from the fact that the local culture does not see animals as deserving basic human sympathy, kindness and ethical treatment. "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
   
   Apart from the above sociological aspects of conservation in Thailand, the book contains a lot of information about the mammals themselves and their ecology. There are detailed descriptions of radiocollaring leopards and other wild cats which are very exciting, as are some of the descriptions of the largest cat of them all, the tiger.

5 comments about Bangkok City Map.

1. This map is a cruel $9 joke by Lonely Planet: central area only, major streets only, selected hotels only. Maps in their guidebook are superior, or simply use Google Earth.



2. My only criticism of this map is that it doesn't extend north enough to include the airport. I'm trying to gauge how far central Bangkok is from the airport and can't do it with this map. Other than that, it's nice....and since I'll be walking a lot, the water-proof factor is key.



3. If you are hoping to get a superficial look at the layout of Bangkok--this map is for you. If you hope to navigate by it--don't bother. Only the major streets are labeled, it doesn't extend beyond the center of the city, and because of the lamination (which I thought would be a plus) it doesn't fold well. I read another review which complained about the lack of detail but I went ahead and bought this thinking they couldn't possibly print a map without including adequate detail--I was very wrong. Buy a different map!



4. I'm a resident of bangkok and like to pick up different maps to see which I like best. I was shocked at what a poor job this one does- and the small area it covers (doesn't even go to my house, and I live in the heart of the city!)
   While I do use lonely planet's bangkok book, as well as the "thailand" guide, this is not worth the postage to get it to you.
   As an alternative,and of a same size and weight, is my preferred map- the "groovy map" which is full of helpful hints and has hotels, restaurants, attractions labeled and reviewed. The insight flexi-map is also an OK choice. If you don't mind carrying around more than one map, the nancy chandler series is a good secondary resource, especially in all things shopping!



5. I don't usually review products that I use, but I was so impressed with this map, that I felt it worthy of returning to Amazon to leave a comment. There are two smaller maps that show a larger part of Bangkok and the area around Bangkok, a small map of the skytrain, and the main part of the map focuses on the east side of the Choa Praya River. We spent 3 days in Bangkok and took 2 maps and 3 guidebooks. We ended up leaving everything in the hotel except this map. We were able find all the Wats and markets we were interested in visiting, follow two walking tours (from the Lonely Planet Bangok guide; this map was better than the one in the book), watch our taxi ride from the airport and back, navigate the skytrain to MBK and Siam Square, and take the ferry, all with this map. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in the major tourist attractions and hopping markets east of the Choa Praya River.

No comments about Exploring Phuket & Phi Phi: From Tin to Tourism (Odyssey Illustrated Guides).

No comments about The Rough Guide to Bangkok 4 (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

5 comments about The Rough Guide to Thailand 6 (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

1. Fed up with the traditional Lonely Planet I turned to the Rough Guide for an alternative view. While this guide gives detailed historical/background knowledge it severely lacks in the essentials, notably transport prices and detailed maps.@There were just too many times when this book became a more of a frustration than a help. This book is best read before you go and left at home.



2. I bought this book and relied on it to plan my
   vacation for 30 days in Thailand with my family.
   This book is very, very inaccurate! The
   information is so inaccurate that I think the
   authors just made up things to fill up pages.
   It was worthless when I was visiting cities in
   Thailand because each time I found the
   information incorrect and misleading. I cursed
   this book many times when I was on vacation in
   Thailand for being so useless and deceptive and
   inaccurate. I really hate to give a book such
   a terrible review and I usually would never
   comment but because this book let me down so
   much in Thailand I decided to tell other readers
   to warn them to look elsewhere for "reliable"
   information. Have a good trip to Thailand is my
   wish to you but buy some other book than this one.
   It is DANGEROUS to print untruths and misinformation
   and wrong address and wrong prices and wrong
   everything else. This book was dead wrong so many
   times it made me vomit. The authors now have no
   credibility with me and I will never buy another
   Rough Guide to anywhere because of it. It's
   expecially dangerous when you are traveling with a
   young child as I was and relied on the book and it
   let me down again and again putting my family in
   a bad way really fast. It's not fun when this happens
   especially in a foreign country with your kid.



3. I just returned from Thailand and I took four guides: Thomas Cook's, Lonely Planet, Let's Go, and this guide (see my reviews on the others guides, and do seriously consider Lonely Planet Islands & Beaches IF you are only going to spend time as a sun lizard).
   
   `Thomas Cook Thailand' is a special niche guide, best suited for those with tour groups and `Let's Go Thailand' is the guide for those backpackers that are `on the cheap'. This leaves Rough Guide to face off with Lonely Planet and in some areas it is superior to L.P and in one big area it is not.
   
   Rough Guide's restaurant recommendations are by far the best of any guide I reviewed; they are both reliable and informative, giving great descriptions and dish recommendations, "the grilled river prawns with chili, the matsaman curry and the delicious durian cheese-cake." The restaurant prices are listed as: Expensive, Moderate and Inexpensive.
   
   The hotel accommodations recommendations are also descriptive, very reliable and most have either webpage addresses or email. Sadly, Rough Guide still uses the user 'unfriendly' price codes, instead of just saying in dollars (or Bahts) what the cost for the hotel is. Thus you need to memorize the table where the number 4=400-600B and 5=600-900B etc., then you can convert to either dollars or euros to get the price. Also, since the Guide is published in 2004 (thus the information is from 2003) you add 10-20% for inflation. Both Lonely Planet and Let's Go just tell you what the price is. "Duh".
   
   The Guide has excellent information that tells you the nitty-gritty that prepairs you for your trip. It also has great history, religion (Buddhism of course), environmental and cultural sections. Not to be missed is the additional reading recommendations (six pages).
   
   Where it bombs is BANGKOK. The Guide says that Bangkok is "sprawling, chaotic and exhausting" and that is exactly how I experienced the 115 pages that covered this mega-city. The layout is dysfunctional. It has no logical consistency between any two points. Bangkok is the home of 11 million people; it is huge and spreads out like greater Los Angeles. It needs to be broken down into regions and then sections and those need to be logically kept together. But, this guide will give you information on one area, like Thanon Sukhumvit, then 60 pages later the accommodations for that area, then 20 pages back will be the Thanon Sukhumvit map; but wait, the restaurants for that area... you guessed it, will be located some where else. Hello! Who laid this out? What herb, pray tell, were they using? So, if you plan to spend any significant time in Bangkok, then Lonely Planet is a better guide.
   
   Maybe the 6th edition Rough Guide will improve the Bangkok section and hopefully increased the guides paltry index (8 pages for all of Thailand - Bangkok alone could be 8 pages) and make this an outstanding guide. Bangkok aside this is still a strongly recommended guide.



4. Full of great and relevant information. Some prices have already gone up, despite how recently the book came out, but that's par for the course in Asia. It would have been nice if there were place names spelled out in Thai a bit more, so you could point them out to taxi drivers. They rarely spoke English and my pronunciation of the romanized Thai words wasn't up to snuff. It's also not as handy as a reference guide for looking up phone numbers or addresses to hotels, restaurants, etc. as say the Lonely Planet. It does provide a bit better context though and reads more comfortably. All in all, a good book. I bought it because it was so recent, but think I may go back to Lonely Planet for most future travel guides.



5. Do your research on line before going to any of the hotels suggested in this guide. Some of them are real dumps. Also, the guide does little to show you how to get around the country. I'm spoiled by Rick Steves guides that basically take you step by step on how to get out of the airport and to the sights, restaurants, hotels, etc. There are no prices and maps of Bangkok do not even show where the airport is at. It doesn't do what a guide is supposed to do, guide you. It gives a general overview of each city and gives a history lesson, but not much else. I have to wonder if the people who wrote the book actually went to Thailand or just read about it. Waste of money if you ask me. Something to read while on the toilet, otherwise I'm doing all me research on line.

2 comments about Wallpaper City Guide: Bangkok (Wallpaper City Guide Bangkok).

1. This is the most absurd "guidebook" I have ever seen - and I've been to 50 countries. I didn't expect it to have information on the sights but thought it would do a decent job on shopping and contemporary architecture. Wrong. It is more like someone turned an article into a book and added photos to make it seem longer. Don't waste your money. If you want a guide to hip shops, etc. that aren't in mainstream guides, get the Luxe.
   
   11/07 Update: While I still think this was useless, after using more of the Luxe guides I absolutely agree with the other reviewer - they are snarky. And they also send you all over town to find "unique" places that aren't terribly interesting. Some of them are useful but their tone has become really annoying.



2. Reviewer "Ikat" has a valid point: the Wallpaper City Guides (WCG) are not comprehensive, and there is a bit of an extended travel magazine article aspect to them: however, I like WCG's differences from Luxe City Guides. Luxe engages in snarky comments and its prose (rather like a slick, smug club kid writing for middle-aged wannabee hipsters with bottomless pockets) is of a sort that I've always found grating. I tossed my Luxe Tokyo guide for this very reason.
   
   The WCG style is meant to whet your appetite and give you a few ideas about what to see if you have but a few days to check Bangkok out. I like its brevity. The WCG gives hotel and restaurant options both expensive and reasonable, making it worthwhile for the traveller on a more modest budget, whereas Luxe covers only the most expensive places to stay, eat, etc. Luxe has no pictures and a tiny, crammed-to-the-rafters typeface: WCG has attractive photos and great layout that's easier to read. I, for one, prefer it.

5 comments about Across the Sabbath River: In Search of a Lost Tribe of Israel (In Search of a Lost Tribe of Israel).

1. First, before starting this book, I recommend that you take a look at the authorýs two page guide to pronunciation, to better understand the Hebrew, Mizo, Thado, and Burmese words in the text. Halkin, a well known translator of Hebrew books, posits that a little-known ethnic group living along the Indian-Burmese border is descended from the ancient Jewish tribe of Manasseh. The fate of the ten lost tribes of Israel has haunted Jewish and Christian imaginations throughout the ages. Hillel Halkin has long been intrigued by the subject. And why not? Many American Jews of a certain age dreamed of an aboriginal, strong, warrior Jew, the type who could win fistfights on the way to and from junior high school. And so, Halkin embarked on a journey. In 1998, he accompanied a Jerusalem rabbi and dedicated lost-tribes hunter to China, Thailand, and northeast India, where the rabbi hoped to discover traces of the lost tribes. Halkin went with a very healthy dose of skepticism. Most look at Rabbi Avichail as a well meaning crackpot. Whatever the Rabbi is, he makes for an interesting story, having traveled to Marranos in Portugal, Karens in Burma, Tatars in Dagestan, Kananites in Kerala, and ýIndiansý in Manipur and Mizoram. The book captures your interest from its first paragraph. The Sabbath is approaching as Halkin and the rabbi are searching out the non-Chinese Chiangýs in Western Szechuan. Then the police arrive at their hotel. Youýll have to read the book to find out what happens. After a variety of adventures and misadventures, Halkin returned several times to the Indian states of Manipur and Mizoram, where 5000 people belive they are a lost tribe of Hebrews. Are these people the victims of a mass cultural delusion, having accepted a myth to promote and reinforce their distinct cultural identity? Or are the actually descendants of some Bnai Menashe? Are these Kuki-Chin-Mizo people, living along the Indian-Burmese border, descended from the ancient biblical tribe of Manasseh. Halkin isnýt a scholar, linguist, or ethnographer, but neither am I, and the story is still fascinating. Why do they have a song about crossing the Red Sea while living in Northeast India, a song they have sung prior to any missionaries showing up and one that contains ancient words? Why do they have a god named Yah(za), a history of brit milah circumcision on the eighth day after birth, a mourning period of 7 days, a Spring festival of unleavened bread (among rice eaters), and the use of the word ýselah.ý There are some who broke away and even started a competing shul (if thatýs not Jewish, what is?) Whatever you decide, the book is an exciting, mysterious and enlightening read. Sign me up for a Bnai Menashe kippah?



2. Hillel Harkin's study of the fabled 10 lost tribes of Israel succeeds because he is not an anthropologist or biblical scholar. Indeed, if one is looking for an in depth study of the lost tribes and their hypothetical present locations, this probably is not the best place to go. However, if you are looking for a story rooted in history, told by a world traveler who writes sweeping narratives and locale descriptions, than this is your best bet.

   The story of the lost tribes is a fascinating one. It is so interesting that thousands of anthropologists and explorers have spent their whole life looking for this group of ancient Jews. The story is as mysterious as it is educational. In the 8th century BC, the Assyrians conquered northern Israel. The ten tribes of Jews that inhabited the area were mostly uprooted and moved, east, to the vast areas of the Assyrian Empire. After that, no one is sure where they ended up. It would be a good guess that wherever they settled, they were assimilated into the native culture, but influenced the natives greatly, possibly with their monotheist religion. This may seem to many as a curious historical footnote, but to some in the Jewish religion, it is one of the most important factors in the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. The location and return of the 10 northern tribes is an integral part of Jewish tradition, even if many have cast it off as a relic of the past.

   Harkin story follows the travels of one Rabbi Avichail, an eccentric but dedicated Jewish scholar. Avichail firmly believes that the tribes and their culture can still be found, in former Assyrian areas such as India, Central Asia, and China. Now, just years ago, this was deemed almost absurd. However, with recent technological and genetic discoveries, the lineage of some of these groups is no longer hypothetical. Roman genes in China and Greek genes in Afghanistan have been discovered, pointing to ancient connections. Avichail believes that he can find these groups, and return them to the promise land. Harkin is skeptical at first, mainly because the often shaky evidence Avichail provides, and the fruitless tribe search in southern China. However, he, and the reader, soon become fascinated by the Mizo people of northeastern India. They passionately claim lineage to the Manasseh, one of the lost tribes. They share some intriguing similarities, such as one God known as Ya (Yahweh), an old song of the Red Sea, and ritual circumcision. The Mizo are constantly split from within, as Christianity and cultural strife strain the relationship between them and their old ways. Avichail and his party, including Harkin, are quickly wrapped up into this intriguing cultural and religious situation.

   The book benefits from Harkins insightful eye, which look into almost every facet of Avichail, the Mizo, and their claims. The sweeping descriptions of the areas the party visits and the surrounding political situations are vivid and entertaining. It is a remarkable hybrid of a travel, history, and religious narrative that synthesizes very well.

   A fascinating read.




3. "Sabbath River" is well researched and well written, but it suffers from the absence of graphics: maps, timelines, and tables. Halkin would better serve his 21st century audience with visuals. Call me intellectually lazy, but I would have been fully on-board this "great adventure" had the author used graphics. As it was, I read the first half and thumbed through the latter half-unable to trudge through the details that could have been fleshed-out graphically. For example, in the final chapters much is made of various obscure texts, but these are never put into perspective on a graphic that shows their temporal and spatial context. In another case, the author cites a "lost," then "found" will of questionable provenance. I wanted to see the picture of the will-a picture of the will with arrows pointing to all its questionable features. This books is attractive to the curious, but it suffers from an insufficient number of graphics.



4. This is an enormously enjoyable book that is both educational and thrilling. In 1999, Israeli journalist Hillel Halkin accompanied the eccentric Rabbi Avichail to Mizoram (in Northeast India near the Burma border) in order to investigate whether the Mizo people who lived there were indeed the descendants of one of the "Lost Tribes of Israel." Halkin is skeptical and constantly has to challenge Rabbi Avichail's fanatic true-believer mindset. Then Halkin's own investigative methods begin to reveal surprising things. This is a fascinating scientific mystery. Halkin entertainingly gives a clear history of the lost tribes as well as the many theories about what happened to them that have been posited by others over the centuries (including the once popular notion that the Lost Tribes wound up in North America, in which belief the Mormon Church is rooted). The Mizo people believe that they are Jews and want to get back to their true roots. They also want to immigrate to Israel for a better life. As a result they throw themselves into the study of Judaism with the zeal of Holy Rollers at a revival meeting. Rival synagogues are founded that try to incorporate Jesus into Jewish teaching. Rabbi Avichail has his hands full when he tries to explain to them that they cannot do that. The Mizo people had thrown off their indigenous religion in favor of Fundamentalist Christianity at the beginning of the 20th Century. There are very few people among them who remember anything about the former religion. Halkin tries to find out what, if anything, their former religion had in common with Judaism. His efforts are hampered, Halkin realizes, by his third-rate con man translator, who is not above creating phony evidence and altering existing evidence. His investigations hit mostly dead ends until several tantalizing clues and his non-academic approach seemingly solve the mystery in which there were next to no clues. Journalist, linguist and scientist, Halkin is a brilliant man who has written a brilliant book. I found ACROSS THE SABBATH RIVER a very satisfying reading experience. Highly recommended. Five Stars.



5. Hillel Halkin has done a marvelous job of consolidating the knowledge of a lost people and weeded out myth, superstition and misplaced information.
   
   S
   P
   O
   I
   L
   E
   R
   
   DON'T READ PAST HERE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO FIND OUT THE CONCLUSIONS THAT HALKIN CAME TO IN THE END.
   
   On a trip to NorthEast India, Halkin was bit by the "Lost Tribe" bug that has had Jews looking all over the world for the northern tribes of Israel who were exiled by Assyrian Empire in the 7th century b.c.e. Where did they go? Based on this study by Hillel, part of the tribe of Manasseh migrated across central asia, past Tibet and into the Burma/India border area.
   
   He studied the stories told by " the old people " who predated the Kuki-Mizo-Chin migration into the Mizoram/Assam area of northeast India. Once the area was under British protectorship in the late nineteenth century, many of the stories/storytellers were lost because of the proselytizing of Christian missionaries. The missionaries did their best to destroy the old religion, and force people not to teach it or the language of the priesthood to the next generation.
   
   Luckily, Hillel was able to find one man, who himself was quite elderly, who had spent forty years, collecting and documenting the old stories and religious rites. What he was able to prove in the end was that included in the old stories were parts of stories from the Old Testament that had been passed down in families prior to the OT being translated into the indigenous language or taught by the missionaries (many who considered the OT to be too Hebraic and not 'christian' oriented).
   
   Though these families had 'israelite' traditions, they were a hodgepodge of stories that had been enbedded with local history and myth. Halkin was able to establish the authenticity of the stories. But, it need study by Forensic Anthropologists to prove how much of the story was OT and how much was passed on from another (members of a lost tribe?) people.

5 comments about Thailand Confidential.

1. Hopkins book is a clear-eyed, knowledgeable, and insightful look at Thailand by an American who's lived there for more than a decade. He captures the crazy charm of the place without falling victim to the romantic haze that falls over most first-time visitors. He still loves it - the street food, the elephants, the women, the bars, the temples, the gentle people and sharp operators, the jungles, cities, and beaches and the all-round intensity and color of the place - but also sees many of its failings. Might very well make you consider retiring there.



2. Been living in Thailand now for about 22 years now.
   This book is written by someone with a bit of a naive character,
   If you wright a book about Thailand, you should know, how Thai people are,
   there are about 4 or 5 different kind of Thai, which I can recognize after they said one word. The author is obviously hanging out with the
   wrong kind of people, who are not really Thai, but think they are.
   I was hoping for a book with something special, but from my point of view, this book is useless. Nothing new, nothing special, waste of time!
   
   Mark Zwarts Hua Hin.



3. This book was informative. It gives you a basic outline of the place. You can read this book, as well as look for pics and videos of Thailand on the internet. Especially videos on youtube. A pic is worth a 1000 words, and a video is worth 1,000,000 words. You really don't know until you see a video of the place, how it is going to feel, and then you still don't know exactly, but you have a much better idea. One thing that has helped me decide where to go, and where not to go, is a software app called TubeSucker. Do a google on TubeSucker to find it. The turbo version lets you do a "Download All" for a given search, and then you can quickly scan through 100s of Thailand videos on your hard drive with no delays. I use is for all my travels, including the beach of Mexico, India, and Italy. This book paints a decent picture of the place. But with video you can almost smell the smells.



4. I found this work to be much better written than BANGKOK BABYLON as well as very informative. The author's prejudices become obvious at times but I guess if it's his book he can say what he thinks. Reading THAILAND CONFIDENTIAL would be helpful to anyone planning a visit to Thailand for the first time.



5. I bought this book before moving to Thailand and found it to be very informative. I also like Mr. Hopkins style of writing which made this book even more enjoyable. Most of what is written between these pages rings true although some of my own personal experiences differ from Mr.Hopkins. One is the Thais preference when cooking. I find more gas tanks wherever I go wheather it be a street vendor or someones home. I, like the author have a home in Issan and every house I have ever been in (incuding mine) has a gas set up for cooking (as well as coal for grilling). The only other difference of opinion is what Thai beer is the best to drink. I do agree that Thailand does not produce a "world class beer" and I am not a big fan of Thai beer in general but Chang over Singha? I prefer neither and if planning a trip to Thailand stick with the international staple beers Hieneken or Kloster or a very good Thai beer is "Leo" which is made by the Singha corp. and unlike Singha which is rather acidic Leo is very smooth and drinkable. Thailand Confidential makes for a very good introduction for anyone planning a trip to Thailand.

No comments about Thailand Travel Map (Globetrotter Travel Map).

5 comments about To Asia with Love: A Connoisseurs' Guide to Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam..

1. ...although I happen to be packing it around with me on a 6-month trip. As I move from country to country, I discard my Lonely Planet or Rough Guide at the border, but even when my bag is bursting at the seams, I hold onto this book for the practical, personal recommendations and high caliber of writing, and for inspiration. Written by 50 different people who have lived or traveled extensively in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos, the passion and enthusiasm they share for this fascinating region is contagious.
   
   To put the book in its proper context (I'm paraphrasing here from the excellent foreword), the editor invites us to imagine attending a dinner party with a group of intrepid, experienced Asia-philes and whiling away an evening collecting their stories, insider tips, and invaluable advice. Such an invitation may not appeal to someone who is merely "doing Asia" and wants only a directory of services and costs. But readers who have lived in Asia (or would like to) will relish it, as will every traveler who dreams of having a knowledgeable friend in each of these countries. To Asia With Love is a wonderful resource and worthy travel companion, a journey to a land that unfolds itself "slowly-slowly". My only complaint is that I still want more....



2. When I read this book, I felt like someone was whispering secrets in my ear. Sure, you should bring along the Lonely Planet or Rough Guide to give you directions to the closest bank, but is that trip to the bank the experience you will most fervently remember about your travels in Asia? I doubt it. You're likely to remember, however, "clambering over a dam" in Cambodia to find the lonely temple Ta Nei, or sitting at a table made from a tree trunk in Northern Laos eating "phar nam" (watercress salad) made by the daughter of the last king's personal chef. This book is for people anxious to go beyond the run-of-the-mill guidebook information. It's for people in search of the special experiences that make these countries so extraordinary. If you're that kind of traveler (or armchair traveler who simply likes good writing), then you should buy this book.



3. Imagine lush, evergreen forests with waving palm trees under the warm, humid tropical weather. Imagine a hutted village with friendly locals and curious children with perpetual shy smiles and sparkling eyes devoid of the mundane dim of city-life; old ladies lingering on the streets with their handmade wares. Imagine yourself sitting cross-legged on a rattan mat enjoying a full meal of spicy South East Asian delicacy that cost less than half a cheeseburger; or lying on a white sanded beach surrounded by crystal-clear sea that seems to be frozen in time.
   
   Yes, imagine. That is the operative word that To Asia With Love begins with.
   
   Spanning Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, author Kim Fay, an avid traveler herself, collected anecdotes and travel tips from Asia-lovers and skillfully compiled these snippets into a very readable book, helped much by seductive and poignant photographs. This book tells you where to get the best chow, see the most attractive sights, buy the most impressive souvenirs, and even how to get a holiday from your holiday, in case you decided to become an expatriate. For those inclined as such, even where to visit the most historical sites. Because they were written by different individuals; young and old; from loaded to clam-less, the information is extremely varied and colorful.
   
   What makes To Asia With Love stand out, compared to run-of-the-mill backpackers' experiences strewn about the internet is that the articles were actually written by veteran travelers; most of them bestseller authors in their own right. They provide interesting insights which are both informative and humorous.
   
   For example, suppose the delicious dumplings you tasted at a nondescript stall in Phnom Penh turns out to be disappointing the following week, it is because the ownership has changed and will likely change again based on the rotating fortunes at the local gambling dens. Aside from the local loan sharks, I don't think anyone else would know these behind-the-scene goings-on; except maybe the foolhardy expatriate dumpling-hunter in the person of Nami Nelson.
   
   Of course, beneath the fantastic tales are the nitty-gritty details. What is the best way to travel? How to book tickets? What are the regional time differences? What are the languages spoken? These questions and more that one could hardly pump up in the excitement of `go first, think later' mode, are explored by those who have done it all.
   
   Western travelers respond differently to what are seemingly destitute socio-economic conditions in these countries. The feelings generated could span a spectrum from utter indifference to the `guilt syndrome'. And if one stays in a place long enough, the urge to respond becomes increasingly stronger. In this, To Asia With Love proves to be more than just a fanciful title in the chapter `Paying It Forward.' Littered with touching anecdotes, it advises travelers on how to give back to the countries they enjoy; be it helping out in a foundation or eating at a charity-linked restaurant.
   
   Be warned. This book is not about going to Asia. It is about going to there again and again, and perhaps even staying there for good. A beautiful collage of travelogues with a seductive theme and convincing pleasures, I think I am going to book the first flight to South East Asia.
   
   Oh wait a minute; I am from South East Asia.



4. I'm disapointed with this book. The information provided is interesting but the way the book is structured is very strange. I can't see any logic there. It would make sense if a chapter (each chapter has a theme) had a section for each of the countries. But no. Eg. you go to chapter on shopping and you have one page of info about Thailand, than a page about Laos, Thailand again, Cambodia, Laos again etc. Very weird.... It makes the book difficult for me to read and stick to....



5. The introduction of this book says its intent was to be like going to a dinner party with a mix of guests who have lived and extensively traveled thoughout Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. At then end of the dinner, you leave with pockets full of tips, advice, and stories.
   
   That is exactly how I would describe this book. It is full of experienced and varied travelers who tell stories about their favorite noodle stand in Bangkok or their favorite secret shopping area in Vietnam or how to best take coffee in Cambodia. It is most definitely not a lonely plant guide book, but it is an excellent read before your trip. Not only giving you valuable insider advice, but also gives you a glimpse at the love that so many others share for this area.