ON-LINE
Please E-mail us at:
Copyright�1998, The NESSThai
�
Network for Environmentally- & Socially-Sustainable Tourism (Thailand) |
Miscellaneous
As the title suggests, this is the mixed bag which was left after all that categorisation. Needless to say, as with so many examples of categorisation or boxing, it's the mixed bag that's left which includes many of our personal favourites.
"A Guide to Khmer Temples in Thailand & Laos" by Michael Freeman, 1998.
|
"A Guide to Khmer Temples in Thailand & Laos" A beautiful guide book to some fascinating places. The photographs and layout are clear, the text well-written and informative, and there is information on accommodation and transportation that will help you plan an itinerary. I particularly like the way the author categorises sites not only in terms of their architectural and historical importance, but also in terms of their scenic value. Definitely a favourite! |
"Thai Hawker Food" by Book Promotion & Service Ltd., 1993. Available at Asia Books and other bookstores throughout Bangkok. Out of print, but Amazon.com can try to get this book for you too!
|
"Thai
Hawker Food"
Whether you are one who lives to eat or you are just planning to enjoy local cuisine, this book prepares you to step confidentally into a culture of street-made food. Beautifully illustrated and enthusiastically written, this book provides the reader with useful tips on what to expect from hawker sellers, what to expect from yourselves, where to look and how to understand what you see. Provided are simple yet reliable English to Thai phrases that can either be spoken out loud or pointed to when ordering. Also provided are maps directing the reader to various eating hotspots throughout Bangkok and what to expect while there. Although not claiming to be the definitive work, this book offers descriptions (with illustrations) on a very wide range of foods and categorises them into five broad groups for ease of reference. Apart from being a useful and entertaining guidebook, I must add that this book will open your eyes to a wider world where evidence of historical and modern day culture is in the food we eat. |
� |
"A Drop of Glass: and other stories" Sidaoruang's own story is one worth telling. Categorised as part of a group of writers in Thailand who wrote of social issues, beginning in the early 1970s, Sidaoruang is something of an exception in that she came from the kinds of situations of which she wrote. She writes tellingly of the silent struggles of the poor, of corruption and abuse of power, and of courage. The translation is accurate but perhaps a little too academic in style. Footnotes break the flow of the story -� a translation which incorporated explanations of Thai words into the story would be easier and more pleasing to read. Nonetheless this work makes Sidaoruang's work accessible to a non-Thai speaking audience. |
"Soul of the Tiger: Searching for Nature's Answers in Southeast Asia" by J. McNeely and P. Wachtel, 1991. Out of print, but Amazon.com can try to get this book for you too!
|
"Soul of the Tiger: Searching for Nature's Answers in Southeast Asia" I enjoyed this book a great deal when I read it. It focuses on the mystic and the mythical as well as containing entertaining stories of real encounters with the people and nature of Southeast Asia. However, I can't say that this book provides any real answers to the disturbing questions that the very evident environmental degradation in Southeast Asia may raise in visitors' minds. Perhaps it serves more a commentary on the west's fascination for the myths and magic of the east. |
Please e-mail us:
