Departure Day minus two!

When you book a Road Scholar tour, they send you a list of essential and recommended reading.  In anticipation of and preparation for my trip, I have spent the fall reading bits and pieces of the list and can recommend the following if you have an interest in learning about South East Asia.

In the category of fun fiction:

Killed at the Whim of a Hat by Colin Cotterill.  Set in Thailand, a light-hearted mystery solved by an underemployed journalist.

Mrs. Polifax and the Golden Triangle by Dorothy Gilman.  Set again in Thailand, a grandmother/CIA agent takes on drug smugglers.[PHOTO_ID_L=letters-from-thailand-a-novel-by-botan.jpeg]

The Coroner’s Lunch by Colin Cotterill.  Set in Laos, a doctor forced by the Communist regime to be a coroner turns investigator and brings down the evil and powerful.

In the category of highly recommended heartbreaking stories based on the authors’ own experiences:

Letters from Thailand, A Novel by Botan.  The story of a Chinese immigrant making his way in Thailand as told by his Thai-born daughter.

In the Shadow of the Banyon by Vaddey Ratner.  Set in Cambodia, this is the story of a young girl of royal heritage whose family is dispersed and cruelly treated by the Khmer Rouge.

In the category of interesting and informative:

The Gods Drink Whiskey by Stephen T. Asma.  Set mainly in Phnom Penh, this American Buddhist scholar helps to re-open the Buddist Institute shut down by the Khmer Rouge.  The author’s travels and stories are interwoven with insights into Buddhism.

A Dragon Apparent: Travels in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam by Norman Lewis.  This early 1950s memoir paints a picture of South East Asia during the French regime.

Thailand: A Short History by David K. Wyatt.  Bah, short?!  350 small-type trade-paperback-sized pages.  I have waded my way through a good part of it but will not worry if I don’t real it all.  After all, what are tour guides for??

Tomorrow – assembling, sorting, packing!

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