The sharper edge to traveling in Asia

Archive for the 'By Subject' Category

Korean island of Yongyu-Muui hopes to become a gambling mecca

Our gaming correspondents at www.onlinecasino.sg  have just published a fascinating article on South Korea’s attempt to divert some of the gambling revenue that’s now going to Macau by putting billions of dollars into turning the island of Yongyu-Muui into a world-class gaming destination. Here’s what they have to say: The Korean island that’s taking on […]

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Thai Teens’ pregnancy rate appears to be uncontrollable, feeding Bangkok’s bar scene

In our tours around Bangkok’s night spots, we here at WoWasis has noted that seemingly a majority of the city’s bar girls are young mothers. In an article published by Reuters this week, the situation appears to be accelerating. The article reports that “even though the overall birthrate is dropping, teen births are on the […]

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Pa Farang answers: Why can’t my American boyfriend keep his butt clean?

The Good Manner: Advice on Thailand from WoWasis’ Pa Farang This week’s dilemma: Why can’t my American boyfriend keep his butt clean? Dear Pa Farang, I am a Thai lady, and my American boyfriend showed me your column. He’s away, so I’m writing. He never keeps his butt clean. He leaves poo marks all over […]

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WoWasis book review: ‘Who Needs a Road? The Longest and Last Motor Journey Around the World’ by Harold Stephens and Albert Podell

Back in 1999, we here at WoWasis drove 4000 km through South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. We broke down in soft sand up to our axels in the bush with lions nearby, got an accidental fill-up of diesel 200 km from the nearest Kalahari town, and did it all while driving solo in a […]

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Bachelor in Bangkok: Khun Lee’s Three Reasons to be wary of “dating” a bar girl

I was chatting with a friend the other day and he happened to mention that he was “dating” a gal who works in a Nana Plaza go-go bar. It is needless to say that one doesn’t “date” such a gal, but merely pays a certain amount of money for a certain amount of time and […]

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WoWasis book review: ‘Take China: The Last of the China Marines’ by Harold Stephens

Harold Stephens, author of Take China: The Last of the China Marines (2003, ISBN 0-9642521-8-X), maintains that the book is a novel, but in actuality it’s a memoir, his autobiographical tales of serving with the U.S. Marines, transitioning from the end of World War II to mainland China. He’s changed the names, but it’s all […]

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WoWasis book review: ‘Education of a Travel Writer’ by Harold Stephens

Among veteran travelers, there probably aren’t too many of us who haven’t, at least for one small moment, entertained the possibility of being travel writers. It’s tempting. We see lots worthy of writing about, and many of us keep notes, in notebooks, in the back of travel guides, or in electronic devices we carry with […]

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WoWasis travel product review: ArridXX Unscented deodorant, indefatigable in hot steamy climates

Here at WoWasis, we just can’t stand being stinky, especially when traveling in the hot hot tropics. And there are a number of reasons ArridXX Unscented can’t be beat. The best we’ve ever used is Byly, a Spanish product that generally can’t be found anywhere but Spain. It’s beloved by mountain climbers, because one application […]

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WoWasis book review: ‘The Vets’ … Hong Kong and Bangkok intrigue by Stephen Leather

British novelist Stephen Leather has written an amazing body of fiction books centering on Southeast Asia. In The Vets (1993, ISBN 978-0-340-59770-5), he includes Hong Kong in the mix, in a fast-paced thriller that displays his knowledge of HK prior to its takeover by the Chinese as well as his understanding of the powerful mainland […]

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WoWasis book review: ‘Missing in Rangoon’ by Christopher G. Moore

Veteran Bangkok-based novelist Christopher G. Moore’s book, Missing in Rangoon (2013, ISBN 978-616-7503-17-2), is the latest in his detective Vincent Calvino series. We here at WoWasis loved the plot, and the book has passages with some of the best writing we’ve seen from this prolific novelist. The story is delicious. Calvino gets a missing person’s […]

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