Set in Japanese-occupied Malaya during World War II, Chong Seck Chim’s Once Upon a Time in Malaya (2005, ISBN 981-4155-46-2) is the fascinating tale of the up-and-coming youth Ah Kiew and how he deftly juggles familial obligation, political realities, and romance. Chong is a master of character development, and introduces the reader to a number […]
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Foul Play Suspected in disappearance of journalist Dave Walker in Cambodia
As was reported in the Phnom Penh Post this week, noted Canadian journalist and filmmmaker Dave Walker has been reported missing from his Siem Reap guest house for five days. His passport, telephone, computer, and possessions were all left behind, and foul play is suspected. Walker reportedly left the Green Village Angkor guesthouse on February […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘Bangkok Express’ by James A. Newman
Admittedly, it’s a challenge coming up with new twists when writing Bangkok Fiction. Bar girls, bad girls, corruption, and “influential” bad guys are all staples. It’s a brave writer that newly dips is foot in this muddy stream, and James A. Newman is one of the latest, in his detective novel Bangkok Express (2012, ISBN […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Dean Barrett’s ‘A Love Story: China Memoirs of Thomas Rowley’ historical erotica
Leave it to veteran expat western author Dean Barrett to put a new twist on Asia-based fiction. His latest novel. A Love Story: The China Memoirs of Thomas Rowley (2013, ISBN-13: 978-0-9788888-3-1) will make readers want to hold on to their hats (and scrotums) as protagonist Thomas Rowley, a western soldier in China, is captured […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘Don’t Mean Nothing,’ Vietnam nursing experience by Susan O’Neill
Like many other veteran of the Vietnam war experience, Susan O’Neill, who served as an army operating nurse in 1969-1970, was angry enough when she returned that she simply wanted to forget it. Years later, she wrote about her experiences in fictionalized short stories in her Don’t Mean Nothing: Short Stories of Vietnam. (2001, ISBN […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘Ying Yang Tattoo,’ Korea-based fiction by Ron McMillan
Probably because Thailand is such a draw for literary expats, there’s a dearth of well-written hard-boiled fiction situated in other Asian countries, Korea being no exception. For that reason, we here at WoWasis were particularly interested in Ron McMillan’s Yin Yang Tattoo (2010, ISBN 978-1-905207-31-2). McMillan’s not a veteran writer. It’s his second book, and […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘Painted in the Tropics,’ the life of painter Theo Meier, by Harold Stephens
If you’re like us, you weren’t prepared to find that the Indonesia’s island of Bali hosted a number of extraordinary expat painters. Balinese museums and private collections are full of their work, and the viewer is left wanting to know more about these extraordinary artists. Noted expat Asian author Harold Stephens provides many important details […]
Read the rest of this entry »How can I stop my Thai wife from gambling? An answer from Pa Farang
The Good Manner: Advice on Thailand from WoWasis’ Pa Farang This week’s dilemma: How can I stop my Thai wife from gambling? Dear Pa Farang, I’ve been married to my 23 year old Thai wife for about a year now. I’m a farang guy that retired to Thailand, living comfortably. We bought some land near […]
Read the rest of this entry »Bangkok’s grisly museum of death: WoWasis revisits the Siriraj Medical Museum
What may very well be the world’s grisliest museum isn’t all that hard to get to, as long as you know where it is and what you’re in store for. But if you’re not a medical professional, you might need a strong stomach to get through it. We here at WoWasis first visited here in […]
Read the rest of this entry »Bangkok protests dealing massive financial blow to tourism businesses in Thailand
Although the PDRC (People’s Democratic Reform Committee) protests that have blocked major intersections in Bangkok is only ten days old, it has cost Thai businesses millions of dollars in tourist revenue. And it started being felt in early January. Talk to any business, like we here at WoWasis did, and you’ll hear a similar tale […]
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