It’s never easy getting Dean Barrett, author of a surprisingly vast array of books on Asian subjects, away from his favorite haunt at Bangkok’s Chao Phya 2. That’s why we here at WoWasis were pleased that he found time to pen another book in his Scott Sterling mystery series, Permanent Damage (2010, ISBN 978-0-9788888-2-4). At […]
Read the rest of this entry »Archive for the 'By Country' Category
Russia invades Thailand: Big-bellied shock troops wearing thong bikinis storm Thai beachfronts
An estimated 200,000 Russian and CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) tourists have come to Thailand within the last 60 days, spurred by tourism incentives directed toward Russia by Thai tourist groups and agencies. Veteran travelers to Thailand have long noted a strong Russian presence in the seaside city of Pattaya, but large Russian tour groups […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis on censored & pirated books in Vietnam: Why you’ll probably want to buy elsewhere
Want to buy books while traveling in Vietnam? While you’ll have no problem finding books on Vietnamese art and culture in its many bookstores, you’ll find almost nothing on its wars, politics, or society, and precious little Vietnam-related fiction. The two main reasons for this are governmental restrictions on imported literature, and the prevalence of […]
Read the rest of this entry »Beer in Vietnam: a WoWasis survey
With the exception of Laos, we at WoWasis feel that Vietnam has the best beer in Southeast Asia. What you’ll find is that Viet beers are stronger than most beers at home, so plan your evening accordingly, understanding that you’ll be overcharged for everything if your seller, whether it be a food vendor, taxi driver, […]
Read the rest of this entry »Vietnam tourists killed in Ha Long Bay boat tragedy
Twelve international travelers were killed this week in the sinking of one of Ha Long Bay’s ubiquitous “sleep-over” boats. The Truong Hai 06 listed precariously for several hours before finally plunging into the waters of the bay during the early morning hours as visitors were sleeping. Scores of these wooden boats take visitors on overnight […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Clifford Kinvig’s ‘River Kwai Railway’
You’ve seen the terrific movie, you’ve read Philippe Boulle’s compelling book. Great stories, but they’re both fiction. For a worthy overview of the situation as it actually occurred, we at WoWasis recommend reading military historian Clifford Kinvig’s River Kwai Railway: the Story of the Burma-Siam Railroad (1992, ISBN 1-84486-021-3). An estimated 100,000 workers died during […]
Read the rest of this entry »Taipei’s e-Library Waiting Lounge at Taoyuan Airport: Taiwan finally goes high tech!
Taiwan’s Taoyuan airport in the capital city of Taipei has been deservedly maligned as being possibly the most Neolithic — from a westerner perspective — capital city airport in Asia. Forget about Western food (Asians will tell you the Asian food stinks, too). In fact, Taipei resident Jenna Cody, quoted in the February 13 issue […]
Read the rest of this entry »In memory of Caryl Olivieri, Bangkok furniture designer and artisan
We at WoWasis originally found furniture designer Caryl Olivieri on the top floor of his Artitude shop at Bangkok’s Gaysorn shopping complex. We were impressed by the designer’s bold, colorful furniture uses of traditional rattan, but with a new twist: it was woven into fine strips, and molded in contours that snake around cushions, armrests, […]
Read the rest of this entry »Making merit: Tham boon at a Thai temple
Many — and here we’ll take the risk of saying Most — Thais make merit at a wat (temple) periodically. Making merit is the act of taking a small gift to the wat, presenting it to a monk, reflecting on good wishes in the name of others, and receiving a blessing from the monk. Everyone […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis nightlife review: Ladyboy bars in Bangkok’s Nana Entertainment Plaza
Updated January, 2016 Ladyboy entertainment establishments are all over Bangkok. At Bangkok’s massive three-story Nana Entertainment Plaza on Sukhumvit Soi 4 (BTS Skytrain Nana station), there are a large number of adult-oriented gogo bars and beer bars, each catering to its own distinctive clientele. Seven of these are ladyboy bars. WoWasis readers have been asking […]
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