Perhaps the most telling element of Joseph Burkholder Smith’s compelling and controversial exposé of his life as a CIA agent, Portrait of a Cold Warrior: Second Thoughts of a Top CIA Agent (1976 ISBN 0-345-29839-X) is what amounts to something of an apology, although, as he states several pages later, he’s not exactly apologizing. He […]
Read the rest of this entry »Archive for the 'By Country' Category
Bachelor in Bangkok: Khun Lee on gals both good and whacko
It was my first trip to Thailand. Actually, it was my first trip to Southeast Asia. I was 37 years old, had been to Latin America, North America and Western Europe but had yet to venture into the Far East. I can still recall that after 37 years of American women, I had pretty much […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Jonathan Kwitny’s ‘Crimes of Patriots’
Here’s a book about one of the great bank swindles of the 20th century, that touched countries as disparate as the U.S., Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, and Indonesia. And it touched them all in a big way. The bank was called Nugan Hand, named after its co-founders, lawyer Frank […]
Read the rest of this entry »The Good Manner: Thai girl asks ‘What’s in the Western Man’s Heart?’
The Good Manner: Advice on Thailand from WoWasis’ Pa Farang This week’s dilemma: Thai girl asks ‘What’s in the Western Man’s Heart?’ Dear Pa Farang, I am Thai lady 23 years old, from good family, have good heart. Last year, I met farang [Western] man who travel Thailand many time each year, and we begin […]
Read the rest of this entry »Bachelor in Bangkok: Khun Lee’s 5 favorite simple pleasures of life in Bangkok
For some reason I was extremely nostalgic this week and began pondering the simple pleasures of living in Bangkok. We all know about the hot babes, delicious food, tropical climate and friendly people. However, if I just wanted good food and hot babes I don’t think I would have ever relocated here permanently. After all, […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis film review: Cambodia’s ‘Enemies of the People’
It is estimated that between 2 and 3 million people were killed by the Khmer Rouge before North Vietnamese troops put an end to the carnage and the regime in 1979. Unlike several other films that deal with mass atrocities (Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman’s Nanking of 2007 being one of them), Rob Lemkin and […]
Read the rest of this entry »The Good Manner: Was mummy a prostitute?
The Good Manner: Advice on Thailand from WoWasis’ Pa Farang This week’s dilemma: Was mummy a prostitute? Dear Pa Farang, Dad and mom were killed last year in an auto accident outside of Needles, California. He was a sergeant in the Vietnam war, and met her at a restaurant while on leave at a beach […]
Read the rest of this entry »Top 6 sights in Myanmar: WoWasis visits Burma, a short travelguide
Visit and tour the top 6 sights in Myanmar (Burma)
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits Day, Resort, and Hotel Spas in Burma
Burma’s spa business is growing slowly, but there are several spots, particularly in the Resort/Hotel variety, with good choices. Day spas are beginning to appear, and we’ll keep you posted as new spas develop. We expect the situation to evolve, and will continue to list great spas as they appear. Day Spas Day spas commonly […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits Kyaingtong (Keng Tung) Burma
Welcome to Kyaingtong (Keng Tung), a rambling hillside city in the Shan State, close to numerous tribal villages. It’s the center of the Khün tribal culture, filled with nice examples of colonial architecture, and has only been open to tourism since 1993. The Khün people, whose traditional dress consists of horizontally-striped longhis and jackets with […]
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