Bangkok is one of the world’s most fascinating cities, particularly when you can get into her inner essence. It’s tough to do, though. The Skytrain floats above it, traffic is usually a mess, and then there’s the heat. We here at WoWasis have always found walking to be a pleasure in Bangkok, especially if you […]
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WoWasis book review: Juan Perón and the Enigmas of Argentina
The ascendance, decline, and re-emergence of Juan Perón into the political life of Argentina remains one of the more compelling stories of twentieth century South American politics, and Robert D. Crassweller’s Perón and the Enigmas of Argentina (1987, ISBN 0-393-30543-0) tells it in remarkable detail. Part of the power of this book is that Crassweller […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis art review: street murals in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is notable for its wall graffiti and subway art, but unless you’re in the San Telmo neighborhood or taking the subte, you may miss the best examples. Not so the street murals, which grace much of the city, in particular the Microcentro area in the heart of the city. These murals are lovingly […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis art review: Ceramic murals in Buenos Aires’ subte subway stations
Buenos Aires is notable for its street murals and wall graffiti art, but some of the finest ceramic art can be found in her subway, or subte (for subterráneo) stations. Begun in 1913, the system comprises 6 lines and 83 stations, and rides cost five pesos (62 cents USD). While nearly all stations have art, […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘Evita First Lady: A Biography of Eva Perón’
Two iconographic Latina women have remained conversation topics in North America, decades after their deaths. Evita Perón is the one without the mustache. When you visit the Museo Evita, on Buenos Aires’ Calle Latinfur, you get several informative movie clips, an exhibition of her clothing and jewelry, a death mask, and as a finale, a […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis art review: Buenos Aires graffiti wall art
Buenos Aires is notable for its street murals and subway art, and this artistic consciousness has spread to her graffiti-covered walls, especially in the streets of the San Telmo neighborhood, south of Avenida de Mayo. This ad hoc art is not always welcomed, but every blank wall is fodder for artists and amateurs alike. What’s […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis toilet product review: the Bidematic, an Argentine toilet hose contraption that just doesn’t work
The Thais, Japanese, and Koreans all have magnificent ways to keep clean after using the toilet. As reported here earlier at WoWasis, Thais typically use toilet hoses, while Japanese and Koreans use electric toilet seats that are essentially high tech bidets. Here at WoWasis, we love them, because we consider toilet paper to be Barbaric, […]
Read the rest of this entry »Bachelor in Bangkok: Khun Lee on tough Thai bar girl honesty
WoWasis correspondent Khun Lee on the honesty of selected Thai bar girls: I don’t know about how other guys feel, but I have always thought that sex should be fun and reduce stress instead of increasing your stress level. Heck, it is the one activity I normally enjoy that takes me away from all the […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Asian Godfathers, powerful, influential, dangerous business barons in Asia
For those of us who frequently travel to and do business in Asia, it becomes increasingly important to understand who the major players in the business world are, and how they have traditionally operated. Two books we here at WoWasis have reported on before are Martin Booth’s The Dragon Syndicates: The Global Phenomenon of the […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Eternal Harvest, unexploded ordnance dangers in today’s Laos
The numbers are staggering. As Karen Coates, author of Eternal Harvest: The Legacy of American Bombs in Laos (2013, ISBN-13 978-1-934159-49-1) states, “To this day, Laos remains, per capita, the most heavily bombed country on earth. All told, the U.S. military and its allies dumped more than 6 billion pounds of bombs across the land—more […]
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