The sharper edge to traveling in Asia

Archive for the 'Business' Category

Legendary Thai tourism official charged for corruption, now on hot seat

In an event that many thought would never happen, former Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Juthamas Siriwan will be indicted for allegedly accepting Bt60 million in bribes, as reported by The Nation. She has been ordered to report to Thai authorities within two weeks. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has considered asking her to […]

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WoWasis book review: ‘On Holiday’ how your money is reaped by vacation companies

Ever wonder how the travel industry decides how to best take your money? To those of us here at WoWasis, it’s a fascinating topic. It’s not just about how that industry markets to us, either. It’s making sure that we like our vacation experiences enough that we’ll do it again and tell all our friends […]

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WoWasis book review: ‘Scams & Swindlers’: investment disasters to be avoided

Bruce Brown’s classic Scams and Swindlers: Investment Disasters and How To Avoid Them (1998, ISBN 1-86339-201-7) flies a bit under the radar these days, but it shouldn’t, particularly for those following the increasingly strange Cambodian death saga of Canadian journalist Dave Walker. Before we get to that, here’s why the book is compelling. Author Brown […]

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WoWasis book review: ‘Americans In Thailand,’ a comprehensive history

If you’re like us here at WoWasis, you may very well be scratching your head, wondering why anyone would buy a book on a subject seemingly as narrow as the contributions of the citizens of North America to a country in Asia. We loved the book through. And think you will, too, especially if you […]

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WoWasis book review: Early exotic air travel to Hawaii: ‘The History of Pan American’s Flying Boats’

We here at WoWasis have all see those pictures of those magnificent flying boats leaving to Hawaii, the Golden Gate Bridge or the Bay Bridge in the background. And we wondered: what was it like to fly in them? What services were offered? How much did a flight cost? Can we still see them in […]

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Building scam in Bangkok: court orders 25 story hotel to be demolished

Our favorite building scam story in Bangkok has taken a new twist, as the Supreme Administrative Court has ordered that the 25-story Aetas Hotel on Soi Ruamrudee be either completely demolished or brought down to a legal height of 7 or 8 stories. And it’s all supposed to happen within 60 days. As first reported […]

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Pa Farang on hotel scams overseas

The Good Manner: Advice on Thailand from WoWasis’ Pa Farang This week’s scam unveiled: Why am I paying unadvertised hotel “fees”? Dear Pa Farang, Recently, I stayed at one of Bangkok’s better hotels. I headed out to dinner and a night on the town, came back around 1 pm with an acquaintance, and we were […]

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WoWasis travel product review: never lose your bag again with suitcase handle grips that are durable, colorful, and essential

We here at WoWasis are constantly vexed by three suitcase handle problems that drive us nutty, but not any longer. We’ve found an inexpensive and great solution. Before we tell you what it is, do any of these three problems sound familiar? 1) You’ve got a great shoulder bag with a web strap that keeps […]

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WoWasis book review: ‘The Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity in the Drug Trade’ by Alfred W. McCoy

The first edition of Alfred McCoy’s The Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity in the Drug Trade was written in 1972 and was updated in 1991 and 2013. It has an amazing longevity, and has been cited numerous times in other works. As a plethora of researchers have discovered, the book, although nearly 50 years old […]

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WoWasis travel product review: the indestructible Travelon Luggage Tag

Why review something as mundane as a luggage tag? Because good ones are so hard to find, that’s why. Here at WoWasis, we’ve burned through dozens of luggage tags in our lifetime, and we got so sick of replacing them that we thought of designing our own. Travelon has designed a great one, though, and […]

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