To Asia with Love: A Connoisseurs' Guide to Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

Rating:
Summary: just not worth the money
Review: Although this is a beautiful looking book, the content is poorly laid out and confusing. That might be because, as claimed, its not a real tour guide (like Frommer's, etc.). My question after reading it is, what exactly is this book and what is the author attempting to achieve. All the information is readily available online, and there simply isn't enough here to either recommend it or to even pick it up and read it for a second time!! The information just isnt unique enough and the lay out is confusing. I'd say stick to the traditional guide books.

Rating:
Summary: Review: To Asia with Love
Review: I would not dream of going to Asia without this wonderful, back-pack sized book, stuffed with insider tips on what and where to eat, go kayaking, get massages or meditate, bask in luxury, the sights to see and how to get there, and where to avoid land mines. I especially appreciate the section on how to give back and to whom, ranging from orphanages to AIDs groups, with addresses and web sites. The 50 contributers obviously love the countries where they lived, and enthusiastically share with those of us who dream of visiting too. This book is fabulous.

Rating:
Summary: One of the most delightful travel guides I've come across
Review: This guidebook makes an interesting proposition. Certainly I devoured all the information I could get before my trip to Southeast Asia, and the website associated with this publishing company (thingsasian.com) is one of them. This book presents itself as a series of anecdotes, sorted into topics that interest travellers. The food of Southeast Asia, the famous, infamous, and unknown sites, and the people and customers are all covered here in detail.

It is part of a new trend of guidebooks that, unlike the "yellow-pages" listings of a Let's Go or Lonely Planet, covers a few topics deeply. You may not be able to look up the closest place to buy stamps, but you will read this and become inspired about where you would like to go. And, unlike many other guidebooks, it's actually entertaining to read even if you are not visiting Southeast Asia. In fact, I read it a year after I returned from my trip. I enjoyed both reminiscing over my experiences and dreaming about future trips. Indeed, it was just like attending a party full of experienced travellers.

This is a beautiful book, with lush full-page pictures and textual illustrations. Although you cannot judge a book by its cover, I certainly enjoyed the aesthetics of this guide. Its small form factor also makes it a good candidate for travel. I would recommend it as a second book, as it doesn't cover every place in encyclopedic detail. Nor does it intend to. It's the kind of book you read as you plan your trip, or to while away a hot tropical day in a Southeast Asian hammock.

Each section includes stories, website links, tips, and references. Yes, there are restaurant recommendations here. I like the fact that each piece of information comes from a fellow traveller or expat, advice I can trust.

It also includes the essays of one of my favorite Internet writers, Andy Brouwer. I remember pouring over his website for hours. I'm glad that his writings will now be shared with the reading public. His essays are only some of the great writing in this book.


Rating:
Summary: A must for Asia travelers who hate the tourist trail
Review: This lovely little gem of a book will make me feel like a local on the next trip to Southeast Asia, I'm sure of it. With so many secrets revealed, and so many off-the-beaten path ideas for how to spend days and experience the authentic cultures of Laos Cambodia and Vietnam, I'll never again feel like I'm missing out on the side of Asia that the ex-patriots get to see. And it's the ex-pats that I'm always jealous of when I'm traveling. Bravo to this editor and her interesting emsemble of in-the-know writers and to the photographer, for lovely images of this mysterious land, which despite being discovered by backpackers in the '70s, '80s and '90s, still holds many secrets. I hope there's a second edition in the works. After a couple trips, I'll have the first book's ideas down.