Travellers Thailand, 3rd

An excellent overview of the country. A really good place to start if you are thinking about visiting Thailand.

Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (11/06) "Travellers Thailand" is a useful, informative, but relatively basic guidebook to the charming country of Thailand. It follows the well-established and always handy format of some background information in the first few chapters, recommendations on the must-see places next and a handy directory for the important things such as shopping, entertainment, accommodations and more. The writing is accompanied by a vast array of great and colorful photographs. Although brief, all of the sections are apparently well researched and written with respect for Thai culture and way of life. The background information in the first section will provide the reader with a well-rounded understanding of the land, history, people and culture of Thailand, including the amazing array of absolutely fascinating festivals that indeed abound in Thailand. The following section, called First steps, will give you an even deeper understanding of how things really work in the land of smiles and why they are that way. The "sight-seeing" section includes numerous excellent tips on what one really should see in a certain part of the country as well as how to do the sightseeing. The described tours include such various offerings as walking, biking and even a tricycle tour. Easy to read and very detailed maps accompany all of the recommended sight-seeing descriptions. The interesting "features," featured in highlighted sections, include such diverse topics as spirits, Buddhism, rich harvest, hill tribes, the people of Isaan, royalty, wildlife and markets. A traveler would be well advised to read those in advance to avoid unnecessary culture shock and culture clash. The Directory section is surprisingly comprehensive in view of the grand total of 192 pages in the book. Excellent recommendations are given for a variety of activities, each section of the chapter starting with the description of the activity and useful tips and ending with addresses and phone numbers. My favorite section is probably the one on food and drink, in which the author managed to provide an excellent overview of the unbelievably complex matter of culinary arts in Thailand. It certainly made me wish to be able to go back to some of my favorite Chiang Mai restaurants real soon. I found "Travellers Thailand" to be an excellent guide for the first-time visitor to Thailand with a limited amount of time to spend there. The guidelines provided within will make your stay there safe, enjoyable and fun; and the compact format is great for carrying it around.