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

...although I happen to be packing it around with me on a 6-month trip. As I move from country to country, I discard my Lonely Planet or Rough Guide at the border, but even when my bag is bursting at the seams, I hold onto this book for the practical, personal recommendations and high caliber of writing, and for inspiration. Written by 50 different people who have lived or traveled extensively in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos, the passion and enthusiasm they share for this fascinating region is contagious. To put the book in its proper context (I'm paraphrasing here from the excellent foreword), the editor invites us to imagine attending a dinner party with a group of intrepid, experienced Asia-philes and whiling away an evening collecting their stories, insider tips, and invaluable advice. Such an invitation may not appeal to someone who is merely "doing Asia" and wants only a directory of services and costs. But readers who have lived in Asia (or would like to) will relish it, as will every traveler who dreams of having a knowledgeable friend in each of these countries. To Asia With Love is a wonderful resource and worthy travel companion, a journey to a land that unfolds itself "slowly-slowly". My only complaint is that I still want more....

This new travel book is delicious. I just spent a rare and coveted quiet breakfast in a cafe with the sole purpose of digging into some vicarious travel reading. Kim Fay has created a sound premise, and she makes good on her promise of offering serendipitous, expert information, as if it were, as she writes, whispered to you at a party filled with travelers wanting to show you the path less traveled. "To Asia with Love" offers a different take on travel guiding. It doesn't try to be authoritative and offer what the major guidebooks do; Kim herself suggests this one as an ideal complement to the guides that break down all the nuts and bolts and histories. I appreciate that her chapters are inclusive of all the countries and offer a refreshing mish mash that reminds me of the organic nature of traveling to faraway lands--where you follow your nose and some timely advice. It is indeed unlike most guidebooks which are very categorized and predictable. This book makes a great, dreamy read whether you are planning a trip or not. Needless to say, most readers will likely come to this book and then do whatever they can to get out there and explore.

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.

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.

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.