Along The Elephant's Trunk

US$0.99 at Smashwords

From an old man apparently trying to burn down a shopping mall in Singapore to the most northerly grammatical error in Thailand, Along the Elephant’s Trunk takes us on a journey through the Malaysian peninsular and Thailand to the northern border with Myanmar. Amongst the many incidents along the way we queue for tickets to join a later queue to see the worlds former tallest building, take a guided tour which begins with a look at vandalised parking meters, drift helplessly in a small boat in the Andaman Sea whilst the skipper tries to fix the engine with a hammer, watch a very drunk German preserve a bottle of rum whilst diving headlong into freshly laid concrete, get turned in to the police by a tuk-tuk driver, and wait by candlelight for hours for our food to be cooked over an open fire as we watch the electric lights twinkling among the satellite dishes just below. 

By Martin Drake
Rating: Not yet rated. 
Published: Nov. 05, 2013 
Words: 45,120 (approximate)
Language: Commonwealth English
ISBN: 9781311650580

Angkor: Eighth Wonder of the World

For much of the second half of the 20th century Cambodia was racked by war and famine. Considered a sideshow in the Vietnam War, the country was nevertheless invaded by both North and South Vietnam, bombed to smithereens by the United States, and—worst of all—ruled, between 1975 and 1979, by Pol Pot’s genocidal Khmer Rouge regime. Things were so bad that the very name Cambodia became synonymous with pain and suffering. Yet it was not always so. Before its rice fields were stained with blood, Cambodia was celebrated as a land of fertile tranquility where a Buddhist people continued the myriad artistic and cultural traditions of the old Khmer Empire, exemplified by the extraordinary temple of Angkor Wat, surely the Eighth Wonder of the World. Angkor has to be seen to be believed. It is the largest religious site in the world and the major cultural and historical attraction in all of Southeast Asia. 20,000 words, 81 contemporary images, 18 historic images, 7 maps 

US$8.99 at Smashwords

By Andrew Forbes
Rating: Not yet rated. 
Published: Nov. 02, 2013 
Words: 22,680 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781310454219

Thai Travel News

Thai Air Asia to add a Transit option at Don Mueang

AirAsia and Airports of Thailand will launch “Fly-Thru,” a convenient flight transit option through Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport, effective 1 December.
According to the airline’s statement, Tuesday, AirAsia will offer connectivity to 34 routes through the Fly-Thru facility, which will allow AirAsia passengers to check their bags through and collect them at their final destination when transiting through Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport.

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Bangkok Airways to introduce Chiang Mai - Samui flights

The new flight between Samui and Chiang Mai, PG241, will leave Samui at 1020 and arrive Chiang Mai at 1210. The return flight, PG242, will depart Chiang Mai at 1250 and land at Samui at 1435. 

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Thai Immigration Rules

Rumour has it, strong rumour, that passport holders from the G7 nations will now get 30 days Visa exemption when arriving by a land border without a Visa instead of the 15 days that existed since the last change.

This has been confirmed to Thai Visa Forum [ http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/679721-good-news-for-holders-of-uk-usa-japan-germany-france-canada-and-italy/?utm_source=newsletter-20131106-0804&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=featured ]

The proof will be in seeing if it does actually apply.  Waiting to here of someone arriving and seeing how many days they get.

Vietnam Past and Present: The North

By Andrew Forbes
Rating: Not yet rated. 
Published: Nov. 02, 2013 
Words: 65,180 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781310269820

Extended description

There can be few people in the world that do not know the name, location and recent history of Vietnam. Yet beyond the period of US involvement in what Americans call the 'Vietnam War' how much is really known? Almost no Vietnamese bear a grudge against the USA, but this is less true for China, Vietnam's close neighbor, mentor and rival for more than two thousand years. For example, Vietnamese like to name their streets after what they consider to have been ‘acts of foreign aggression’, and in Hanoi no fewer than 119 streets are named after ‘acts of Chinese and French aggression’. By contrast, just two are named for ‘acts of American aggression'. Based on an intimate personal knowledge of Vietnam extending over two decades, this book explores Hanoi and the North. It leads the reader not just across contemporary Tonkin, but also through its long history, linking the present-day with the distant past. 62,000 words, 81 contemporary images, 38 historical images, 4 maps, Glossary, Bibliography

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Isan Son-in-Law - A family’s roots in Northeast Thailand

Isan Son-in-Law is a memoir of the author’s developing relationship with his father-in-law and with his family which has its roots in a small town in Isan, where the cultures of Thailand and Laos mix. We get to know some of the people and places he came to know and love in Thailand and how he and his wife and their two children began to establish a life there and later in Laos, before eventually moving to England.
Isan Son-in-Law combines self-deprecating humour, cultural insight and colourful characters such as Mr Joonchit, the benevolent con-man, and Mac, the U.S. master-sergeant. This is no cultural tourism: this book is an invitation into an Isan family and its home.
The book gives a very detailed account of not only the lives of an Isan family, but also Isan ceremonies and rituals. 

available at Smashwords

Good Deals

Tesco UD Town, Udon Thani - Carbonell Balsamic Viniger, 250ml reduced from 164Baht to 49 Baht

Tesco Nong Han - Sabrosa Olive Oil 500ml reduced from 206Baht to 103Baht

Tesco Nong Han - Prego pasta Sauce.  Reduced from 49Baht to 15Baht

Pattaya Ferry Flips

 A ferry packed with tourists returning from a day-trip to the popular island of Larn, 10 km off shore from Pattaya, sank in open sea, Sunday,  killing six people.
Police Colonel, Suwan Cheawnavinthavat, said at least six people including three foreign passengers drowned, and 16 were seriously injured after the overcrowded tourist ferry capsized just minutes after it had left the sheltered waters of Larn Island.

The double-decker ferry capsized after suffering engine problems. Within minutes other ferries in the area rushed to the scene to rescue 209 passengers.

READ MORE AT TTR

Onto the streets... Again - It seems everyone is against the Amnesty Bill

Tens of thousands of protesters against the amnesty bill converged on Bangkok streets on Monday to demand the draft legislation pushed through the House by the Pheu Thai Party be immediately dropped.
Read More at Bangkok Post

Amnesty opponents to rally nationwide - Yingluck Shinawatra's government is walking a tightrope as opposition against the Amnesty Bill has now gained momentum with various groups, including the Democrat Party and many red shirts groups who formerly supported her, openly launching their campaigns to tear down the explosive draft law.

Read More At The Nation

The Riverbanks Remain: A Novel

Set against a backdrop of real places and world events, this is the story of a man and a woman on the borders of language and culture. A chance meeting on a Thai train between Greg, a foreign correspondent, and Mira, an English language teacher living in Thailand, leads them on an Asian journey where they are forced to confront their deepest fears.The novel takes us to Thailand, Laos and India, to Greg’s homeland, Australia, and Mira’s New Zealand.

Thai Story and Guide

The e-book has a comprehensive guide to travel and living in Thailand based upon the experiences of the author who has been living in Thailand for nearly 12 years. The central message running through the whole journey you share with the author is survival and the search for happiness in a foreign land. The topics cover everything a person needs to know about before holidaying or contemplating a longer stay in Thailand. All the important web site links are provided as well as many links to other interesting web sites. There is an autobiographical section in which the author talks about his first and second holidays and also his everyday life in Thailand to the present day. The book is aimed at men but there is no content which would offend an adult inquisitive lady. The writer likes to look on the bright side of life. There are many humorous cartoons to brighten up your day. Included are the bus and train timetables, maps of the BTS (sky train), metro (subway train), airport train link and river boats, and a basic Thai speaking guide. There are nearly 32 thousand words overall.

AVAILABLE NOW FROM SMASHWORDS - US$6.99

By Nigel Cobbett
Rating: Not yet rated. 
Published: Oct. 26, 2013 
Words: 31,640 (approximate)
Language: British English
ISBN: 9781311789488

PostScript: Forgotten But Not Gone

PostScript: Forgotten But Not Gone. For many years Roger was the sports editor of the Bangkok Post and still has a regular Sunday column called Post Script.

After his last book, PostScript, many thought Crutch would do the decent thing and consent to being put out to pasture without little more than a whimper. But you can't keep an old dog down and he kept on and on and on with his Sunday column in the Outlook section of the Bangkok Post. Well, it does good paper bag material after all.

There was some talk of him being dispatched to the knacker's yard, but the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Aging Hacks reportedly intervened so he is still with us.

Unlike his first book which was thought by some as "too frivolous" in "PostScript: Forgotten But Not Gone" Crutch discusses matters of substance such as rogue potholes, squashed lizards, naked teachers and dancing policemen. And we must not forget Ms Yasothon's eating habits.

You have been warned. 

Buy eBook now at Smashwords - US$3.95

By Roger Crutchley
Published by Proglen
Rating: Not yet rated. 
Published: Oct. 30, 2013 
Words: 36,540 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9786167817170

Crystal Hill Garden Resort - November Special Offers

More discounts from Nok Air

Nok Air sells discount fares on domestic routes and its regional routes to Myanmar, but the booking window closes 6 November.
The one-way  all inclusive fare is pegged at Bt1,099 departing Bangkok (Don Mueang Airport) to Phitsanulok, Nakhon Phanom, Udon Thani, Ubon Ratchathani, and Surat Thani.
The fare is also applicable on the Chiang Mai–Mae Hong Son and Chiang Mai–Mae Sot routes.

A higher fare Bt1,199 sells to Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Mae Sot, Nan, Phrae, Sakon Nakhon, Buri Ram, Roi Et, Loei,Hat Yai, Phuket, Krabi, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Trang, Chumphon, Hua Hin, Ranong, including Chiang Mai–Udon Thani.

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Exploring Myanmar: Traveling the Dusty Roads of the New Burma

By Amber Hoffman

This is a personal story of my 28 days spent in Myanmar in 2013. It is a story of troubled bus rides, dusty journeys, long boat tours, preschools on stilts, ancient pagodas, tea houses, fresh noodles, and the people I met along the way. It is a story of my travels with my husband of 11 years. It is my personal experience and my impression of what it means to travel through Myanmar.

This book is not a guidebook or a traditional travel guide. Although I hope it provides some practical advice, it is not a replacement for Lonely Planet. It will not give you a list of airlines, bus companies, guesthouses, or restaurants. There are no maps. It also will not provide the complicated history of Myanmar, formally Burma, as volumes have been written much better than I ever could.

Myanmar is an unique country - the last frontier of Southeast Asia travel. Information is spotty, and constantly changing. Although the guidebooks and websites can provide practical information, they cannot come close to describing how it feels to travel through Myanmar at such an exciting time.

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