To Asia With Love: A Connoisseurs Guide To Cambodia, Laos, Thailand & Vietnam

by Kim Fay (Editor)

Imagine that on the eve of your upcoming trip to Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, you are invited to a party. At this party are fifty guests, all of whom live in or have traveled extensively through these countries. Among this eclectic and well-versed group of connoisseurs are authors of acclaimed guidebooks, popular newspaper columnists and pioneering adventurers. As the evening passes, they tell you tales from their lives in these exotic places. They whisper the names of their favorite shops and restaurants; they divulge the secret hideaways where they sneak off to for an afternoon (or a weekend) to unwind. Some make you laugh out loud, and others mesmerize you with their poetry and lyricism. Some are intent on educating, while others just want to entertain. Their attitudes are as unique as their personalities, but they are united in one thing … their love of the region . If you can envision being welcomed at such a party, then you can envision the experience that this guidebook aspires to give you.   Within these pages you will find tips for adventuring, eating, shopping, and sightseeing from savvy expatriates, seasoned travelers, and inspired locals. Unlike the typical guidebook, To Asia With Love does not offer a comprehensive overview, but instead presents selected recommendations in the form of personal essays and tidbits, each of which is paired with a practical fact file. Discover the benefits of carrying a baseball glove in Laos, go bird watching in the Thai everglades, take a motorbike into the Cardamom Mountains of Cambodia, and immerse yourself in modern art in Vietnam. In addition, one chapter focuses solely on opportunities for giving back to the countries you visit.  

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel

248 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2004

About the author

Kim Fay is the author of the USA Today-bestselling Kate & Frida, the instant National Bestseller Love & Saffron, and The Map of Lost Memories, an Edgar Award Finalist for Best First Novel. She has also written a food memoir, Communion: A Culinary Journey Through Vietnam. She created and served as the series editor for the innovative To Asia With Love guidebooks, and was a Hotel and Travel Editor for the travel, food, and lifestyle website, Gayot.com, for thirteen years. She is currently the Managing Editor for The Animation Guild's Keyframe magazine and website.

Reviews

[Alix · Rating 2 out of 5]

Terrible layout for a guidebook, but still has some pretty good info. We took the advice of one writer and went to Beng Melea when we were in Angkor, Cambodia and it was indeed the highlight of the trip. We would have never have found out about it otherwise. I basically figured out what cities we were going to and wrote down any info I thought we could use. It filled one sheet of paper. I would recommend you doing the same.

[Lady3jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great travel stories and suggestions. We took a wonderful two day boat trip up the Mekong River in Laos after I read about it in this book. Good advice for the SE Asia traveller and great reading for the armchair traveller.

[Jen]

I am ashamed to say I haven't read Kim & Julie's opus yet!

[Melenie Reiter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the recommendations for Som Tum and several other of my favorites from afar...."Soul Food" for me and a great read. Really took me back to Southeast Asia, my second home.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If only every destination had a book like this...

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing travel book for me. Not really a guide, but a series of blurbs written by travelers there with their favorite restaurants, shops, etc. Hardly a practical book to take along.

[Dominic Neesam · Rating 4 out of 5]

In preparation for my trip to Thailand & Cambodia, this book really give you a feeling for the countries and their people. I still would have included maps.. but you can't have it all..

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a guidebook based more on travel literature than specific linear detail. Coupled with other more traditional forms of trip research, this does well to fill in the romance void.