What do you think?
Rate this book
Slithering South
A wild, often hilarious, ride down Thailand's longest river. A tiny teak boat set in the Ping River deep in the Golden Triangle takes the author on a 58-day voyage of discovery through Thailand's heart. Along the way, he meets Sin the Buffalo Man, the Cowboys of Tha Sala, Jamrat and the "Boom Boom Girl", and dozens of other intriguing characters. One dark night, poachers prey on him; on another, he is a murder suspect, as he learns far more about rural Thailand - and himself - than he bargained for. --- from book's back cover
433 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2002
5 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 30, 2020
WOW! This was a journey! From start to finish down the river, the interactions and people he meets. Steve wrote a great book that makes me want to get a Song Tau and start paddling.
September 14, 2017
"Bhudda had sat on a river bank and faced a rising sun as he meditated to reach enlightenment. I was sitting in the same position but I wasn't gaining clarity of purpose. I was only getting wet from the dewy grass." Slitherin South is NOT abut snakes, but about riding the Ping River in Thailand in a teak boat made by a Thai craftsman. Consider this your travel book for the coming Fall.
October 22, 2008
I interviewed Steve Van Beek for an article I wrote about expats living in Thailand, and I subsequently became friends with Steve. This book is a very interesting and intellectual travelogue about Steve's journey down the main river in Thailand in a small, one-man Thai canoe.
February 24, 2020
Amazing and well written. Found it in Bangkok Kao San road bookstore, and I can say it is one of my favourite books about travelling!
December 12, 2022
first old school book in a while. loved the imagery and style of writing but got bored by the plot and the author's meandering, repetitive message by the half-way point of the book.
October 27, 2016
The mother of waters
In the beginning of his over 400 pages long travelogue the author tells us about the building of his boat, from the first sketches, in the sand, to what it actually adds up to. Not exactly what the author expected. ‘It wasn’t the sleek-lined, pointed prow boat that would glide through the water. It was a bulky fat tub …’
This is what often happens throughout the 400 pages, the author has one idea, but the Thai people he meets have a completely different idea and understanding. Luckily Steve has the river to guide him, otherwise he probably would have finished somewhere close to the north pole. As it is he manages to peddle his bulky fat tube from the upper Ping, deep in the golden Triangle, down the Chao Phya to the Gulf of Thailand in little less than two months.
Together with the author the reader also learns a lot, not having to many fixed ideas is the least of them. For the enriching lives experience, unfortunately (?) each of us will have to make his own journey. Reads like this can inspire us there.
In the beginning of his over 400 pages long travelogue the author tells us about the building of his boat, from the first sketches, in the sand, to what it actually adds up to. Not exactly what the author expected. ‘It wasn’t the sleek-lined, pointed prow boat that would glide through the water. It was a bulky fat tub …’
This is what often happens throughout the 400 pages, the author has one idea, but the Thai people he meets have a completely different idea and understanding. Luckily Steve has the river to guide him, otherwise he probably would have finished somewhere close to the north pole. As it is he manages to peddle his bulky fat tube from the upper Ping, deep in the golden Triangle, down the Chao Phya to the Gulf of Thailand in little less than two months.
Together with the author the reader also learns a lot, not having to many fixed ideas is the least of them. For the enriching lives experience, unfortunately (?) each of us will have to make his own journey. Reads like this can inspire us there.
February 13, 2009
Great read on Thailand... but it does lull you to sleep like a running river.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews