Reviews (5)

A very good book
OK, ignoring all the strange hype and anti-hype over going to Myanmar (my in-laws live there), this is a good book.I purchased it as my sole guidebook.Although some of my local guides had a few words of disparagement for some of the restaurant recommendations (they said they were years out of date), it was otherwise a useful tool.If you are going to Burma, buy this book.Really, you'll find it handy.
Response to pepper "pepper".
Uhmmm... the name Buck Naked comes from the "Seinfeld" show. It is the artist name George would use if he were a porn actor...
Stop the moralizing - the people of Burma will thank you
I have been to Burma several times and I know the people I have talked to appreciate my going and communicating their concerns to the world. I believe I can say, with all appropriate humility, that I have been involved with Burma far more than the other reviewers here and am even married to a relative of a member of parliament from the NLD, Aung San Suu Kyi's party.
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Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. General    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Myanmar (Burma)    6. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (1)

An absolute "must-have" for international travelers
The Treasures And Pleasures Of Thailand And Myanmar: Best Of The Best In Travel And Shopping is an absolute "must-have" for international travelers looking to obtain quality goods or souvenirs from Thailand at a reasonable price. Intended as a supplementary resource and not a general-purpose travel guide, The Treasures And Pleasures Of Thailand And Myanmar focuses specifically upon obstacles, negotiation techniques, and tips and tricks for those interested in shopping for everything from gemstones to textiles to artworks and much more. From learning how to walk away from the "touts" that try to lure tourists into overpriced stores (overpriced because the store must pay the tout a 10% to 40% commission for the service!), to a step-by-step introduction to the art of haggling, to knowing how to avoid paying thousands of dollars for what might be a cheap knock-off gemstone, to why even the locals may not always obtain the best deals (some shopkeepers can give tourists a lower price than their repeat local customers - who would expect the same bargain every time they walked through the door) to dealing with cultural differences and much more, The Treasures And Pleasures Of Thailand And Myanmar zeroes in on exactly what the money-conscious tourist in Thailand needs to know.
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Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Southeast Asia - History    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Travel Guides    6. Asian / Middle Eastern history    7. South East Asia    8. Travel & holiday guides    9. Travel / Asia / Southeast   

Reviews (1)

An essential map .
The Periplus Myanmar map is an indispensable purchase you must make before you enter the country in order to plan and execute your trip, since you will find it very hard to find one once you are in.Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Maps    3. Maps & Road Atlases    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign    6. Myanmar (Burma)    7. Travel / road maps & atlases   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (10)

Eye opening
This book is a travelogue of journeys the author took into Burma to retrace George Scott's adventures of the 1880s.The author, Andrew Marshall, seems to be a journalist based in Thailand, from where he has been able to travel to Burma relatively easily.While in Burma, he tries hard to make contact with tribal people, especially the Shans, who Scott spent so much time with 100 years before.The narrative is split between Scott's travels in the nineteenth century, and Marshall's present day experiences. A superb book, with a glitch
This is not an even-handed scholarly study of Burma -- thank goodness. It moves along just like a journey, in fits and starts, pausing here, rushing there. The Sad Case of Burma
Let's get one thing clear from the begining, if you're looking for a comprehensive history of Burma/Myanmar with analysis on how it has become one of the most repressive nations in the world, this is not your book. Rather, Marshall's book is a sometimes witty, sometimes heartbreaking "in the footsteps of" style travelogue, in which he manages to travel around modern Burma/Myanmar, following the path of an obscure Victorian adventurer/explorer (and fellow Scotsman) who laid the groundwork for British colonial rule. The core theme is that in Scott's day, Burma was a little known area unpenetrated by the West and populated by a diverse assortment of tribes with varrying degrees of hostility-and some 125 years later Burma/Myanmar remains that way in many ways.Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - General    2. Asia - Southeast    3. Asia - Southeast Asia    4. Essays & Travelogues    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: American    8. Fiction   

Reviews (22)

Commendable
Finding George Orwell in Burma is brilliantly written. It is an amazing look on the inside of a forgotten country whose people are torturously isolated and restricted on so many levels. Emma Larkin conducted outstandingly thorough research for this book, and I can't imagine that anything was missed. The parallels between George Orwell's works and the political situations in the history of Burma are jaw-dropping. I feel that Myanmar is a forgotten nation that many overlook, and this book brings to the attention that its people need help, and they need it soon. The current regime is a group of repulsive, greedy, power-hungry monsters, and it greatly saddens me that the international community has let this go on for so long, with very little being done. This book is a real eye-opener, and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in anything from human rights to English Literature. My heart goes out to the people of Myanmar.

Orwell in Burma
This sad account of life in Burma by a writer who knows the country well is intriguing in its examination of how Orwell's experiences in Burma influenced his writing. The book is less successful in its attempt to convey the "Orwellian" aspects of life under the present day Myanmar government, primarily because, for fear of reprisals, so few people could actually tell the author much beyond what she could see for herself: a muzzled press, an omnipresent secret police, the rewriting of history, a poor standard of living, and so on. The parallels to 1984 are convincing, however. The book is also partly a travelogue, and in this it is least successful, I think; the author does not have the same sharp eye for the telling detail that one finds in a writer like Paul Theroux. I kept thinking of his Dark Star Safari as I read this book; the style of writing inFinding George Orwell in Burma is more muted and careful-- and thus less compelling-- than Theroux's account of contemporary Africa. This is perhaps inevitable, given the political situation in Burma.

An Amazing Surprise
I was on a book shopping trip about a month ago and saw this on the New Voices section of the bookstore shelf. I decided to buy it because the title appealed to me and I had just seen a documentary about the lake dwelling people of Burma (see the cover photo). I was amazed by this book and would highly recommend this to most readers.
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Subjects:  1. 1903-1950    2. Asia - Central    3. Asia - Southeast    4. Burma    5. Contemporary Politics - Asia    6. Description And Travel    7. Europe - Great Britain - General    8. Larkin, Emma    9. Orwell, George,    10. Travel    11. Travel - Foreign    12. Travel / Asia / Central   

Reviews (4)

Delicately put
An eloquently written piece that will be finished in a few sittings, Suu Kyi's Letters from Burma is a collection of short essays she submitted to the Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shinbun.
Much more than just a book !
This is not just a book.Along with Aung San Suu Kyi's two other major books ("Freedom from Fear" and "Voice of Hope"), this book is destined to be at the heart of the struggle - and eventually the victory - for democracy in Burma.Among the three, this is the one I found most wonderful.Vivid, direct, it makes the reader feel as if she/he is listening to Suu Kyi, with her wonderful Asian voice and Oxford accent.Suu Kyi talks about Burma, about her people, about herself.She tells of the tragedies of her people, in the most natural and serene way, as if she were telling of everyday life - because indeed, this is the Burmese everyday life.She does not inflate things, she does not push for her views, yet she reaches the reader's heart immediately - at least she did with me !She simply expresses views and feelings along with plenty of thrilling facts and anecdotes.I can't imagine of any reader who won't love this book and won't feel inspired by this account from Burma's heroine.After reading this and the other books, I felt so close to Burma's struggle that I absoliutely had to go there and meet Suu in person.So I did, I took off for Burma and managed to meet her.I had met many world personalities before, but this was truly a unique event in my life.The pages of the book kept coming back to my mind, as I could finally see the source of all that strength and hope, the incarnation of Burma's struggle.In the end I was deported from Burma for having made contact with her.Now these books are my inspiration to keep fighting on for democracy in Burma in all ways I can.

great read
As this book is a compilation of 52 letters written to be published as a weekly installment in a Japanese newspaper (each 2 or 3 pages long), it is an easy book to pick up when you have a few minutes.(In New York, wewould call it a great subway read - you can read a letter or two betweenwhen you get on the subway and when you have to get off.)The letterscombine Aung San Suu Kyi's political beliefs and accounts of the remarkablework of her political party (the National Democratic League) with vividdescriptions of Burmese culture and countryside.There are probably otherbooks that focus solely on either the politics or the culture of Burma thatdo a more comprehensive job of describing it, but this seems like a greatintroduction to both. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast Asia    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Burma    6. Description and travel    7. Government - Comparative    8. History - General History    9. Political    10. Political And Civil Rights    11. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    12. Political Repression    13. Social life and customs    14. Women politicians    15. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    16. Biography & Autobiography / Women    17. Biography: general    18. Myanmar (Burma)   

Subjects:  1. Foreign Language - Dictionaries / Phrase Books    2. General    3. Language    4. Polyglot Phrasebooks    5. Southeast Asian    6. Travel    7. Burmese    8. Language self-study & phrasebooks   

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Description And Travel    3. Essays & Travelogues    4. Travel    5. Travel - General    6. South East Asia    7. TRAVEL & HOLIDAY    8. Travel / Essays & Travelogues    9. Travel writing   

Reviews (2)

A great resource for my holiday!
This guide states in the Intro that it's a companion to their
Interesting but...
This book is not really a guide book. It certainly gives infotmation about gay life and venues in the main countries of South East Asia. It's probably the first book of its kind about this part of the world. And that's already a good reason to buy it. But you must know that most of the book is made out of Internet pages prints. You get some info but also many links, most of which are incomplete. Some travellers comments included are over 2 years old. And after browsing the book, you feel like to go online to get fresh news... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - General    2. Travel - Foreign    3. ASIA    4. TRAVEL & HOLIDAY    5. Travel / Asia / General   

Reviews (10)

A great book from a true conservation pioneer
This is really an inspiring book. While some people debate whether any environmental work in Burma is worth it, Rabinowitz shows how through perseverance and dedication one can make a positive difference in Burma. I appreciate how open and honest he is. Rabinowitz does not emerge as a hero or saint (as some of his emotions may belie), but he does come across as an true and decent person.
Armchair travelling doesn't get much better.....
Rabinowitz explores northern Burma and his psyche, hoping to save some wildlife and his endangered marriage. While the animals he encounters are mostly dead, Rabinowitz provides an unforgettable account of meeting the last of the taren people.
Wonderful Story
I really enjoyed this book. The way Mr. Rabinowitz intertwined his experiences in Myanamar with his own internal conflicts really personalized the story and captivated me as a reader. I also found his experiences with the Taron amazing - imagine seeing and interacting with the last of a group of humans before their extinction. One of the important ideas which I gained from this book is the idea that animals need to come first when a National Park is created. He showed what happens when the needs of the people living the area come first - extinction! At the same time he is careful to note that if the people living in the area are not given an alternative to their current way of life - no park will suceed. The world needs more Alan Rabinowitz's. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Environmental Conservation & Protection - General    3. Essays    4. Essays & Travelogues    5. Life Sciences - Zoology - General    6. Nature    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Scientists - General    9. Wildlife    10. Biography: general    11. Conservation of wildlife & habitats    12. Myanmar (Burma)    13. Places & peoples: general interest    14. Travel / Essays & Travelogues    15. Travel writing   

Subjects:  1. Architecture, Buddhist    2. Asia - General    3. Asia - Southeast Asia    4. Burma    5. Civilization    6. Description And Travel    7. Essays & Travelogues    8. History    9. History - General History    10. Pagan    11. Pagodas    12. Social life and customs    13. Southeast Asia - History    14. Travel    15. Asian / Middle Eastern history    16. Cultural studies    17. History / Southeast Asia    18. History, World | Asian    19. Myanmar (Burma)    20. Travel writing   

Reviews (9)

Window on a Strange Land
This is the best handbook I found while preparing for my trip to Burma, although it must be noted that there is not a lot of competition. Burma's political isolation renders it attractive in many ways, not the least of which is that it has what seems to be a hundredth of the tourists that Thailand has. That in turn makes this handbook all the more valuable, since one doesn't have fellow tourists on every corner to turn to for help. Those who complain that the prices are out of date are being a little absurd, since even a doubling of the rate on a twelve dollar hotel (which is about average) still leaves it on the extreme cheap end of international standards.
DO NOT TRAVEL TO BURMA
Tourism is an important source of income for the dictatorship in Burma, providing it with millions of pounds every year. Forced labour has been used to develop many tourist facilities. Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has asked tourists not to visit Burma.

Not helpful
I just came back from Myanmar. This guidebook is hopelessly outdated in regard to practical information. It is at least 10 years behind on current conditions which are constantly changing. The only useful information is concerning sightseeing but even that is inaccurate. The problem is that there is no other current guidebook in print.For hotels use the internet directrooms.com, asiarooms.com or asiahotels.com. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Burma    3. Guidebooks    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign    6. Myanmar (Burma)    7. Travel & holiday guides   

Subjects:  1. Myanmar (Burma)    2. Travel / road maps & atlases   

Reviews (2)

Story of battered yet resilient individuals and societies.
Down The Rat Hole: Adventures Underground on Burma's Frontiers is the memoir of American author, artist, and activist Edith Mirante, who defied laws and infiltrated the borders to travel through China, India, Laos, and the chaos in Bangladesh. Obsessed with Burma's multitude of cultures and ongoing struggle for freedom, she became witness to guerrilla warfare, heroin and jade trading, the AIDS pandemic, rainforest destruction, strikes and rioting, and natural disaster. A handful of color photographs illustrate her story of battered yet resilient individuals and societies.

Adventure with Benefits
Edith Mirante's "Down The Rat Hole" is the best kind of adventure story: as we voyage with this black belt, collage making, irony sensing delightfully brave woman, we make clean get aways, relish successful disquise, mingle with murderers and develop tribal allies who, sadly, are later murdered. Socializing with war lords, drug lords and human rights activists and guerrillas and other agitators for peace and justice in South East Asia,Mirante picks a remarkable path, through mossy rainforest as well as waterfalls of trash.Mirante displays what could be viewed as an amazing experiment and illustration of an American ideal: this writer/researcher feels every pinprick of the Burmese heroin addicts, every hole cut into the skin of cultural possibilities, but she isn't afraid.Acting always as diplomat, yet everything about her is unofficial. This fearless approach to travel and intercultural communications takes her through a cyclone, where afterwards, "Tun and I wandered around in the mud, talking to people, taking some pictures, and the storm survivors with their gracious innate hospitality gave us coconut milk, or tea. If they had nothing else, they gave us water, germ-laden disaster water, which we drank and it did not hurt us."
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Subjects:  1. 1981-    2. Art    3. Asia - General    4. Asian    5. Burma    6. Description and travel    7. Essays & Travelogues    8. Southeast Asia    9. Travel - General    10. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    11. Myanmar (Burma)    12. Travel writing   

Reviews (2)

Beautifully written and haunting
I was captivated by the book from the first story to the end.Ni Ni's short life was a snapshot of the helplessness, courage and tragedy of the Burmese people under the rule of a brutal, corrupt and repressive regime.The search of an old basket weaved the stories and observations very nicely together.It was quietly powerful, a non-provocative, dignified and compassionate account of Burma.Throughout the book, I felt anger, sadness, admiration and humbleness.I was charmed by the generosity, friendliness, sincerity, warmth, hospitality, honesty, dignity and courage of the people.I wish the tourists and merchants could show more consideration and respect to Burmese people, culture, resources, environment and heritage.We would be no better than the foreigner who used Ni Ni and discarded her after use, who took without caring what he took away.The nation deserves better and this book helps us to understand its plight and hope.

Quest makes frightening and alien culture accessible
This evocative book has haunted me since I first read it last year. Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Burma    3. Description and travel    4. Journeys    5. MacLean, Rory    6. Travel    7. ASIA    8. Human rights    9. Myanmar (Burma)    10. Travel writing   

Subjects:  1. Travel    2. Myanmar (Burma)    3. Travel & holiday guides   

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast Asia    2. Burma    3. General    4. Juvenile literature    5. Southeast Asia    6. Travel - Foreign    7. Asian / Middle Eastern history    8. Myanmar (Burma)   

Reviews (1)

Glimpses from the forgotten world
The book comprises 3 pieces: 2 of them based in Cambodia (Dancing in Cambodia and Stories in Stones) and 1 in Myanmar/Burma (At Large in Burma). Like some of his other novels (In an antique land) and Amin Malouf's novels, 2 episodes separated by passage of time are inter-woven but linked a common thread; "Dancing in Cambodia" talks about the first ever visit of Cambodian Dance Troupe to France in 1906 and the authors quest for the remnants of this ancient art in the early 1990s in a country that was devastated by one of the worst holocausts of the present times "the Pol Pot Years". Irony is that some of the closest family members of Pol Pot or Saroth Sar, as he was known amongst friends and family; had to under-go the same ordeal as thousands of others. "They were sent off to a village of `old people', long-time Khmer Rouge sympathizers, and along with all other `new people', were made to work in the rice-fields."
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Subjects:  1. ASIA    2. Cambodia    3. Myanmar (Burma)    4. Travel writing   

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Subjects:  1. Myanmar (Burma)    2. Travel / road maps & atlases   

Reviews (5)

Impressive..........
It took we a while to warm up to Ms. Mirante.As the story unfolds, one has cause to suspect a liberal, bleeding-heart hand wringer.But, this isn't any emotive flutterer afraid to mar her pedicure.This is a jungle-tramping, malaria-be-damned, human rights activist commando. Dining with drug lords and fighting for democracy
I read Burmese Looking Glass about one year ago, after I had visited the Thai-Burmese border refugeee camps.I wish I had read it beforehand! This is an immensely informative narrative covering many aspects of the complicated and tragic situation in Burma, from underground pro-Democracy activists to drug lords to jungle warfare and women warriors.Its somewhere between political intrugue, war journalism, and travelogue.Much of what she reports is consistent with what I have learned from Burmese students in exile and pro-democray activists in the US and Thailand.I admire her chutzpah and honesty in painting this portrait of a horrendous and confusing situation as well as of herself.I found it totally readable, exciting, and inspiring.

Burmese Looking Glass- Fact ?
While I enjoyed reading this book, I was continually confused by it.I am one of a few Americans who lived in Burma for several years during the same time period.I found many of the author's descriptions compelling, yetrather sensationalistic. Was she telling a fictional story or a factual oneabout the tribes and political causes of Burma? Unfortunately, I came awaydisappointed by this confusion. However, for a reader who has has spentlittle or no time in Burma, the book would definitely be an exciting read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Burma    2. Description and travel    3. Human rights    4. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    5. Politics / Current Events    6. Politics/International Relations    7. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT