Dream of Siam

Yes, it has been quiet here of late. Christmas rapidly approaches, and amazingly I have actually got all my shopping done ahead of schedule - and the tree is up - and looking in fine fettle! I also have a well-deserved break to look forward to - so I might even get some article writing in. I particularly would like to do a retrospective on the year, from my perspective, and Thailand's.

If you are looking for present ideas or a stocking filler, I may have just the thing for you. I recently finished reading the book At Home in Asia, by Harold Stephens. I'd meant to report on this a little way back but unfortunately didn't get around to it. Long-time readers of the site may remember me talking of Tristan Jones a while back. I'd read Jones's book To Venture Further, which covers his adventures crossing the Isthmus of Kra in Thailand, and highly recommend it. Anyway, I stumbled on a reference to At Home in Asia on Tristan's site, and as the book had a chapter on Tristan Jones and his life in Thailand I was sold. The book covers a variety of expats, some very well known and others not. It's a fascinating perspective on expat life in Asia. One aspect of the book is that it was first published in 1995, and to a certain extent the perspective in places might be considered a litte old-fashioned - those expat glory days are long gone. But much is still relevant, and there is no doubt there are always new challenges for expats living in Asia. Oh, and that chapter on Tristan was great - I gained some new insights into the man. However, the chapter was over far too quickly - you would need a whole book on Tristan to even begin to do the guy justice. Anyway, At Home in Asia is a recommended read.

On to more exciting news, there is actually some new content on the site! I have just uploaded a very interesting interview with Ian H. Ian is a retiree who has been living in the LOS for a couple of years now, and this interview provides some interesting insights into the life of a retiree. Thank you Ian for taking time out and agreeing to share your experiences with us!

Head over to the Interviews page or simply click here, to read the interview with Ian.