Well, I finally got my hands on a copy of Very Thai.  While I’ve not read it from cover to cover I can offer my first impressions.

The book is intended to answer questions not usually covered in a typical tourist guide.  Weather it accomplishes that or not, I don’t know, as I don’t read those books.  However, it does offer fascinating insight on a wide range of things, including some I’ve talked about on RQD.  So far, everything I’ve read is very interesting, even those topics I already had some understanding of.  If nothing else, it offers a different perspective.

As is typical with tourist guides, the perspective is sugar coated.  This book focuses on the positive, taking care to avoid the more gritty harsh truths.  For example, he talks about all the blind street performers (beggars), and the hardships they face, but never once mentions that a noteworthy number of them have perfect vision and are just pretending to be blind for the money.  No reference is given to the other street beggars, such as women with infant children, and the fact most of those kids don’t even belong to the adult they are with.  And nothing is said about many of the children selling flowers are also trained pick pockets.

Very Thai is a wonderfully illustrated book, and an informative read.  I do recommend it; with the understanding this book won’t help anyone become more streetwise.  The good thing about its positive approach is Very Thai should aid in keeping one’s temperament mellowed when enduring some of the more annoying, or confusing, aspects of life in the land of smiles.

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