Lonely Planet Thailand: Travel Survival Kit (7th Ed)

Rating:
Summary: The Other Reviewers Don't Know Thailand.....
Review: After living in Thailand for 3 years and traveling extensively (40+ provinces) sometimes on a shoestring, sometimes on an expense account, I'd have to say that Cummings book is one of the very best (certainly better than the outdated and superficial guide by Carl Parkes in the Moon Publication series). The Thailand "Handbook" (aka the Footprints series) is the only serious competitor. The historical and cultural overviews are superb and the practical infomation highly credible. The complaints about prices changing, etc. seem to come from people who are naive about travel. The book is no more "Western" in outlook than other common guides and, if anything, it does a better job of interpreting the culture. The political coverage is very credible, unless one is a hard right-winger or a member of one of Thailand's sleazier political parties.

Rating:
Summary: Updated and convincing materials
Review: As a frequent traveler to Thailand I read the book with a certain amount of hesitation, becase many "guide books" are out-of-date. However, this manuscript really informs the traveler/tourist about a wonderful culture and society. We should not try to change or modify the Thai human spirit! We, in many instances, can learn from it. In the future writings I hope more about Nan Province can be told. A beautiful area with friendly people, beautiful mountains, no polution or automobile congestion, and a place to relax for a few days from a long flight.

Rating:
Summary: Informative, but too much of a Western-oriented view of SEA.
Review: For strictly a Thai travel guide I would recommend "The Thailand Handbook" (Moon Guides) hands down over this "save our planet" propoganda panthlet. The book was well researched as most of Cummings books are. It's primary shortcoming though is a wealth of judgemental biases toward the Thai people, and a very tedious holier than thou political agenda interwoven throughout the book. The reader must wade through a myriad of Al Gore style tree hugging rhetoric, as well as an attitude of "all Thailand is coming to an end, if us caring Westerners don't rescue these little brown people from themselves." This perpetual pontification throughout starts to become quite nauseating frankly. Mr Cummings is without a doubt a most talented writer, but unfortunately, his book could be two-thirds its present girth if vaunted political agendas were left with the Author. As a 22year vetran homesteader in E Asia, three year worker in Khmer refugee camps and an UNTAC rep, I tire of seeing half-baked liberals coming into SE Asia to change the world. As such, this "manual is just another xerox copy of "Green Piece" marketing ploys.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent single source guide
Review: For strictly a Thai travel guide I would recommend "The Thailand Handbook" (Moon Guides) hands down over this "save our planet" propoganda panthlet. The book was well researched as most of Cummings books are. It's primary shortcoming though is a wealth of judgemental biases toward the Thai people, and a very tedious holier than thou political agenda interwoven throughout the book. The reader must wade through a myriad of Al Gore style tree hugging rhetoric, as well as an attitude of "all Thailand is coming to an end, if us caring Westerners don't rescue these little brown people from themselves." This perpetual pontification throughout starts to become quite nauseating frankly. Mr Cummings is without a doubt a most talented writer, but unfortunately, his book could be two-thirds its present girth if vaunted political agendas were left with the Author. As a 22year vetran homesteader in E Asia, three year worker in Khmer refugee camps and an UNTAC rep, I tire of seeing half-baked liberals coming into SE Asia to change the world. As such, this "manual is just another xerox copy of "Green Piece" marketing ploys.

Rating:
Summary: Informative, but too much of a Western-oriented view of SEA.
Review: For strictly a Thai travel guide I would recommend "The Thailand Handbook" (Moon Guides) hands down over this "save our planet" propoganda panthlet. The book was well researched as most of Cummings books are. It's primary shortcoming though is a wealth of judgemental biases toward the Thai people, and a very tedious holier than thou political agenda interwoven throughout the book. The reader must wade through a myriad of Al Gore style tree hugging rhetoric, as well as an attitude of "all Thailand is coming to an end, if us caring Westerners don't rescue these little brown people from themselves." This perpetual pontification throughout starts to become quite nauseating frankly. Mr Cummings is without a doubt a most talented writer, but unfortunately, his book could be two-thirds its present girth if vaunted political agendas were left with the Author. As a 22year vetran homesteader in E Asia, three year worker in Khmer refugee camps and an UNTAC rep, I tire of seeing half-baked liberals coming into SE Asia to change the world. As such, this "manual is just another xerox copy of "Green Piece" marketing ploys.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent single source guide
Review: I just returned from my latest trip to Thailand where I used the latest copy of Joe Cummings' guide. As always it's excellent; reflecting the expertise you'd expect from somebody who's lived there for so long. His writing style is informed and he doesn't gloss over important details that aren't always positive. There's nothing worse than a guidebook that reads like Conde Nast Traveller. If you can't travel with Joe, the next best thing is to buy a copy of his guidebook. He's found places nobody else has found throughbout the country including on the back streets of Bangkok.

Rating:
Summary: very useful guide book but with some missunderstanding
Review: I'm a Thai who have read this guide book. I would like to inform that there is some missunderstanding on the article "The Monarchy" (page 31). His Majesty The King Rama IX has composed many pieces, including the "falling rain" of course, but he did not compose the royal anthem. The "falling rain" is NOT the royal anthem. The royal anthem was composed by someone else.

Rating:
Summary: very useful guide book but with some missunderstanding
Review: I'm a Thai who have read this guide book. I would like to inform that there is some missunderstanding on the article "The Monarchy" (page 31). His Majesty The King Rama IX has composed many pieces, including the "falling rain" of course, but he did not compose the royal anthem. The "falling rain" is NOT the royal anthem. The royal anthem was composed by someone else.

Rating:
Summary: A piece of mediocrity among many good books on Thailand
Review: If you are going to Thailand for any length of time, the information in this book is lacking due to many biases and lack of information on various important subjects. I would recommend it only for a novice tourist with a few days in the Kingdom.

Rating:
Summary: A sad peice of pretentious buffonery
Review: In exhaustive travels to this region over the past 18 years, I find it unprecedented how much misinformation is presented in this "comic book." I would not recommend it, due to numerous misrepresentations, seedy lodging and narcotics procurement recommendations and an overall portrayal of the Thai people as deceitful and primitive. The writer obviously has great bias against this portion of the world and probably could use intense diversity training, regardless of claims to an understanding of the region. I strongly recommend ANY of the other top guide books to the region before you waste your funds on this drivel.