Slithering South
Steve Van Beek

One man, one small boat. 720 miles from the Golden Triangle to the Sea. A wild, often hilarious, ride down Thailand's longest river. "The best travel book ever written about Thailand." - Jim Eckardt, The Nation

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Well done whomever on setting up such a well laid out forum area. All the hooks already in place. I've copied this review across from a posting I made under another thread in another forum area a little while back.

I can't recommend this book strongly enough.

Mr. Van Beek takes a trip from the source (or one of the two sources actually) of the Chao Phraya all the way down to the sea, using a traditional canoe hand built to his specifications (well just how close it came to his specifications will be revealed through reading the book). En route he avails himself of the traditional hospitality systems inherent in Thai villages with a wide variety of responses from villagers and resultant experiences. There's also a splash of fear and danger at times. Whilst a travelogue I found it more gripping than the admitedly limited amount of fictional 'literature' I've read with stories based in Thailand (by Western authors at least).

The book not only charts the progress of the Chao Phraya but in many ways the progress and evolution of traditional Thai culture itself.

Van Beek's writing style is truly of an 'international calibre' (by this I mean I rate the quality of his writing and the hold of the content alongside those of the calibre of Theroux, etc.) and the only shame - and no offence to Wind & Water here - is that this book wasn't published by a well known international publishing house. I've read travel literature on a host of countries I've never visited and may not find time to visit in future, and even if I'd had no experience of Thailand itself I'd have found this book a truly engrossing read.

Additionaly and to his great credit the author is one truly culturally sensitive Westerner whom seems to have an insight into the Thai mind that would be of benefit to any Western reader visiting Thailand. He also fully admits his foibles and shortcomings in coping with and coming to terms with those aspects of the Thai mindset and behaviour that cross strongly with a Western perspective.

Thus as well as having unfolded before us the progress and evolution of a river and the people that live along its banks, we're made privvy to the progress and evolution of the author's thinking and outlook on life.

All this makes for me the best ingredients of good travel writing.

My initial reservations in respect of these kind of books are: Why are they written? And in this case why do you paddle down the Chao Phriya in the first place.

My reservations were soon put aside. As Jum Jum says in the narative of the journey and what happens, and indeed what does not happen which can be just as important, we see reflected Thai society: what it is and what it was, its fears and loves. In the authors own musings, fears and pleasures we see our own reflected.

I am a shade less fullsom in praise than Jum Jum but agree its a very good book.

Richard