I.
Our Man in Hanoi
...has
just finished reading Thai Gold by Jason
Schoonover, a trashy adventure story set in South East
Asia featuring opium smugglers, priceless Buddhist treasures,
beautiful girls and steamy sex, speed boats, sharks gun
fights in the Himalayas , the whole lot….I loved it,
even though there was barely a believable paragraph in the
whole thing. But then again I love novels set in Asia and
particularly historical Asian Fiction. So for any of you
looking for a good book (and if you aren't, why not?) I've
decided to note down some of my favorite novels about Asia
(we'll leave non-fiction for another time.) Of course I
realize its highly subjective and don't imagine Thai Gold
for example is for everyone but what can I do? Lets kick
of with one of the best books written about anything, anywhere:
A
Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth. This is a
monster of a book, the longest in the English Language I
believe and one you just hope will never end. In three sections
it details a mother's search for a husband for her daughter.
Doesn't sound like much does it? But woven round this plot
line is a trove of cultural information delivered almost
poetically. Not so surprising from a poet I suppose. If
you've been to India it will make you want to return and
if you haven't, make you want to go. So vivid is the writing
you can almost smell the incense as they enter the temple
in….If you decide to read one book on the list, make
it this one.
Midnights
Children by Salmon Rushdie. If you've
read the guy before and aren't a boffin then you know its
sometimes an effort to get into his books. For this one,
make the effort. Funny and clever, I imagine he is too and
I'm sure I missed a lot of what he was trying to tell me
but it was full of flavor, evocative and moving.
Shogun,
Taipan, Noble House and King Rat by James Clavell
are all excellent reads if you like adventure stories intertwined
with historical facts and information. Of the four, Noble
House is probably my favorite, set during the seizure of
Hong Kong, its hero is Straun (I think its Straun) who is
the manest man around. He fights with pirates, negotiates
with ministers, always gets the girl, has the fastest, most
beautiful boats for his opium and tea trade and as an aside
changes the course of history. Tai-Pan, the sequel to Noble
House is good but not as good, set once again in Hong Kong
but modern day (then, about 20 years ago.) King Rat is an
excellent portrayal of man at his most base when British,
Australian and American soldiers are ill-treated in a Japanese
prisoner of war camp. A very clever book. Shogun is an excellent
account of a European sailor captured during Samurai times
in Japan. You'll learn a lot about Japan and the Samurai
if you try this one. What I like about all of Clavell's
books is that as well as having a rip roaring good read,
you learn a little as well. I suppose however I'd be well
advised to remember that it is fiction and all facts should
be verified before I bring one up at the minister's tea
party. Oh the shame….
The
Far Pavilions by M.M Kaye. A romance adventure
story spanning the continent of India but with an emphasis
on the North West Frontier. This epic details the adventures
of Ash, orphan, army officer, dashing adventurer, princess
saver and all round good bloke. Written by a lady who obviously
knows her stuff and grew up in the Himalaya it has a whiff
of the colonial about it but again gives much insight into
the sub-continent and its culture and ways.
The
Quiet American by Graham Greene. Maybe
you've seen the movie already, now read the book. Kind of
a whodunnit I suppose, written in Greene's inimitable style
its an easy read and not set during the Vietnam War thus
giving a different perspective to a country on which a plethora
of Vietnam war era books have been written. To my mind not
as rich in information about culture as it could have been
but who am I to judge the great man. I've read the book
twice and am sure I'll pick it up again one day.
Kim
by Rudyard Kipling. I read this book on the train
from Madras to Calcutta and all I wanted to do when I arrived
was eat the curry Rudyard had described in the book. Not
any curry, but the exact one he described. How can he give
such life to a plate of food? I'm in awe of the guy. Following
his mentor, a Tibetan Monk around the country, Kim is a
boy unwittingly caught up in the Great Game being played
out between England and Russia with India its playground.
This is surely Kipling's finest Novel.
Flashman
and the Dragon by George McDonald Fraser.
If you know Flashman then you'll know what this book will
be like. This one's set in China. If you're not familiar
with Fraser's work then Flashman is the bully from the Tom
Brown's schooldays series. Still a bully, a coward, he's
added sexism and racism to his list of admirable traits
and always seems to come out on top. Not for everyone but
many, including me, find them fun and funny.
The
Tesseract by Alex Garland. Ok The Beach
was kind of ground breaking but also a rip of Lord of the
Flies so I didn't expect much when I picked this one up
but was pleasantly surprised with his knowledge of The Philippines
and its culture. The book follows several lives that eventually
intertwine through the actions of a western assassin.
Are
you Experienced? by William Sutcliffe.
This is a very clever book. Not a hard read. Just an account
of a pre-uni guy's journey around India. If you've traveled
around India then there's more than a 50/50 chance that
you'll recognize some of the characters in this book. Maybe
even yourself. Very very funny
The
God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy.
Not easy to get into by any means but worth the effort if
you do. This book has been critically acclaimed and is the
story of a family living in the south of India and more
importantly their twins, Siamese twins but born apart. A
tragic but moving story. Not the best on my list (for me
of course, think it might have won a Booker. Maybe a bit
too high- brow?) but there was something about it that kept
me thinking long after I'd put the book down. Usually the
sign of a good book?
Bombay Ice by Leslie Forbes. A
difficult book to describe but I suppose it is again a kind
of detective novel. It takes part in Bombay and for the
most part takes part in the almost surreal world of Eunuchs
and Bollywood. Disturbing and entrancing both, it, as all
good novels should, transports you to its setting.
The
Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh. Superb. Written
by a North Vietnamese soldier, its not actually a novel,
but written as one. If there is a better account of the
Vietnamese war told from a Vietnamese perspective then I'd
love to read it.
The
Blue Eyed Shan by Stephen Becker. A weird
one. I wasn't too sure what to expect when I picked it up
second-hand of a street seller in the Old Quarter but was
pleasantly surprised. It's an adventure story spanning the
years from 1939 to 1949 and if nothing else then you'll
come away with some knowledge of a part of the world few
know too much about, that is the Burmese/Chinese border
area. You'll also probably learn a little of the Shan, again
a people not often talked about unless connected with the
words, Opium, Khun Sa or Rebel attack.
So
there you have it. I'm sure I've left some of my favorites
out (this feeble old mind you know) and I'm even more sure
that there are more great Asian Novels out there. If only
Keroac or Hemingway had gone east as young men, there'd
be a few more. Anyway Asia Hotel Bookings would love to
hear and tell of your favorite novels set in Asia.
III.
Feature Destination : Chiang Mai, Thailand - A Travelogue
East
of England
Janie
Barnard, mother of two and animal lover, takes us on her
first journey in Asia where she travels to Chiang Mai
in the north of Thailand. She sees the elephants and lots
lots more……….
"Learn
these phrases on the train" says No.1 son. "Yes
well. Perhaps I will if I can ever find said train. Five
minutes ago we arrived at Bangkok's Hualomphong and plunged
in amongst folk frantically dashing about or else seemingly
fast asleep on any available horizontal surface. Husband
had muttered "Impossible, we'll never get the right
one" before sinking onto a bench and losing himself
in a book.
So
it was up to me then to try my usual smile, gesticulate,
smile, mime act….. "Chiang Mai Sleeper?"
Hands together on side of head, yawn, please help old lady,
smile……Ah a result. I'm encouraged to go in
a certain direction by a helpful young man. Not easy this
as social etiquette dictates he can neither touch me to
pull me through the melee nor, being I estimate a good 25
years younger, can he go before me so it was all rather
tricky, but we made it. Excellent. Now all that remains
is to retrieve Husband. Oh dear, not so easy. Young man
is worried that I hadn't understood that this is "my"
train and has enlisted the help of others who surround me
and try to sort of shepherd me up the steps. "No, I
need my Husband,- I MUST HAVE MY HUSBAND"….
We're
off and I'm so excited. Like a small child I press up close
to the window so as to not miss any of this wonderful country.
First we chug through the suburbs. High rise block, shack,
high rise, smaller shacks, noodle stall perilously close
to the rails, even smaller shacks; and each of them with
their own spirit house. Rather like a trendy bird-table
these are designed to reflect the size and status of the
building it serves and offerings are heaped upon it daily
to help placate any harmful spirits that may be lurking
about.
Gradually
the sprawling suburbs give way to the lush green paddy fields
of Thailand's rice bowl and in the distance the darker green
of the rain forests. (jungle?) In two and a half hours I
count that the floor of our carriage has been mopped 9 times
and attacked with a large feather duster twice. Amazing.
Bed
time was fun. The helpful floor mopper showed us how to
put up our beds and modesty curtains and provided us with
pristine sheets and hot towels. Despite having bought the
tickets together and there only being two other people in
the carriage, Husbands bunk is at the other end, so now
chatting over the day's events together I know I'll not
be able to sleep so best get stuck into learning No.1 son's
useful phrases……..I do not want a tuk-tuk -
hello - goodbye - no tuk-tuk - thank you - where is the
station? NO tuk-tuk…..Oh, it's morning. Had a fantastic
sleep (trains…you just got to love em ed), just take
a peep out of curtains to see if Husband is about. "
Chaa, Kaafae, noodles?" says the young man with the
mop. Had he really been standing next to my bed waiting
for me to wake?!!
Chiang
Mai in the early morning is truly beautiful. Still exciting,
but generally calmer, with a cleaner and a brighter feel
than Bangkok. Ignoring No.1 son's advice we avoid the taxi's
and head to one of the hundreds of tuk-tuks. We go to the
oldest guy in the hopes of a slow gentle trip. He takes
a glance at the scrap of paper we have with the hotel name
on (Oh, does he read we wonder?) and dashes off at break
neck speed up the side of the moat. Our driver turns round
and grins encouragingly before screeching to a halt and
dashing into a store to emerge with a can of "Red Bull."
There is much gesticulating to explain to us that he needed
it because he was very, very sleepy!!
After
a few days exploring the city markets, famous night bazaar
and a trip on the river we traveled (by taxi!) to the northern
outskirts to visit an out-of-the-way craft gallery. We were
privileged to view amazing pieces of outstanding quality
. Not being aimed at foreign visitors there was no air-con
and so when we came out we were positively wilting and badly
in need of a drink, so….off to the ever present noodle
stall next door. The quality of this one was endorsed by
the large number of locals sitting down to rackety out door
tables and so we marched up to a slightly bemused looking
girl and asked for two Singhas. Everyone was very friendly
and made room for us. They even looked at our guide book
and pointed out places that were good to visit- Presumably
- Though it could have been places to avoid at all costs.
Suddenly
a deafening hooter sounded, everyone stood up, smiled, bowed,
and left into the building next door. Oh, dear. "Work's
canteen" I guess. Again the Thais show amazing tolerance
of a generation older than themselves. Especially mad, old
Farangs!! Next it's off to do what we really came up north
for. See the elephants. The Conservation Centre shows the
animals doing a little of the work that they'd originally
been trained for in, the thankfully now defunct (at least
officially), logging industry. Much "Oohing and Aahing"
as the little ones tried to copy their elders in lifting,
pushing and rolling the logs. The dexterity and intelligence
of these giants was really awesome to see.
Now
came the chance to ride out into the rainforest / jungle
- But how to get on? "Our" Mahout, who we'd been
told would have been with this one elephant since it was
about three, shinned up the front end and settled comfortably
astride her neck. Not a feat I could ever imagine myself,
or Husband, doing so it was with great relief that we saw
him, as if by magic, steer her sideways up to a sort of
huge mounting block. We clambered up here and then sort
of lowered ourselves down into what I can only describe
as a giant picnic basket, with far more dignity than I had
anticipated. Now I ride daily my thoroughbred and Irish
draught horse of not inconsiderable size but cannot find
the words to describe just how insignificant one feels up
on top of such a huge animal. Huge not only in size but
also in presence and majesty. Very humbling.
Off
we set, with two more behind, almost silently moving beneath
the thick canopy which all but shut out the sun. We seemed
to be going so slowly until you looked down (Oh boy! Way,
way down) and realized that each huge stride was covering
a great deal of land. Our feet rested on her neck and although
I knew her skin was an inch thick this still felt kind of
disrespectful so I took off my trainers. Our Mahout, so
serious most of the time, grinned at me. Pleased at my consideration?
Mad old Farang? Who knows. After a while he swung down and
hung almost upside down to retrieve a smoke from one of
the folds in her ear and then we just progressed amiably
without talk, lost in our own thoughts amongst the wonderful
sights and sounds of the forest, Completely at peace. Magical.
Never to be forgotten.
When
the elephants became redundant from their traditional work
of logging and transport, many fell into unscrupulous hands,
being cruelly treated and abused. They do so need, and deserve
the eco-tourism that such conservation centers provide.
IV:
Your Question Answered:
Question:
I am thinking of renting a house for a three - six month
period and using this as a base to travel to Vietnam, China
and other bits of Asia. Where would be a well connected
but interesting place i.e. not a large city but not in the
middle of nowhere either. Also how much should I expect
as a monthly two bed flat rental in a reasonable area?
Answer:
Hanoi would seem to fit the requirements perfectly.
A city, but a small one and plenty to see and do. It’s
also pretty close to China and of course has bus, plane,
train stations. Renting somewhere to live in Hanoi is not
difficult. Sure it takes a bit of your time but there are
plenty of places out there. Price wise, in a decent part
of the city, for a 2 bedroom house with garden, fully furnished,
cable TV, hot water etc. you are looking at around $300
a month. If you’re looking for something cheaper then
word of mouth is the best way. Just start asking everyone
you bump into. I did and was surprised at the amount of
feedback I got. At the other end of the scale, if you fancy
a old refurbished French Villa looking out onto one of Hanoi’s
many lakes you’ll find it…and pay for it. Two
popular estate agents are E homes, located on the bottom
floor of Hanoi Towers and Action Real Estate at 32 Hai Ba
Trung. The only problem you may have is the length of your
stay, most people and agencies like to rent for a year but
money talks and I‘m sure with a bit of effort you’ll
find what you are after.
VII.
Important Information
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