Options for the armchair traveller
Mad About the Mekong
By John Keay
On a sweltering pre-monsoon day, imagine yourself at the Golden Triangle. This point high up in the hills where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet is now no longer the centre of the drug trade; that part of its past has now passed into Disneyfied evocations by the tourism industry. But the sense of being witness to the transformative is ever present. The three countries meet literally in the waters of the Mekong. Its muddy swirling waters give a sense of the sustenance it provides to Southeast Asia. Funny, then, says Keay that early explorations of this river of life have been so little documented. In this wonderful volume, he spins a chilling narrative of attempts to walk the Mekong8217;s banks.
Istanbul: Memories of a City
By Orhan Pumuk
Pamuk, Turkey8217;s leading writer today, looks back to his childhood through black-and-white images of Istanbul and memories of his city. 8220;At least once in a lifetime8221;, he says, 8220;self-reflection leads us to examine the circumstances of our birth. Why were we born in this particular corner of the world, on this particular date? These families into which we were born, these countries and cities to which the lottery of life has assigned us 8212; they expect love from us 8212; but did we perhaps deserve better?8221; What follows a captivating Istanbullu tribute.
Salonica
By Mark Mazower
This in a way could be Istanbul8217;s other. Salonica, now the second most important Greek city, has suffered immense social upheaval under the Ottomans, the Nazis and the Greeks. Understanding the city is Mazower8217;s way of taking stock of European history.
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