Books

Welcoming though Thai people are in many ways, the Orient still has its subtleties and surprises that can leave wayworn backpackers, sexual adventurers, or the badly briefed business visitor at a disadvantage. Underestimating the role that ‘face' plays in Oriental societies is a common mistake, and exaggerated ideas about the ‘sex scene' is a common mistake made about Thailand.

Luckily, John Morgan's many years living and working in Thailand, teaching English to young and old, makes Same Same but Different as useful as it is entertaining, especially at the ground-truth level of interpersonal relations. Greater Bangkok never stops growing and now has an overhead Skytrain to connect it, but finding your way round the Land of Smiles need not be an ordeal now you have found a source of advice you can trust, from holidaymakers who want to land on their feet to professional visitors anxious to avoid culture clashes.