Kategoria BISAC: Travel >> Asia - Southeast

What do jumping cats have to do with Buddhism's Middle Path? Did Orwell really hate everyone in Burma? How did Myanmar's ruling junta use white elephants to consolidate their power? Will a synagogue caretaker's improbable dream ever come true? What arrogance drives western travelers to seek the "unknown"? And why should you never disrespect the nat spirits who guard a sacred forest? This is Myanmar as you've probably never imagined, full of curious people, startling happenings, and unexpected moments of humanity and introspection, giddiness and solemnity, avarice and ambition.

Why do prominent modern Indonesian sultans continue love affairs with the Mermaid Queen? Why is the island of Flores Ground Zero for Hobbit sightings? How does a Papuan hunter juggle the four religions which want a piece of his soul? Why did a now-neglected spice cause historic mayhem among greedy Europeans? Why does it make good business sense to make friends with the dragon princess? Why is discovering a new species almost as good as sex? What is the allure of Waltzing Banana Island? Can an elderly village woman armed with just a broom and gumption kill giant mosquitoes 'til they're...

Ellen Warburton dashed headlong into Asia (at the age of fifty-two) with an open mind and a budget that prompted 3 vows:

What's a woman to do when a Hindu god doesn't return her mountain? Would you risk your life by hugging a tree? How do you find a nameless young girl you first met (for five minutes) twenty-six years earlier? For environmental consciousness, should we trust the international bureaucrats or a Bhutanese farmer? Does the yeti illuminate the dark side of our souls? Why do we have an urge to "rid the land of demons"? How do "often frothy" phalluses protect Bhutanese villagers?

This is the Himalayan region as you've probably never imagined, full of memorable people, startling happenings,...

How has a town named after a female vampire ghost spawned an entire genre of kitschy horror films? Why did a quiet Swiss man choose to live rough in the rainforest with the semi-nomadic Penans - and what inner spirit drove him to fight a David vs. Goliath rebellion against timber tycoons and corrupt officials who were destroying the Penans's forest home? Has White-Brown colonialism been replaced by Brown-Brown arrogance? What's the story of the grandmother who spits at meddling ghosts (but only because they spit first)? Why did the first White Rajah of Borneo amass a vast harem of...