Escape To Thailand

Escape to Thailand, #2

 
Escape to Thailand is an account of an English emigrant's move to Thailand and his early days here.

Following a bitter divorce and a forced early retirement from his job, Derek struggles with making the final decision to leave England for good and settle for the rest of his life in Thailand. We begin to understand the turmoil going on in his head when he realises what he is leaving behind in the land of his birth. We see from his questioning that he is still unsure whether he is doing the right thing or not. He explains how he felt about some of the cultural differences that awaited him and how he coped with them. We compare his experiences with those of other expats. Culture shock is not the same for everyone.

We see him getting to grips with his new life but are all expats really settled here? Are there going to be some unpleasant surprises in store? Are some seeing only the acceptable parts of Thai life?

Escape to Thailand is not judgmental. It leaves the reader to consider and try to understand the way events were unfolding. The problems of Thai and Western relationships, even if they seem to be surmountable in the short term, are brought out in Derek's true account of his early days in Thailand.

With many glimpses into the lives of ordinary Thais, the biography becomes a "fly on the wall" experience for the reader. Seeing what the average tourist or visitor rarely sees.

Other books by this author:

Thailand Take Two looks at Thais and Thailand in a unique way. It is not a politically correct travel guide written only to promote tourism and showing just the rosy side of Thailand.

Real characters are introduced in the book to show how Thailand's culture is so different from Western concepts. Readers will meet bankers and bargirls, the young and the old, the rich and the less well off. And get right into their lives.

It describes a Thailand that is not always that transparent to the casual observer. It takes the reader away from the regular tourist spots and explores the real Thailand.

A Thailand Diary is a candid look at Thais and Thailand in a light and readable diary format. Over 100 entries.

Holding back no punches, the book takes you inside the real Thailand and gives the reader a virtual tour of the country and its people. It allows its principal characters, authentic Thais, to talk of the cultural differences that make Thailand such a fascinating country.

Get ready for some surprises when you read it.

The Thai Way of Meekness is a commentary on a thesis by the Thai academic, Dr Ubolwan. It explains why Christian evangelism failed in Thailand. She points out that the early missionaries did not understand what she classifies as the 7 main Thai characteristics and gives that as the main reason for their lack of success. Not one convert was made in the early days.

This book concludes that understanding the native culture is a prerequisite to success. It has many links with the concepts discussed in Thailand Take Two so can usefully be read in parallel with that title

The more you understand Thailand; the more you may find that Matt's novel, The Death of a Thai Godfather, is not as fictional as claimed.