Bangkok Days: A Sojourn in the Capital of Pleasure

A brilliant book. Thoroughly enjoyed it, once I got into it. It gives an introspective and visual insight into a city few outsiders - and expats already there - really see and feel. Nooks and crannys in the form of streets, avenues and alleyways and their daily lives are intricatly given justice, and Osborne describes them in indulgent detail. If he isn't making any money in Bangkok, then surely he must be living by the spirit of the place - on a few bucks a day. On a couple of visits to Bangkok, I've only managed to scratch the surface just passing through, staying at Khaosan Rd, rushing around, viewing the main temple and palace sights, etc. This book offers much more, even meeting a couple of altruistic figures from the Catholic Church who are also living there expending love rather than religious dogma to addicts and down-and-outs on the fringes of the city. Do the Thai monks really wonder about Osborne as an expat: "Is that a lonely man?" A worthwhile read.