I try to keep up with books being published having to do with Laos, and of the few that are published most aren’t memorable. A good example of a book with a good title, Siho and Naga, is a mishmash of research and personal anecdotes and some rather strange collages of small photographs that really don’t serve any purpose. I love the title, Siho and Naga, they are two of my favorite motifs in Lao textiles, but what the author has to say adds no new insights. I would not recommend this book.
But what I'm really looking forward to this coming March 15 (5 more days!), is when Amazon will begin selling the Festivals of Laos by Martin Stuart-Fox. He’s the same author of the book, Naga Cities of the Mekong I favorably reviewed in an earlier post. I am eagerly looking forward to his new book!
I know most people traveling to another country like Laos tend to get all their information from the guide book of their choice, like one of the Lonely Planet Guides series. I call this “Wal Mart traveling,” and can you imagine if you did all your shopping just at Wal Mart? OMG. The same with traveling in a country like Laos. If you’ve gone to the expense of buying round-trip tickets and are using your valuable vacation days to come explore this magical country, please don’t just skim the surface of Laos and its rich multi-ethnic cultures by only relying on one guidebook to lead the way. If you read books like the Naga Cities of the Mekong, or Ancient Luang Prabang, or the soon-to-be released Festivals of Laos prior to your travels to Lao, you won’t really need a guide book. Most of the time guidebooks are out of date and are often biased by whomever the author knows and how much time he/she has to really check out guesthouses/restaurants in a particular city/town. If you’re new to a town or city it’s worth the time to explore and decide for yourself where the best place to stay is and what restaurants/stalls have the best food.
Which reminds me of On beyond Zebra by Dr. Seuss where he writes, “...most people stop at the Z, but not me. I’m telling you this because your one of my friends, my alphabet starts where your alphabet ends. My alphabet starts with a letter called YUZZ. It’s the letter I use to spell Yuzzamatuzz. You’ll be sort of surprised what there is to be found, once you go beyond Z and start poking around.” And we guarantee these books will be perfect companions for your exploring and poking around in Laos.
Not only by reading these three books will you become primed for your travels, but I believe they can set the stage for your travel in Laos to become a tremendously memorable experience.. Backpacker types can read them before they go and take some notes to jog their memory when looking at a particular wat or witnessing a particular ceremony, but for all others I recommend bringing these books with you so you can constantly refer to them. And luckily, if you forget one of the books, they’re probably available for sale at Monument Books in downtown Vientiane, next to the Vaykorn Guesthouse and across from Carol Cassidy’s Textile Gallery. In fact, backpacker types could buy one of the books at Monument Books, read it and “use” it in their travels and then sell it at one of the many used book stores now in Vientiane and Luang Prabang. What a great way of gaining merit! Remember, it's all about karma...
I’ll post my own review of Festivals of Laos probably in early April, but here’s a
recommendation we found on the Silkworm publishing site. “There is no better
way to enjoy the culture of a country than through the eye of a true artist and
the mind of a real expert. Northup and Stuart-Fox are to Laos what Stanley and
Livingston were to Africa. These two produce my favorite insights into the
Mekong region, full of compassion and perception.” — Colin Cotterill, author of the Dr. Siri Paiboun series
Comments