"The water was murky and from the dark depths branches of trees, long dead and covered with green slim, protruded through the surface, looking like surrealistic paintings in the half light. Mangrove trees with gnarled roots grew in the swamps and marshes around the edge of the lake. Bordering these swamps, in deeper water, were thick forests of rasau, a type of spiky reed, higher than a man could reach, and so dense we had difficulty poling our rafts through them." Harold Stephens has written a book about Southeast Asia based on true stories and places. Some of the material was originally published in the Bangkok Post, The Asia Magazine, Living in Thailand, Signature, Travel & Leisure and Thai Airways International's in-flight magazine: Sawasdee. Several of the chapters in this book also appeared in the author?s previous travel book called: Asian Adventure published in Singapore. This land is so new to me. I've traveled in Europe and Africa and across America, but Asia has always been rather mysterious. Plenty of my friends have traveled there and some have gone there to live and have disappeared into their fantasy life. Harold at times uses great humor. Like the time he had to decide if stoking up the fire would be best to keep away "tigers" or if it would attract the "elephants." Such a difficult decision really. I also liked his thoughts about meeting a long lost cousin of the Loch Ness monster. "If you let your imagination run wild, fear of the jungle can be awesome." The author really does immerse himself in the culture, natural environment and each experience. He writes about his own experience and fills in the details about the history of each location. This book is fascinating. I enjoyed reading about: The fury of the thunder crashing through the jungle night. Boating trips and rapids. A Saladang - who knew there was such a creature. Buddhist temples hidden within caves along with magnificent statues. (pictures provided, this book has lots of pictures) Temples in Thailand Climbing to the top of Mount Kinabalu, Borneo The Adventures Include: Digging into Southeast Asia's Past: The Search for Lost Cities On Safari in the Oriental Jungle: Exploring the World?s Oldest Rain Forest Treasures Beneath the Sea: Scuba Diving for Pleasure and for Profit Spelunking vs. Speleology: Cave Exploring in Southeast Asia River Exploring: From Wild Rivers to Luxury Cruising Motoring and Four-Wheel-Drive Safaris: Touring the Main Roads and the Backroads Mountain Climbing: Scaling Southeast Asia's Highest Peaks Yachting Comes to Southeast Asia Biking Southeast Asia Archeology Digs Great and Not So Great Train Journeys: From Orient Express to Jungles of Borneo The Mood of Southeast Asia: Living with Volcanoes and Monsoons There is a certain romance about traveling in untamed lands. This book even discusses the Asian Big Foot although the author is not fully convinced it exists. Harold Stephens has spent most of his life in Asia and loves
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