Official Review: The Golden Gateway to Thailand

PashaRu · Post by **PashaRu** » 13 Nov 2014, 12:28

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Golden Gateway to Thailand" by David Yow.]

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It is impossible to get an exact figure, but an estimated six million Americans are living abroad. Despite calling the “land of opportunity” and the “land of freedom” their Motherland, many feel that they are overtaxed and overregulated, and they head to greener pastures in Europe, Asia, Central and South America, Mexico, Australia, etc. Count author David Yow among them. He is an American expat living in Thailand, and his book The Golden Gateway to Thailand is a brief chronicle of how and why he fell in love with and moved to “The Land of Smiles.” It’s available on Amazon in e-format for $3.99.

Tired of the hectic pace of life in Georgia, in 2006 David Yow and his wife moved to a picturesque, treed, mountainous setting in northern Idaho. They built their dream house, and everything seemed idyllic. But a family tragedy and failing marriage led to discontentment, and Mr. Yow started looking for those greener pastures. Thailand was calling. He visited for the first time in 2011 and moved there in 2013.

The preface to the book is a letter to “Miss America,” an affectionate farewell epistle to the United States. The author expresses his admiration for his homeland, but also his disappointments at what America has become. In the chapters that follow, we accompany Mr. Yow through his “maiden voyage” to Thailand, his return to the States, his eventual move, and sundry observations and opinions about the lifestyle, culture, and people of Thailand.

It is a very personal work. The author expresses his thoughts and feelings quite liberally; this is not just a book of dry facts and information. Everything is filtered through the author’s lens. What he thinks and feels frames the narrative: wide-eyed wonderment, admiration, confusion, misunderstanding, wistfulness. It contains elements of autobiography, diary, and travelogue, but really can’t be pigeon-holed into any particular category. A chapter may begin with a description of an open-air market or café, and drift into a discussion of Mr. Yow’s past forays into entrepreneurship or reflections about his grandparents. He often pauses in his narrative to wax philosophical about something, never in a hurry to relate the next adventure. This is perhaps a reflection of the relaxed and casual lifestyle he has embraced in his new home.

That being said, each chapter is interesting to read. The author is a keen observer and a good writer, and that’s always a winning combination. Whether he’s discussing a restaurant, café or bar (a recurring subject), beautiful Thai women (an even more frequently recurring subject), beer, his six boyhood friends, his motorcycle helmet, the sex trade, a festival, or foreign tourists, he is engaging and humorous. He usually offers his opinions along with the observations, but he is never dogmatic. Whether I agreed with him or not, I enjoyed reading his reflections on things, as his viewpoints are clearly, concisely, and creatively expressed.

There are very few errors in the book. Here and there I encountered a stray misspelling, extraneous word or misused semicolon, but these are few and far between. The narrative is mostly written in past tense, but occasionally it changes to present tense for no apparent reason. I felt a few passages were needlessly verbose; I love creative writing, but it is okay to say “soda” instead of “artificially colored, high fructose corn syrup drink.” Three or four paragraphs are spent simply describing the process of getting off an airplane, picking up luggage, and going through customs; in the end, there is nothing significant to any of this. In a few places (but very few) it seemed that the writing – that is, the attempt to describe the mundane in a new, creative way – was just getting in the way of the story.

But other passages made me admire Mr. Yow’s skill as a writer: the written Thai language is described as “the enigmatic script where the characters resemble musical notes and mangled paper clips.” Two rival beers – one with a lion in its logo, the other with an elephant – are “in a constant battle, in efforts to be king of the jingle.” When speaking about dresses, shoes, and handbags, he notes that “nearly every female needs duplicates of these items in maximum redundancy.” And the author writes that “many Thai people resemble cats. They don’t like to get wet, they are clean, they are feminine, they’ll sleep twelve hours per day if allowed…and they eat bugs.”

I suppose a credit to the book is that it made me want to visit Thailand. I love to travel, and the “Jewel of Asia” is now on my bucket list. Overall, Mr. Yow presents a positive picture of the country – after all, who can say no to beautiful women, a tropical climate, gorgeous scenery, wonderful food, a relaxed lifestyle, and friendly people? And having lived abroad myself, I could easily relate to his experience of moving to a different country and having to learn so many new things. He conveys very well what most expats, I suppose, go through when trying to acclimate to their new surroundings. But this is not a how-to guide. It is simply the author’s personal story.

The author is (apparently) in some kind of business that assists people to immigrate to and settle in Thailand. While this is mentioned in the book along with Mr. Yow’s website, it is kept in the background, so the book does not feel like an advertisement to encourage people to engage his services and move there.

The Golden Gateway to Thailand is interesting and well-written. The content along with the author’s skill as a writer keep it engaging throughout. This book will appeal to anyone contemplating moving abroad, anyone interested in southeast Asia, or anyone who likes to travel and experience new people and cultures. It’s not an exhaustive reference manual on all things Thailand, nor is it meant to be. (There are no photos or illustrations at all.) It’s a personal story of a man who took the adventurous step to move to a new country. Along the way, he shares slices of his life, his discoveries, and his thoughts and impressions of this new chapter of his life. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.

***
Buy "The Golden Gateway to Thailand" on Amazon

Stevefromtheblock · Post by **Stevefromtheblock** » 03 Dec 2014, 20:55

Thanks for an interesting review, PashaRu. I've always wanted to visit an Asian country. Maybe this will help me decide!

Skillian · Post by **Skillian** » 03 Dec 2014, 21:35

Great review! This sounds really interesting. I love that it is a personal. I also love to travel and have yet to visit a country even close to Thailand .. in any way. *adds to reading list*

PashaRu · Post by **PashaRu** » 03 Dec 2014, 22:38

Skillian wrote:Great review! This sounds really interesting. I love that it is a personal. I also love to travel and have yet to visit a country even close to Thailand .. in any way. *adds to reading list*

Thanks! I've been to China and South Korea, and always thought about Thailand. After reading the book, it became a "must" instead of just a "maybe." Hope you enjoy the book!

gali · Post by **gali** » 03 Dec 2014, 22:40

Good morning

Thank you for the well written review. I am glad you enjoyed the book overall.

PashaRu · Post by **PashaRu** » 03 Dec 2014, 22:43

gali wrote:Good morning

Thank you for the well written review. I am glad you enjoyed the book overall.

Hi gali!

Thank you!

Valrose · Post by **Valrose** » 07 Dec 2014, 19:38

Thank you for the informative review! Because of this review, I would recommend the book to a friend who recently visited Thailand for two weeks. Actually, I can think of several people who would enjoy it [including me!!].

I never would have made this connection if not for your review! Thanks again!

PashaRu · Post by **PashaRu** » 08 Dec 2014, 16:21

Valrose wrote:Thank you for the informative review! Because of this review, I would recommend the book to a friend who recently visited Thailand for two weeks. Actually, I can think of several people who would enjoy it [including me!!].

I never would have made this connection if not for your review! Thanks again!

Thank you for your kind words. I hope you (and your friend) enjoy the book!

ALynnPowers · Post by **ALynnPowers** » 19 Dec 2014, 09:01

I actually read this review before it was published, but I didn't comment on it afterward! I'm sorry! Anyway, I think it's a great review, and it makes me want to go to Thailand even more! That was my plan for a vacation this year, but I ended up not being able to go. Asian countries are my favorite, as you well know!

PashaRu · Post by **PashaRu** » 19 Dec 2014, 20:59

Thank you! I've spent a little bit of time in China and South Korea. That's all of Asia that I've seen. I loved them both, and want to return and see more. Thailand might be at the top of the list now.

zoedecicco · Post by **zoedecicco** » 24 Dec 2014, 04:10

I have been to Thailand many times and it is truly amazing, so I recommend going! This book sounds like I would find it highly irritating, so I won't be reading it, but it's a great review. Thanks!

PashaRu · Post by **PashaRu** » 24 Dec 2014, 08:14

Thanks! I hope to be able to visit Thailand in the near future. I am curious, though, about why you think you'd find this book highly irritating - ?

ALynnPowers · Post by **ALynnPowers** » 25 Dec 2014, 07:21

I think if I read the book, I would be annoyed that I didn't write about my own experiences with moving abroad first. Hahahah. Oh, you weren't even talking to me. Hahaha