Dear Hillary,
A few weeks ago you mentioned some cartoon books about life here, but I cannot find the reference. Can you help me? I haven’t been here very long, and I think I need a bit of guidance, as I think I’m falling into traps that the more experienced expats know how to avoid.
Jason
Dear Jason,
Yes. The cartoonist you are looking for is Mike Baird and everything in his books is based on truth. The name is “Falangs in Thailand” and the cartoonist must have spent a lot of time watching what goes on in Pattaya, but what he shows is the same for Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai. “Private Dancer” by Stephen Leather is another book that anyone who spends time in the bars should read. Stay here long enough and the humorous situations as depicted by Mike Baird will happen to you, so be warned. You can order Mike’s books on-line and he usually has an advert in the classified pages of this newspaper.
