I finally got round to reading this book. Originally published in 1985, Mr Iyer travelled around Asia and examined Western influences in the region. Whilst some of his observations are somewhat puerile and subjective (most noticeably his views given on Hong Kong where he spends a few days with his la di da ex-patriot friends and comes away thinking he knows all there is to the Territory), and Thailand and The Philippines where he spends most of his time in girlie bars in Bangkok and Manila.
Yet in other areas he shows good perception drawing an interesting analogy between the Japan psyche and their love of baseball, as well as his time spent in Burma. He also shares some interesting facts, including the 1906 mass suicide of the Balinese royal family and one of my favourite anecdotes about Rudyard Kipling who was shaved every night in the tropics as he slept.
Whilst I´m sure not many travellers would be surprised in his “findings”, in the reprint for 2001 Iyer has added an “Afterword” recognising that there are probably more Eastern influences on Western life. There is a Thai restaurant in pretty much every city and town and US call centres out-sourced to India. Spot on!
Aub´s Verdict: A classic for its time, but well past it´s sell-by date.
Ed´s Note: Iyer has done some writings on time spent with His Holiness Dalai Lama, but haven´t got the time for such indulgences at the moment.
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