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Notes from the Other China - Adventures in Asia
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List Price:
$34.95
Asia Trips Trips Price: $34.95
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Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Algora Publishing
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 915
EAN: 9780875865836
ISBN: 0875865836
Label: Algora Publishing
Manufacturer: Algora Publishing
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 224
Publication Date: 2007-10-01
Publisher: Algora Publishing
Studio: Algora Publishing
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Editorial Reviews:
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By turns irreverent, informative and amusing, a dauntless young man captures the experience of the expatriate in Asia. Notes is a humorous yet insightful romp based on the author' s decade-long experience as an English teacher in Taiwan (the other China ) and Korea, with expeditions to other parts of Asia. With a lively appreciation for the absurd, he cuts through the frustration to moments of splendor, friendship and stirring human warmth. Part travel narrative, part cultural exposé, Notes is based on the author s decade-long experience as an English teacher in the less-traveled parts of Asia. Taiwan, or the other China, takes center stage, while Japan, the Koreas, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal and Vietnam also play their parts. Steering clear of politics, Parfitt focuses on the individual humans he meets. This is a glimpse of real life in the shadow of China, neither a dry-as-dust academic treatise nor a heroic tale of surviving the Cultural Revolution. He takes a look at Korea s fever-pitch nationalism and gives an assessment of the world s only Chinese democracy, has a run-in with a Nepalese rhinoceros and one or two equally volatile Vietnamese tour guides. Most of all, he ponders the actions and reactions of the people he encounters as he finds his way in an alien world: the man on the street, in the pub, in his adult language classes, and sometimes weirdest of all -- his fellow Westerners. Simple people greet the author with everything from spontaneous gestures of friendship to sudden slaps, from openness and warmth to rock-headed obtuseness. Parfitt endures the jolts of traveling where there is no travel industry, touring where there is no tourism infrastructure, and teaching map-reading skills where there is no Western-style logic and adults freely admit they can hardly find their way to work and back. He shares it all with the reader over a beer, and all is well again with the world. Then he's off to look for more. A picture emerges of a fractured, diverse humanity muddling along and still getting by together in spite of all.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Mr. Parfitt, you're a grump!
Comment: It seems like Mr. Parfitt's idea of an interesting experience is one where everything goes badly. Unfortunately, this leads to him writing about everything that is wrong with Taiwan, and not much about what is right. But perhaps this is exactly why only a small part of the book is actually about Taiwan: Mr. Parfitt complains so much about so many parts of Asia that perhaps he is continually moving to try to find a place that doesn't drive him crazy. In fact, the book is really more about Asia than just Taiwan, and the "notes" are really little more than extended complaints, so it really should be titled, "Rants from Asia".
I'd like to suggest that part of the reason why Mr. Parfitt finds life difficult in Taiwan is that he appears to have a rather contrarian personality, as demonstrated by his description of attending Mormon church services just to ask difficult questions. I was particularly annoyed when he discussed the difficulty of making bank transactions using his English name. Apparently, he doesn't have a Chinese name, and he claims that even if he did have one, it wouldn't make much difference because it wouldn't be legally binding and wouldn't appear on his identification. In fact, this is completely false. As an American living in Taiwan, I can assure Mr. Parfitt that my Chinese name does appear not only on my identification, but on my household registration, both of which are legal documents. So the entire chapter on the difficulties that Taiwanese people have with Western names is actually totally pointless. Mr. Parfitt says that he speaks Chinese, so the only excuse for not having a Chinese name is a desire to make life difficult for others, and therefore for himself.
The book actually contains many other completely untrue claims. The claim that most Taiwanese people don't know how they feel about mainland China is particularly ludicrous. To a person, every Taiwanese I have spoken to thinks that the mainland Chinese government is evil, corrupt, immoral, and/or imperialist. This is of course completely unsurprising, given the threat posed by the mainland -- but perhaps this is all lost on Mr. Parfitt.
When my wife read this book, she said to me "This guy's a grump. I want to write to him and tell him, 'You're a grump.'" And so I write: Mr. Parfitt, you're a grump.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Humorous Account from the Other China
Comment: In some ways, Parfitt's writing mirrors the experiences he shares of working, living and traveling in Southeast Asia - it has its ups and downs. On the positive side, Parfitt has a great sense of humor and he often had me chuckling out loud when I read his funny takes on his many and varied experiences as he recounts his life and travels in different parts of southeast Asia. In this way, he reminds me of Bill Bryson's sharp wit. On the other hand, his frequent use of sarcasm and "only joking" bits sometimes leaves the reader wondering if the funny anecdote just related actually happened or was an exaggeration.
It's refreshing to read a travel account from a "man-in-the-streets" perspective, where you get insights and information that you might otherwise not get from a more cultured approach. There is a down-to-earth honesty in Parfitt's recollections that make the reader connect with his experiences, and which in some ways makes other travel writers' books appear somewhat contrived, as almost after the fact, retrospective insights. Parfitt's voice could be that of your best buddy sharing his thoughts over a beer. His detailed descriptions of his dealings with tour guides, other tourists, hotel managers, bus drivers et al are fun to read, and Parfitt keeps you yearning for more. At the same time, sometimes Parfitt makes too many generalizations about other nationalities, generalizations which could be found offensive by some. But again, I would give him some slack because he is not writing from an academic or "professional" travel writer perspective, but from an unsheltered and exposed position.
There is a good bit of history to give context to Parfitt's journeys, and one feels well-informed about each locale's background. In the end, despite the flaws, I would still recommend this book for some good laughs and a ground-level look at southeast Asia.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Captivating and funny
Comment: Troy Parfitt's exquisite travelogue "Notes From the Other China: Adventures in Asia" is an insightful and a laugh-out-loud funny exposé of the culture, history and politics of the Asian people. The book is based on the author's decade-long experience as an English teacher in Taiwan, the "other China," and the less-traveled parts of Korea, the Philippines, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal and Vietnam.
In just a few sentences his masterful writing captures the spirit of the people and their customs and the eye-popping beauty of the countries.
Parfitt's descriptions made me feel as if I was right there with him. For example when describing the Philippines' island of Mindoro he wrote, "The view...was dominated by a jutting mountain liberally adorned with craning palms. Its summit was in perpetual possession of a lazy swirl of wispy clouds that clung motionlessly, as if magnetized."
Parfitt's intelligent, captivating and witty writing is reminiscent of Bill Bryson's travel books, "A Walk in the Woods" and "In a Sunburned Country. I look forward to reading more of Parfitt's work.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Funniest book I've read on Taiwan
Comment: Troy Parfitt's first book, Notes from the Other China is an entertaining book, based on the author's experiences of living, working & travelling in Asia for just over a decade. He has mostly been based in North East Asia, and consequentially, much of the content focuses on South Korea and Taiwan, which gives the book a very different outlook, as these two countries are usually ignored in travel books on Asia. However , he has travelled to other countries such as the Philippines, Vietnam and Nepal, which are regularly covered in the travel genre; yet here too, Troy Parfitt manages to provide a different perspective with his somewhat cynical, though very humorous comments and observations. These make a refreshing change from the usual overly gushing praise, that is all too frequently bestowed by travel writers.
As a long term ex-pat in Asia, I could tell straight away the Parfitt's tales had the authentic ring of a someone who has lived in Asia, rather than merely passing through. Typically, I find travel books to be written by enthusiastic amateurs; their short term stays are reflected in their short term views of Asian countries. Troy Parfitt, by contrast, is a seasoned veteran of life in the Orient and that's what makes his book stand out from in the cluttered and crowded travel genre. This book is a true gem.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Insightful, funny and witty - a must-read for Asian travellers
Comment: Troy Parfitt has produced a thoroughly enjoyable and witty account of his adventures in Asia. Surely he must be one of those people that you see in the cafe scribbling madly in their diary as the book departs more detail than I could ever remember. Particularly striking is his non-judgmental demeanor and writing style. Personally, if I had gone through what he had in Korea, I would be much more condemning of that society. Whether you're going to Asia or 'been there, done that', this book is so insightful that it makes it a must-read. A perfect outsider looking in tale from a long-term Asian expat. Ranks right up there with Theroux - just without all the railway romanticism.
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