This book should rightly have been called “Bangkok Nights,” for
Osborne (The Naked Tourist ) provides a raunchy account of the nightlife and
bars and bargirls of Thailand's capital. In particular, he delves into the lives
of a motley band of aging, libertine Westerners (Farangs) living in his
apartment complex and explores the city in their company. Their tragicomic lives
are compelling, and Osborne provides some extraordinary anecdotes. For instance,
when an illness takes the author to the Bumrungad Hospital, he finds that it is
more like a five-star hotel than a hospital. Despite being confined, the author
and a companion manage a visit to a girly bar with two IV drips in tow. What
lifts this book beyond mere sleaziness is Osborne's prose. He uses language with
great skill, and the sounds and smells of Bangkok are wonderfully evoked.
Osborne's writing conveys a genuine love for the city and an appreciation of its
ethos of easygoing tolerance. Recommended.
