Guest Posted July 16, 2003 Report Share Posted July 16, 2003 All-- I've found that a good number of so-calldee guide books suffer from two problems: 1) Out of date information and 2) Book bias.. Since information can go "stale" rather quick I think that printed guide books are not so great... As for "book bias" I am referring to the bend that a book takes... Some guide books are more "up-scale" than others, thus the places that it rates and "high" or not might be totally different from your choices... In other words are they using the same scale that you are? I prefer to use word of mouth from people I know who have recently been there... In my company, I can search our databse and see who has been where in the immeidate past... If I want to know something or get a recommendation, I simply email him/her... Of course, this is not always a viable option for everyone, but I do think that online travel communities are much better than a guidebook... IMHO --UPSer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUZIBANDIT Posted July 16, 2003 Report Share Posted July 16, 2003 The nightlife sections and the moralising that goes along with the section always pisses me off. And usually right after the no-no section on go-go P4P is a 2 page spread on where to find the best gay bar or ladyboy show. Now I knew a guy who was in one of the famous cabaret shows. He wasn't gay, but he was poor and made good money doing it. But he also wasn't very happy about having to dress up like a woman every night. Now where is Jow Cummings and his moralising when ole Somchai needs him? Actually, I don't mind the gay section at all, I just would like to see equal billing or at least both treated in the same way. Anyways, I met a guy who worked for LP in SF and he said that the staff at LP are sick of Joe C as well and are looking to phase him out. The last Thailand guide had a coauthor and they are looking to have him take over. Of course this is just drunken bar talk, so read into what you want. I have a lot of guest here and have seen many different guide books, LP is the best for accomadation and transport hand holding, but I found the Moon Books (Guide?) the best "guide" to more in depth subjects. It also gives a fair share of space to nightlife: discos as well as P4P. The guides are best for first timers, but I like to have them around as reference and to loan out to guests. They can come in handy when you're pressed for time and need ideas, but so can message boards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelseafan Posted July 16, 2003 Report Share Posted July 16, 2003 You crack me up Jack..... :grinyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dddave Posted July 16, 2003 Report Share Posted July 16, 2003 I do, but only gor general information that is not time sensative. You have to figure that most of the information in even the newest of guidebooks is two years old by the time they gather, compile, edit, typeset, print and distribute it I read somewhere that there are investors who immediately try to buy up any guest house or small hotel that gets a favorable review in any major guidebook, then milk it for all it's worth. dj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pom_Jao_Choo Posted July 17, 2003 Report Share Posted July 17, 2003 Books like the well known "Lonely Planet" are excellent resource books. I'm sure theres lot's of fuck ups in them and like they say the facts are constantly changing. But for the maps and all the valid resources they contain their well worth the price for the first time visitor. Especially back when English was more limited here. If I was to go somewhere new and different in LOS or other countries I would enjoy having it available. But for the price they sell for now I might have second thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pescator Posted July 17, 2003 Report Share Posted July 17, 2003 Hi PJC Basically you said it. Unfortunately the city maps especially of the LP guide suck and are so simplified and out of proportion that they are only of very limited use. They could have improved though, my latest edition is rather old. Although I hardly qualify as a first time visitor after some 11 years of visiting the kingdom I still bring a copy as I like to visit new places never did much backtracking. And once you get off the bus at the busstation in a new town you are basically at the mercy of the samlor drivers etc. when it comes to checking in at a GH or hotel. These books have saved me heaps of time and money during the years. Plenty of background information as well makes for a good read if you have some time to kill. Of course some people say that if you travel using the LP guide book you are on the biggest package tour of them all. :: Cheers Hua Nguu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted July 17, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2003 LP, Moon Handbooks, are great for provincial infos, there there is little chance that too much has been outdated. The maps are indeed minimizing distances as far as out of town visits, but center of town stuff is rather well shown. I actually have sometimes paid a tuktuk, because i was afraid some hotel was too far from the station and did not trust the guide. To find out it could have done walking. In Pattaya, before a vivit upcountry, i go to the tourist office, picks up infos on where i am going and asks them to xerox a few LP pages relative to the place. saves a lot of weight. But the LP (or else) really becomes useful when you go to places like Burma or laos or Cambodia. i am also proud to know a few good places/hotels that have never been mentionned in these guides. In general, a sure way to know a place has gone down the drain is when the author specifies the owner is friendly, speaks good english, the rooms very cozy. you go there and the owner is in Europe, the staff has no idea about anything, and the rooms are plain unkempt. Flattery does not seem to encourage thais to keep up the good work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romaning2004 Posted July 17, 2003 Report Share Posted July 17, 2003 Hi Pattaya127, I did the first time round hahahahhaha i think i had every book you could get at the time, including the Thailand - Culture Skock book. But now i dont take one at all, not saying that i've got enough experiance, but that i just like to travel on the fly and experiance everything good and bad, if you know what i mean Cheers Roman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 18, 2003 Report Share Posted July 18, 2003 I've lived here long-term and always buy a copy of the new Lonely Planet Thailand when it comes out. It has its drawbacks, but it does not deserve the antipathy some people give it. (My name is in it somewhere in almost every issue, BTW. : I've heard tell that the LP-Thailand is their biggest seller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
check_bin_krap Posted July 18, 2003 Report Share Posted July 18, 2003 I don't take any guidebooks to LOS these days, I prefer to print out relevant info from the net and bring it along. I usually plan my trips in detail so its not hard to collect relevant info online before going. When going to a country the first time on a holiday I bring at least 1 with me though - LP was the last one. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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