Thailand Confidential

A grumpy expat sounds off on other expats and foreigners, penis worship, tourists, Bangkok’s bodysnatchers, piracy, backpackers, aphrodisiacs, fast elephants, dangerous elephants, rotten fish, a gay water buffalo, ghosts, scams and cons, shadow wives, sex-change operations and ladyboys, country music, fear and respect, drugs, the beer wars, bi-racial cool, street food, superlatives, denial, eating insects, violence, making movies, Thai time, learning the language, chili peppers, a heart attack, the rubber barons, the King’s music, Thai whisky, sex, and other amazing stuff you’ll never read about in any guide to Thailand.

“Hopkins is just the man to capture the magical, impossible carnival that is Thailand, his expat’s perspective putting the country’s traditions, customs and quirks in high relief. The author clearly has a voracious and adventurous appetite, and Thailand provides the perfect feast. He devours subjects ranging from the sex trade and local cuisine to magic tattoos and the kingdom’s ‘swinging monarch’. After over a decade in the country, Hopkins knows and loves his subject dearly—that much is obvious—and his vivid portrait projects that love from every page.”

— Jann Wenner

“A loving exposé of everything that’s wonderful about Thailand, and much that isn’t. Should be required reading for all new comers”.

— Joe Cummings

“Wanna stand in the face of a charging elephant, get hit by a motorcycle, eat giant water bugs, blowtorch your mouth on some of the hottest chili peppers on earth, then go watch a sex change operation? Of course you don’t, but, happily, Jerry Hopkins has done all that and more—lots more—in this darkly humorous, deeply affectionate, clear eyed but never patronizing portrait of Thailand, his adopted home. Highly recommended.”

— Tim Cahill, author of Lost in My Own Backyard, Hold the Enlightenment, and Jaguars Ripped My Flesh