The Bangkok Guide

Not two days ago I was complaining to a friend that one of the hardest things about finding organic produce, places to recycle batteries, and vegetarian restaurants is that I can't just pick up the phone book and check the yellow pages. Of course with the advent of the Internet I hadn't used the phone book in the US for at least 7 years but I think you catch my meaning.

Photo reprinted with permission.

I found myself in one of Bangkok's many malls last week and stopped into the bookstore, as I always do, to scan the Thailand-interest titles. This time something new caught my eye, The Bangkok Guide: The Essential Guide to Living in Bangkok. It's a beefy book that is part guide book, part phone book. It's produced in Thailand by the Australian-New Zealand Women's Group and truly provides a wealth of information on living in Bangkok - from hospitals, schools and banking to shopping, art galleries, and social clubs. It also contains much of the kind of information that a sustainable-living warrior might covet, such as:

• Organic Food
• Vegetarian & Vegetarian-Friendly Restaurants
• Shopping Local
• Natural Child Birth & Doulas
• Alternative Health Care
• Volunteer Opportunities

I purchased the 17th Edition which was published in 2007 and comes with a good map and small phone/phrase book. I paid Baht 850 at Asia Books and consider it money well spent. Especially when you consider that all proceeds from the sale of the book are donated to Thai charities.