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Sonchai Jitpleecheep

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Bangkok at Night

During this hottest summer of my life, I have entertained myself by reading all the Sonchai Jitpleecheep novels by John Burdett. Sonchai is a member of the Royal Thai Police, while at the same time serving as a pimp in the Soi Cowboy brothel run by his mother and his boss, Colonel Vikorn. In all, there are six novels in the series:

  • Bangkok 8 (2003), named for the Bangkok police district controlled by Colonel Vikorn
  • Bangkok Tattoo (2005)
  • Bangkok Haunts (2007), with the word “haunts” to be taken literally
  • The Godfather of Kathmandu (2009)
  • Vulture Peak (2011)
  • Bangkok Asset (2015)

I assume that, since no new titles have appeared in the last eleven years, that the series is complete.

Reading the novels, you get a great picture, not only of Bangkok, but of several other Asian countries as well, including Laos, Cambodia, Kathmandu, and Dubai. The picture that emerges of Bangkok is a crowded one, like the above photo, but one tempered by the Buddhism of Jitpleecheep in an atmosphere of outrageous criminality.

Burdett has also written several other books, which I will eventually evaluate—though I feel that the Bangkok novels are going to be tough to beat.

I have always loved reading mystery fiction set in other countries, such as the Inspector Ghote novels set in India by H.R.F. Keating; the Napoleon Bonaparte novels set in Australia by Arthur Upfield; the Mario Conde novels set in Castro’s Cuba by Leonardo Padura; the Inspector Espinosa novels set in Brazil by Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Rosa; and the Judge Dee novels set in Tang Dynasty China by Robert van Gulik. And that’s just to name a few.

One Night in Bangkok

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Palaces and Temples in Bangkok, Thailand

Now that I am (1) retired and (2) living on a fixed income, my fantasies of travel become ever more vivid. Some months ago, I found a copy of the Lonely Planet Guide to Thailand in one of those take a book/leave a book stands. Ever since then, my mind has traveled to Bangkok, Chang Mai, Pattaya, and Ko Samui and points in between.

I know that if the money for travel should drop into my lap, most of my fantasy travel destinations would involve my going by myself. Martine wants no part of the Third World, let alone closer destinations like Yucatán or the Alaska Panhandle.

No matter: Even armchair travel can be a rewarding experience. I am currently reading Alex Garland’s The Beach about a visit to a strange island near Ko Samui. And I continue to pore over my Lonely Planet Guide, even if it is a year or two out of date. And I will look for more of those Bangkok crime novels featuring Sonchai Jitpleecheep written by John Burdett. It should make for a fun summer.

Of course, if I went to Thailand, I probably would not spend much time on the beach. To be sure, I would visit museums and Buddhist temples and spend hours at various Thai “Walking Streets” and night markets. The food would be fantastic. And, being the type of person I am, I would get a ton of reading done. Not for me the full moon parties on the beach and the girlie bars of Soi Cowboy and Patpong.

And when I have read my fill of Thailand, there are other places that I could explore from my armchair.

As for real, non-armchair travel, I am looking forward to going with Martine to Arizona sometime in the not too distant future.

Thailand or Bust

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Scene on a Bangkok Canal

Because Martine and I usually eat at different times, there is a pile of Lonely Planet guidebooks at my right elbow on the kitchen table. Recently I picked up the Lonely Planet guide to Thailand and have been devouring it with interest.

I have never been to Asia, mostly because of the language barrier. In Thailand, the language barrier is even more pronounced because they have their own alphabet, which resembles tightly circumscribed insect tracks. Despite the difficulty, I find their culture fascinating—not to mention their cuisine!

It’s fun to fantasize about future trips, even if one never takes them. In fact, you can call me an armchair traveler who just happens to have visited some fascinating places around the world in Europe and the Americas. Martine seems to be uninterested to joining me in any distant travel (unless it be to Hawaii and, perhaps, Canada); so I would have to go it alone.

As long as I am physically able to travel, I would be happiest if I were able to indulge in my wanderlust. Right now, the biggest problem is not health, but lack of money.