Re-reading Amit Gilboa's "Off the Rails in Phnom Penh"

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k*rm*geddon
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Re: Re-reading Amit Gilboa's "Off the Rails in Phnom Penh"

Post by k*rm*geddon »

RightLegDave wrote: Sun Feb 18, 2018 12:03 pm I was just talking with Amit about a week ago. I actually appear as a character in his book "Off the Rails" as John from Canada (not my real name or country). I was living in Koh Kong from 1996-1999 and I can tell you that Amit's story is very accurate, at least as far as my part of the story goes. We've actually been asked to do a podcast together about the book and Cambodia in general at that time - it should be out quite soon if anyone is interested.
Yes please. Looking forward to it.
In the coup of 1997, I walked my family to the Capitol Guest House (prudently as it eventuated).
While there, one Western occupant stood out because of the constant shine in his eyes. Upon reading Off The Rails and realizing that the author was that particular guy, it became clear that his rapture of the time related to having just been handed a final chapter for his book.

Totally agree about the accuracy of Amit's work. One certain gentleman, a colleague, was way more extreme even than how he was presented.
MY 99 CENT KINDLE: ... 1974 TRAVEL IN THAILAND, CAMBODIA AND SOUTH VIETNAM : http://www.amazon.co.uk/EXPLAINING-CAMB ... B00L0LC8TO
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Re: Re-reading Amit Gilboa's "Off the Rails in Phnom Penh"

Post by willyhilly »

I have talked with people about K11 and it was pretty outrageous then. So many Vietnamese children being abused. Hey Jamie, it would be easier to read the book if you took your boxing gloves off. It's pretty thin and an easy read, you would take lifetime to get through War and Peace.
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Re: Re-reading Amit Gilboa's "Off the Rails in Phnom Penh"

Post by Arget »

Anyone have a copy to share?
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Re: Re-reading Amit Gilboa's "Off the Rails in Phnom Penh"

Post by that genius »

willyhilly wrote: Sun May 13, 2018 5:49 pm I have talked with people about K11 and it was pretty outrageous then. So many Vietnamese children being abused. Hey Jamie, it would be easier to read the book if you took your boxing gloves off. It's pretty thin and an easy read, you would take lifetime to get through War and Peace.
A German cunt took me there once on false pretenses, many years ago, he told me the best Italian restaurant in Cambodia was there.

I was clueless, went for the ride in his car with police plates.

Quickly realised it was a very bad joke/attempted recruiting.

All the kids around there knew him by name, creepy.

Few months later he knocked out 2 teeth of some hooker at Walkabout over a payment dispute, ended up in jail for 2 weeks, then out.
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Re: Re-reading Amit Gilboa's "Off the Rails in Phnom Penh"

Post by Jamie_Lambo »

willyhilly wrote: Sun May 13, 2018 5:49 pm I have talked with people about K11 and it was pretty outrageous then. So many Vietnamese children being abused. Hey Jamie, it would be easier to read the book if you took your boxing gloves off. It's pretty thin and an easy read, you would take lifetime to get through War and Peace.
yeah its not a big book, biggest ive done was Homers Iliad, im just stuck at some boring bit in the first 1/4 where he keeps going on and on about politics and boring the life out of me for about 20 pages, only a page or 2 left until i hope it gets onto something more interesting and "off the rails"...
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Re: Re-reading Amit Gilboa's "Off the Rails in Phnom Penh"

Post by willyhilly »

Off the Rails is a pretty good yarn in my opinion and an easy read. I knock off a few books a week, always military history. There are a spate of Vietnam books recently released and they cost only a few dollars on Kindle. I also re read some great history like The Aviators by Winstone Groom. Tells the life stories of three remarkable men who changed history-Doolittle, Rickenbacker and Lindbergh. Lindbergh became the most famous man in the world overnight and later worked for PanAm for 30 years and he is the father of modern civil aviation that we take for granted now.
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Re: Re-reading Amit Gilboa's "Off the Rails in Phnom Penh"

Post by that genius »

willyhilly, have you read The Great War for Civilisation by Robert Fisk? You'll enjoy it, I'm sure.

Also 'Commando' by Deneys Reitz, stories from The Boer War

The White Men Sang by Alexander Fullerton, novel about the last stand of the Shangani Patrol

That should give the ladies a breather for a few hours ;)
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Re: Re-reading Amit Gilboa's "Off the Rails in Phnom Penh"

Post by andy1 »

Try a book called Chickenhawk(I forget the authors name) the life of a huey pilot in the Vietnam war,an exellent read.
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Re: Re-reading Amit Gilboa's "Off the Rails in Phnom Penh"

Post by Moe »

The author of that book (and I agree that it is a good read) is Robert Mason. He's written a sequel - Chickenhawk: Back in the World - Life After Vietnam, that I have not read yet, but it looks interesting.
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Re: Re-reading Amit Gilboa's "Off the Rails in Phnom Penh"

Post by John Bingham »

Moe wrote: Mon May 14, 2018 6:14 pm The author of that book (and I agree that it is a good read) is Robert Mason. He's written a sequel - Chickenhawk: Back in the World - Life After Vietnam, that I have not read yet, but it looks interesting.
I read both. The sequel is depressing, he gets caught dealing marijuana and goes to jail for years.
Silence, exile, and cunning.
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