"Although I've moved on from guidebooks to other kinds of writing, my passion for travel has never ebbed," says Cummings, pictured here in a recent photo.

24th April 2020
CNN

Plenty of whiskey, few backpackers: The wild story behind Lonely Planet's first Thailand guidebook

One day in late 1980, I sat down, fed a blue aerogram into my electric typewriter, wrote out a proposal for a "Lonely Planet Thailand" guide, and mailed it directly to Tony Wheeler. Within a few weeks, Tony wrote back and said that coincidentally he was looking for someone to do a guide on Thailand, and since LP was expanding, he didn't have time to do one himself.

Tony's second response came quickly, offering $9,000 to create the first edition of Thailand -- a travel survival kit. I had to pay my own air fare and expenses, but as it turned out I simultaneously received a paid fellowship from Berkeley to carry out field studies, so I rolled the two projects into one trip during the spring of 1981.

Carrying nothing but a shoulder bag with a change of clothes, a couple of notebooks and a manual-focus SLR film camera I traded a Gibson electric guitar for (an exchange I still regret!), I caromed around Thailand by rot rawn (hot bus), the ubiquitous orange inter-city buses with wood-plank floors and feeble rotating fans to stir the tepid air.

I noted that Khon Kaen was well-known as the principal place where Thai Sticks (marijuana buds tied to bamboo) were assembled, and "that portion of the product that does not leave town for bigger markets is reputed to be the very best available, in other words, the locals keep the best for themselves -- old Thai hands call it 'Khon Kaen Crippler'."

full https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/ ... index.html

I had that book. A German hitchhiker I picked up in '88 left the 1984 edition of that book on my bookshelf without telling me, along with a copy of SEA on a Shoestring and a fat orange German language book about travelling Indonesia. I started avidly reading about 40B guesthouses with a bong in every room, and after a trip to Thailand in '89 my life was forever changed. Bongs were gone from the guesthouses by the time I got there. But the weed wasn't. I don't remember the German's name, but it is because of him that I am here in Cambodia today. Vielen Dank mein Freund!



Edit: It was the 1984 edition

Many a lonely night spent thumbing the pages of a Lonely Planet guide planning the next trip - the maps were gold at the time.

rexwell wrote: ↑Thu May 21, 2020 3:03 pm I had that book. A German hitchhiker I picked up in '88 left the 1982 edition of that book on my bookshelf without telling me, along with a copy of SEA on a Shoestring and a fat orange German language book about travelling Indonesia.

Maybe the book that referred to West Germans as 'fat red lobsters' or similar lying on Jomtien beach.. They had to change that later after many complaints.

Lonely Planet really got a clean up after it hit the US market. No more talk of where to buy weed or hookers. Moved to a more flash-packer and mid-range traveller feel. I thought they sold out and had nothing more to do with LP.

I jus be lovin Lonely Planet. An I kin find out where ta buy weed and hookers.

A book, a website, word of mouth, my own street walking research (pun intended), whatever it takes. We be living in the infomation age, Bub. Any info that help me be findin' that fine Thai pussy and them fine Thai narcotics be welcome.

rexwell wrote: ↑Thu May 21, 2020 3:29 pm Lonely Planet really got a clean up after it hit the US market. No more talk of where to buy weed or hookers. Moved to a more flash-packer and mid-range traveller feel. I thought they sold out and had nothing more to do with LP.

Completely agree. They started this flash-packing and splurge obsession and some woman called Asia some shit started gutting the book. Cummings had been replaced by then, he was living in CM when I was there in 05.

Big Daikon wrote: ↑Thu May 21, 2020 7:14 pm You need a book to find hookers in Thailand?

why do you think its called 'lonely' planet?