Books & Movies featuring Thailand

When preparing for a trip, especially in that time right after booking a flight, I’m looking for books and films that feature my destination. I watched and read many, but these are my recommendations for Thailand.

Bangkok Babylon a book by Jerry Hopkins

Bangkok Babylon is one of those rare non-fiction finds that taught me a few things while making me even more excited to visit Thailand. Jerry Hopkins recalls his first decade as a Bangkok expatriate by profiling 25 of the city's most unforgettable characters. Packed with true stories about people such as John “Caveman” Gray who started John Gray Sea Canoe in Phuket, Thailand. Each chapter is about a different person so it’s easy to sneak in a chapter here and there, but you won’t want to put it down.

Experience Thailand a book by Lonely Planet

If you’re a guidebook nerd like me, then you will want to purchase the full Lonely Planet Thailand guide, but many people may prefer their new Experience format with more photos and tips (fewer addresses and business hours, which you can just look up online). As I said, I’m a guidebook nerd, so I bought both plus their Bangkok Pocket guide and a few others :)

Man with the Golden Gun a film with Roger Moore as James Bond

Maybe this movie isn’t meant to be a comedy—but I’m laughing! The word’s highest-net-worth assassin (Christopher Lee as Francisco Scaramanga) tries to kill James Bond with a golden gun from his private island hideout in Phang Nga Bay, Thailand. In the film, the Solex Agitator is a device which can harness solar energy, created as a solution to the global energy crisis (it’s hilarious now in a way that it just wasn’t in 1974, just trust me!). Filmed on location in Thailand, it’s not really going to show you many landmarks and may not get you excited to visit, but the scenery is pretty and who doesn’t love a James Bond film anyway? These days, the locals literally call it James Bond Island instead of Khao Phing Kan and many tours are available to see the filming locations. This trailer is fan-made but I think does a better job showing off the film:

Now go ahead and watch the Hangover Part 2, the The Bridge on the River Kwai, and all the other “Thailand” films, but I recommended what I recommended. :)