this book was born from an event in 1976. back then, tiziano was told by a fortune-teller in hong kong, not to fly in the year 1993. the start of the book sees him in a inner conflict - whether or not to believe in what westerners call superstition. and he decided he needed a change in his hectic lifestyle (he is a journalist), so in 1993, tiziano travelled by land and sea through eleven asian countries. turns out, a UN helicopter crashed in cambodia that very year, full of journalists. "Among them was the German colleague who had taken (his) place."along the way, he continues his new-found fascination with this alternate form of believes. what promises to be a journey of spirituality and insight into the asian way of life is marred by tiziano's love for his own words. he sees it as a neccesity to end each paragraph with a beautifully written sentence that, i can only suppose, intended to lead the reader into a new level of realisation. in the first chapter, it is pretty impressive. but after that, you just want to ask him to stop. the man takes himself way to seriously, coming up with sentences like,
"What an ugly invention is tourism! One of the most baleful of all industries! It has reduced the world to a vast playground, a Disneyland without borders. Soon thousands of these new invaders, soldiers of the empire of consumerism, will land, and with their insatiable cameras and camcorders they will scrape away the last of that natural magic which is still everywhere in this country."
seriously, does he even read his own books? his love for the untouched, places spared from modernisation can be understood, and even applauded. while the masses are conforming to the ever-changing west, we need our own identification. but his constant whining in the book is irritating and laughable. he is not only in love with his words, he is in love with his ideals and is determined to make sure we readers can memorise it.
and his affection for asia, obviously does not extend to the people that make up this part of the world. chinese, according to him are the ones responsible for the peoples' need to modernise. chinese, immigrated for money. chinese, monopolised thailand and made it what it is today. he also states his discontempt for the way women are dressed in malaysia. he speaks of the kampucheans like they are of a mystic past, and not the warm, friendly people they are.
such sweeping statements, and from a journalist too. many of his so-called quotes come from only one person, and he uses that to justify as if it spoke for the majority. the last straw for me came when he reached singapore. he does not bother to hide his disgust for our country. he openly criticises out government, and our father MM Lee Kuan Yew. he writes of things that i can only name them as 'conspiracy theories". it is utterly revolting and disgusting to read, coming from someone who isn't even singaporean. He says,
"What happens to a society that grows up like this, without the learning to make distinctions, with only the computer's logic of 'yes' and 'no'? What happens in the heads of children who grow up with the impression that every problem has a solution, and that everything is at most a question of software?"
this part made me so indignant that i dog-eared the page. and i never do that to books. but he exceeds himself when he gave snide remarks about our racial harmony, saying it cannot possibly exist, and that chinese are the dominating race. our taxi drivers, are irritating and we like in a air-con city.
there will always be this debate of urbanisation vs. our origins. even tiziano himself agrees that when given a choice, people (who live in less developed places) will opt for urbanisation. and why? because of the convenience and comfort it brings. while i too enjoy the occasional escape, it is unfair to impose upon others what you think as beautiful and untouched. is it right then, hindering people to move on? is it fair that because you think something should be left alone, that the people living in it should also be denied the chance of sleeping in an air-con room and a comfortable bed?
tiziano may have good knowledge about asia. but in a book written so fluffy and with that little credibility, i say skip it.
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