Book Report 6: Mercati's Thai Massage Manual

Before my first visit to the Land of Smiles I had been emailing and chatting with a few friends I'd made as pen pals, three of whom were anxiously awaiting my first trip to meet them.  One of them lived a fairly frugal lifestyle, watched every baht and was somewhat surprised to hear me say I was looking forward to the massages I'd read about there.

"Oh, so expensive," he wrote "I'll do Thai massage for you!" "Do you know how to do a Thai massage?" I'd asked, and when he replied "No, but I'll learn. You don't need to spend so much money here!"  I figured I could either have lucked out or I may come back home in traction of some sort.

Nevertheless, I thanked him for his kind offer and thought that maybe - just maybe - he'd actually take some classes in the five months before I was scheduled to arrive. "Stranger things have happened," I said to myself, but knowing he worked six days a week at an office job I wasn't getting my hopes up.

When we met we went out to dinner and he mentioned in passing that he'd learned "some" technique and was planning to show me what he'd learned when he dropped me back at my hotel later that evening.  I was apprehensive, but figured "oh, what the hell... why not?"

Back at my room I asked him where he'd taken his training, and he said "oh, no time for training... I read a book!"  "A book?" I asked, now more than merely apprehensive. "Yes, I bought a book, and I read it every day on my lunch hour. Every night when I'd get home I'd practice on my father". "Is your father all right?" I inquired, trying to be as delicate as possible in my questioning. "Yes, he said I'm learning fast!"  He seemed so pleased to be able to do this favor for me that I let down my guard and had my first Thai massage.

Lo and behold - in this "newbie's" opinion - he did a decent job at it. Having had countless others of varying quality since then he did just fine, thinking back.

There were a few times when I had to say "easy with me, I'm not used to this" and he'd lessen the pressure he was using, but it really was relaxing, and when he was through I got up and moved around the room, noting my increased range of joint motion and stretched muscles.  As I was complimenting him on his new skills he pulled a used copy of today's book out of his backpack that he'd found in some book shop.

Both images today are from Thai Massage Manual by Maria Mercati, copyright 1998

Thai Massage Manual is all in English, published by Asia Books, but is so well illustrated with step-by-step images and instructions that even with his limited English he was able to duplicate the moves fairly well.  I went out and bought a copy the next day.  Anyone can learn this. Anyone. I practiced it myself at home and returned on my second visit with enough at hand to give him an approximation of what he'd done with me.

New, the book cost me 595Bt (about $20USD). I hope at his pay rate he got a much cheaper version someplace used, but I didn't want to be rude and ask, so I didn't. It's a full-size (8.5" x 11"), full color paperback, 144 pages, and covers technique, different stretches and pressures, and how to work on different parts of the body.

Doing a quick check on Amazon I found copies between $3USD and $15USD. Well worth the investment if you care to learn some about this wonderful and healthy practice.

[As a side note/reminder, there's a link to a very good currency converter right here on the blog in the right hand column.]

Book Report 5: What-You-See-Is-What-You-Say Phrasebook

Another reference book today, and while it's not as readily available as some it's both informative and entertaining: Eric Allyn's What You See Is What You Say Thai Phrase Handbook, originally published by Bua Luang in 1999 and updated in 2003. He worked with Samorn Chaiyana to put this volume together, and they did an admirable job of it.

It's available through both Amazon US and Amazon UK, and I've seen it numerous times in bookstores (both new and used) in Thailand.  For that reason I've added the spine image to my somewhat worn cover image, just to make it easier to spot if you're scanning through stacks of used books in a shop or market area.

At 304 pages and weighing nearly a pound I've considered leaving it behind several times, but it's come in handy more than any other portable reference I've found so far; even more valuable than an electronic translating device, or "talking dic" as my friends usually call it. It's a bit larger than a standard pocketbook paperback, but it's still worth the space.

Through usage I've found it to be the both the easiest and best (and most accurate, according to Thai friends) reference for transliteration, and it allows you to delve as simply or as deeply into the Thai language as you wish. What I guess I mean is it gives you room to grow, and each time I return to it I see and am able to use more things. Stumbling with pronunciation is cute to a point - and entertaining for the Thai around you, naturally - but out of respect I try not to mangle the language any more than necessary.

It's also interesting reading if you're not using it as a word/phrase guide. You can read many, many short pieces dealing with, for instance, how usage of the fork and spoon became prevalent in the Kingdom, learn of the customs and importance of rice and see countless examples of things you might have seen but not understood via the hundreds of diagrams, line drawings and photographs that cover everything from street signs to fruits and vegetables.

There's a basic (but thorough) overview of not only the WYSIWYS transliteration system, but also  tones, vowels, consonants, and some English words "phoneticized", and the book also contains a wealth of interesting cultural information well beyond the usual hackneyed "dos and don'ts". Granted, I can usually pantomime my way through it if upon checking into a hotel I want to ask questions like "is there a higher floor", but it's nice to be able to clarify such points in Thai. There are a full eight pages of specific phrases you may well find handy at a hotel, for example.

In addition to the English there's the transliterated Thai and the Thai characters for words and phrases, and it's so much easier than looking things up word by word. If you're of a mind to try them, there are even short quizzes throughout the book's sections to test your comprehension.

I'd put it in my top five titles to look for if you're truly interested in experiencing Thailand, and not merely visiting.

New Feature: Book Reports And Reviews

One of many used book seller stalls at the Chatuchak weekend market in Bangkok. They're full of undiscovered treasures, if you're willing to dig for them

Somewhere back near the Paleozoic era when I was in elementary school I remember how a collective groan would rise from my classmates whenever the teacher would assign us the task of writing a book report of one form or another. Myself and a couple of others already read on a regular basis, anyway, so it wasn't anywhere near the task it was for those who were unfamiliar with the joys of the printed word.

Once "Real Life" took over, an afternoon with a new book became an almost guilty pleasure; sneaking away from what I ought to have been doing with a book from the stack of new titles waiting by my nightstand became a delicious diversion.  Still is, if I'm to be honest here.

To this day, one of my biggest complaints is not being graced with time often enough to sit with a good book and let my mind wander, be entertained, or soak up something new to activate what's left of my grey matter.  Granted, as the years pass that complaint has lost serious ground to the desire for a nap, but that has a lot to do with my own loss of inertia overall, and we can't really gripe about that, can we?  Well, OK, I do, but I don't put much heart and soul into it.

Before my first trip to Thailand I dutifully did my research about the culture, customs, history and places, afraid I'd be lost in a strange land on my first day, unable to get back to my hotel and at the mercy of strangers I couldn't communicate with.  I soon learned that that apprehension and fear was a complete waste of time.

I've since learned a lot about this country I've become so fond of; nowhere near an expert, of course, and still admittedly ignorant about some aspects of life and ways there, but that's just part of what keeps it interesting, wouldn't you agree?  Frankly, there are some things I'm quite happy to remain ignorant about. There are plenty of other sources if you feel a need to try to illuminate the darker things of Thailand.

That said, I was pulling a guidebook off of my shelves the other day for someone who was planning to venture there next Spring. They may be coming along with me, but if not they'd be going with another friend, so all they were looking for was something that would be a reference with the least amount of bulk to carry along with them.  That got me to thinking of an idea I'd had about two years ago: doing some simple write-ups here about books I've read that are related to Thailand.  This is the introduction to that new series.

As an aside: at this point I don't intend to publicize titles that are unwelcome in Thailand. I have a few of  them that have been shunned in the Kingdom, and I see no need to write about them here - for now, anyway.

However, if you, too, found (or find) yourself early on in your first visit saying to yourself "I'm going to come back here!" - for whatever reason - there are all sorts of places in Thailand selling new and used books to look around in and pick up a book or three to take back home with you. I'll list a few of them that I've found useful as we go along.

Let's start out with a recommendation: the guidebook I purchased before my first trip - the compact Lonely Planet Thai Phrasebook...

1999 4th edition on the left; the very newest, on the right, is due out in October of this year

The version I bought was the (then new) 1999 4th edition, pictured on the left, above. There have been some changes since then, but nothing earthshaking. If you can find the older version, save some money. The edition on the right is the current offering, going for $9 USD on Amazon. You can get a copy of the earlier edition for half that, including shipping. The book is 2/3 the size of a regular paperback, and small enough to slip into your pocket.

With a modicum of practice the pronunciation guide will allow you to make yourself understood (more or less), and provide some entertainment for the locals as you try. It also lists things in Thai, so you can point to a word or phrase to get something across if you aren't comfortable being the cause of raucous laughter. 

There are more than a few other books like this one, but this is the reference I find myself bringing trip after trip, while the others - especially the larger/heavier ones - wait on the shelf for my return.

So, there's your simple start. In the interest of time I lifted the book cover images for today off of the internet, but I expect as we go along I'll need to scan some unusual titles to give the adventurous folks something to look for if they wander into a used book seller like the Jatujak stall up top.

If there's a title you're curious about, leave a comment or send me an email. If I've got it - and I have several shelves of appropriate books to cover - I'll bump it up the list.