Books » Asia Travel Books

This beautifully written, heartfelt memoir touched a nerve among both readers and reviewers. Elizabeth Gilbert tells how she made the difficult choice to leave behind all the trappings of modern American success (marriage, house in the country, career) and find, instead, what she truly wanted from life. Setting out for a year to study three different aspects of her nature amid three different cultures, Gilbert explored the art of pleasure in Italy and the art of devotion in India, and then a balance between the two on the Indonesian island of Bali. By turns rapturous and rueful, this wise and funny author (whom Booklist calls "Anne Lamott's hip, yoga- practicing, footloose younger sister") is poised to garner yet more adoring fans.

A celebrated writer's irresistible, candid, and eloquent account of her pursuit of worldly pleasure, spiritual devotion, and what she really wanted out of life

Around the time Elizabeth Gilbert turned thirty, she went through an early-onslaught midlife crisis. She had everything an educated, ambitious American woman was supposed to want-a husband, a house, a successful career. But instead of feeling happy and fulfilled, she was consumed with panic, grief, and confusion. She went through a divorce, a crushing depression, another failed love, and the eradication of everything she ever thought she was supposed to be.

To recover from all this, Gilbert took a radical step. In order to give herself the time and space to find out who she really was and what she really wanted, she got rid of her belongings, quit her job, and undertook a yearlong journey around the world-all alone. Eat, Pray, Love is the absorbing chronicle of that year. Her aim was to visit three places where she could examine one aspect of her own nature set against the backdrop of a culture that has traditionally done that one thing very well. In Rome, she studied the art of pleasure, learning to speak Italian and gaining the twenty-three happiest pounds of her life. India was for the art of devotion, and with the help of a native guru and a surprisingly wise cowboy from Texas, she embarked on four uninterrupted months of spiritual exploration. In Bali, she studied the art of balance between worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence. She became the pupil of an elderly medicine man and also fell in love the best way-unexpectedly.

An intensely articulate and moving memoir of self-discovery, Eat, Pray, Love is about what can happen when you claim responsibility for your own contentment and stop trying to live in imitation of society's ideals. It is certain to touch anyone who has ever woken up to the unrelenting need for change.

DK Eyewitness Travel's full-color guidebooks to hundreds of destinations around the world truly show you what others only tell you. They have become renowned for their visual excellence, which includes unparalleled photography, 3-D mapping, and specially commissioned cutaway illustrations.

DK Eyewitness Travel Guides are the only guides that work equally well for inspiration, as a planning tool, a practical resource while traveling, and a keepsake following any trip.

Each guide is packed with the up-to-date, reliable destination information every traveler needs, including extensive hotel and restaurant listings, themed itineraries, lush photography, and numerous maps.

Culture Smart! provides essential information on attitudes, beliefs and behavior in different countries, ensuring that you arrive at your destination aware of basic manners, common courtesies, and sensitive issues. These concise guides tell you what to expect, how to behave, and how to establish a rapport with your hosts. This inside knowledge will enable you to steer clear of embarrassing gaffes and mistakes, feel confident in unfamiliar situations, and develop trust, friendships, and successful business relationships.

Culture Smart! offers illuminating insights into the culture and society of a particular country. It will help you to turn your visit-whether on business or for pleasure-into a memorable and enriching experience. Contents include:

* customs, values, and traditions
* historical, religious, and political background
* life at home
* leisure, social, and cultural life
* eating and drinking
* do's, don'ts, and taboos
* business practices
* communication, spoken and unspoken

"Culture Smart has come to the rescue of hapless travellers." Sunday Times Travel

"... the perfect introduction to the weird, wonderful and downright odd quirks and customs of various countries." Global Travel

"...full of fascinating-as well as common-sense-tips to help you avoid embarrassing faux pas." Observer

"...as useful as they are entertaining." Easyjet Magazine

"...offer glimpses into the psyche of a faraway world." New York Times

An exemplary travelogue of danger and achievement by the Frenchwoman Madame Alexandra David-Neel of her 1923 expedition to Tibet, the fifth in her series of Asian travels, and her personal recounting of her journey to Lhasa, Tibet's forbidden city. In order to penetrate Tibet and reach Lhasa, she used her fluency of Tibetan dialects and culture, disguised herself as a beggar with yak hair extensions and inked skin and tackled some of the roughest terrain and climate in the World. With the help of her young companion, Yongden, she willingly suffered the primitive travel conditions, frequent outbreaks of disease, the ever-present danger of border control and the military to reach her goal. The determination and sheer physical fortitude it took for this woman, delicately reared in Paris and Brussels, is inspiration for men and women alike. David-Neel is famous for being the first Western woman to have been received by any Dalai Lama and as a passionate scholar and explorer of Asia, hers is one of the most remarkable of all travellers' tales. In any time, Alexandra David-Neel would have been considered an extraordinary woman, but in the Victorian era, she was truly exceptional. Born in 1868, David-Neel eschewed the dances, dinners, and formal marriages common to women of her era and social standing in order to indulge her fierce independence and insatiable intellectual curiosity. Her interest in comparative religions dated back to early childhood; even as a student in a Catholic convent school, she kept statues of both Christ and the Buddha in her room. She made her first trip to Asia in 1891, then supported herself as a light-opera singer and journalist before marrying a seemingly conventional man, Philip Neel. Fortunately for both Alexandra David-Neel and for posterity, Philip was less stodgy than his position as a well-off engineer might imply; though he did not accompany her, he supported his wife's explorations and even acted as her literary agent when she began to write about the places she visited. Alexandra and Philip remained the closest of friends until his death in 1941. David-Neel spent years traveling in India and China, but perhaps her most daring adventure was the trip to Tibet's forbidden city of Lhasa. She was 55 years old at the time, fluent in Tibetan and well versed in both Sanskrit and Buddhism. Disguised as a man, she spent four treacherous months on the road before finally becoming the first European woman ever to enter Lhasa. My Journey to Lhasa is David-Neel's own account of her astounding journey, one fraught with hardship and danger. It is both a chronicle of a bygone time and a testimonial to a remarkable human.

This is the updated third edition of an atlas first published in 1998. During the past six years, the transportation network of the metropolitan area of Tokyo has changed a good deal. In the case of the subway system, lines have been extended, and some rapid-transit lines have been added, so code numbers for each station are given in our atlas for foreign travelers to identify them easily. In addition, as a result of urban development in areas such as Roppongi, Shinagawa, and Shiodome, quite a few new company buildings, stores, and hotels have appeared. These developments are also covered in this updated edition.

- 21 area maps of Metropolitan Tokyo (42 pages) showing not only chome numbers but also block numbers (banchi).
- 18 detailed maps of Central Tokyo (30 pages) to guide the reader even to numbered subway station entrances.
- An additional 7 maps of central Yokohama and Kawasaki and access maps to 3 U.S. military bases (Yokosuka, Yokota and Zama).
- Comprehensive index: More than 3,600 entries of town and station names, as well as major organizations and buildings, provide the user with easy access to all destinations.

This volume shows Turkey at its best, from the beautiful beaches and azure seas to the glittering mosques and churches, intriguing historic quarters and colourful bazaars. In-depth coverage is given to Istanbul with the help of cutaways of ancient buildings, pictorial maps and 3-D aerial views. This award-winning guide also helps you to discover the treasures of this ancient civilisation, with in-depth coverage of many archaeological sites, including the classical ruined city of Ephesus and the cliff-side troglodyte village at Uchisar.



DK Eyewitness Travel Guides are the only guides that work equally well for inspiration, as a planning tool, a practical resource while traveling, and a keepsake following any trip.



Each guide is packed with the up-to-date, reliable destination information every traveler needs, including extensive hotel and restaurant listings, themed itineraries, lush photography, and numerous maps.

Sparkling with irrepressible wit, City of Djinns peels back the layers of Delhi's centuries-old history, revealing an extraordinary array of characters along the way-from eunuchs to descendants of great Moguls. With refreshingly open-minded curiosity, William Dalrymple explores the seven "dead" cities of Delhi as well as the eighth city-today's Delhi. Underlying his quest is the legend of the djinns, fire-formed spirits that are said to assure the city's Phoenix-like regeneration no matter how many times it is destroyed. Entertaining, fascinating, and informative, City of Djinns is an irresistible blend of research and adventure.

A native of Bombay, Suketu Mehta gives us an insider's view of this stunning metropolis. He approaches the city from unexpected angles, taking us into the criminal underworld of rival Muslim and Hindu gangs; following the life of a bar dancer raised amid poverty and abuse; opening the door into the inner sanctums of Bollywood; and delving into the stories of the countless villagers who come in search of a better life and end up living on the sidewalks.

Streetwise Tokyo Map - Laminated City Center Street Map of Tokyo, Japan - Folding pocket size travel map with integrated subway map including lines & stations - JR lines

This map covers the following areas:
Tokyo Area Map 1:50,000
Marunouchi / Ginza Map 1:15,000
Shibuya / Harajuku / Akasaka / Aoyama / Roppongi / Azabu Map 1:15,000
Shinjuku Map 1:12,000
Ueno Map 1:8,000
Asakusa Map 1:7,400

Tokyo is no place to be stuck with an inferior map. If you only have a few days to enjoy the city, getting lost can be frustrating and a waste of time. There's so much to see and do that what you need most is a way to get around quickly and efficiently. The STREETWISE® Tokyo Map will enable you to do just that.

Our STREETWISE® Tokyo Map is based on the subway system, the key to understanding how to navigate this unfamiliar terrain. Not only are the subway stations the most visible way to orient yourself, but they're also the connecting link between the diverse and unique neighborhood districts. Armed with the knowledge of how the Tokyo subway system is laid out, you can get anywhere in the city and more importantly, back again.

The multicolored subway lines and Japan Rail Lines are laid out in a comprehensible and manageable manner on this map of the entire Tokyo metropolitan region. STREETWISE® has simplified the process of figuring out fares, routes and transfer points by including detailed instructions. The entire Tokyo subway map is clearly depicted so it's easy to make your way from one point in the city to another.

The STREETWISE® Tokyo Map also includes inset maps of Tokyo's most important districts: Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ginza, Harajuku, Akasaka, Aoyama, Roppongi, Azabu, Marunouchi, Ueno and Asakusa. These Tokyo map insets are intensely detailed with railroad and subway entrances and exits, hotels, museums, sites, major building landmarks and an address system overlaid on the Tokyo street grid to further enable you to travel with ease through neighborhoods. So whether you're traveling on foot or by rail, the STREETWISE® Tokyo map will get you exactly where you need to go.

The funny thing is, you'll only know how valuable this map truly is once you're there. You'll welcome the sense of freedom that comes with having a great map. Then you too can feel as though you've conquered Everest.

Our pocket size map of Tokyo is laminated for durability and accordion folding for effortless use. The STREETWISE® Tokyo map is one of many detailed and easy-to-read city street maps designed and published by STREETWISE®. Buy your STREETWISE® Tokyo map today and you too can navigate Tokyo, Japan like a native. For a larger selection of our detailed travel maps simply type STREETWISE MAPS into the Amazon search bar.