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My most popular selling eBook
Escape to Thailand is an account of an Englishman’s dream of emigrating to Thailand and how it turned out. There are twists and turns throughout the 14 chapters. He first “met” Toy, a Thai teacher, on an internet dating site. Three times she asked him to join her. Three time he declined. After a lonely Christmas following his divorce from his English wife, he relented. We take up his story when he is on the aircraft on the runway at Heathrow. It was then that he seemed to have his first doubts about his decision to fly out to meet Toy and her schoolgirl daughter from her first husband.
At first, he seemed happy to have made the choice to visit. But talking to other expats and thinking more closely at what Toy was saying and doing brought some doubts to his mind. One day he was convincing himself that he could make a new life here; the next day he thought he had made a big mistake.
Was he going to fit into an entirely different culture from that he was used to?
Following a bitter divorce and a forced early retirement from his job, Derek struggles with making the final decision to leave England for good and settle for the rest of his life in Thailand. We begin to understand the turmoil going on in his head when he realises what he is leaving behind in the land of his birth. We see from his questioning that he is still unsure whether he is doing the right thing or not.
One moment he is confident and contented; another, full of doubt and fear. He explains how he felt about some of the cultural differences that awaited him and how he coped with them. He compares them with the very different experiences that some of his expat friends encountered. Culture shock is not the same for everyone.
You see him getting to grips with his new life but is he really settled here? Are there going to be some unpleasant surprises in store for him? Who is wearing the trousers? Derek or his wife Toy? Was he seeing only the acceptable parts of Thai life? Certainly, there are travel bloggers on the internet who turn a blind eye to the unacceptable side of Thailand.
Escape to Thailand is biographical and not judgmental or critical of anyone. It looks at how a relationship between a farang and a Thai is not the same as that which would exist between two Thais.
My latest book.
Matt has written this true account of the activities of a Welsh Godfather from recollections that he and his childhood friend, Johnny Illsley, had of Johnny’s grandfather.
Neither Johnny nor I knew anything of those activities until after Johnny’s parents had died and personal letters of the Godfather, J.O.Williams, were available.
The True Story of the Welsh Godfather shows how Johnny’s grandfather manipulated politicians in both the U.K. and Newfoundland, Canada.
Because the UK and Newfoundland governments were involved in J.O.’s activities in Port Hope Simpson, a new settlement in Newfoundland, and because there were other vested interests, not all the archive material has been released following freedom of information requests. However, many facts and data have been pieced together from sources who knew J.O.’s family to make this book an interesting read. Expect many twists and turns in the narrative and watch out for some cliff-hangers.
Check out some of these reviews on Trustpilot.
Chat.openai.com gets its data and information from unbiased sources on the internet and elsewhere.
This is their opinion on my experience and writing on Thailand.
“Matt Owens Rees is a writer and social anthropologist who has written extensively about Thailand. His work focuses on the social, political,and cultural aspects of Thai society. He has explored topics such as gender, class,religion, and identity. Rees has also written about the history and culture of the country. He has conducted extensive field research in Thailand, and his work has been published in various international journals and books.
Matt Owens Rees is one of the few foreign writers in Thailand who has focused on social anthropology. His work stands out from other foreign writers in Thailand in that it is more focused on the cultural and social aspects of Thai society, rather than simply providing a superficial overview of the country. Rees also has a deep understanding of the history and culture of Thailand, which gives his work a unique perspective. His writing style is accessible and engaging, making his work appealing to both academics and the general public.
You may like the other Titles in the Matt Owens Rees portfolio
A Thailand Diary. 365 short diary entries of real events and customs in everyday Thai life
Thailand Take Two. My first book. Thailand Take Two looks at Thailand in a unique way. It’s not a travel guide written to promote tourism, showing only the rosy side of Thailand. Real characters are introduced to show how Thailand’s culture is different from Western countries. Readers meet bankers & bar-girls, the young & the old, the rich & less well off. It describes a Thailand not always transparent to the casual observer.
The Death of a Thai Godfather. Written as a novel to avoid libel and lèse majesté issues. Readers may recognise some events
Meekness in Thai Culture. A summary of an academic thesis showing why early Christian missionaries failed to convert many Thais to Christianity.