From the Pacific surf to Nob Hill to Chinatown, the legendary City by the Bay comes to life in this diverse collection of essays celebrating America's favorite playground. Praise the Lord at Glide Memorial Church, skate through the wonders of Golden Gate Park, discover culinary delights in the Mission, and relive the days of the gold rush.

"We've collected useful and memorable stories to produce the kind of sampler we've always wanted to read before setting out. These stories will show you a spectrum of experiences to be had or avoided in Hong Kong"--Back cover

Winner of the Lowell Thomas Award for Best Travel Book, this newly designed collection paints a unique portrait of a complex and captivating land. One contributor lives as a monk for a month, gaining an inside look at monastic life. Another discovers Bangkok’s riverine pleasures, a world away from its car-choked streets. Yet another finds refuge as the houseguest of an isolated tribesman. Through these engaging personal stories, readers witness how Thailand satisfies just about any traveler’s hunger for the exotic, the beautiful, the thrillingly different. Writers include Pico Iyer, Norman Lewis, Diane Summers, Simon Winchester, Ian Buruma, Thalia Zepatos, and Tim Ward. “The breadth and color of the collective portrait [the contributors] provide of Thailand is remarkable.” — Los Angeles Times

A portrait of the nation through tales of travelers who have traversed the breadth and depth of America the beautiful.

These stories of travel in Central America -- Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama -- are adventurous and quirky, sobering and enlightening. Readers visit a Panamanian island known for its wildlife; glimpse the wealthy Generation X repatriates of Nicaragua; and meet a charming Guatemalan revolutionary. Authors include Paul Theroux, Jennifer Harbury, Ronald Wright, Joan Didion, Randy Wayne White, and Rigoberta Menchu. Travelers' Tales Central America provides a new window into this astonishingly beautiful and complex part of the world. "For the thoughtful traveler, these books are an invaluable resource." -- Pico Iyer

Travelers' Tales China is a must for any traveler to China, to anyone wanting to learn more about the Middle Kingdom, offering a breadth and depth of experience from both new and well-known authors, and helps make the China experience unforgettable and transforming. These pages take you through 6,000 years of history to modern-day socialist China, from the Silk Road to the high-tech center of Beijing. Explore the old as well as the new--from the tombs of dead emperors to the world's largest dam. Roam around one of China's 700 nature preserves in a country that boasts more wildlife than any other in the world. Wander the vastness of the Gobi Desert and skirt the darkness of history while exploring the assault on Nanking, and be shaken by observations of death during the upheavals of the Red Guard. Go riding with Ghengis Khan, explore the Forbidden City, and walk along sections of the Great Wall that are seldom visited. You can taste and smell the food as it is cooked in alleys and inns, reach down and touch relics older than most of Europe, and enjoy the sights and the sounds of the Dragon Boat Festival.

Enjoy riveting tales by world-renowned writers about one of the most fascinating regions on Earth. One author witnesses an ancient sky burial; another works as an extra on a Chinese movie set; another visits Potala Palace, the home of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Illustrations.