At Home on the Mekong: Columns from living in Cambodia [Kindle Edition]

Will Koenig (Author)

Book Description

Cambodia is more than just genocidal communists, sweatshops and decaying temples. There's a vibrant culture — both unchanged for centuries and at the cutting edge of modernity — and endless adventures.

When I was 22, I was bored with university and work and decided to seek adventure. My initial 10 months as a volunteer teacher transformed into three years. I taught English, worked for a development agency, met my wife, contracted malaria three times, got knocked unconscious in a motorcycle crash and was bitten by a gibbon.

I cannot say I loved every minute of it — being eaten alive by a tiny ape doesn't spark feelings of love — but I'd love to share some of my experiences. Maybe you're looking for an adventure as well.

Product Details

• File Size: 332 KB
• Print Length: 41 pages
• Publisher: Will Koenig (October 22, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005YHJV2M
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #465,082 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #87 in Books > Travel > Asia > Cambodia

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An unexpected gem November 14, 2011

By Peppermintless

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This light-hearted, sometimes touching collection of essays recounts what it means to be a large, hairy-armed white man navigating the language and cultural barriers of Cambodia. It will test your preconceived ideas about Cambodia and its people and bring a smile to your face with its gentle wit. The stories cover transportation mishaps, haircuts, romance, and more. My only criticism with this collection is that I wish there were more.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not sure I would spend the money had I known! December 27, 2012

By Casinobill

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I had no idea that this book is just a reprint of articles and blogs by the author. Some are interesting and some are cute. This doesn't really provide solid information on living in Cambodia.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Encore! April 15, 2012

By Gina

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I read it, loved it and want more, more! Many bits made me laugh out loud. The vivid quality of Koenig's stories made me feel as though I were there. The "Sexy Beast" and story of screaming like a little girl made me laugh so loud I awoke my sleeping baby. So, word of advice: read in an environment where laughing aloud won't disturb the peace. In addition to some great tales, there were valuable travel tips humorously disguised, reminiscent of "In a Sunburned Country", my favorite travel book ever. Thanks to Will Koenig, I feel as though I am ready for a visit to Cambodia - a place never before on my radar.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Down home stories... April 11, 2013

By kathieg7

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Will Koenig provides a humurous look at the day to day life in Cambodia. Well worth the read and hints.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I once witnessed the author hugging a whole display stand of Mountain Dew. It was adorable. February 2, 2012

By Matthew Weaver

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

And Koenig proves to be quite the amiable traveling companion throughout Cambodia, offering an uproarious series of witty observations from his time there. Koenig steps outside the realm of typical travel guides to give us a down and dirty look at a country that's won his heart in more ways than one. There's real affection in his words, even as he shakes his head over having to fend off the calls of "beautiful man" from the natives or faces corrupt police officers trying to overfine him for riding his motorbike on a road where they're banned. Not many authors would go so far as to contract malaria or get bitten by monkeys for our amusement, but Koenig has always been one to go above and beyond. (Disclaimer: I worked alongside him for several years at Washington State University's student newspaper, The Daily Evergreen, and we keep each other sane now as co-workers at the Pacific Northwest agriculture newspaper, the Capital Press.)
I laughed out loud many times in the reading of "At Home on the Mekong," as Koenig risks offending a group of monks, acquires a stolen bicycle and tries to simply get a haircut. Perhaps one of the funniest, dryest lines in the entire book: "Trying to pedal a seatless bicycle is not a pleasant experience."
Even in the midst of many misadventures, Koenig makes Cambodia seem like the sort of destination every American citizen should visit. But he does too good a job -- I'm not going unless he's along for the ride.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Really? September 16, 2012

By Talos IV

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a series of around 8 old newspaper columns the author made into a book. By "made", I mean it seemed to me that he merely stapled them together and pronounced it good enough. Two columns are exactly the same, except he changed the final paragraph or so. Other columns started out with the identical paragraphs as the previous column. Gee, thanks for the copy-paste. I deducted a star for laziness.

All he seems to find to write about Cambodia is its traffic. He describes in great detail rides on trucks, bikes, mopeds, foot, yada yada yada. And that's it.

***I am not an author, I do not know this author, and I have received nothing of value for writing this review.***

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Less than I was expecting March 4, 2012

By Eric Terrell

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is a compilation of columns the author wrote about his experience living and working in Cambodia.

I visited Cambodia a year ago, and was looking forward to reading the author's account of his life there. I was disappointed for the following reasons:

1) I realized the book was short, but it did not cover much ground. I wish this book had paid less attention to the difficulty in getting around Cambodia, via bicycle, Tuk Tuk, and motorcycle, and paid more attention to other aspects of daily life in Cambodia.

2) There were enough typographical errors, and occasional grammatical errors, to be a distraction. This book would benefit from a thorough proofreading. As an occasional writer, I'm sure I'm extra sensitive to this, but I imagine I'm not the only reader to feel this way.

More About the Author

I'm an American journalist who now lives in Oregon. I lived in Cambodia for three years, and I have a few stories to tell.