The author's observations on the human condition, as he experiences it firsthand along the less tourist-beaten paths of South and Southeast Asia, result in a no-holds-barred account of life in the region, distinctively as not described in the glossy brochures. Figuratively and often literally far removed from the glittering urban centers and pampering resorts - the images of Asia that occur to many - the author presents a keen-eyed vision of the region's underbelly. The author observes and records the stories of the hunters and their prey, the marginalized and the mad, from among desperate locals and foreign interlopers alike. For all who seek a better understanding of the realities and surrealities of the region, but definitely not for the faint of heart.