JANUARY 29, 2001 VOL. 157 NO. 4

Off the Shelf

Thailand, Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia road atlas
(Lonely Planet; 112 pages)

TRAVEL WATCH Make Journey Not War on Kinmen Island In October 1949 the tiny Taiwanese island of Kinmen made the world's headlines as Republican soldiers drove communist forces back into the sea Detour Luuk Pong is something of a child prodigy Off the Shelf Travelers often complain that maps in guidebooks look like they had originally been etched on the back of a napkin, lacking in both size and detail Travel Watch Archive Browse hundreds of Asian travel tips

Travelers often complain that maps in guidebooks look like they had originally been etched on the back of a napkin, lacking in both size and detail. Lonely Planet is trying to change that with the publication of its Thailand, Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia Road Atlas. What particularly sets this cartographic endeavor apart from available maps is that it comes in book form—so you don't need a black belt in origami to keep it one piece—and they include handy elevation charts and climate information. The maps also include distance charts for each country showing point-to-point road distance, as well as suggested driving routes. Who knows, these simple map books could help put the adventure back into Asian travel.

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