Borderlines

In 1986 Charles Nicholl went to Thailand, intending to take a 'spiritual rest-cure' in a Buddhist forest temple. But the way there had many surprising side turnings. A chance meeting on the night train north takes him on a circuitous journey in the company of Harry, a French gem-trader with a chequered past, and his mercurial Thai girlfriend, Katai. For the travel writer, he learns, it's not what ...