Book excerpt: "This is Thailand" is the riveting real-life account of Marek Lenarcik's blind leap from the safe, comfortable and utterly bullshit, corporate world of Dublin to the charming, exotic beaches of Thailand. With rose-tinted glasses firmly in place, Marek fully expects to find a land of exotic fruits, beautiful women and an easy-going tropical lifestyle. Which he does. At first. Traveling from Phuket to Bangkok and throughout Thailand's exotic locales, Marek's desire to experience all the forbidden fruits Thailand has to offer leads him to Piam, a gorgeous, kind, independent Thai girl who, he is convinced, might well be the one. But as he immerses himself deeper into this strange country, replete with often inexplicable thought-patterns, worldviews and customs, Marek begins to discover a much darker, more complex side to the Land of Smiles and its inhabitants. Soon, Piam begins to reveal her true colours. It soon dawns on him that, despite his best intentions (most of the time), he has been ensnared -- as have many men before him -- by the dreaded Honey Trap. The stormy relationship that ensues provides a fascinating backdrop to the insights into Thailand's unique culture that stem from Marek's efforts to come to terms with the reality of the country and the people who call it home.