Noodle Trails, a travel memoir: Fair Trade, Dung Trade and Travels in Thailand and beyond (Noodle Trails, travel memoirs)

I bought this book because earlier this year I became a full-time traveler. The description of what it feels like to navigate the world was great. But the power in this book is the author's exploration of herself. Thrust into a solo life, Eileen Kay takes us on her internal journey even more than her external journey. Her search for perfect Thai noodle soup becomes her search for genuine connection and purpose when her life is turned upside-down. Yes, this book does make me want to journey to Thailand, but it makes me want even more to ask tough questions about my own life direction - questions that have come naturally to me as I have recently entered retirement. She is a clear and gently humorous writer, showing tremendous respect for the people she encounters along the way. Highly recommend.

This is a pretty good narrative on world travel, yet as with all travel, it has its rough moments. I got yet another perspective on Thailand, and Scotland. Thanks Eileen for documenting your travels.

I enjoyed this book immensely. Ms Kay lays out her situation pending her most recent return to Asia openly. I like how she “speaks”. She gets through her originally perceived goals of maintaining contact with her suppliers in a sketchy time, then listens to her first morning voice to let go and rest. The Noodle Trail is under way. Continuing to trust her her inner voice she sets out to find R&R on an island (as yet unknown) in Thailand. She finally finds her home. The following months bring her the peace and renewed soul and body she needed. The people she encounters en route are memorable and the ending is a new beginning.

A nice look back, nostalgia type book for those who live in Thailand or Southeast Asia. For me, there was a bit too much emphasis on food. For food lovers and those who watch cooking shows, this book will please the taste. Foods are not simply listed, they are described in detail.In the early part of the book, I was put off by the seeming obsessiveness of the author with visiting disaster sites. The author lived in Lockerbie, a point she made many times as she visited several sites commemorating the struggles of Thai people to overcome the effects of their Tsunami. In the latter part of the book she redeemed herself by declining to visit Toul Sleng (the genocide museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia).Kay presented new information for me about something called a Fair Trade organization. Her experiences with it might motivate other potential entrepreneurs.I recommend this book for those who want to share their experiences as travelers rather than as tourists.

I loved this book! I lived in Thailand in the late 1990s for two years and this book brought back so many memories. Eileen is a great storyteller and has such a great way with language and humor. I really enjoyed the experience of reading this and am looking forward to her other two books. Thank you, Eileen, for sharing your stories!!

I read this book whilst in Thailand and I loved every minute of it. I'd tuck myself away for a couple hours every morning with a coffee to read this little gem, all about a woman's experience navigating herself, her business ventures, and this incredible country. I could personally relate to all the Thai idiosyncrasies she so brilliantly described with wit, charm, and an obvious love for the culture ("I say you!"). I recommend this book to anyone (men included!) who wants a light literary escape. Be prepared to laugh out loud and have your heart lifted. Noodle Trails is for anyone who loves travel stories with a dash of good comedy. Thanks Eileen! I look forward to the next read :)

The trade life of the author was interesting. I was looking for a little more.

Eileen Kaye is an amazing woman who has lived an amazing life. She set out at a young age to follow a different path, and the places it has taken her are just amazing. This book is fascinating, enticing, and insightful, and written in a style that makes you feel that the author is a very close friend. A first class read!

What a fantastic wee gem of a book and is a must to read! I took it with me on holiday to Cyprus (and it is not trashy holiday book) and became totally enthralled with the story. I have never been to Thailand, but Eileen Kay took me there with her descriptions of the smells, food, people and scenery; I was salivating at her descriptions of the street food and chuckling with her experience on Air Sari. This book brings back many happy memories of when I travelled round Bali but her astute descriptions of the darker side of life in Asia also resonated with me. I can't wait to read the next instalment...long live ellie poo!

If you haven't been to Thailand you will want to go once you've read Eileen Kay's book. If you've been, like me, your appetite will be whetted to return. The pages are filled with the colour, taste and pungent smells of Thailand. She writes with great fluidity and laugh out loud humour. Eileen's experience is not from the superficial glance of a tourist but very much as one of the locals. Her mission is to export beautiful Thai craft bringing a much needed boost to the Thai economy. A responsibility she carries with courage but also with anxiety. She conveys the rather quirky pigeon English language and sometimes obtuse Thai behaviour to comic effect. I highly recommend this book and will be giving it to my friends. Enjoy!

Having been to Thailand several times I was looking forward to reading this book and comparing experiences but many of the places were given a fictional name . Food is mentioned a lot, which is fair enough because Thai food is great, but soup at breakfast was mentioned again and again and again. I also found the layout of the pages wasn't very professional, nearly all books I have read are fully justified. Then I was most disconcerted to read that ' although this is based on real events, much is fictionalised and dramatised ' . Not what you want from a 'memoir'

I read this book on a flight from the UK to Bangkok and on my way to what would be my first ever trip to Thailand. Noodle Trails is a beautifully written book which gave me a real feel for the country, the people, the food, and the culture, through Eileen Kay's experiences in Thailand. I loved the book and went on to love everything about the country and the people and I intend to go back again later this year. I highly recommend this book for a real flavour of Thailand.

I loved this book, which is engaging, funny, poignant - everything a good travel memoir should be. I laughed out loud, I got very hungry reading about the food and want to go to Thailand. My one disappointment was that I reached the end too soon so I am so glad there is to be further books by Eileen Kay. Noodle Trails is a book for real travellers rather than tourists. Excellent read.