BIT TRAVEL GUIDE: Richard S. Erlich

Left: Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma. 16th July 1995. She is currently on trial.

Ever since we posted up the Intro to the 1970 BIT Travel Guide - and the story got picked up by Slate, interest has remained high.

Pleased to receive recent feedback this week from one of its original users, Richard S. Erlich, who writes: 'I probably bought it in a bookshop in California before departure, or was given it along the way by a returning traveller. I am now searching around to find a copy to read again.

'Legend has it there a frayed original BIT guide is somewhere in northern Thailand, so i am rounding up the usual suspects to see if I can find it and, ultimately, scan its best parts, including its introduction, and text on Kathmandu and Goa.'                        [Above: Coneheads, China. 1980s]

Richard is a foreign correspondent, photojouralist  and author, who has been reporting from Asia since 1978. 'As you'll see from my website, once I read the BIT guide I travelled to Asia and have lived here happily ever since. Am now in Bangkok'

Left: US troops, Bagram, Afghanistan. Dec 2001

You can find his excellent reportage and details of his book here.

Check out his photos on Flicker

[Below}: Kashgar. 1985

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