The Great Hill Stations Of Asia

Upon arriving in India, the first English settlers found the humid, unforgiving climate almost unbearable. Malaria, cholera, and dysentery ravaged their beleaguered ranks, making the average life span for both men and women no more than 30 years. To escape these epidemics, they found refuge in the temperate climate of the hills. Above the clouds, Europeans built numerous hill stations, not just in India, but also in Burma, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Indonesia. From the luxury of these curious establishments, they ruled their colonies with imperial aplomb.

Colonialism lapsed and the foreigners were eventually expelled from these countries, yet the hill stations still remain. In early 1997, Barbara Crossette, the United Nations bureau chief for the New York Times, embarked upon an ambitious journey through Asia to visit the hill stations that still function as tourist attractions. Part travel narrative, part historical retrospective, Crossette's book eloquently depicts each region's history, politics, religion, and economics in a series of thoughtful reports. Crosette is also careful to demonstrate that these areas today are not exclusive to European tourists, but for the most part are frequented by the indigenous population. For example, 10,000 Indian tourists--mostly prosperous middle-class families--visit Kodaikanal daily, one of many hill stations that flourish today.

Crosette points out that far from being derided as symbols of imperialism, the hill stations have come to embody, for middle-class Asians, the same obsession with social standing that occupied their former colonizers. This entertaining and informative book should be regarded as essential reading for anyone planning a journey into Asia. --Jeremy Storey