Hippies – Tom Vater

The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu reviewed at The Crime Segments

August 14, 2014August 14, 2014tomLeave a Comment

“There are plenty of unique, crazy and offbeat characters that fill this novel, and the author has a keen eye for detail. The part of this story that took place in the Blue Parrot is one of my favorites, and is an excellent example of how the author sets a scene that sucks the reader […]

From the Archives: The Water at the Center of the Universe – Lake Toba, Indonesia

May 6, 2010May 15, 2011tomLeave a Comment

Can you imagine it? A crystal-clear tropical lake, surrounded by volcanic mountain, dotted with immense waterfalls? A green, lush island the size of Singapore in its center, populated by an independent, happy-go-lucky indigenous community? An extensive yet underused tourist infrastructure for almost all tastes and budgets? No crowds? No curfews? No high-rise condos? In South […]

From the Archives: Shiva’s Toilet – The Parvati Valley, India

April 7, 2010May 15, 2011tomLeave a Comment

This story was originally published in my anthology Beyond the Pancake Trench, available at my Amazon Store, as Paradise Lost – How the Wild East is turning into a Trailer Park. There is a valley in the Himalayas so beautiful, that Shiva, Deity of 1008 names, Destroyer of the Universe, without Whom creation could not […]