No comments about Richard Halliburton's Second Book of Marvels: The Orient.

5 comments about Okavango: Africa's Last Eden.

1. This book makes me suspect that Frans Lanting is not only the worlds greatest wildlife photographer but also the greatest bird photographers, crocodile photographer, elephant photographer etc. As usual, his photography is far from the species type of photography often seen. Lanting connects with the subject and transform the experience into art. In addition, he is not afraid to break the rules and make it work. The book is a must in any nature photographers library.



2. As other Lanting books, attitude is all, from cover to cover



3. Mr. Lanting is a unique and wonderful photographer who is a great help to all of us. His photos capture the wildlife of the Okavango as they are -- not postcard photos. He has a respect and reverence of this fragile ecosystem (unlike none other in the world) and all that lives and dies there that is captured in this book. Botswana is a special country with a unique ecosystem in the Delta that you should travel to. I've had the good fortune to experience Africa eight times, Botswana twice. I will return many times to the Delta as there is so much there to experience and each time its fresh. Let Mr. Lantings photos pursuade you to go.



4. This is a terrific book to learn more about this region. I can't recommend the book enough. The photography is stunning and the narrative is just right. I only wish it didn't end.



5. Frans Lanting had created marvelous book. His pictures portray the unique beauty of the region, convey the wildness of a place, and force a viewer to visit the place immediately. The photographs and text also urge the people to save this unique ecosystem. We realize the impact of water on the unique environment of the delta that supports the greatest variety of the flora and fauna in the world. At the same time these photographs make us realize what will be lost if the water will be gone. This book has inspired me even more after I visited the Okavango delta. It made me to relive my own experiences once again. After more than 5 years of its publication, this book is still the best pictorial work on Okavango delta. Simply, the greatest!

No comments about Eyes over Africa XXL Collector's Edition 1-300.

5 comments about On Foot Through Africa.

1. i found it very beautiful. it was liked that she showed the things that go on around a walk as well, even tho a previous reviewer didn't. i thought her perceptions on africa were great. and her perceptions on how such things she acomplished and the life that went with it. it helped me fall even more deeply in love with africa and people and that unnamable peace that is so nice.

   i'd like to do something similar oneday and i don't think that she should feel bad about the missing miles, espescialy when she's gone back and put them in. i was very surprised to see what nasty things some press had written about her, but then those people are more mad because they're mad more than anything elese, and they often say nasty, stupid things. reading her book has made her something of a personal hero to me, and will go with my other imagended (not physically kickable) statues of people i honour and remember, which may sound sappy, but it's a pantheon, very big one, and i'm more than happy to have her in it ^_________^




2. Ffyona is an confident, self absorbed, bordering on arrogant, adventurer and explorer. While it is much about her ordeals, its is at its best in giving an outsider a good idea of how to approach different cultures as in africa.

   Where the Ffyona fails is that she has a history of lying about her travels. She admitted lieing about accepting rided in her trip across America and many people believe that she accepted rides or failed to complete parts of her trip in the congo and central africa area.

   Still a worthy read excepting that caviot and her arrogance...




3. Having read this book; almost without putting it down, I had the tremendous good fortune to sit in an empty Waterstones with Ffoyona and talked about her experiences. This was before all the fuss about whether she actually completed her round the world walk (and I'm happy that she did though maybe not in strict 'chronological' order). The Dark Continent draws you in, whether you've been there or not, and this book is 100% Africa. It also illustrates how (in a world that from a developed country point of view we see as getting ever smaller) when you're actually there the world can seem very big and unfriendly. To my mind, 'On Foot Through Africa' rates right up there besides 'First Overland' by Tim Slessor as one of the top 10 journeyman books of the 20th centuary.



4. This book was filled with an energy which made it impossible to put down. This was not only about a walk but fills the reader with an understanding and appreciation for Africa and its people and an awareness of the harms done by the arrogance with which the West has imposed on African people. Obviously Ffyona is a person with tremendous fearlessness and determination and like everyone else on the planet, not without flaws. Whether she completed the walk or not, I do not really care - her insights, perspectives and experiences of Africa are enriching to the spirit and encourage a deeper understanding of this tremendous place!



5. I was torn about how many stars to give this book (1 star, 5 stars...I went for the middle). On one level, it is a compelling story about a strong, woman who walks across Africa. She endures all sorts of hassles (natural and human), yet also develops a great respect for African cultures. Her travels are amazing, and this book makes me wish I could just hang it all up and go for an adventure like hers. Yet at the same time, Ffyona is a very unlikable character. She demeans all westerners who travel into Africa as ruining Africa, without any sort of self-knowledge that she falls into the exact same category (littering, doing culturally inappropriate things, etc.). She portrays herself in the book as rude and arrogant, frequently fighting with her European support staff. Therefore, I both admired her while reading the story, and was almost disgusted by her. One aspect of her "walk" that she hammers repeatedly was her integrity for the walk. She would religiously go back and make sure she hadn't missed a step. After reading this book (while in Africa myself), I was intrigued with her and curious to find out whatever happened with her. I have to say, I was not surprised to hear that she came clean about lying about one of her previous walks. In her walk across the USA, she admitted to taking rides from her support staff for almost 1,000 miles to make her deadlines due to an unplanned pregnancy. While she publicly apologized and went back and retraced her steps later, I think that I would have enjoyed the book more if I'd known this part of her story before reading the book. She's a complicated character, that Ffyona.

No comments about Frommer's Adventure Guides: Southern Africa.

No comments about Potholes, Padlocks & Poverty.

No comments about Three Boy Scouts in Africa: On Safari with Martin Johnson [Illustrated].

2 comments about Livingstone's Tribe: A Journey from Zanzibar to the Cape.

1. Livingston's Tribe is a superbly written, armchair travel guide of a journey from Zanzibar to the Cape recounts the experiences of an anti-apartheid liberal who flees the old South Africa and welcomes independence for Zimbabwe. His experiences and encounters with tribes and individuals makes for an involving and revealing travel diary which any with an affection for Africa will relish.



2. This book seemed a little pessimistic about the whites living in Zimbabwe and Kenya, however that is understandable given that he was there right before the violent seizure of white land in Zimbabwe and under the rather oppressive rule of President Daniel Arap Moi of Kenya, and so things would have looked a bit bleak at that time. He should go back and write one about the same communities now, although the going to Zimbabwe would be difficult. This book was a very fun read, and I would guess that it will be a primary document for the historians and sociologists of future generations. It was a very compelling read.

3 comments about Morocco: The Collected Traveler: An Inspired Anthology and Travel Resource (The Collected Traveler).

1. this book is a collection of over 30 travel essays from glossy magazines and travel supplements of major newspapers together with extensive information, bibliographies and comments from the editor.
   it is primarily for the high-end traveler although there are two travel stories "encountering morocco head-on" and "looking for abdelati" (from salon.com) which are quite good.
   is it only a quibble that there are many errors of fact and no attempt has been made to point them out even if they are contradicted in other sections of the book? the editor does write on page 130, "guidebooks are not meant to be perfect documents". besides, if what you tavel for is to enjoy luxury in stylish chic surroundings, facts are just the stuff of mealtime chatter or for setting the right mood for another perfect day and no one should be so boring as to complain that they are incorrect.
   there is ample information here on the new small hotels springing up in morocco which are very tastefully decorated and very expensive, but fes and marrakesh get 95% of the write-ups



2. I'm planning a trip to Morocco and have done my own research and reading before I came upon this book. This book just adds to the amount of information that i have alread accumilated and then some more. The book is a great resource in the sense that it give potential visitors to Morocco an initial idea of travelling to such an incredible country, and/or giving pointers and passing along experiences of other travellers who are passionate about Morocco.

   I found the voice of Barrie to be nurturing and encouraging, and her knowledge is not only based on self experience but experiences of accomplished writers who have travelled to Morocco.

   This book is by no means the only book one should rely on and even Barrie makes that clear in the beginning. She encourages one (if they are serious about travelling to Morocco and this applies to travel to any country) to research the culture and history, become acquainted with the country. I agree with her. It makes a lot of sense and it is/will be beneficiary to your experiences to by enjoyable.

   The book also contains a bit of information of places to stay (majority of them being the higher end category), places to eat, shop, etc. I have used these information as guidelines to do further inquiry on my own.

   I strongly recommend this book for potential travellers to Morocco, and even those who wish to go but can't (for whatever reasons).




3. A terrific anthology of writings about Morocco--some contemporary and some historical. Excellent practical information for travelers. My only criticism is that it should be updated as this edition is 2001.

No comments about Ethnological Notes on the Aboriginal Tribes of New South Wales and Victoria.