5 comments about Cruelest Journey: Six Hundred Miles To Timbuktu.

1. Salak not only takes the reader on a journey into the interior of Africa, but also into the jungles of the mind as she deals with her own feelings and impressions of what she sees and experiences during these many miles. Such writing - and sharing - is what makes for a travelogue more revealing and pleasurable than just words and pictures.
   
   While in this instance, the publisher chose not to include pictures, photos were taken and can be found at http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0301/photo_1.html
   
   The National Geographic photographer, Rémi Bénali, had this to say about the experience:
   
   "Kira and I made a deal that I would not interfere with her adventure-I had a big boat, with a crew. She had to experience Africa by herself. So we would only meet for a few hours every four days.
   
   "As you can see, everybody's on the banks of the river, looking at her leaving. It's so interesting for them-it's the first time they've seen such a kayak. The first time I saw it, I thought, She's not going to make it! It's too small, like a toy."
   
   *********
   
   I'm glad Kira Salak made it.
   And I'm glad National Geographic at least made those photos available on-line, if not in the book. It was nice to be able to glimpse some of the scenes she described in her compelling writing.



2. This book is many things. It's an adventure story. It's a geography lesson. It's a study in anthropology. It's an exposition on the mindset of an explorer.
   
   Mostly, it's a well-written tale of an American woman, Kira Salak, and her quest to continue living an extraordinary life. "If a journey doesn't have something to teach you about yourself, then what kind of journey is it?" she writes. This book takes us along for the ride. The tone is conversational, very readable, honest, and refreshing.
   
   The Cruelest Journey is aptly named. Indeed, Salak recounts a grueling journey inside an inflatable red kyak, 600 miles along the Niger River in the West African country, Mali. She encounters both friendly and hostile villagers, calm and stormy weather, hunger, injury, sickness, potentially dangerous hippos, and incredible uncertainty. Using the Scottish explorer, Mungo Park, as a mentor of sorts, she attempts to reenact his adventure some 200 years earlier. She finds that not a lot has changed from what she read in his memoirs, which she holds close throughout the trip and quotes often.
   
   Before I picked up this book, I didn't know where to point on a map to tell anyone the location of Timbuktu. It's a mysterious place, often used to describe the outskirts of the world. Salak's journey doesn't dispel this myth.
   
   I found this story fascinating and highly recommend it.
   
   Michele Cozzens, Author of A Line Between Friends and The Things I Wish I'd Said.



3. This book was very interesting and hard to put down because I was anxious to see what adventures lie ahead on the Niger River. The only thing I was disappointed in is that the author continued to hand out money perpetuating the problem of the locals thinking they can beg for money from anyone white. I just returned from South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe and, after reading this book, I can say I am EXTREMELY glad I did not travel to Mali! The hostilities, extreme poverty, slavery, and human mutilation she witnessed in Mali would've been depressing but at the same time I think it's something we should all learn about. I enjoyed the book so much I'm ordering her "Four Corners" book today. There are no photos in the book except for a small one of the author on the book cover. If you want to see the photos of her journey, you'll have to go onto the National Geographic site or do an internet search for Kira Salak.



4. Salak does a beautiful job of meshing her on-the-spot adventures with those of her mentor, Mungo Park. Although he died mysteriously on the journey after passing Timbuktu, the power of his experiences call to her out of the gap of 400 years through his writings. After reading this excellent travel account, I see that many things too often remain the same along the Niger: hatred by the Moor towards the non-Muslim to the point of physical torture and robbery, clitorodectomy for 90% of the women, slavery in Mali (where it is officially outlawed). Of course the Niger itself remains the same, too, and Salak has to contend with its gods the way Park did: they send unbearable heat, rain unlike any she has experienced, hunger....Because of her extraordinary sensitivity, the reader learns to absorb it all. Caroline Alexander's account of her retracing of Mary Kingsley's W. African journey in "One Dry Season" would be a good book to follow this account on one's bedside table.



5. Following in the footsteps of Scottish explorer Mungo Park, who traversed the land and the river in the eighteenth century, Salak sets out to kayak down the Niger River in the west African country of Mali. Unlike Park's ill-fated -and ultimately fatal- journey, Salak makes it to Timbuktu, the ancient "city of gold" right below the Saharan desert. Her journey was funded by the National Geographic Society, and she often runs into the hired photographer who is documenting her travels at stops along the river. She sets out from Old Segou with only a few vocabulary words of local tribal languages and a working knowledge of French. She has her inflatable red canoe, and a backpack of supplies.
   
   Salak's writing style is very engaging - her strength and her fortitude come across in her writing, though never with a tone of arrogance. Each trial or trouble she encounters (and they are many: ripping a bicep muscle on the first day, hostile tribes, hippopatomi, dysentery) is documented clearly and unbiased. Any other person would have called it quits - but Salak finds courage and prevails in all of the circumstances.
   
   Interwoven throughout her own narrative, Salak recounts Park's journey, over two hundred years before her own. Park was taken hostage, many of his crew members died, and he eventually died, although the circumstances surrounding his death are unclear. Salak relies on Park's diaries and determines that while they are from centuries ago, many of the stories hold true: other places have changed, but this region of Africa has largely remained the same.
   
   My only criticism of the book is that this incredible journey is condensed into a rather small book. I would have enjoyed more passages about the river itself, describing the geography, the biology, and the life of this body of water. The river is undoubtedly a character in the book, but it is largely unknown to the reader - a looming figure that is left a mystery. Perhaps this was done consciously, showing that the river cannot be understood or predicted. The other complaint comes from the last chapter: when Salak arrives in Timbuktu, she makes it her mission to free two "slave" women (they work without compensation and are fully abused by their masters, yet the Malian government refuses to call it "slavery", despite this whole caste of people - the Bella - being continuously subjugated) from their Tuareg masters. She describes how this has been one of the missions of the whole trip. Then why did she mention it for the first time in the last 10 pages of the book? As a reader, I felt a little cheated for not knowing this earlier... that should have been something talked about at the beginning of the account. Her work is admirable, without a doubt, and she does "free" two women and gives them gold coins in order to start their own business. This whole encounter is discussed so quickly, that it almost seems like a gloss-over of the whole practice. Salak has to know that giving these women a gold coin is not going to make their life better; that being said, I am not discounting her action. One woman cannot go up against hundreds of years of the "peculiar institution" in a slowly developing country. I do wonder what happened to those two women after Salak left them in Timbuktu, only minutes after "freeing" them.
   
   Salak's amazing journey left me hungry for more adventure - luckily she has a few more books on her other travels. She is a strikingly brave and courageous person, and a good writer too. I look forward to more.

5 comments about Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival.

1. This is an extraordinarily depressing, horrific account of severe hardship suffered by a few American seamen shipwrecked on the Western African coast in 1815, and subsequently enslaved by an Arab tribe. It's apparently a true account, pieced together from diaries and simple recollections of the crew, held as slaves over several months during a sojourn through the desert amounting to a few hundred miles. Although at times revolting, the book provides a very detailed account of the living conditions and customs of these simple Arab tribes who literally scratch out an existence in the harsh, unforgiving climate of the Western Sahara.



2. This review is intended for people who, like me, typically avoid non-fiction. It's a character flaw, I know, but I couldn't even point you to the non-fiction sections of my local bookstores.
   
   However, the subject matter of Skeletons--desert survival--intrigued me. The gorgeous cover with the elongated shadows of a caravan plodding over the dunes didn't hurt either.
   
   The book was well worth leaving my comfort zone. I pestered my wife with mind-boggling factoids and stranger-than-fiction events drawn from nearly every chapter as I read, but the real beauty of the experience was that I was enthralled by the sensual descriptions of the captives' plight; I gained a vast appreciation for the water bottle I nursed while reading.
   
   Perhaps the greatest draw for the fiction-reader, however, was the suspense the author managed to generate regarding a deal brokered between the captain and one would-be savior. Naturally, I knew at least two characters would survive the ordeal, and admittedly, I never came to care as much for most of the other sailors as I might have in a fictionalized version of the story. However, the outcome of Captain Riley's bargain of faith kept me guessing, and I felt every pang of guilt and uncertainty right along with him.
   
   I have to admit overcoming an interest-curve (if such a thing exists) in the text preceding the shipwreck. A lot of names, dates, and locations flew right by me: I was in this for the adventure, and the first 50-or-so pages plodded a bit for me. I now view that portion of the experience like the gradual exposition in many great novels and films; the non-fiction approach to setting and character development.
   
   I really did love this book, and recommend it to those who feel intimidated by any stacks but Fiction. Maybe we'll bump into each other making those first tentative steps into the other aisles of the bookstore!



3. This story of survival of members of a shipwrecked crew in the mid-1800s is truly astounding, sold into slavery they are forced to survive in the incredibly harsh environment of the western Sahara. An interesting account of the daily lives of the people who scratch a living out of this barren landscape



4. Hollywood couldn't create a movie with as much intensity as this true tale of suffering. Follow a group of shipwrecked sailors as they trek across the Zahara, mere chattel of their cruel captors. If you enjoy a tale of overcoming adversity tenfold, then this book will fit the bill nicely. Keep a tall, cold drink handy.



5. Skeletons on the Zahara was one of the most amazing survival stories I have ever read. What an awesome account of living as a slave amongst the Arab nomads in the early 1800's. Camel spiders, sand storms, dehydration, starvation, abuse, incredible heat...how could anyone live through all that? Yikes! If you are looking for a great read, this is it!

1 comments about Africa.

1. Un excelente libro de un fotógrafo excepcional. El continente captado en todo su esplendor y miseria por un ojo privilegiado. Una compra obligada.

5 comments about Northern Tanzania: The Bradt Safari Guide with Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar (Bradt Travel Guide).

1. I recently returned from a Safari to Tanzania, mainly centered around animal and native peoples visiting. I found this book invaluable as a background read before the visit, and also during the visit.It is well written and covers the highlights in a very succint and informative manner. It is portable as well, and I referred to it many times during the two week trip. Afterwards I also used it frequestly in organizing the myriad of photos taken on the trip.



2. This book is chock-full of excellent guidance on tailoring your Tanzania wildlife safari. It gives enticingly lushious descriptions of the various parks and reserves (how can you not visit them all?), tells you what wildlife you can expect to see when/where, describes the camps and lodges in sufficient detail to help you choose, and also provides very practical advice on structuring your adventure. Even if I decide to go elsewhere for my safari (doubtful!), this was a wonderful read.



3. I read this as well as the lonely planet guide. between the two, the bradt guide provides more details about lodging, places, etc. and is much better than the lonely planet guide



4. This book was extemely helpful for navigating in the Arusha/Moshi region. I used this book nonstop to identify hotels and animals on my safari. While I was on guided tours, I could follow right along with this guidebook-very helpful



5. I've guided several trips to Tanzania (climbing Kili and Serengeti safari) and I found this book very helpful (especially since I had no prior experience in the region). I appreciated the author's short essays on culture & tourism and encouraged the people in my group to read them.

5 comments about South Africa (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE).

1. ANOTHER HIT FOR THE DK SERIES, THEY HAVE BECOME MY GO TO BOOK FOR TRAVEL THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. GREAT PHOTOS AND EASY TO UNDERSTAND. SUGGESTIONS FOR ALL PRICE RANGES.
   THANKS



2. Basically this is a useless book. It gives a broad overview of very basic things. It is in NO WAY a travel guide. It does, however, have nice pictures! I returned to book!



3. I think these DK guides are fantastic, they not only make nice travel guides, but are good to have whether you plan to travel to that particular destination or not. Frankly, the reviewer who stated he returned this book and gave it one star is an idiot of the first order. South Africa is an amazing country with very distinct parts, this book does a fine job of breaking the country up and giving the history and the highlights of each region. If you have any interest in South Africa or just like travel guides, then pick this up you wont be disappointed. As for South Africa itself, lord let's hope they dont elect another neianderthal to run the country, but from what ive heard the ANC has nominated another corrupt pol to be the next president..for what is considered the most forward country in Africa..ill grant you that is not saying much, just look at Zimbabwe..South Africa seems to be going backward..how sad.



4. This was one of several books we bought for a trip to South Africa. The book itself is beautiful-good photos, concise descriptions, good background and is itself a keepsake of the trip. It provided some good background and historical information about the different areas of the country and what to expect, but it is not the kind of book that will tell you all you need to know about where to stay, what time the trains run, etc. It is a great start to get excited about where you're going, but should only be considered as an adjunct to another book (like Frommers or Lonely Planet) that provides all the nuts and bolts information you actually need to travel there. If you have both, you're in great shape, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it ahead of time.



5. Just returned from 2 weeks in South Africa on a hybrid business/pleasure trip, where I went on Safari in Kruger, visited Soweto, Newtown, Sandton and Benoni in Johannesburg for work, went to Port Elizabeth, and then to Durban (Scottburgh, Amanzimtoti, Umhlanga and Shaka Zulu), and finally back to Pretoria for work. I took two books with me: this "Eyewitness Travel Guide" and the Frommers' South Africa book. I really found the "Eyewitness" to be more along the lines of something you might read BEFORE you go. There are beautiful pictures and descriptions of things, but it doesn't tell you how to get there, who to contact, where to stay (in an easy way) that's close by, etc. It's more of a teaser, really. When I unpacked my suitcase, it was clear that the Frommers book is much better - it was well worn by the time I got back, with highlights and notes and dog-eared pages. For my money, I'd get Frommers to keep with you while you are in WILD South Africa. If you want to see beautiful photos, get "The Eyewitness Guide." Just my opinion. Have a wonderful trip - it is an intense and beautiful country.

5 comments about The Flame Trees of Thika: Memories of an African Childhood (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics).

1. In 1913, a little English girl named Elspeth relocated with her family from their native country to begin a coffee plantation in the wilds of Kenya. Similar in a way to Laura Ingall Wilder's adventurous and sentimental "take" on what was surely a very difficult experience for her family, Elspeth remembers Kenya as a wonderful place and tells us with lingering excitement of her experiences there in the short time before the First World War changed nearly everything. A delightful memoir that is a pleasure every time it's read.



2. I loved this book. It is beautifully written and is a gripping story on growing up in Africa.



3. The Flame Trees of Thika is a wonderfully written book giving the reader a glimpse of what it must have been like to grow up in Colonial Africa. It is an experience most of us will only have through reading and can only be compared to what it must have been to be one of the early settlers on the American Frontier.



4. This is by now a revered classic of a young girl's childhood in the Kenyan countryside under British rule. One reads this and instantly identifies with the colonial family. It's a kind of Swiss Family Robinson story about that magical time in Kenya and thereabouts before World War I when the world seemed to be at the feet of the British King and all globes glowed pink under the Empire. Were people ever so free and happy as the colonialists in Africa who instantly had countless servants, nearly free land, and the British fleet for protection? This is Out of Africa for the middle class, as opposed to Isak Dinesen's aristocratic take on things. Still, the going was good, as Evelyn Waugh once said. Ms Huxley is a charming writer. Required reading for lovers of things African.



5. Having watched the DVDs of The Flame Trees of Thika several times, I was delighted to see the reissue of Elspeth Huxley's book of the same title. This is a unique case of both the book and the movie being about equal. Knowing the story from the movie in no way detracts from reading the book. Huxley's devotion to the land and people of Kenya shines through her descriptions of encounters with both. A semi-biographical account, it not only gives the reader insight into the colonial thinking of the times, but accurately predicts the inevitable conflicts (for example with the Mau Mau) that would later occur. It is a description of what must have been, for Huxley, an idyllic childhood living in the shadow of Mount Kenya, with its exotic animals and her interactions with the local tribes people. A most enjoyable read, this is a cameo of a time long past.
   
   All that is now needed is a re-issue of the sequel : The Mottled Lizard.

5 comments about The Ponds of Kalambayi.

1. Having lived and worked in Africa, one of the hardest things to convey to people who have not been there, is how despite poverty and other hardships, Africa is not a sad place. This book does a great job of explaining the beauty and strength of Africa and its people. It also shows that people have good sound reasons for doing what to us initially may seem crazy and irrational. Tidwell's book also does a great job of showing the impact that Africa has on the people who go there. His honesty and examination of both himself and the people he lives with make this book a winner.



2. After deciding that I wanted to apply to the Peace Corps, I began doing online and literary research on the experience as a whole. I bought this book, totally uninterested in how a Caucasion man in Africa would learn to adapt to the local culture and thus be successful at showing the (willing) villagers how to raise "fish farms." Needless to say, this book never has a dull moment, which is a major shock for me. Although he doesn't talk much about the Peace Corps (if at all), he does constantly touch on the topics of attempting to shed his American normalities/viewpoints and just plain adapting to life in his African villages. His cultural adaptation and the frustrations that come along with teaching the locals about fish farming are just two things that make this book a page turner.



3. Mike Tidwell's memoir of his two years of Peace Corp work teaching villagers to build fish ponds is about so much more than that. He writes so honestly about what he learned from working closely with his African neighbors and how he came to understand their generosity from an African perspective as opposed to his American perspective. He has so many adventures with the men the Kalambayi region that each chapter taught me something new. Mike shares his doubts about himself and those he works with. He confesses his errors and shares his times of despondency. But all in all I think he feels the way that I do...living in Africa as an American is the best education because you are forever changed...your world of thought is so much larger. I wanted the story to go on and on because every evening I looked forward to being with Mike's world in Zaire.



4. As a returned Peace Corps volunteer who served in francophone Africa (Gabon - 89-91), Mike Tidwell captures the experience better than any other Peace Corps writer I've read. Contrast this book with the Village of Waiting (George Packer) and you'll see what I mean. He also is a master story teller and offers a lot for anyone interested in Africa.



5. This is an amazing book about Africa. For one who has never been there it shows the other half, the half that you don't hear in the news, the part that we all know exists but never hear of it. Love, life, death, courage, tradition. It is a two year long journey dealing with adaptation to a different culture, teaching how to raise fish in the middle of Africa.
   I got this book as a gift from my sister and have thanked her for it, because didn't just provide with a time for entertainment but it taught me a lot about another culture, taught me about respect for others beliefs.
   It is heartbreaking, but beautifull.

5 comments about Morocco (Eyewitness Travel Guides).

1. Just returned from Morocco and this book was indispensible! Great insight, great information about what to see. The photos are terrific to look at even if you don't make it to your destination.
   Can't wait to use the one from Turkey soon!



2. It is a colorful book but lack the basic information and tips on basics. Gives you a nice history of Morroco political life. But it was't as helpful on basics like maps, tours.
   
   This is a cheap book its ok for a overview. If your thinking of visiting Morroco with only this book as experience, dont. Always do some research and get maps in the city you visit. Especially Marrakech



3. It is a great book because gives you pictures of what you are expecting to see. Also gives you information.
   Very easy to use.



4. Having travelled to Morocco April of 2007, I wanted an armchair mode to relive and add to places, events, memories of the trip. While no book can replace the marvel that is Morocco and its people, this gives a good and accurate overview, with lots of interesting information. All those things your tour guide shares and you can't remember!



5. Though many swear by the LP guides, my Eyewitness guide did me well during my recent 10 day excursion through Marrakesh, Fes, and Casablanca. It's not so great for finding hotels and restaurants, as well as many "big picture" details (like where to find walking tours, etc.), but the history sections at the beginning of the guide were incredibly informative and helped me understand the culture and background of the people before I went, and the pictures (both photos and illustrations) and descriptions of the sites are great. Especially important since in Morocco, if there's a non-Arabic description of anything, it's typically only in French. Finally, it's a good keepsake at the end of the trip... a great collection of photos of the sights in case you weren't able to take enough.
   
   All in all, my travel buddy had an LP guide, which we used for finding hotels and to figure out a walking tour in Casablanca, and we used my Eyewitness guide for everything else. Perfect for us.

No comments about Fodor's The Complete African Safari Planner, 1st Edition: With Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa & Tanzania (Full-Color Gold Guides).

5 comments about All Things Must Fight to Live: Stories of War and Deliverance in Congo.

1. I recommend this book for many reasons--Mealer's lyrical, colorful prose, insight into some of the most magnificent and heartbreaking events and places in the DRC, and finally, for a first hand account of how, why, and when news reaches us out of Africa. I'll recommend this book to my colleagues who study Congo, but also to family members who would like a window into this fiercely captivating and complicated place.



2. I had to put the book down several times because I felt sick. Bryan's writing was so real that I felt every terrifying and treacherous moment along the way. Just when a dangerous jouney ended, another began. I am so overwhelmed with what Bryan experienced in the Congo. I know him personally as well as his family, and I can't imagine what they all went through at their own levels.
   I applaud Bryan Mealer for the excellent portrayal of a dire situation. I admire his wife, Ann Marie, and family for living through all of the reports, emails and contacts from Bryan throughout his entire journey.
   BRAVO, Bryan, for the intensity, honesty, and real depiction of the situation in the Congo that we should all be aware of and concerned about.



3. I read this book in May and still find myself haunted by it. Episodes like the Kinshasa Fight Club or the surreal appearance of Jessica Lange at a triage camp will stay with me for a long long time.
   
   Mealer tenderly renders the humanity of a situation most of us would prefer to think of as inhuman.
   
   You owe it to yourself to take a look.



4. Bryan Mealer has penned a brutal memoir of his three years as a reporter in the Congo, three years when teenage gunboys roamed the countryside and city streets, when UN peacekeeping forces faced mystical leaders operating from jungle mountaintops, when rebel militias and government forces alike pillaged their own nation. It was a horrible time in the history of a country that has seen little else for the last hundred years.
   
   While Mealer writes about the bloody atrocities he witnessed, the real story he tells is about himself. He's drawn back to the Congo three times, apparently addicted to the extreme discomfort and random violence he endures. His travels cover nearly the entire country from the capital of Kinshasa to the mineral-rich southern provinces to the guerilla-infested eastern region where an alphabet-soup of militias, foreign armies, and UN forces fight a never-ending war of terror, rape, and mutilation. He rides a newly-reconstructed rail line and even follows Conrad's trail up the Congo River via barge. At one point, he and his adventure-junkie buddies take off through the jungle on bicycles.
   
   While Mealer tells us the names and stories of many Congolese he meets along the way, he never really gives much insight into them as anything other than victims. He says as much when he reflects on his bicycle journey:
   
   "...once in the jungle, my own basic needs and level of comfort had stood in the way of learning anything. I didn't even know my riders' last names or anything about their families. I'd simply been too exhausted and hungry to care. It wasn't my proudest moment, and even now, those last days on the trail leave a sting of regret."
   
   Still, All Things Must Fight To Live puts the reader close to the action and accurately reflects the aftermath of war and colonialism in one of the world's greatest humanitarian catastrophes.
   
   Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds: A Novel of Scandal, Love and Death in the Congo



5. Highly recommended. Reading this book I learned a lot about the history of Congo and the suffering of its people. Once you started reading you can't really put it down. But be warned: The stories about gunboys, militia and so on are really cruel and reading about their atrocities makes you want to throw the book against the wall or shout at somebody.