5 comments about Lonely Planet Morocco.

1. Rather stereotyped cultural comments which are not particularly accurate. Having seen the DK Guide to Morocco since, wish I had bought that instead.



2. I know of no other book that assists in living overseas as well as Lonely Planet. There are other guidebooks out there, and they have their own attributes, but I'm familiar with the Lonely Planet system, and it seems to be far more diverse in the countries covered than any other travel collection. And living in Morocco as I do, I particularly enjoy the Moroccan edition.
   
   This book is well structured, with copious information on every aspect of traveling, from transportation to hotels to food to sights. I appreciate that Lonely Planet looks especially out for the budget traveler- hotels that I can find nowhere else (and I've looked) are present in Lonely Planet. When I want to decide where to stay, where to eat cheaply, and what to see of interest, I turn to Lonely Planet. If I want to know if I should take the trains, big taxis, small taxis, or buses, and which bus line, I turn to Lonely Planet. The hiking information is also helpful in the last section of the book.
   
   I must admit, all Lonely Planet are a bit confusing with their listing of Travel Around the area listed after Travel To and From the area. But a more major weakness in this book is the lack of coverage of the Southern half of the country. Yes, it is less traveled and less touristy, but Lonely Planet really only has the two major cities for half of the country- and that's only 3 pages covering those cities. And the Southern half has a completely different culture, clothing styles, language, and a lot to offer. A glaring omission in an otherwise excellent book.



3. My bf and I recently went on a two week trip to Morocco and took along this book. I have to say, the maps were horrible, we got lost so many times trying to follow the maps and had to constantly ask locals to guide us. We also discovered that the book didnt mention that you need reservations in pretty much every riad and the majority of hotels you want to stay at. Also, make sure you get the most recent edition... a few places listed were closed and had been for some time.
   All in all, we were disappointed with this book.



4. Recommended with reservations.
   I recommend this book, but with reservations. I used it last month during a solo-trip to Morocco that took me through Casablanca, Marrakesh, Ourzazate, Agdz, Zagora, M'Hamid, into the Sahara on a camel, through the Dades Gorge, Er-Rashidia, Azrou, Meknes, Volubilis, and finally Fes.
   
   In general it provided fairly accurate information on getting around, prices, and where things were. But nothing in the book prepared me for the constant hassles, harassment, scams, crime, and corruption that were a part of my everyday experience in country. If you end up using this book, know that it ignores some of the most important parts of what life is like for travelers. With that said, there were no MAJOR inaccuracies of the type that could have gotten me in serious trouble.
   
   Pros:
   Solid logistical information, food overview, and language guide. Interesting historical and background sections.
   
   Also good maps (although I couldn't have survived without GPS or at least a compass because there are very few street signs).
   
   Listings of restaurants were helpful even if LP seemed to give rave reviews to average places.
   
   Cons:
   Totally ignores the hassles of everyday life. (The book should have a section on how to act: Ignore anyone who tries to talk to you. Always count your change for the simplest of transactions and decide early on how much you're willing to argue over. Never stop on the side of the roads, even if kids are begging for water in the desert (they WILL rob you). Be prepared to bribe police in rural areas--a guide on how much would be nice. Don't accept invitations for tea even if you've done something nice because you'll either get robbed or pressured to buy something...the list goes on.)
   
   Largely ignored the most important things about accommodations. The authors pay too much attention to "friendly staff" and the decorations in lobby at the expense of things like cleanliness, bed bugs, running/hot water, lighting in rooms, doors that lock, etc. As a general rule, independent "4*" hotels will be 2*'s or worse at five or ten times the price. Don't expect a/c or heating unless you're dealing with a major chain. Don't trust online ratings from orbitz, [...], etc, unless they're chains. I ended up in Ibis Mousaffir's at the end of my trip and wished I'd stayed there the whole time.
   
   Doesn't do a good job of prioritizing places to see. Instead, the book rates every site pretty highly, which makes it tough when you're pressed for time. For instance, Casablanca is pretty much a waste of time but LP makes it sound interesting and exciting. The same goes for desert towns that have little to offer but get a couple of pages.
   
   Bottom line: Use LP Morocco but make sure you know what it leaves out and what it gets wrong so you can plan accordingly.



5. The book gives me very good information for my travels, sometimes not enough, but always accurate and reliable.

1 comments about Socotra: A Natural History of the Islands and Their People.

1. There is nothing out there like this book. Nothing even comes close. If you're interested in the island of Suqutra, you basically must have this book. Live on the streets. Eat only rice. Sell your children. But buy this book.
   
   "Natural History" contains everything you could possibly want to know about the islands and their people- including that they aren't one island, but actually six, three of which are inhabited. The book goes into great detail on the history, the customs, the flora and fauna, marine life, geology, and the environmental impact and future of Suqutra. Cheung and DeVantier have taken a century and a half of research, countless articles and books, and their own personal experience to present a beautifully photographed and intricate portrayal. Here you can learn about the poisonous animals (and what the possibility is of a giant poisonous snake); how to politely visit a Suqutri home and eat; why the Suqutri marine ecology is so unique; when the island was Christian; and how frankincense and ambergris are formed by battle between giant monsters and from special trees. Perhaps the only thing missing is a more detailed analysis of the centrality of folk Islam in the society, which is only alluded to at times- but that can be found in the ethnography Island of the Phoenix. Truthfully, this book is a bargain- it should be selling at about three times the price, for no other book comes close to matching it.
   
   Some have a thirst for Suqutra and want to learn more about it by reading this book. There may be some reading this review who've never heard of the place. Go buy the book to find out. This is the oldest isolated continental land in the world. Because of this, and fierce winter storms six months of the year with unique alternating encircling currents, the island's biology is unique and has a rate of endemic species comparable for it's size to Hawaii or the Galopogus. Dragon's Blood Trees and actual Cucumber trees (trees grown to the size of cucumbers) are unique to this island, as are the inaptly named Persian Violets (now available from florists). But unlike those other islands of uniqueness, Suqutra is not only continental crust, but also has had an indigenous population of humans for over two millennia. These people have been largely culturally and linguistically isolated as well over that time, and have had specific impacts on their small land, as well as learning valuable environmental tools to care for the ecology and continue to survive.
   
   In it's second to last chapter "Natural History" takes a look at these environmental issues, in a series of studies so engaging they read like short stories. They tell of modern attempts at ecological protection, with successes and failures. But the studies are always encouraging, for even in failures there is at least the recognition of the problem, and what needs to continue to be protected. Due to the public's lack of awareness of Suqutra, and the long history of ecological concern by the islanders, there is time to actively work to identify unique animals and ecology of the islands and protect them before there is great loss, as has occurred in Hawaii. As such, many like the authors are working towards sustainable development and technological application on the islands, without removing natural culture or wildlife, to the extent that this is possible.
   
   I perhaps appreciated most of all the final chapter. Many may have read the recent New York Times article on Suqutra, and are considering it as a pleasing new adventure, and out of the way destination. The final chapter of "Natural History" warns against this. While ecotourism is growing on the island, it is having a greater negative impact on the animals and plants of Suqutra. Suqutra is very hot, with fierce winds, a high chance of contracting malaria, strange customs (for Westerners), dangerous biting insects, extremely limited hospital care and doctors, and water too limited to allow regular bathing. If you're going to go, the authors wish to communicate that it's not for a lark or the faint of heart, and please respect the people and the land, so as to sustain it for future generations. Suqutra is a land of adventure, but the kind of adventure that is grueling and difficult, that involves emotional death to self in changing cultural practices, potentially taking lives and causing a lifetime of injury.

5 comments about Amboseli Wimbo.

1. I loved this book and couldn't put it down! Christy Carroll is a great writer. I fell in love with the characters and learned so much about beautiful Kenya. I was sorry when the book ended and I look forward to Carroll's next book.



2. This is a great book. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading it. It is very well written and the plot is very exciting. I want to travel to Africa after reading Amboseli Wimbo!! I can't wait for the next book by Christy Carroll.



3. This book makes you feel like you're in Africa and experiencing everything that happens in the book! There is a cool trailer at http://youtube.com/watch?v=z7GcAhRMd1c check it out.



4. I was given this book as a gift. Picked it up one day, and couldn't put it down. Loved the fact that the chapters are short and beckon you to go to the next to see what happens. As I read this book, I visualized it as if I was watching a movie. It has great feeling, appeal, is emotionally moving. I had to put it down before the end, afraid of what might happen to the characters. Anticipation was one of the factors that kept me reading. You want to get involved, and you wished and hoped for Julie all the way till the end. Left me wanting Christi's second book. This book is classy, no trash, a definite re-read. Hope you will love it as much as I did. I would love to see it as a movie.



5. This book captures one's attention quickly and pulls you into the soul of Africa. Through Marc, a main character, I was able to have my own safari in Africa. The knowledge portrayed through him and by the author really was captivating and well written. It sparks one's imagination and curiosity about a world so completely different than our own! It is as if your taken there and actually experience the dangers as well as the beauty! I have a whole new appreciation for Africa and her people, and I have never been there, but now want desperately to go! A love story mixed with danger and uncertainty in the wild are great ingredients of this, a great book! A must read! I look forward to Christy Carroll's next book with much anticipation!

1 comments about Travels of Ibn Battutah.

1. If you want to read ibn Battutah in his own words, this is the best source currently available. But know what you are getting. 300 pages of small print, no pictures, no maps, no chronology, just the voice of ibn Battutah, echoing down through the ages. 25 pages of footnotes at the back help with the clarification of time, place, and bits of history. But for context, you need to read this book in conjunction with The Adventures of ibn Battuta by Ross Dunn.
   
   This is a great way to hear ibn Battutah's story in his own words. The translation is clear and accessible, without seeming "modernized." Ibn Battutah's personality definitely comes through.

1 comments about Africa: An Artist's Safari.

1. 
   
   Krakowiak brings his remarkable subjects to life in image and text, striking artwork that depicts the color, texture, energy and stunning beauty of the wilds of Africa. A compilation of sketches, paintings and stories, the artist has created a valuable memoir, his prose accented with the powerful beasts who so define the Dark Continent, the lion, the cheetah, and the elephant who inhabit this vast land. Truly the last frontier, this wilderness stretches from the "Cape of Good Hope in the south to the Mediterranean in the north", the "world's largest desert... and its' most extensive rain forest".
   
   Visiting game reserves that protect nearby marvelous, larger-than-life animals who roam their home with authority: "The endless cycle of life and death is everywhere repeated." Man is a puny force against predators who have roamed the earth with impunity, finally threatened by extinction and the random slaughter by poachers, who perpetrate the greatest travesty against nature, perhaps irrevocable and tragic for the future of the continent. In the utmost simplicity, artist vs. nature, Krakowiak explores this unique experience, a man who sees beauty all around him, the power, grace and temperament of Africa and its denizens, his creative energy infused with the colors, sights and sounds of a country at its grandest.
   
   Finally, the author/artist offers suggestions for those who seek to follow his example, focusing on each particular artist's objective, assembling essential artist supplies, binoculars, the appropriate camera and a journal to record thoughts, ideas and inspirations. Judging from the quality of this coffee table book, both in image and text, Krakowiak has mastered his own point of perspective, the pictures a powerful testament to the subjects of outstanding work. Luan Gaines/ 2007.

No comments about Senegal (Enchantment of the World. Second Series).

1 comments about Men and Gods in Mongolia (Mystic Traveller Series).

1. I stumbled across this book around a year ago and found it to be an excellent account of adventure in old Mongolia. It is always a pleasure to read accounts from Asia that do not have a Buddhist slant to it, but a neutral stance observing the customs of this area. I enjoyed his tales from the monasteries and his encounters with Oracles and Spirit Mediums. Haslund provides great color and textures to his account of one of the great Asian expeditions of all time.

No comments about Time Out Shortlist Marrakech (Time Out Shortlist).

1 comments about African Hunter (Peter Capstick Library Series).

1. This book is personable, entertaining, and full of hunting stories without being too technical. Unexpectedly, in a book about hunting, Von Blixen compassionately remembers his wild animal pets. He sketches their personalities as he does his friends like Hemmingway, Guest, or various safari guides rather than dismiss them as dumb beasts.
   Sara Wheeler's Too Close To The Sun set me on a path of fascination with these adventurers who toughed it out in Africa during the Colonial era around WWI. Fortunately her bibliography lists lots of reading material.
   I have been humbled to learn of the physical and mental endurance required by those who loved Africa enough to make it home. These were outsiders who lived amongst the tribes in the agricultural regions of the countryside. Europe and Britain couldn't contain the large, soul-searching personalities of Bror Blixen, Isaak Dineson, Beryl Markham, Denys Finch Hatton and their compatriots. I am tracking down, so to speak, each eccentric, stubborn settler mentioned in books about this era.
   I wish Von Blixen had told more stories. His life was one Big Adventure; he knew only fascinating people, from the Prince of Wales to revered African Kings, whom we'll only learn about through this book. I'm hooked on tales of these adventurous people.

No comments about Arab interlude,.