No comments about Argentina North and Uruguay Nelles Map (Nelles Maps S.) (Nelles Maps).

5 comments about Lonely Planet Trekking in the Patagonian Andes (Lonely Planet Travel Survival Kit).

1. This book is a perfect introduction to the wealth of hiking possibilities in patagonia - many of them are still significantly under-used and of equal calibre to the more famous routes. The general information sections are quite good, and give a good feel for what conditions are like both trekking and travelling in general; a good purchase for planning your trip. Where the book falls down is on the actual trekking notes, which are consistently inaccurate, obscenely outdated and sometimes quite misleading (see other reviews). On this front, Cerro Electrico is not safe - however Cerro Electrico Oeste is safely climbable without mountaineering equipment (although crampons are a nice idea) and gives mind-blowing views of the rear of Fitzroy - I think this might be what the author actually had in mind.
   
   The best use of this book is as an introduction/inspiration, then get hold of decent military maps (plentiful in santiago and buenos aires) and local advice (abundant) and go from there. Given that many of the treks require some degree of independence and judgement (especially in snow-bound regions), pretty much any information should be taken with a grain of salt and certainly should be double-checked independantly or at worst against common sense. It is a pity no better alternative exists, but the general information is good and if prepared, leave the fun of route-finding up to yourself.



2. I am an avid traveler, hiker and explorer and have found the Lonely Planet guides to be the absolute BEST if your intention is to explore the "ins and outs" of a country without the services of an in-country guide or tour service. They are a valuable tool for the experienced treeker/hiker/tramper and also a great resource for the urban adventurer. Lonely planet pulls their data from a variety of folks- including locals, recent transplants and adventurers- who provide extremely relevant input for the books. I always find their rating of lodging and food accurate~~ low budget is truly low budget and their recommended picks are always clean, comfortable and well situated. I also find their description and maps of hiking/trekking/tramping routes very accurate, although I would still recommend using up-to-date topo maps, GPS or hiring a local certified guide if you are exploring off-piste, mountainous or rugged regions anywhere. There is no replacement for experience and sound judgment in the backcountry. This particular guide book is wonderfully laid out and their advice is keen. Unless you have a solid 3 months of time to adventure in more than one of the regions it is best to pick an area (like the Lakes District) and focus your time in one place. Obviously the Torres Del Paine or Fitz Roy regions see a lot of traffic but the other areas are absolutely fabulous, as well. While other guide books may cater to the "guided tour crowd", I find Lonely Planet caters more to the independent intrepid traveler. Two Thumbs Up. Enjoy your exploring....



3. For the last year I've been planning a trip to Chile and Patagonia. This book has helped me plan and organize and decide which areas I want to see. This book has been full of helpful information about all the different treks in this region, the difficulty rating, miles, average days specific trails will take, and great maps. Not only does the book give great info about specific treks, it also gives really great information for newer backpackers, such as a checklist of what you should bring on the trek, what kind of food to bring, how to use a compass, first aid info, etc. (Though you should know these things before you trek around Patagonia.) I give this book 5 stars.



4. Everything that is in this book can also be found online...with a little digging. So if money is limited forgo this book, if not, it's a good, one-stop source of information.



5. I used the 1998 edition for a three month trip in 2005. I went on long treks near Ushuaia, PN Los Glaciares near El Calafate, PN Torres del Paine, PN Nahuel Huapi near Bariloche, PN Chiloe, and PN Villarica.
   Sometimes I found it difficult to interpret the directions until after the fact, however, the information was almost always correct. Not bad considering that the book was already several years old.
   Planning out several months of travelling in advance and buying maps in Santiago and Buenoes Aires is impractical. The maps in the book were often the only navigation tool available and were suitable.
   The pictures are beautiful.
   If your Spanish isn't very good you will find this book is indispensible. (I had just enough to get on the right bus)I would strongly recommend this book to anyone planning to hike in the Patagonian region of Chile and Argentina south of Concepcion.

1 comments about Monte Fitz Roy & Cerro Torre : Trekking-Mountaineering and Lago Del Desierto : Trekking - Travel Map.

1. This map was very disappointing. It only includes the area north and west of Chalten to just west of the major peaks. We're planning on doing a circuit from Paso Marconi to Paso del Viento and this map doesn't show any of the area. Also the trekking route to L Toro is not included on the map. This map is only printed on one side so its kind of a waste of paper Far better is the South Patagonia Icefield Map which contains 6 times as much information in the same amount of space and the same scale.

1 comments about ARGENTINA RESIDENCY AND RETIREMENT: How I Did It.

1. D. Johnsons' book about moving to Argentina is an honest description and practical step by step expression of her and her husband's experiences moving to an entirely different system of government and social customs. If you are planing on moving or retiring to Buenos Aires, this is a "must" read so you can anticipate all the encounters of this process in which D. Johnson so generously gave in this book. ARGENTINA RESIDENCY AND RETIREMENT: How I Did ItsJ. Marlow

1 comments about Buenos Aires Map.

1. I'm going to Argentina in a month and figure I can get maps there, but wanted to familiarize myself with the area before going to plan hotels, etc. I received the map today and it looks pretty good. It's only printed on one side which is a little odd. It covers the area surrounding Buenos Aires up beyond Palermo and down to part of La Boca. Looks like the streets are all clearly marked and the neighborhoods (San Telmo, Recoleta, etc.) are all nicely called out. It includes a street index in small but readable type. Should be easy to follow, trains, subways etc. are all marked. I'll update my review once I go there and see if all the info is accurate (printed in 2000 but the most recent I could find on the internet in English).

No comments about Argentina Atlas de Rutas Firestone 2008.

No comments about Travels in South America, during the Years 1819-20-21: Containing an Account of the Present State of Brazil, Buenos Ayres, and Chile. Volume 2.

5 comments about Enduring Patagonia.

1. If you climb and have a deep-rooted passion for the emotions that climbing stirs in you then I would highly recommend this book. You don't have to be on the cutting edge of climbing to understand in your heart what Crouch talks about in Enduring Patagonia. Empathy, focus, inner-demons, harmony, determination, pain, self-realization and the laurels of success are the streams of conscious thought that are conveyed so beautifully in Crouch's book. If you climb you know that all these feeling come out in great strength throughout almost every climb. I've never been able to put into words all the emotions and the reason for ones passion of climbing but Crouch's book does a stellar job of wording our obsession with the sport and lifestyle.



2. I read this book while stranded in an hosteria during a storm in Patagonia. How much more perfect can the situation be? I totally appreciate the passion Crouch conjures, but you can only hear the same old cliches so many times before you realize the author doesn't have anything else to offer. Yes, he loves climbing. Bravo. A lot of people love climbing, and a lot of people sacrifice a comfy job and home in order to satisfy that addiction. Crouch is trying to pave his climbing with a book that just doesn't quite measure up. He has some lovely passages, but if I were reading them from my apartment in Seattle rather than the aforementioned atmospheric perch in Chalten, Argentina, they wouldn't mean anything. That's the true measure of the book. Read it if you're an alpine junkie (or trapped by the Patagonian winds in Chalten), but otherwise, don't bother.



3. It's always good to read a mountaineering book that goes beyond the travelogue or that recites only overcoming the hardships. Gregory Crouch shows he has a knack for storytelling and a literary skill which makes this an enjoyable read. While the latter part of the story lacks the precission and insight of the first part, the narrative style still makes me hope this is not his only book.
   As an aging mountaineer of far less skill and experience as Crouch, I found Crouch speaks to the inner psyche of those who find themselves obsessed by the affliction for high places.



4. Crouch does an excellent job of bringing the reader into the obsessive world of hard core mountaineers. His writing is exciting , crisp, and vivid. You feel his enthusiasm for his sport and can understand the sacrifices people like him make to climb the world's most challenging peaks. Anyone with an interest in adventure travel or outdoor sports will enjoy this book.



5. Truly a book you can't put down. Greg has a tremendous ability to make you feel like he's with you in a fire lit hut telling only you the story while you're both kicking back a cold beer. This book bridges the gap between the romanticized view of mountaineering and the extraordinary effort and tough decisions it takes on a summit attempt. You'll laugh your self silly and feel the sting of the cold while pinned to a granite wall as Greg leads you through his experience.
   
   Extremely well written and a book you will not want to put down.

No comments about Los Glaciares National Park Travel & Trekking Guide: Fitz Roy, Cerro Torre, Patagonian Ice Cap, Patagonia, Calafate, Chalten.

5 comments about Buenos Aires (City Guide).

1. The book was written before the peso devaluation and subsequent crisis and is utterly useless unless you need a paperweight. This 3rd Edition is dated March 2002, and all hotel and restaurant pricing is from pre-devaluation. I spent November 2004 in Buenoes Aires and am headed back January 19, 2005. Buy Time Out Buenos Aires instead: Second Edition 2004. It is perfect!



2. OK, Buenos Aires is a spanish speaking city; but when every other word of a sentence in this book is full of spanish, it makes the book very very hard to read!!!! "Facts about Buenos Aires" is nothing but that, a list of useless facts emblished with unnecessary adjatives: "...something that differentiates Buenos Aires' people from their North American or European cousins - a striving melancholy and a desire for something greater." HM??? What we travelers want is an easy to read book, not a trash compactor, TOO much information one after another in a paragraph with vague english + foreign words is a waste. The few pictures in this book don't do justice to the city, take a look at any "paris" book out there, your response is usually "WOW, I would like to go there." after reading this book, it's like "hm... why do I want to go there?" Choose a different book; don't waste your time and money.



3. I am an American studying abroad in Buenos Aires and I wanted to advise anyone who is considering buying this book to save their money. I had been using the Time Out guide in the city, which is infinitely better, but I brought this guide on a trip to Colonia and Montevideo because it had much more information. As it turned out, nothing the guide recommended for Montevideo was true or even open. It listed two vegetarian restaurants, one with three locations throughout the city. I spent the better part of a day walking around the city only to find that not a single one of those four was still in existence. I then found a Lebanese restaurant in the guide and walked there, only to find that it wasn't open either. I thought maybe some shopping would improve my mood... but few of the places listed still exist. We couldn't find the reccomended Baar Fun Fun or the Cafe Brasilero. At this point, I tossed the guidebook in the nearest trashcan. At least for Buenos Aires and Uruguay, its much wiser to stick with time out.



4. I bought this guide two months before my travel to Buenos Aires. I studied it and marked all interesting places in the city. Later in the Hotel I asked for a map (It was free)and marked all the interesting places.
   
   The guide shows wonderfull places to go, beautifull monuments, good restaurants and coffee shops.
   
   Don?t pay attention to prices in the guide, devaluation has changed everthing, You must know 1 US Dollar is equivalent to 3 or 3 Pesos. Also you can change Brasilian Reales, Euros, and Pounds. Example A Water Bottle is worth about 1.20 Pesos, a gooood and juicy Steak is worth 16 pesos. A Taxi is worth about 6 or 10 pesos. The guide say you could spent almost 60 US $ Day, I think it?s abou 45 US $ day.
   
   Try central hotels, near "Teatro Colon" or Galerias Pacifico Shoping Center.
   
   Conclusion: It?s a nice guide, but you will need better maps.



5. It is a very helpful tool to make your own tours in Buenos Aires.