2 comments about Persimmon Wind: A Martial Artist's Journey In Japan.

1. I have been a fan of Dave Lowry's writing for some time, then I had decided to read this book. This is by far one of the best reads of my life. The suthor has a great ability to capture small nuances of the japanese experience and convey's beautifully to the reader. The details of the bathhouse experience, and well as the samll dojo where he and his sensei practiced iaido, was a great treasure to be read. The book served as additional travel guide on my visit to japan, especially when visiting kyoto and the butokuden. I would highly advise this to all, including budokas, and writers. I presently read this book atleast once a year.



2. Between the past, recent and ancient, and the present, we are shown aspects of life in Japan, of the dojo, of the link between sensei and deshi, of the shimmering natural world in Japan, aspects which most of us shall never see. This is a thrilling, moving, funny, intelligent book. Dave Lowry has honed his writing like the swordsmith's katana. Just for the insights into the mysterious mikkyo, the hand gestures, the ingei, I am
   deeply thankful. All this praise from someone who held a bokken only once at a Japanese pal's house!

No comments about Wallpaper City Guide: Delhi (Wallpaper City Guides) (Wallpaper City Guides (Phaidon Press)).

1 comments about Customs & Etiquette Of China (Simple Guides).

1. Great little book. Just what I was looking for to take along with me on a trip to China.

2 comments about The Light Garden of the Angel King: Travels in Afghanistan with Bruce Chatwin.

1. Peter Levi is himself a remarkable figure: An English Jesuit who is a poet, art historian, classicist,and sometime archaeologist. "Light Garden of the Angel King" is Levi's account of his travels in Afghanistan in the late 1960s as he looked for remnants of Greek presence and examined the influences of Hellenistic art, and it's a wonderfully crafted piece. Spare, elegant, softly ironic, and informed by a sensitive intelligence and a deep knowledge of the classical world. Levi is able to evoke not only the age of Alexander's Bactrian conquests but the beauties and complexities of Islamic architecture and poetry and the travails of learning Persian. His travel companion here was the young Bruce Chatwin, and Chatwin's presence (and his fascination with nomads) gives this book a wonderful set of stories. The Afghanistan of the book is long gone, shattered by twenty years of invasion, resistance, and civil war, and for anyone who loves Central Asia, "Light Garden" is a reminder of a long-vanished world. It's very different from Newby's "Short Walk in the Hindu Kush" or Byron's classic "Road to Oxiana", but it is a brilliant travel book in its own right. Very much worth owning!



2. short on good anecdotes and local color. and a rather dry style to boot. I love good travel writing and could not finish this book.

1 comments about The Warlord's Messengers (Warlords).

1. Kids ages 5-8 will relish The Warlord's Messengers, the sixth in the 'warlord's Series' which uses fiction and art to introduce math concepts to kids. Each math adventure is set in ancient China and invites kids to use math skills to solve the dilemma. Here a warlord's presence is requested at the emperor's banquet in two weeks - but he's sixteen days away by horseback - can he reach the event in time? An excellent math puzzle evolves.

1 comments about Me No Speak: Japan.

1. This is a nice little book that you can carry in your pocket. It's smaller than the passport. It has quite a few simple but frequently used sentences/phrases that are very helpful during the trip (like asking directions, buying stuff, etc.) Lots of illustrations with Japanese & English words so you can just find the one and show it to people without having to say a word!
   
   The only drawback is that it didn't show the pronunciation of the Kanjis in the book. It would have been a great help in learning how to pronounce these words in Japanese correctly.

No comments about Bali Street Atlas Second Edition.

4 comments about Everest: The Unclimbed Ridge (Adrenaline Classics).

1. Heart-breaking, tense and on some level maddening, this is the story of Pete Boardman and Joe Tasker's last expedition. Copious quotes, especially from Pete's diary, give it its emotionally touching quality. Bonington chillingly describes the survivors' long wait and gradual realization that something has gone terribly wrong. No one really knows what happened to Boardman and Tasker, especially since their bodies were later found, indicating they were not killed in a fall as Bonington surmised. This book cannot illuminate the mystery, but can illustrate the magnitude of our loss.



2. "Everest: The Unclimbed Ridge" is the story of the 1982 British attempt on the then-unclimbed Northeast Ridge of Mount Everest. Co-authored by Sir Chris Bonington and Charles Clarke, it illustrates both the thrills and deadly perils of extreme high altitude alpine-style climbing.
   
   Bonington put together a light but elite team for his 1982 expedition, featuring himself and accomplished climbers Pete Boardman, Joe Tasker, and Dick Renshaw, backed by two support climbers, Adrian Gordon and Charles Clarke. The first part of the book is a quick recap of previous climbing on Everest, following by a fascinating narrative of the team's journey to its base camp on the North side of Everest.
   
   The struggle to forge an alpine-style route up the Northeast Ridge is candidly portrayed by Bonington and Clarke. Their narrative is supplemented by quotes from Pete Boardman's diary and letters. The team, climbing at over 8,000 meters without oxygen and with only limited use of fixed ropes, makes slow and painful progress over challenging terrain.
   
   After weeks on the mountain, things begin to go wrong. All the climbers are physically deteriorating from too much time at high altitude. Chris Bonington, then in his late 40's, discovers he can no longer keep pace with his younger counterparts. Dick Renshaw suffers two minor strokes and must be evacuated to medical care. Pete Boardman and Joe Tasker make one last try at the summit, and disappear.
   
   The bodies of Boardman and Tasker would be found years later on the ridge near where they were last seen from a distance by Bonington and Gordon. The Northeast Ridge would finally be climbed, with fixed ropes and supplemental oxygen, in 1995. These facts were obviously unknown to Bonington and Clarke when they closed out this narrative in 1983. The reader is left with a poignant mystery and the enduring question of high altitude climbing: was it worth it?
   
   This book is highly recommended as a fascinating and well-written narrative of a high altitude expedition and its effects on the climbers.



3. I am not a climber but become hopelessly addicted to the mystery of Everest nonetheless. I enjoyed reading this heartbreaking tale of Everest as it opens another window into what climbers face on the mountain. Honest and informative, at times it painted a very different picture of a journey onto Everest. If you have an interest in Everest, climbing or enjoy the thrill of adventure than you will enjoy this book!



4. Wonderful book. Great photography. Stunning story. If you like Mt. Climbing books.. it is a must buy

No comments about Lonely Planet South-East Asia on a Shoestring (Lonely Planet South-East Asia, 11th ed).

2 comments about Time Out Bangkok: And Beach Escapes (Time Out Guides).

1. I was a little skeptical using a Time Out guide for the first time, but I must admit that this guide led us to numerous local eateries that were absolutely fantastic. We used the "eating" section to choose 4 local places for dinner and we were handsomely rewarded with great food, at cheap prices, from local places that we never would have found on our own. While the maps are a little lacking (they don't mark restaurants on a map - this might be changed in the newer edition), we were able to find these "hole-in-the-wall" places with excellent food.
   
   I visited Bangkok for three days and found this guide, along with a local map, sufficient. However, I did miss some of the details and background descriptions that are provided in longer guides. The food section alone makes this guide worthwhile for anyone looking to take advantage of the great local food that Bangkok has to offer.



2. This is a review of the 3rd edition of Time Out Bangkok. It's frankly not worth buying, and I say that as someone who has enjoyed other Time Out city guides. A couple of specific problems:
   
   -The maps are frustrating. Bangkok isn't really pedestrian-friendly, but there are still great opportunities to get to know the city on foot. The itineraries that Time Out includes are interesting, but the maps often lack important street names or don't include addresses and landmarks to locate sights. (Ironically, the cover says "Now with improved maps.")
   
   -The writing is awful. For instance: "Calls for an industrialized Kra Canal or 'land bridge' across the southern isthmus would foul the environment on which tourism relies." Or: "Police raids and urine tests recur periodically and the unrepealed early closing directives...land later-opening venues in a pernicious, exploitable grey area as enforcement relents." Ugh. Reading a tour guide doesn't have to be pleasurable, but it should be bearable. Reading this one isn't.
   
   Bangkok itself is wonderful. You'll just enjoy it even more with another guide. If I were to go again, I'd consider Lonely Planet. Do give other Time Out guides a look, though. They can be excellent.