1 comments about Wallpaper City Guide: Melbourne (Wallpaper City Guides) (Wallpaper City Guides (Phaidon Press)).

1. Dear Sir or Madam,
   
   I am very concerned and dissapointed of amazon, I still haven't received my stuff. How can I track it? I would like to know where it ism but in your website there are no details of tracking.
   
   Regards,
   
   Anelxander Perez

No comments about Waterproof New Zealand Map by ITMB.

1 comments about Queensland & the Great Barrier Reef (Regional Guide).

1. My husband and I like travelling. We are used to Lonely Planet series.
   But this one has been almost completely useless. We are always careful to get the most up-to-date version, and if it hasn't been updated in the last two years we definitively don't rely on it alone, only as background information.
   On the inside of the cover, it is said this 2006 version has been lately reviewed. However EVERYTHING except some addresses were out of date.
   Furthermore the guidebook doesn't provide a lot of information or description as we were used when using Lonely Planet guidebooks for our travelling in Asia.
   We got much more and for free at the Tourist Information Office, which address it is true we had found in the Lonely Planet guidebook. But even the address of the Cairns' QWSP Office(Queensland Wildlife Bureau, where you can get park permits) was wrong. The cost of living, including restaurant were all wrong. It is NOT true that vacation is cheap there. It is definitively more expensive than the US. Indeed Queensland has learnt the value of the Great Barrier, and how much money they can get for it from the tourism. It is a real business.
   Saying that we enjoyed very much our time there: people are nice (I love their humour), landscape and 'seascape'were marvellous, food expensive but very fresh and tasty, especially seafood. It was just a pity we had to be careful over our spending because we didn't expect and so plan the local expenses.
   
   To come back to Lonely Planet guidebooks, it is the second one in few months that has disappointed us. The first one was on Kauai Island, Hawaii. May be we should only consider Lonely Planet for Asia and Latin America destinations.

3 comments about Ancient Tonga & the Lost City of Mu'A: Including Samoa, Fiji, & Rarotonga (Lost Cities of the Pacific Series).

1. This book takes the reader into the maritime realm of the first seafarers of the Pacific Ocean. Most fascinating of the ancient cith of Mu where the first pan-Pacific maritime university trained sailing fleets to discover and chart this very ancient part of the world. Delves a little bit into possible ties with Lemuria and other lost lands of the Pacific.



2. Good compilation of information (as you can probably judge from the 5-page bibliography), but not much of a leisurely read. Discusses possible origin of the polynesians, ancient ruins found on the said islands, as well as legends and artifacts passed on through generations. The author manages to touch alot of topics, but as a general interest book, it just doesn't work.



3. Childress has uncovered a deep Pacific base for ancient navigators,
   who were much more likely the ancestors of American megalithic
   builders than the posited but unlikely survivors of a Berengia
   migration to the New World -- even though academic texts still fondly
   describe ice-age hunters following wandering caribou over thousands of
   miles of thick icesheets where neither the hunters nor the hunted
   would have had anything to eat.

2 comments about Thumbs Up Australia: Hitching the Outback.

1. I very much enjoyed this novel and found it to be a real page-turner in that it was a tale of endeavour and continually emergent experiences. This novel touched on an area most Australian's seem to be little aware of and seem themselves to experience almost as a foreign country most notably the centre and north of this massive country/continent. Indeed an area that most of us won't experience whilst traversing the urban parts so well advertised by the brochures. As such I found it a fascinating contrast from that given by the rather conservative and urbanised travelogues I'd read on this country by Bill Bryson's `Down Under' although in itself an interesting travelogue. Bill Bryson's travelogue was the last book I bought for my brother when he left for Australia three years ago, this will be my next one.



2. I was recommended this book by a friend. I must say I was a bit apprehensive as I am not normally into Travelogs, but I must say I really enjoyed it. My only criticism, is that it could have done with some photos of the places that were visited, but other than that... a great read. Australia is certainly more wacky than I realised.

1 comments about Voyage of Rediscovery: A Cultural Odyssey through Polynesia.

1. This is another book everybody ought to have in their library. Why?
   
   (1) The Polynesian double-canoe was the great voyaging craft of the human race. Not that other boats were not great too, but these people had so little -- little land, only a few precious trees, no metals, no compass -- and yet in a remarkably short period of time they populated a territory of Earth that would astound you. With a stellar navigation system stored in their brains (not on charts or in complicated sextants or chronometers) they found their way across a vast ocean. The double-canoe was the least boat (the least amount of materials, the least environmental impact for a given need for reliable sailcraft) that could be made to do the most work in the harshest of conditions -- just for those reasons the boats and their crews deserve recognition.
   
   (2) The book chronicles the several voyages of a reconstructed canoe in order to hypothesize about the ways in which the ancient crews used information about seasonal variations in winds and currents to make destinations that, during some parts of the year, would not have been accessible given the heading angles these boats could sail (about as good as a well-designed European square-rigger, though other Polynsesian outrigger canoes -- proas -- gradually developed after the great voyaging period and would eventually sail closer to the wind and astound the early European explorers with their sailing qualities). These voyages were adventures of thinking, training, and sailing a boat of unknown qualities and using a native type of non-instrument navigation -- those adventures are now a testament to the accomplishments of the native people of Oceania. (In a goofy kind of way, you can also remember such accomplishments when you are feeling a bit down on the human race).
   
   I hope those are good enough reasons to buy this book. There are others, but I'm tired, and I want you to write a review about the ones I have not covered.
   
   Flaws? Who has none? The author rightly desires to document the accomplishments of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, but some cultural/racial tensions arose during this long experiment, which is understandable given the state of things in territories whose historical development was altered by colonization and colonial administration. It was no doubt a difficult thing that some of the first impetus and funding for the adventure came from the 'White'-American "establishment" so to speak. But it would be fair to learn more about the total story of this cultural revival project, both the accomplishments and the tensions. [Note 1/8/08: Finney's later book, "Sailing in the Wake of the Ancestors," which I just received, addresses this issue] --wt

No comments about Tourism and the Branded City (New Directions in Tourism Analysis).

No comments about Insight Guides Sydney Smart Guide (Insight Guides).

5 comments about Southern Exposure: A Solo Sea Kayaking Journey Around New Zealand's South Island.

1. By Bill Marsano. Chris Duff's photos, which are bundled together and whacked a little perfunctorily into the middle of this book, limp under the heading of 'snaps.' Duff belongs to the old school of kayakin' shutterbugs: compose any old how, so long as the bow of the boat is in the frame; shoot in any old light; and shoot, sometimes, any old subject. There's a darn nice snap of a Hooker seal here but what I really wanted was more pix of the damage (and later repairs) to his boat from the surf landing that nearly killed him. I'm just saying. (And the maps are even worse--clear, but seldom helpful.)
   
   Never mind: This is a book of writing. Duff seems to have had no specific reason to try a 1700-mile circumnavigation of New Zealand's South Island (it's not even a first) but he is no virgin. He's looped the British Isles and then Ireland; he's paddled 8000 miles along the east coast of Canada and the U.S.; even now he may be paddling round Iceland.
   
   He, too, gets into a little gauzy mysticism about the Eternal Why and his place in the universe, but most of the time he's a little too busy for that stuff. South Island's coast is a place that goes from bad to worse, and it's instructive to listen in as Duff relates his tactics and strategies for dealing with bad weather and dangerous, even life-threatening situations: You can learn from this stuff as well as be staggered by it. And just for lagniappe there are those occasional moments of perfect weather and following seas that surf him along in solitary joy. These usually come along just after the notoriously perverse Tasman Sea has, as they say south of here, "prit-near" beaten him to a pulp.
   
   A particular pleasure of this book is the human aspect. Despite the solitary aspect of his circumnavigations, Duff is a sociable man who enjoys and appreciates the people he meets--and appears to bring out the best in them. Add that to the fact that Kiwis are notably kind and generous anyway and you are not surprised that Duff makes friends everywhere he goes and they bend over backwards to help him in every way they can.
   
   Judging from the indications in the text, it's clear that Duff prepared extremely well for this voyage, and readers should pay close attention as they go along, because--probably because this stuff is bred into his bones by now--Duff spends very little time discussing equipment at the end. In fact, he's done with the subject in a single page.
   
   There's one incident in this book that commands my admiration and will yours. I don't want to give anything away but at one point Duff receives some help of a rather expensive kind, and his response is to pull out his credit card. "No worries, mate," he's told, officialdom is budgeted for that. All very well, but Duff insists on paying his own way. He is well aware of the fact that a well-behaved guest doesn't batten on his hosts.--Bill Marsano is an award-winning editor and writer whose own kayaking voyages fill only pages, not books.



2. A couple of years ago I saw Chris Duff speak at Canoecopia - a worldwide paddling expo held in Madison WI. One of his talks was about his solo circumnavigation of New Zealand's south island - the same topic as this book.
   I, and I think the rest of the audience, was mesmerized as he told his tale. Even though he probably has talked about his trip many times it felt as if he was reliving it for the first time. His ecitement was contagious. The audience could almost feel the ocean swells and smell the salty air.
   Chris Duff is as good of a writer as he is a public speaker. He vividly describes the scenery of his voyage, the people he encounters and his own personal thoughts. While, his adventures are WAY beyond my personal abilities I could actually feel what it would be like in his shoes (or in this case fast drying sandals) due to his excellent writing ability.



3. Unfortunately, I do not quite share the enthusiasm expressed by the other reviewers. Although Duff is an excellent descriptive writer, the numerous descriptions and philosophical musings in this book tend to go on and on needlessly; I do not need to read three pages about what it was like to find two apples in the ocean and eat them, or read description after description of the joys and epiphanies one experiences while paddling in a remote area. A little of that goes a long way.
   
   I guess the upshot is that I was looking for an exciting adventure story, and what I got was perhaps the most thorough description of the New Zealand South Island's coastline, coastal waters, and weather patterns ever written. If you are looking for an "Into Thin Air"-type battle against the odds, keep looking. Although the journey required considerable paddling skills and Duff faced a few close calls, overall the book records little actual adversity aside from large waves and days of waiting out storms -- often in homes of hospitable New Zealanders rather than on his own.
   
   I also agree with other reviewers that the photos are mediocre and certainly are not "stunning," as the back of the book claims.



4. I took this book with me on a trip to New Zealand, and enjoyed reading it as I learned first hand the island's crazy seas, and the many interesting facts about the country. At times the author can be a little long winded, but I thought it was well written for a trip that inherently has so much repetition. If you like sea kayaking, nature, and adventure stories, I would recommend this book. If you get to a slightly boring part about being with one with the boat and sea, just keep reading, and more adventure is sure to follow.



5. Chris Duff's humility is one of the many striking attributes of a finely-written account of an often nerve-wracking and dangerous journey around New Zealand's South Island by sea kayak. Duff reminds us of the power and beauty of nature that so many of us have forgotten, lulled by the comforts of city life, and introduces the characters living around the coast whose goodness and moral support helped him get through the ordeal.
   
   You don't have to be a kayaker to enjoy this book, but if you are, then you can empathise much more with the many challenges he faced. I was out there on the water with him, edging into the waves, fearing the surf, dwarfed by the Fiordland's cliffs. Well done, and thanks for sharing the experience!

2 comments about Just Tell Them I Survived!: Women in Antarctica.

1. I didn't even finish this book. It seems like it is just a list of facts about woman who have visited Antarctica. I was hoping for more stories than facts. I was very bored. Also the writer appears to be a strong feminist.



2. This is a terrible book that could had potential. Arguably women in antarctica have as much interest and stories to share as men. Unfortunatly this author, an unabashed feminist, just lists lots of boring facts and petty acheivements of women. Do we really care who the first women who swore at the south pole was? Or the first women to smoke a cigarrette at the pole? No. A terrible book, useless tripe, hateful.