1 comments about Australia Road Atlas (Travel Atlases).

1. Although I have not yet traveled with this book, I purchased it in order to help plan my upcoming vacation. This atlas contains quite a bit of additional information on Australia that I found to be helpful. I was particularly impressed with the detail pertaining to the description and quality of roadways and the available faclities for travelers. I found the format, photography, and writing style to be pleasant; the legends were clear and easy to interpret. However, as an atlas, I would have preferred that the larger maps be printed in such a manner that they would be displayed in their entirety by simply opening the book, as opposed to be divided between different pages.

2 comments about Cruising Guide to the Sea of Cortez: From LA Paz to Mulege.

1. The book is really only a cursory treatment of a small section of the Baja side of the Sea of Cortez. It implies, incorrectly, that there is no cruising area north of Mulege, and does not mention the mainland side at all. Although it doesn't say so, it is clearly designed as a basic guide for people chartering boats on short trips out of La Paz, NOT for long term cruisers coming into Mexico with their own boats. The information is incomplete, out of date and is so riddled with errors and inaccuracies as to make it pretty useless.

   Here is an example of just one of the glaring oversights in this book: Mexico requires all vessels entering or leaving a port of entry to go through a very specific check-in/out process with the port captain, immigration and customs. Not following the required procedures and having the required paperwork can land you in trouble with the authorities. Yet this book not only has no description of the process, it never mentions it at all.

   The book also implies that there are not decent charts available for the area, and that the sketches in the book are the best you are going to get. In fact, Gerry Cunningham's Cruising Charts publishes a multitude of detailed, highly accurate charts that cover the entire Sea of Cortez, and are far superior to what is in this book. The sketches in "The Cruising Guide" are no better than those in several other more complete guides.

   In short, skip this book. You will be better served by Gerry Cunningham's guides and charts, Jack William's Boater's Guides to Baja and Charlie's Charts of the Western Coast of Mexico, all of which are more complete, up-to-date and detailed.




2. The book is really only a cursory treatment of a small section of the Baja side of the Sea of Cortez. It implies, incorrectly, that there is no cruising area north of Mulege, and does not mention the mainland side at all. Although it doesn't say so, it is clearly designed as a basic guide for people chartering boats on short trips out of La Paz, NOT for long term cruisers coming into Mexico with their own boats. The information is incomplete, out of date and is so riddled with errors and inaccuracies as to make it pretty useless.

   Here is an example of just one of the glaring oversights in this book: Mexico requires all vessels entering or leaving a port of entry to go through a very specific check-in/out process with the port captain, immigration and customs. Not following the required procedures and having the required paperwork can land you in trouble with the authorities. Yet this book not only has no description of the process, it never mentions it at all.

   The book also implies that there are not decent charts available for the area, and that the sketches in the book are the best you are going to get. In fact, Gerry Cunningham's Cruising Charts publishes a multitude of detailed, highly accurate charts that cover the entire Sea of Cortez, and are far superior to what is in this book. The sketches in "The Cruising Guide" are no better than those in several other more complete guides.

   In short, skip this book. You will be better served by Gerry Cunningham's guides and charts, Jack William's Boater's Guides to Baja and Charlie's Charts of the Western Coast of Mexico, all of which are more complete, up-to-date and detailed.

2 comments about Lonely Planet Solomon Islands (Lonely Planet Travel Survival Kit).

1. Somewhat disappointing for a LP guide, lots of text but not as much "meat". After travelling in the Solomons and talking with others one gets the impression that the author did quite limited travelling throughout the islands and largely relied on other's reports. The hike to Mataniko Falls is way more strenuous and dangerous than hinted. (It is still an awesome sight, especially if you're a caver) Likewise a hike along the Weather Coast is more challenging than one would gather from the text, there are places where villagers go by boat because of the vertical exposure. Makira Island is only marginal habitat for salt-water crocodiles according to a Conservation International report and not as abundant as stated in the guide. Given the dearth of information about the Solomons it is still worth buying, but prudence is recommended.



2. This is the last edition of Lonely Planet's Solomon Islands guide.
   It has not been updated since the mid-90es, and has in theory been replaced by the publisher's 2005 "Papua New Guinea & Solomon Islands" guide, which in reality only devotes fewer than 30 pages to the Solomon Islands, completely ignoring half the country's provinces, concentraiting on Honiara and a few popular tourist spots instead.
   
   This edition (or the nearly identical 2nd edition), in contrast, covers the entire archipelago in amazing detail, all the way from the Treasury Islands in the West to the remote Polynesian outliers of Tikopia and Anuta in the East.
   Each major province and island is described in good detail, and is shown on a good map.
   Needless to say, some things have changed - however in the Solomons they have probably changed much less than in most of the rest of the World!
   I travelled in the country in 2005, and found myself using this book almost all the time, with the then brand new PNG & Solomons guide quickly buried to the depths of my backpack.
   
   If you want to actually travel around this least visited corner of Melanesia, rather than just have a short holiday on a resort island in Western province, and especially if exploring remote islands and hiking remote mountains and shorelines is your thing, this book is definitely the one to take.
   It is also highly recommended for those with a general interest in the country, as travel practicalities apart, the background info on the culture, geography and fauna of the Solomons is still better than I have found in any other single book.

No comments about Villa Fortuna: An Italian Interlude.

No comments about How to Get Lost and Found in Tahiti.

No comments about Waterproof Australia Map by ITMB (Travel Reference Map).

No comments about The Jeff Corwin Experience - Into Wild Tasmania (The Jeff Corwin Experience).

No comments about Auckland Travel Map (Periplus Travel Maps) (Australia Regional Maps).

5 comments about Kiwi Tracks: A New Zealand Journey (rejacketed) (Travel Literature).

1. Andrew Stevenson has successfully accomplished what very few others are able to do.
   He has written a travel guide that is actually enthralling to read. From its pages you will gain a wonderful sense of the flora, fauna and people of "The Land of the White Cloud."
   Although the title suggests it to be a book on hiking... it is not. It is a personal account of his time in New Zealand, where he spends 4 months marching through some of the most beautiful places on earth.
   The casts of characters that he introduces us to are not "over the top" hard to imagine people, but... simply the everyday folks of New Zealand and the foreigners that are vacationing there too.
   I look forward to reading all of Mr. Stevenson's works.
   Andrew... if you ever need a hiking buddy... drop me a line!



2. I found this to be an interesting book. If you want to learn all about New Zealand, its flora and fuana, or great "tramps" (hikes, for you and me), this isn't the book for you. However, it is an enjoyable light read, giving the reader interesting snapshots of life in NZ. Stevenson meets some interesting people along his journey and I found the way in which he shares their stories much more engaging than most of his descriptions of his walks in the woods. Yes, at times the book strains credulity and some of the characters may seem a bit cliche, but I, too, stood in wonder of many of the situations he encounters. Ultimately what comes through is that New Zealand is a land both unlike any other and exactly like home, too.



3. I very much recommend Andrew Stevenson's "Kiwi Tracks," equally well for those who do and do not know personally New Zealand's natural and cultural landscape and her Great Walks. I myself fall somewhat in between these categories - having explored the South Island only, during some six visits in the last 20 years, always tramping, always in awe.
   
   He tells well how the Great Walks (the term had not existed in my early tramps) have turned from a few persons in lonely huts to nearly hundreds of packed-in campers on solo or guided tours -in just a few short decades. Also his South Island walks were unusually impaired by a massive snow storm and so come across a bit off-putting.
   
   Stevenson gave me the best-yet view of what I have been missing in the North Island ("away from the Mainland," as he quips).
   
   Overall, his book is a beautiful, honest, and detailed travel narrative (thank goodness for someone taking the time to name by name the many fauna and flora experienced). But it is markedly canted by his own ah, delicate emotional state during the journey. The book's dust jacket warns us: "... whatever you have in your rucksack, the heaviest baggage is what you carry inside." Stevenson's emotional center of mass during his trip clearly is located a bit outside himself and he is prone to tip over emotionally during the journey. His honesty about this both hurts and helps the narrative - it does give the reader a reference point: The author is working hard to discover that which is truly important to himself in his journey, as well as puzzling over that same question for New Zealand - the colonist vs. native Maori views of national politics, natural heritage, and future directions.
   
   While relating the pristine and inutterably amazing natural beauty of this land, not the least being the almost inconceivable human innocence and generosity of its citizens, he gives us a tutorial in NZ's basic dilemma. When he asks a fellow tramper to quote the best and worst of his travels: [I paraphrase] "The worst is to see the landscape so corrupted by commercialism so quickly." (You can guess - the bus tours, helicopters, jet boats, egregious mountain re-landscaping.) "The best is that New Zealand is still so unbelievable beautiful." This echoed within me, watching once-quiet towns transformed at the snap of a dollar into teaming Disneylands.
   
   Stevenson shows us, by example(s), of how New Zealand transforms and helps its visitors. A German therapist suggests that tramping holds more value than health insurance premiums. I am inclined to agree.
   
   Of the highest value to me in the book is that Stevenson gives us some great insight into the NZ national values debate (still-ongoing) contrasting (via his hitchhiker's car-cabin testimonies) the views of the progeny of the more recent Western, rough-hewn pioneers against the natural spiritualism of
   Maoris, who also gave him rides, and to whom he related more. He shows us that the people of New Zealand must finally listen to the Maori, and strive to preserve their naturalist vision (in the face of adventure bungee-jumping tourism). Between the lines, he shows us that the dialog must go both ways,
   especially when facing the World's money, foreign buyers and the touristic denizens of the new millennium.



4. First off, I loved this book. I have a great desire, if not budget, to see New Zealand. This has only increased my longing to visit this country. Stevenson's writing is very subtle in its humor. I laughed more reading this book than any other travel book I have read before. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in travelling and especially in New Zealand.



5. I have travelled to New Zealand many times. When in bookshops I always take a peek in the section they have for NZ, and enjoy travel literature on the topic. Reading a book on one's journey through this country is like taking a mini trip back there again, a place I am very fond of. I've never had a bad experience there. It's a place I have gone alone for months at a time, and a place I have gone with family and friends. This book however, was so negative! He spends most of the story whining about his recently ended relationship, complaining about the weather, and his health problems. He seems to have a bit of a chip on his shoulder, which results in poor experiences with locals as they don't appreciate his negativity (and sometimes rude demeanor). There are points when he complains about the eco-tourism and the lack of environmentally friendly tourist attractions (jet boats and such), yet fails to have a bigger picture that New Zealand is much more advanced than most countries in limiting this activity thanks to it's citizens voting for preservation and supporting their Department of Conservation. No place is perfect, but in the bigger picture, NZ is far more ahead in this subject than most countries, and I mean MOST. I am saddened that he tends to place himself in situations where he invites negative experiences. Finally, if you are reading this book having little experience in NZ, please keep these things in mind, as it is an amazing place with some of the most kind and interesting people you'll ever meet. Aside from 2-3 tourist towns, which cram the typical stuff down your throat, it's one of few places you can go that is safe and you can get happily lost on a beautiful beach or mountain, all your own.

2 comments about Lonely Planet Diving and Snorkeling Cayman Islands (Lonely Planet. Diving & Snorkeling Cayman Islands).

1. After using Lonely Planet books exclusively to tour Europe, I expected the same thoroughness in this book. I was surprised how incomplete this book is. My friend did pick a better book while in Grand Cayman, unfortunately the title eludes me at this time. Lonely Planet only touches the surface on the available dive sites but if you want quick easy reading without high expectations then this is the book for you.



2. I bought this book sight unseen because most of Lonely Planets guides are very good. However there are almost no references to snorkeling in the book. The info is all about diving and even that is not very in depth. Adding snorkeling to the title seems to be a blatent attempt to sell more books.