No comments about New Zealand (Landmark Visitors Guides Series) (Landmark Visitors Guides Series).

5 comments about Fiji Islands Handbook (4th ed).

1. We used this guide on our trip last summer. We had an excellent time off the beaten track, and this book got us where we wanted to go, with the relavant phone numbers and lots of tips. The 100 or so pages on Fiji's history and culture were also of great interest while we rode on boats to where we were going.



2. Although I agree that the sections on the history and culture of Fiji are excellent, this by itself does not make for a good guide book. This book first appeared in the 1980's and it seems as if all subsequent updates were soleley made by contributing readers and businesses. I used the book recently for travel in Fiji and could not shake the impression that the author has not been to Fiji in a long time. While he lists all of the main attractions, many details are sketchy at best. To give an example, he mentions the Sikatoga sand dunes as one of the main attractions on Fiji but then uses a single paragraph(!) to describe them. No detailed description of any interesting features that could be used as a guide for a visit. Similarly when describing the Yasawa islands he is busy listing all the resorts but does not seem to care too much about what actually can be done on these islands. Bottom line: The book is an excellent reference on history and culture of Fiji (something one could write after some diligent research) but lacks useful details for actual travelers.



3. Excellent guide to Fiji.
   
   Hope to go there and check it out.



4. I went to the island of Tavenui (third largest) and the book had no info about that island.



5. Moon Handbooks Fiji is the ultimate overview for traveling on any of the 322-islands of Fiji. This book contains 357 pages of travel information but is still small enough to tuck in a daypack for easy reference. Furthermore, this book has plenty of fairly detailed maps, complete with accurate distance scales, for easy travel planning or reference while you travel.
   
   There are fourteen chapters in Moon Handbooks Fiji: Introduction; Exploring the Islands; Nada and the Mamanucas; Southern Vita Levu; Suva and Vincinity; Northern Vita Levu; Lautoka and Vicinity; The Yasawa Islands; Kadava; The Lomaivita Group; Vannua Levu; Taveuni; The Lau Group; and Resources. The introduction chapter contains an overview on Fiji group. This detailed information includes geology, climate, flora, fauna, history, economy, and the government of these islands. The next chapter, Exploring the Islands, contains general information on sports and recreation; entertainment; public holidays and festivals; arts and crafts; shopping; and accommodations; food; money; communications; media as well as contacts for tourist information; visas; health and safety; getting there; getting around; and airports while in Fiji. This chapter also includes a what to take section. The Resources chapter contains further information on suggested readings and internet resources.
   
   The rest of the chapters in Moon Handbooks Fiji focus on particular geographical regions, islands, or groups of islands with the Fiji group. The first paragraph or page of each regional section describes a little about the region. After this overview, individual sights, recreation areas, special events, accommodations, food services, information services, and transportation services are depicted in detail. Depending on the size and general amount of facilities in a given region, there may be only one or two entries per category or over a dozen. Each entry contains the location, contacts, costs, and a short paragraph description of the facility or event featured. Several black and white maps and photographs accompany each section, clearly marked with the various facilities described in that particular section.
   
   Moon Handbooks Fiji is a helpful guide for anyone planning on traveling to any of the islands of the Fiji group. Very complete key information is provided for easy reference while planning or while travel. However, this book may also be just as interesting for the armchair traveler as this book contains ample information about the natural environment, history, and culture on these beautiful islands.

No comments about Buying a Home in Australia, 2nd Edition: A Survival Handbook (Buying a Home).

No comments about Waterproof New Zealand Map by ITMB.

5 comments about Beyond Fear: A Harrowing Journey Across New Guinea Through Rivers, Swamps, Jungle, and the Most Remote Mountains in the World.

1. I have the privlege of being married to one of the men in this book, but even that aside, I beleive this to be a book for everyone to read. We are used to living our lives in our "comfort zones" and it is amazing to read of people who go outside of that, whatever the risk, and how they are changed through it. I read this book before I married and I felt like I was right there in the middle of the jungle, meeting the people, eating the food and getting the illnesses. If you have ever wanted to leave your "cushey" life, but can't quite do it- this is the book for you!
   The critics who say that Joel and Aaron are "outdated". I wonder if they have ever thrown themselves into such an uncomfortable place and lived to tell about it? Not a day goes by that Joel and Aaron do not think of this expedition and how much they are changed by it. They also know that whatever the circumstances, God will protect them if it is His will.



2. A story of two companions crossing 1700 miles of untamed territory? The premise alone intrigued me, sounding similar to some of the wild ideas that pass between my brother and me. Man versus nature. Man versus himself. Man versus God.

   This book appeared unexpectedly on my doorstep, a gift from--who else?--my brother. Where he found it: I have no clue. Why he read it: an even bigger mystery. My brother rarely reads, and if he says a book grips him, my ears perk up.

   "Beyond Fear" was beyond my expectations. I'm a fan of true-life adventures, such as "The Perfect Storm," "Into Thin Air," and "In the Heart of the Sea." This book may not live up to the sheer narrative power of those classics, but the writing sparkles, and the sheer staggering feat of the journey is unforgettable. I laughed out loud in parts, shuddered in others, and felt inspired overall. Not only is this a testament to human endurance, it's a great example of God's faithfulness in mankind's physical, spiritual, and emotional struggles.

   For a book full of taut narrative, honest dialogue and interaction, and hair-raising accounts, "Beyond Fear" is beyond most of the books available.




3. While the writers are earnest and sincere, the evangelical overlay often gets in the way of a good adventure story. The fact that the somewhat hapless expedition didn't end in disaster is, in my mind, a shaky premise from which to deduce "God's will." Was impressed more by the compassion of those they happened to meet while off on their "vision quest."



4. Someday this book will hit the silver screen and the publisher's weekly reviewer, who wrote in my opinion an unnecessarily negative review above, will eat his words. This is an excellently written book which adeptly combines adventure with deeper issues of the heart... endurance, comraderie, and faith. It definitely "took me away" from complacent suburbia.



5. This book is about Joel Kramer and Aaron Lippard's harrowing trip across Papua New Guinea. Aaron is my cousin, so that may contribute to a bias on my part.
   
   I found this to be an enjoyable, gripping tale to augment what Aaron has told and shown me in slides from his trip. It was marred for me, however, by the preachiness and by what seemed to me arrogance and condescension on the part of the author, especially when writing about how various experiences would teach things to my cousin--while apparently the author had little to learn.

No comments about Independent Travellers Australia 2006: The Budget Travel Guide (Independent Travellers - Thomas Cook).

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.

2 comments about Hidden Baja: Including Tijuana, Ensenada, Mulege, LA Paz, and Los Cabos (Hidden Baja).

1. Not a bad book if you looking at the areas of Northern Baja and the Cabo San Lucas area. Out of 258 pages about 130 pages cover these area while only 58 cover the remainder. There are much better books out there.



2. Richard Harris' updated third edition Hidden Baja covers everything from beaches and lodging to outdoor adventure travel in Baja, providing details on a wealth of outdoor activities for those who are oriented toward adventure travel. Lesser-known byways of the region are the focus in a title packed with tips on travel through the region.

1 comments about Test of Time: Travels in Search of a Cricketing Legend.

1. Terrible jacket makes it look like a stuffy cricketing history. Actually a pretty good travel book with a flavour of linseed and willow.

No comments about Australia (Rough Guide 25s).