No comments about Australia: the East (Travellers' Wildlife Guides).

No comments about A Guide to Cruising Northern Australia - Cairns to Darwin.

5 comments about Butter Chicken in Ludhiana.

1. I personally think this book is amazing. I have travelled all over India myself and his description fits best to every little place he talks about. Extremely humourous and very informative. I would recommend this book to any person who wants to read about the true taste of India, its flavour and have a great laugh. I think Pankaj Mishra is a brilliant writer. I know I have read this book a number of times and will surely read it over and over again. Well Done. Kind regards, Siraj



2. I started this book one night just before going to bed,fairly certain that it will be some heavy stuff whose arcane language and endless descriptions will surely put me to sleep quickly. I ended up without getting a wink, even though the next day was a working day. I simply could not resist turning page after page. Midway, I started slowing down, savouring each sentence because I didn't want it to end.

   Frequently, I was just stunned. By the author's sharp insight into the minds of the people he met, especially in the first half, when he is in the north. The people he describes are not unusual or quirky. They are just everyday people. The kind Indians meet all the time in markets, bus stations and of course while in the train.(I can bet no one has described Indian train travel conversations as accurately as Pankaj Mishra has.)

   What Mishra does is point out with amazing sharpness, their quirks, their petty concerns, the conditioning of their minds, what's touching about their lives,and why these typical Indians are so so funny, when you step back and look at them,as if you were meeting them the first time.

   There is definitely something happening in Indian society. A huge undercurrent of social and economic change which in turn is changing the quality of people's values, customs, hopes and dreams.There's a lot of talk about the big city part of it, but no one's looking at the small towns. Mishra's focus on them is therefore topical, relevant and important.

   I have gone back several times to Butter Chicken in Ludhiana. Just to read my favourite portions, chuckle to myself and marvel at how real it is.

   That's the kind of book it is.




3. Butter Chicken in Ludhiana is a chronicle of Pankaj Mishra's travels
   in various Indian cities like Bundi, Udaipur, Bangalore, Benares, etc.
   Mr. Mishra meets various people along the way, and recounts interactions
   in each episode, often quoting entire conversations verbatim.

   The first thing which strikes the reader of this book is Mr. Mishra's
   seeming desire to seek out the worst in his fellow-Indians.
   He automatically imputes the people in this book with the
   worst motives (often in places where he is no position to guess -
   for example, a snide comment about drivers on the Delhi-Jaipur highway
   committing suicide in frustration or assuming that the boys
   at the Madras rail station are hanging around their grandmother only
   for the "inevitable cash gift"). Mr. Mishra rarely sees beyond
   the grime and dust immediately surrounding him, and launches into a
   diatribe against people and places the moment he gets an opening.
   This is probably the reason he fled India - he now lives in London.

   The big problem with this book, however is that it is little
   more than a diary of events which happened to Mr. Mishra on his
   travels. India is confusing, but this book even more so. What
   exactly is the author trying to convey ?

   A few chapters are quite bizarre.
   In the nice small town of Udaipur, for instance, instead of
   trying to understand why the people there are different,
   he complains that in spite of all he did "my notebook
   remained blank", before launching into a long and
   ultimately pointless story about Munna, a migrant
   from Ghazipur. The entire Benares chapter is an almost
   verbatim transcript of two conversations, and Mr. Mishra
   gives credence to some convoluted logic narrated to him
   to explain the eve-teasing phenomenon.

   Mr. Mishra takes a simplistic view of the explosive growth of
   satellite TV in India - he makes no attempt to understand the
   positive aspects of this phenomenon. He is clearly not interested
   in making an effort to understand people either - in one incident,
   when he meets people he doesn't like in a train, he avoids them
   by moving to a different compartment. He freely reports overheard
   conversations - eyes rolled to heaven - mostly amongst people
   depicted as utterly despicable. One can confidently say that
   the people he describes are not typical, but then Mr. Mishra seems to love sinking his teeth into a juicy bad guy any time he can find one.
   One gets the feeling that Mr. Mishra could easily have made a
   living writing parts for villains in soap operas and Bollywood
   movies.

   Ultimately, Mr. Mishra's sneering attitude, adopted from Naipaul,
   fails, because he has none of the compassion for India which
   lies behind Naipaul's questioning facade. The book remains
   a Naipaul-crossed kid's first foray into writing - an embarassing
   foray, which is best forgotten.




4. This book is not just about India. It is a melancholic account on the destruction of traditional life by a globalised, money ridden economy. The author longs for the simple sensual pleasures which, in his opinion, India of old used to offer.
   
   About 200 years ago Europe had the same problems with industrialisation India today faces with globalisation. Even now, in countries like Spain, Europe encounters them. The result is always the same. People have more money, but, in the long run, can buy less with it. They have to adapt to the rhythms of machines and computers which are different from the ones of the human body. They have to work faster and harder than ever. Today, European bodies are full of tensions. The quality of sex and food is not good. The social classes are still there.
   
   Mr. Mishra does not offer a solution. Europeans who are searching for for a way out, experiment with alternative life styles but this too often results in esoteric 'ecos' and 'ethnos' many of which are quite unattractive, drug ridden and boring. This is because for most Europeans it is too late. Their bodies are too spoilt and sick. It is to hope that Indians whose bodies still might be more sensitive to the violence of money and machines will be able to work on viable, attractive solutions. This is when India truly would be a light to the world.



5. Quite a boring & prudish account of his travels. I have travelled quite a bit, but never have I such a disconnect as with this book.
   To each his own, I guess. All in all, a book well worth AVOIDING.

1 comments about The Travelers' World: Europe to the Pacific.

1. For anyone interested in the history of travel or of the early contacts between Europeans and indigenous peoples, this is a wonderfully stimulating book. Liebersohn brings together a deep knowledge of European intellectual history and a very perceptive reading of travel accounts written by some of the lesser-known early voyagers to Tahiti, Hawaii, and other Pacific islands. The real success of the book, in my view, is how he situates these accounts within networks of patrons, local island collaborators, and a reading audience.
   
   He writes beautifully, in prose that is never cheapened with too easy judgments or clogged up with jargon. His book would be difficult to summarize, but suffice to say it will make you want to go back and read early travel literature.
   
   Very highly recommended. I am going to track down Liebersohn's earlier book, "Aristocratic Encounters," in hopes that it will be as good as this one.

No comments about Across Papua: Being an Account of a Voyage round, and a March across, the Territory of Papua, with the Royal Commission.

4 comments about Lonely Planet Micronesia.

1. As a merchant marine, "travel" comes with the job. I have long been a collector of maps and travel guides, always searching for items that are the most user friendly & seeingly written for my budget, not one of the Rockerfeller's. I will tip my hat to Lonely Planet here. They accomplish the impossible with every book. Never did I expect to open a single guide book, not to mention a series of them & find myself so mesmerized by what was written. Their guides are not the commonly found or should I say "forced" "stay at the $$$$ hotel, eat at the $$$$ restaurant"... They give you such a wide, realistic range of places to go, visit, stay & enjoy, that they change you from the prospective dreamer ho-hummingly flipping pages in a book to the traveler that sees his/her goals come to pass. After all, isn't that what we really want out of travel? As for this particular guide book... I have been in Guam 4 months on and 4 months off since February of 1996, visiting Saipan as part of work & Rota & Tinian on my own time... I have used & abused this book (Cover still intact) & I have had many co-workers borrow it, with everyone coming away a satisfied reader. So, whether it be Guam, Saipan or any part of Micronesia, this is one guide book that I strongly recommend & if you are doing an around the world trip with Japan as your next stop... Do the right thing... Get the Japan Guide book, but also shell out a few extra dollars and purchase the Japanese Audio Pack. It is hands down the easiest (& one of the most economical) basic language teachers out there & it even comes with a Phrase Book! My current Lonely Planet Guide library includes: Micronesia, Japan (Book & Audio pack), Korea, Singapore-Brunei-Malaysia, Tonga, Southwest USA (Arizona-New Mexico-Utah), & Maldives & Islands Of The East Indian Ocean. I look to expand as I am planing a trip to Argentina's Andes in 2000. A satisfied ! customer I shall remain... I hope you, the reader of my review, read this & come to realize what wonderful publications Lonely Planet offers us. If you do, step back an use AMAZON.COM for all your travel needs. You will be glad you listened. (You know, I always thought these reviews were written by paid personel somewhere, TRUST me this isn't the case at all Customer satisfaction is my reward!) Happy Travels to all!



2. I have been to Micronesia twice. The first time I lived there for a couple of years, and the second time I went as a tourist. I purchased this book before returning the second time. It had been seven years since I had been in Micronesia, and some of it had changed drastically while some parts hadn't changed at all. This book was a great guide, and helped me to find some of the better spots that I had somehow managed to miss while I lived there. Here is how the book stacked up. THE GOOD: 1) This book covers all of Micronesia, and that is no small task. It has information about all parts, ranging from Palau to the Marshall Islands. 2) This book gives a lot of information about each island. It explains the history, tells you what you should take, tells you about hotels and restaurants (from the five star establishments to the low end ones), tells you about how to travel to each island as well as how to travel around while on the island and many other bits of useful information to make your stay more enjoyable. 3) The maps are good. They aren't super detailed, but are nice maps of the islands and the villages on them. Quite good enough for any sight seeing or exploring that you might want to do. 4) This book tells you about the popular and good diving spots, hiking spots and historical points. So even though some of the book may be outdated (the nicest hotels in Guam) there are some things that will probably never change (how to hike to a nice hidden waterfall on Pohnpei.) THE BAD: Parts of Micronesia are changing quickly, and this book fails to capture those changes. For example, the list of popular places to stay, eat and shop on Guam wasn't very helpful since the island had changed so much in the past five years (since the book was published). To counteract this information lag, I just picked up tourist publications while I was on Guam, and that updated me enough to fill in all the gaps. OVERALL: It is like a computer that is a couple of years old: sure it is outdated some, but it still works nicely, and it is much better than having nothing at all!



3. This is an OK guidebook for information about culture and hotels. I found that it covered all the basics. It covers all of the island nations in the Micronesia area. The section on Palau and Yap were particularly useful to me. However, I thought that there wasn't enough information about scuba diving. Most of the people visiting this region are interested in scuba diving. There isn't enough information on dive shops or dive sites. In fact, there aren't any maps of dive sites at all. If you're going to go diving, I would try another guidebook. If you're just going to go sightseeing, this is just fine. Also another thing I would like to see in the next edition is a few more photos. Sometimes photos can help you decide whether to go to a place or not. With more photos, I think this guidebook would attract more people to these lovely islands.



4. This is a nice, concise guide, to micronesia, covering Palua, Kiribati, the Marianas, Nauro, The federated states of Micronesia, and other small islands that stretch between New Zealand and Hawaii. There are a number of recommendations for the best way to travel between islands and how to plan your journey. THis is not a book that is aimed for the specialist, for scuba-divers it needs to be supplimented and the same goes for those intending to travel by boat. However the book is excellent when it comes to history, restaurants hikes and hotels. It is a wonderful guide-book, indispensible for the island hopping traveller.
   
   Seth J. Frantzman

No comments about Outback: Recipes and Stories from the Campfire.

1 comments about Diving and Snorkeling Bali and Lombok (Lonely Planet).

1. This book is a color, well-written, no-nonsense look at the many Bali sites by two Bali veterans. Rock is a veteran Indo-Pacific photojournalist who published Bali's first guidebook back in the late 1980s. Hinderks is a professional instructor and divemaster who has worked in Bali and Indonesia for years. A good combination that allows thoughtful insights to each site and the choice of many locales to dive. Bali is covered well from east (places like Sanur, Candi Dasa, Padang Bai, Tulamben) to west (Pemuteran, Menkangen, etc.). Nusa Lembongan, Ceningan, Nusa Penida and the wonderfully laid back Gilis in Lombok are also included.
   The superb photography shows the great variety and color of the Bali marine life. This island may be one of the most overlooked dive destinations in the world as it has so many other things to offer. But muck divers love this place for its macro life and rare sea creatures ranging from the big like the odd mola-mola sinfish to the small in wierd fish like the Pegasus sea moth or a pygmy seahorse.
   And there's even an ode to the tank carrying ladies of Tulamben.
   This is a must have book for anyone venturing into Bali's waters on snorkel or on scuba.

No comments about The Pacific Islands: Environment & Society.

1 comments about LUXE Melbourne (4th Edition) (LUXE City Guides).

1. A travel-agent friend of mine put me onto these guides and suggested I get the one for Melbourne, Australia where I was planning to visit. The people behind these guides have managed to come up with a format (compact, fold out, about the size of an airline ticket - back when airlines actually printed out tickets!) that is both easy to carry and is PACKED full of very well researched, updated info for the traveller looking for the best experience, not the cheapest. These guides have a definite emphasis on shopping and eating, and will lead you to all sorts of places you might not find on your own. It also covered hotels, sightseeing, spas, and other highlights all in a fun, kicky, irreverent, slightly mad style. I'm a big fan of travel guide books and I am a big fan of these ones now.