5 comments about Adapter Kit: Belize: A Traveler's Tools for Living Like a Local.

1. As the author of several travel guides to Belize (the latest of which is Explore Belize) and the author of Explore Costa Rica, I've been familiar with Lan's writing for many years.

   Lan has consistently been one of the most prolfic writers about Belize and one of its biggest boosters. This book offers a compact summary of what life in Belize might be like. He interviews a crew of resident expats (many of whom I know), and there are plenty of maps, charts, and other info.

   Personally, I've learned a lot from Lan about Belize, and I encourage you to buy this book. And do keep Lan and myself informed of changes and your own experiences. Because this is the way to improve travel guides.




2. Mr. Sluder is very knowledgeable about his subject, but does not try to sugarcoat the country to be an island paradise where you can live like a king on a peasant's budget. Unlike some of the other Belize-related expatriate or retirement articles I've seen, Lan tells you more of the difficulties and intricacies of this country!



3. The Belize Adapter Kit will not disappoint you. Whether you are a first-time visitor to Belize or a seasoned traveler considering permanent residence, you will find a great deal of helpful information here. Mr. Sluder has managed to create a guide that is as useful to the novice as it is to those with significant knowledge about the country.

   You will learn the pros and cons of life in Belize and gain a respect for the practical aspects of living and traveling in the country. This is not a romanticized look at a tropical paradise, but an unbiased and truthful guide to daily life in a place that may inspire you - or frustrate you.

   If you wish to know whether you should consider relocation to this remarkable country, the Belize Adapter Kit will be an invaluable resource. It is also extremely useful to those considering a vacation here.




4. I've been to Belize many times and read most of the guide books available.
   Although not technically a tour guidebook, it's suitable for that purpose, in addition to its stated goal.
   And as for that, it's absoultely the best thing out there for anyone considering investing, working or living in Belize.
   Lan loves Belize and its people but he gives you straight talk and advice, nothing is glossed over or ignored.
   The book covers everything one might need, such as the scoop on getting medical care, dealing with real estate transactions, finding attorneys, what businesses are best to invest in, and all the everyday needs that one will encounter.
   And, of course, there is plenty of information on fun things to do and places to see while visiting or living in this friendly country.
   A must have book!



5. Based on the title, I had been hoping for something different, but found this little more than a glorified Tour Guide. Much of the information is the type shown in your standard Tourist Brochure or website, and I thought the overall tone a bit condescending.

   A much better book for these purposes is "Inside Belize" by Tom Barry. It offers a well researched, in-depth view of the Belize economy, politics and culture.

1 comments about Understanding Belize: A Historical Guide.

1. Plenty of travel guides cover Belize; but much fewer narrow the focus to its history and culture. UNDERSTANDING BELIZE tells the story of the country, from its early days as a haven for pirates through its current attraction as an ecotourism focal point. Black and white photos and a timeline accompany a rare survey of the nation that will appeal not just to travelers, but to any interested in the individual histories and evolution of the South American countries.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

No comments about Belize, Guatemala & Southern Mexico, 2nd: Tread Your Own Path (Footprint - Travel Guides).

5 comments about Jaguar: One Man's Struggle To Establish The World's First Jaguar Preserve.

1. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the Central American Rainforest. It has a little bit of everything..field notes, natural history, local culture, paranormal experiences, adventure, and romance. The book was engaging and easy to read. I learned a lot about jaguars and the struggle to protect them. The only drawback was Rabinowitz's negative portrayl of the present day Mayans. Undoubtedly, the author is a scientist and not an anthropologist, but i do feel that he should have shown more respect for their culture and more understanding of their situation.
   I reccomend this book, and then i reccomend traveling to Cockscomb Basin in Belize to fully appreciate the conservation effort. Even if you can't get there, you will feel like you have been there after reading this book.



2. "Jaguar" is the fascinating story of one scientist's journey to study and protect the elusive jaguar, the third largest cat in the world.
   
   Written like a book of fiction, "Jaguar" reads smoothly, capturing your attention and curiosity with its first-person portrayal of life in an alien world: the jungles of Belize. It is peopled with the Maya, a culture rich in history yet suffering poverty, disease, and insignificance in modern times. And in this world exists the jaguar, a powerful cat who is rarely seen and is not a man-eater, yet is hunted almost to extinction for its exquisite spotted fur and because, quite simply, people fear it.
   
   I read "Jaguar" in about 2 days, and fell completely in love with its spirit. The author, a young scientist, struggled hard to successfully understand the lives of these cats within its world and to keep it alive, often to his own personal tragedies. His description of the jungle is unromantic and riveting, as are the terrible hardships that go with it. I will never forget all the diseases, snakes, and parasites than run amok in this story, practically characters of their own. One lesson I came back with is how thankful I am to live in a country with exceptional sanitation and medical care.
   
   "Jaguar" is haunting. You can't finish it without wishing to enter that dark, dangerous jungle of the majestic jaguar. It draws out the adventurer in you. It stirs your compassion.



3. "Jaguar" is an interesting mix of memoir and natural history, with eye-opening descriptions of life in a remote Mayan village. I read the book while at Cockscomb Basin. I met people who lived there when "Dr. Alan" was doing his work, and they said the book is accurate (though it perhaps made things seem "better" than they were, which is a startling statement once you've read how hard life was for the Maya in this book). He writes in a surprisingly engaging style for a scientist and tells a satisfyingly complete story. There is also a lot in this book for readers who enjoy adventure travel narratives in which people endure extreme hardship and live through things we would never like to experience in person.



4. Very well written and interesting. Rabinowitz gives an amazingly personal account of his work in Belize. It is truly a great read for anyone.



5. An excellent, passionate book by one of the world's greatest explorers and conservationists. High price for a paperback - hopefully some of the proceeds go to wildlife or land conservation.

4 comments about Travellers' Wildlife Guides Belize & Northern Guatemala (Travellers' Wildlife Guides).

1. From Planeta journal:

   An impressive first edition, not as much a tourist's guidebook as a naturalist's handbook. Color illustrations document native birds, mammals and reptiles. The author provides a brief eco-history of the region as well as background on environmental threats and conservation. Excellent!




2. Great book, but where's the picture of the red footed booby?



3. I actually saw this book while travelling in Belize and wanted it to help me identify all the great animals we were seeing, but it was rather expensive. I got it on Amazon when we got home and it really helped identify some of the things I had taken pictures of. Next time I visit Belize I will be taking it with me. Nice colour photos and descriptions with some interesting information about the natural history.



4. As a frequent traveler to Belize I found this book a wonderful guide to all the natural beauty of Belize.

3 comments about Frommer's Caribbean Ports of Call (Frommer's Complete).

1. While Frommer's is the king of travel advce and I have sworn by thier advice and knowledge while traveling, this particular eddition is no better than 2005 or 2006. It is a re-tread. So if you have a version from 2006 or 2005, stay with it. There is really no new information worth spending the money on. While I do not realy fault Frommer's for using old information, since not much changes in the caribbean, it should be more clearly noted that there is not much new in thier book.



2. This book is an excellant choice if needing info on ports visited by cruisers - helped a lot, as it was our first cruise. Lots of good advice from start to finish.



3. Great book to throw in your backpack and take with you on the cruise. You can bone up on a bit of the history and it will get some ideas ffor excursions or places to visit on the islands.

2 comments about D & S Belize (Diving & Snorkeling).

1. This book has great information, but be aware that it doesn't even begin to cover 1/2 the Cayes in Belize. In fact it only mentioned one that we visited while sailing for 7 days. Use this guide as an accompaniment to other info.



2. I like this book because it is right on with the dives we went on. Very Accurate. They don't chum the blue hole anymore though, thank god.

No comments about Michelin the Green Guide Mexico: Guatemala Belize (Michelin Green Guide: Mexico, Guatemala and Belize English Edition).

5 comments about Frommer's Belize (Frommer's Complete).

1. A few days into our trip to Belize, my friends and I began calling this the book of lies. I bought it because it was the only 2007 travel book for Belize, but it none of the prices were accurate and some things it suggested doing hadn't existed in years. It was just a joke by the end of the trip and we would read passages and just laugh at how wrong the information was. You're way better off getting the rough guide or lonely planet and checking the internet for current prices.



2. I took the frommers and the lonely planet book to my first trip belize, get the lonely planet the frommers isnt very useful nor as easy to use nor as accurate (even tho its newer)



3. I am a planner freak, so I used this book and Lonely Planet for my trip. I ended up relying on the Frommers as it was more detailed, more accurate with pricing, and included alot of stuff LP didn't.



4. I used to write abroad for travel guides, and I've traveled to developed and developing countries in Asia, Europe, South and Central America. From a low to moderate budget perspective, this book is a letdown. Not only were the budget restaurants and accommodations expensive, nothing we found was even a good value at its price. If you can't afford super expensive to get super nice ($40+ meals, $200+ hotels), this book leaves you with sub-mediocre options. My experience with their "Budget Value" listing ($60/night!) was 3-inch cockroaches in the bathroom, no warm water and loud neighboring bars.
   
   Public transportation is skimmed over, with bus and boat terminals missing from maps and costs missing from text. They repeatedly recommend renting a car or flying to nearby cities, which is fine albeit very expensive, but left me no information to make public transportation an option. International bus travel was incomprehensible.
   
   Some recommended activities were downright boring. Frommer's is simply too positive on every meal, site and hotel, and in the end, that doesn't help plan a trip! Negativity may not be nice, but it's essential in a travel guide - if the meal or hotel or Mayan ruin or river is so-so or awful, don't waste my time and money. If I had only known, I would never have traveled with a book that reads as if written by someone who'd never bothered to take public transport or stay in budget accommodations. This is my first and last experience with Frommer's.



5. Just came back from Belize. Book is inaccurate in many ways and missing a lot of information. Prices are way different than what the book suggest and I'm not even talking about some restaurants that were recommended in the book ..... bad bad bad !!! Directions are sometimes very poor. If you tell people that one place is worth the find, why don't you give them a little bit more explanation on how to find it ????? After driving in the middle of nowhere for an hour, without a soul to ask for directions, we just gave up. Overall I have the impression that Frommer's caters more for the wealthy, which is the easiest. When you pay a lot, it is easier to get satisfied. If you travel on a budget, it is a lot trickier to find good places to stay and eat. I am going back to Belize in June, and I will definitely try to find a better guide for my next trip.

2 comments about Belize: Reefs, Rain Forests, and Mayan Ruins.

1. Nicely illustrated throughout, Belize: Reefs, Rain Forests, And Mayan Ruins begins with an account of a tour of Belize, and then continues with a thoroughly "reader friendly" history of Belize, including a description of its government, people, problems, and environmental beauty. Author Dick Lutz is a gifted travel writer who showcases the many features and attractions of this remarkable Central American country. Chapters cover Belize's rain forests, the history of the Mayans, the history of local tourism, the history of Belize itself, and the conditions of Belize today. An index allows for quick and easy lookup of specific topics. Belize: Reefs, Rain Forests And Mayan Ruins is an excellent resource for bringing the lay reader up to date quickly on the people, forces, and events that have shaped Belize up to the present day, recommended for armchair travelers, amateur historians, and would-be tourists looking to better understand their travel destination.



2. Once again, Dick Lutz has written a fascinating book to add to his list of travel books.
   He spares no detail, and writes with his usual clarity and insight. Should be on every adventurer's bookshelf, and should also be given as a gift to friends.