No comments about Caribbean Ports of Call: Western Region, 9th: A Guide for Today's Cruise Passengers (Caribbean Ports of Call: Western Region).

No comments about D & S Cayman Islands (Diving & Snorkeling).

4 comments about Facundo: Or, Civilization and Barbarism (Penguin Classics).

1. It's difficult to classify "Facundo" written by Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (argentine thinker, politician and educator) in 1845: it is at the same time history, myth, essay, pamphelt and sociological discourse. It was published for first time as a newspaper serial in Chile where Sarmiento was in exile and written against Rosas'dictatorchip in Argentina. The text is influenced by the Enlightment and specially by the romanticism. Because of the romantic influence, it tells Facundo Quiroga's biography since for romantic'stream a "great man" (Facundo in this case) expresses an epoch. This book has the intention of solving an enigma: how independence's revolution in Argentina (1810) reached Rosas ' dictactorship (1835-1852) This drama, product of the revolution, was caused by the combination of 2 elements which shouldn't have been combined: the city, civilization's field, and the countryside, barbarism's field. The book can be read as the city and the countryside were the characters.



2. There are very few primary sources one can find when studying Latin American revloutions, with Argentina being the subject here. This being a primary source, isn't one that should be taken for an overall look on the Argentina Revoultion. Sarmiento has a sort of bias that shouldn't be taken too seriously. It is hard to get really a good account of Juan Facundo Quiroga because he is such a vague figure in Argentinian history. This is probably the only elaborate interpretation of the figure. Sarmiento also has a sort of habit to go off on tangents on things that are totally irrelevant to the subject matter at hand.
   
   Domingo F. Sarmiento is of European descent and has a biased for "civilization" and defies everything that is "barbaric" as he puts it, which really is what the story is about, and his protest to Rosas one of the leaders of Argentina at the time this story was written who is also "barbaric". The author compares "civilizations" and "barbarism" and how the "barbaric" gauchos are a threat to society. Facundo is a gaucho and is interpreted by Sarmiento as a dicator who made is way to the top by hate and carelessness and is partially at fault for the state of "deterioration" that Argentina was presently in during mid-19th century Argentina.
   
   All criticism aside, one does get good descriptive imagery of the man that was Juan Facundo Quiroga. Due to the fact that this book was written on a sort of bias, it would be better if it was written under a more accurate scholarly account, but then again it is a novel and that is what makes it interesting. It is by no means a useful primary source.



3. This is NOT, like other reviewer says, an account of Revolutionary Argentina in the 19th century (the period of civil war that followed the independence from Spain). This is not a book of history. Sarmiento is much more than a mere witness/narrator of a period. He is a man of letters, a writer -and one of the very best from Argentina- it takes you only the reading of the first sentence "Oh, Shadow of Facundo..." to realize that you are in the dark territory of myth, not of the clean, sunny history classroom.
   
   This book, like many great books, escape the incarceration of genre, but if there is one thing it demands from the reader is a capacity for being amazed, for being swept away by the story and the writing itself.



4. I am currently a history major and took an Argentina class because I thought it would be interesting, this book was not interesting in the least. Sarmiento's book, Facundo, is during the revolutionary stage in Argentina. There is to much emphasis placed on trying to describe in great detail mundane things while not getting to the important issues at hand. On the parts that I thought would be of the utmost importance they were explained in very vague terms which half the time I did not know what he was getting at.

1 comments about Insight Pocket Guide Cayman Island (Insight Pocket Guides Cayman Islands).

1. I bought this book for a 4 day trip to Grand Cayman - so I've actually not used the sections for Little Cayman and Cayman Brac - but found it concise and accurate enough to make the most of my four days. It was a suprise to go to the turtle farm and find a bar and a diveshop instead - but they had just relocated across the street due to hurricane damage they suffered. Overall, this is one of the many Insight Guides i own and they're generally pretty good; I would recommend this book for short/easy trips.

No comments about Lonely Planet Bahamas, Turks & Caicos (Lonely Planet Bahamas, Turks and Caicos).

5 comments about Puerto Rico (Regional Guide).

1. We just came back from a 10 day trip to Puerto Rico (04/21 - 05/01, 2006) and we have to COMPLETELY disagree with the previous review. In fact, we were thinking about burning this LP copy. Don't get us wrong, we own several copies of LP for China, Eucador, South America, Guatamala, and etc. But we have serious reservation about recommending this one to anyone else. Here are some of the reasons:
   
   1. Several budget restarurants in Old San Juan no longer exist. They include St. Germain, Brenda's Cafe, and Los Amigos. It became very frustrating after going to several places and finding out 3/4 of them were closed.
   
   2. The same happened in Ponce, but for hotels. Two out of three hotels listed on pg. 166 (center of Ponce, by the Plaza las Delicias) were not there - they simply don't exist.
   
   3. Now, telephone numbers. we can't say that all of them in the guidebook are wrong, but the ones we called are either disconnected or a wrong number. This goes for the UA Cinema 150 in San Juan (pg. 105), which we found out at a Holiday Inn in Isla Verde that it was torn down a year ago. Or the Museo de Art Contemporaneo de Puerto Rico, which doesn't open on Monday, as the guidebook indicated - in fact, no museum in San Juan opens on Monday!
   
   4. We can list more annoyances, like the lack of good maps for most of the cities described, or bad driving directions...
   
   We are not saying that this book has no value, but when you finds enough inconsistencies and errors, you has to wonder what else is wrong, and more importantly, whether or not you can actually trust and rely on the guidebook. And in that respect, our answer is NO.
   
   The take home message: carefully compare this book with another. If you do decide to buy this LP, always call the places ahead to see 1) if it still exist, and 2) if the number is correct.
   
   On a side note, at one point during the trip, we thought that we would probably have had more luck with a coqui as our guide than using this guidebook! =)



2. I bought this book 2 years ago for a trip to Puerto Rico. It was a bit outdated than. I traveled there again 9/2/06 to 9/11/06, this was my fifth time, so I have a bit more knowledge than the first timer. For the most part every bit of information about Rincon is inaccurate. Everything closes the week of labor day until around the end of October, so do not go there during those dates, you will have wasted your day. Well not everything is closed, Rincon proper is still open. And you can always watch the surfers at sandy beach or go snorkeling at steps beach (rent your gear at Taino Divers, they are still open). In fact there is a great coffee house that stays open,(better than starbucks and they have soy milk!) it is called Taino international cafe, try their frozen coffee drinks, they also have WiFi.
   
   Prices have gone up for the camuy caves and the ferry ride to Gilligans Island, but only by a couple of bucks. There is a lot more traffic than the last time I went there, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time, otherwise you would have wasted a day in the car, when you could have been happier sitting at a beach. I stayed on the west coast, so I was traveling mostly going east, but from what I could tell the traffic was equally bad going west. I believe most travel guides say it takes 2 1/2 hours to travel from San Jaun to Rincon, bank on it taking ATLEAST 3 and perhaps up to 5. So leave very very early.
   
   Anyway, I think this book is better than having no book, the directions are generally the same, some places do not exist anymore, but just call up before you venture out. Pretty much you will find a decent amount of people that speak English (especially in Rincon, where almost everybody is from the states, talk to them they have good stories, most of them went to Rincon for a vacation and stayed).



3. This book is out-dated, because some restaurants in the book don't exist any more.



4. Lonely planet has a great team of writers. Every time I travel I get one of theirs books. It is a good format, has information on hotels, attractions and so on that are updated and realistic. Lonely planet a great job.



5. This Puerto Rico Lonely planet need an update.
   
   We had some problems with this book because the hotel prices are changed and hotels/Ferries were closed and changed.

No comments about Cayman Islands, 3rd (Bradt Travel Guide).

4 comments about After the Dance: A Walk Through Carnival in Jacmel, Haiti (Crown Journeys).

1. "After the Dance" by Edwidge Danticat, is a celebration of the beauty, history and power of African culture in the diaspora of Haiti. Edwidge Danticat's writings stand on the shoulders of great writers such as Zora Neal Hurston, Langston Hughes and Walter Mosley. "After the Dance" champions the day to day experiences, joys, and challenges of people of African ancestry as they celebrate Carnival in Haiti. By accurately telling their story in "After the Danice", Edwidge Danticat paints a multi-sided portait of a community in transition, and as with any great writer, the truth she speaks about one community , informs our understanding of all communities. "After the Dance" is an excellent work by an excellent writer...



2. Until this short, entertaining book, part memoir and part travelogue, I'd never read much of anything positive about Haiti. Years of political strife and the Duvalier dictatorships have certainly taken its toll on this densely populated third of Hispaniola (the rest is the Dominican Republic), but apparently Haiti is ready for tourists again and there's much to attact us there. Carnival, those jubilant and reckless days before Lent, would be a grand time to go. Like similar celebrations in Rio, Venice, and New Orleans, this a festival of the bizarre and the ridiculously sublime. Danticat is a fine writer and portrays her native country and countrymen with clarity and passion. This is part of Crown Journeys, a very promising new series of travel essays, written by some of our finest contemporary authors. Educating and entertaining; makes you want to book passage on the next flight or ship.



3. It's always refreshing to read about the Caribbean, especially when it involves carnival and when the recount is being done by such a great writer. I must say that at times I felt like screaming that this woman really does not know how to let loose and really enjoy carnival. Just imagine if she were in Trinidad instead playing j'ouvert, and doing carnival for 2 days straight!! Nevertheless, I liked the fact that she paid careful attention to detail and incorporated much historical content into the novel.



4. You are given a challenge that harkens back to your childhood ---return to carnival and write about it. You think about the consequences, and perhaps second guess yourself for allowing someone to even suggest going back to deal with the demons that sent you packing in the first place. Such is the case that the author contemplates in this installment of The Crown Journeys, a new series that has authors writing about different places around the world after traveling them on foot.

   While acquiescing and taking the walk that spawned this book, Edwidge Danticat doesn't disappoint. In recent years she has fast become a media darling and one of Haiti's rising stars in literature. Here she shares with her readers a poignant and compelling view of the Jacmel Carnival, one of the Caribbean's major carnivals --- rivaled with and compared only to Rio and Trinidad. She gives insight and deep-rooted analogies of historic content, exploration of the land in and around her hometown of Jacmel, and the traditions of the people themselves as a true native would tell it.

   The old adage of "there's no place like home" will always have a sense of purpose when coming back, and relative to the aforementioned, Ms Danticat gives the readers something to digest. Along the way she visits a cemetery and reveals what she thinks of them: ýI have always enjoyed cemeteries. Altars for the living as well as resting places for the dead they are entryways, I think to any town or cityýthe best places to become acquainted with the tastes of the inhabitants, both present and goneý.

   She also references Jacmelýs uneven history via the landmarks she remembered as a child; gives a detailed explanation of how the masks and costumes play a major role based on age-old fables; and revisits the hills and rainforests with stories supporting political drama(s) relative thereof. The customs, social life, and other ménage of experiences associated with carnival represents an expressive attitude that inspires the people of this proud nation a reason to shun struggle, forget present troubles and escape to the wild hedonistic, but sexual suggestive party that bring out carnal knowledge at its best.

   The one thing that got my interest early on in this narrative is the fact that she was scared off from celebrating the rituals associated with this celebration by a family member. How she has dealt with it over the years --- and the decision to face this challenge is worthy reading. In the process sheýs able to rediscover herself and shed inhibitions in embracing this festive time. Witness the reckless abandon as she describes the freedom she now can express without remorse. I feel that readers will feel as mesmerized as I was --- and feel as if you were there too.

   --- Reviewed by Alvin C. Romer

5 comments about Lonely Planet Puerto Rico.

1. We bought this book on the basis of the recommendations we found here. But we didn't find it to be very up-to-date, Much of the information has changed, and the author makes strange comments about Vieques ("only a fool or a developer would want the military to leave"). All in all, we found this guide to be a disappointment. It does not have the quality of information we expect from Lonely Planet. We used several other guides and found a new guide, Explore Puerto Rico by Harry S. Pariser, to be much more accurate and with a great environmental slant.



2. I have used LP guides to travel all over the world and this was a major disappointment. I won't dispute that Randall S. Peffer has spent the last 30 years getting to know Puerto Rico as the book claims. He knew it very well, it seems, when he wrote the first edition. When he went back, however, in October 2002 to update the book, I got the feeling that he may have meandered by locales he had mentioned to ensure the building was still standing, not confirming any of the facts he had originally included on his way to drink "Cielito Lindos" at the friend's house who invented them and has never shared the recipe with any other bar on the island (contrary to Peffer's statement that this is the national cocktail). We had a good time despite Randall Peffer's sloppy updating. By the way, the "aphrodisiac" restaurant in Old San Juan is called "OstraCosa" .. a play on words . . . "ostra" means oyster. "otra cosa" means "another thing" the pun was lost on Peffer despite his fluent Borricua Spanish.



3. I just reviewed Let's Go PR and Explore PR by Harry Pariser and returned from PR a few days ago. I agree with previous reviewers about this edition - some of the information is not accurate and was not updated. But this might be because the publication year is 2002. I really liked Let's Go - this had by far, the best and most comprehensive info on lodging, eats, and getting around. I would not use Explore PR - this is not useful at all. I would say Let's Go had mostly everything that Lonely planet PR did - except for maybe the background info on culture, history etc. I will consider travelling with both a Lonely planet and a let's go in the future. If you have to choose one book on PR, I would buy Let's Go. If you can take a second, bring the Lonely Planet PR. Also visit Culebra!



4. This Lonely PLanet Puerto Rico Book has some information in it that will be helpful to a first timer.....but I would not try to use it as a guide once you arrive. I was expecting to use the maps included in this book and they were absolutley out of date....and did not include many important roads and routes on it's maps. This is my biggest complaint about it..because I bought it thinking it was a good all around hand book especially for the maps and it just plain wasn't. It did however offer insights to general travel issues like what to see or local info....and I must admit that Puerto Rico grows as we read this.and maybe it out grew this book ..but...still... I must ask...how does Lonely Planet expect us to find these things they mention without good and up to date maps to go along ?????



5. I used this book in planning a recent trip to Culebra, PR. This book provides the best coverage of any book in print. If you plan on travelling to Culebra or Vieques, don't leave home without it. Ths book also provides a good history of the islands as well. Makes your trip a much richer experience.

5 comments about The Gentleman's Guide to Passages South.

1. Generally good advice for the first timer out there making their way south and always a good reference guide as you go back and forth.
   
   Just take the personal opinions in fun. He is not all there like he thinks he is. When you bump into him you will know what I mean.
   
   Overall, worth the salt!



2. Bruce Van Sant may be opinionated about the best way to take a cruising boat down the "Thorny Path," but those opinions are based on years of experience. Not everyone agrees with everything he's written, but even those who disagree (typically on one detail or another) will tell you that in general Van Sant's methods are based on sound principles. He gives you strategies if not a way of life that has worked for him for decades. Best of all, when you get to Luperon in the Dominican Republic you can look him up and tell him how the trip has gone so far.



3. I had a chance to have a beer and talk to Bruce in January in Luperon, D.R. where Bruce lives with his wife. Bruce is very articulate, intelligent , well read and a wealth of sea knowlege. He is also facing some quite debilitating health issues which has pretty much ended his sea going years. His books are filled with great nuggets on weather windows, island hopping and beating the battle with the wind seas. His experience cannot be challenged. Get the book and read it with a highliter !



4. This is a must have guide for a first time crusier as we are if your going to ventured south saftley.



5. Bruce Van Sant is more than a little over-bearing in his style. Smug and self-congratulatory are his middle names. That said, the man has written an excellent,excellent book chock-full of insights, caveats, how-to's,and how-NOT to's, right down to a great but simple recipe for beer bread! There are at least a dozen good books you should have on board when you depart Fort Lauderdale for the Islands and boy, this is ONE of them for sure. Buy it! You will read it again and again.