5 comments about View from the Summit: The Remarkable Memoir by the First Person to Conquer Everest.

1. Unless Edmund Hillary can produce definitive evidence that A.) George Mallory and Andrew Irvine did not reach the summit of Mt. Everest in 1924 or B.) that Tenzing Norgay was not actually the first to set foot on the summit, he cannot truthfully bill himself as "The First Person to Conquer Everest."



2. I found this book a pleasant surprise, after having read a few mountaineering adventure books. If you are looking for one, look elsewhere; Hillary climbed Everest, but did not have any major mountaineering accomplishments thereafter. Instead, we see the picture of a simple man, a very likeable and sincere one, with flaws and virtues.

   We can see his sneakiness in going for the south pole despite orders not to, we can see his dedication to the people of Nepal, we can see his somewhat estranged relationship with Tenzing and the tensions that arose after Tenzing said he had reached the summit first. The discussion is a futile one, but it seems to put a damper on the relationship.

   In this book we also follow his life, not just his great conquests. We see the backstage of the lecture circuit he went through after Everest, then the honors he received and his attempt to maintain some normalcy in his life. Overall, it is a very good life book, and despite it being filled with adventures, we see the character of a person that is much more than simply an adventurer.




3. I remember how exciting it was for those of us in London for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation (on June 2, 1953) to find out that Mount Everest had been climbed at last! And Sir Edmund Hillary's story of how he and Tenzing Norgay did it is terrific and even to my suspicious eyes seems sincere.
   
   The portion of the book I was most curious about dealt with the Antarctic Expedition of 1957 to 1958. Hillary was the leader of the Ross Sea Party, which was to was to lay provisions between the Ross Sea and the South Pole to support the crossing of Antarctica by the Transpolar Party, starting from the Weddell Sea. The Transpolar Party was led by the overall expedition leader, Dr. Vivian (Bunny) Fuchs. The two parties reached the South Pole in January, 1958 after which they made it to the Ross Sea in less than six weeks. As the two parties neared the Pole, the telegrams between Bunny and Hillary were in all the newspapers. Vivian had told the story from his point of view in his 1958 book, "The Crossing of Antarctica," and even though that book also included eighteen pages written by Hillary, I was glad to see more of what Hillary had to say, especially with his perspective of writing about it so much later.
   
   This entire book is worth reading and tells us plenty about the life of a successful adventurer.



4. On the plus side, this is indeed a proper 'boys own' story and is very well written. Unfortunately, the reader becomes quickly aware of the arrogance of Hillary. Clearly he is a gifted climber who possesed endurance way beyond that of the average human. However, this is over-shadowed by the authors arrogance as he tells the reader how much better he was than those around him.
   
   In a way i wish i had not read the book as it has shattered a romantic illusion I had of what Hillary was really like. It also made me very sympathetic of those who had to endure him in the ice packs of Antartica and the isolation of the death zone of Everest.



5. Sir Edmund Hillary was clearly a remarkable man with his life marked particularly by the first successful ascent of Mt. Everest. The descriptions of the climb to the summit of Everest along with Tenzing Norgay are particularly interesting, especially his discussion of the period immediately flowing the first ascent when immense pressure was brought on Tenzing to say that he had reached the summit first. However, Everest was not the only adventure for Hillary. Other trips to the Himalayas and to other parts of the world are described and give you an idea of Hillary's overall achievements.
   The most meaningful parts of the book to me were Hillary's efforts to lead the way in helping the Sherpas by building schools, hospitals, and pipelines. Also, the chapters detailing his upbringing give you a good idea of how far he had come from his early days in a beekeeper's family. The chapter about the plane crash in Nepal that took the lives of his wife and daughter was extremely emotional.
   However, the book does have its slow moments. I found the sections about the journey to the South Pole to be tedious and confusing. A good map would have helped. Hillary's writing style is fairly pedestrian, but he does give a number of examples of where he thought he fell short as a person, husband, and father. His extreme confidence in his own abilities shows through during the book.
   All in all, the book is certainly worth reading if you are interested in Edmund Hillary or mountain climbing.

1 comments about Frommer's Beijing (Frommer's Complete).

1. Small enough to take w/you on the trip but enough content to read ahead of time to get familiar with Beijing. Would have given 5 stars if it had more/better maps.

4 comments about Time Out Shanghai (Time Out Guides).

1. This is the first TimeOut guide I have bought. Usually travel guide series is too glossy without any real details or not glossy enough. This book is glossy with great pictures and also has alot of detail. The history section is well written and thorough. The book also has several interesting sidebars with additional information and stories. The sidebar on raising the Bund was especially interesting. Some travel guide series also have a tendency to be too neutral with hotel/restaurant listings. This book does not fall into that trap. I would strongly recommend this book to any Shanghai traveler and I am exploring other books in this series now.



2. I've used Time Out guides for years, mostly attracted to the layout of information. But the Shanghai guide highlighted all the annoying aspects of the Time Out "formula" I managed to overlook in guides to other cities. Time Out is definately written for the bored European who'd rather be in Ibiza, the that doesn't work for China. The focus is glam experiences at clubs and being trendy, which has the effect of dismissing what makes a city unique, its history, culture and people. What really annoyed me is the gratuitous commentary on what's "wrong" with Shanghai. You are treated to various comments on how clueless bartenders will ruin your favorite cocktail, and how your aesthetic sensibility will be offended by having to look at an ugly building while navigating your way. Such snide comments appear throughout the guide. The Time Out formula also gives unmerited emphasis to such aspects as where to find gay bars or classes for the lastest fitness craze (note to Time Out writers: go to Ibiza, not Shanghai.) At the same time, the city's extensive restaurant scene is hardly covered, expect for a handful of pricey celebrity-chef venues. While I still appreciate the guide's organisation by neighbourhood, and the listing of opening times for venues, the guide needs to include Chinese names and addresses, not just romanized ones -- the Chinese name appendix in the back of the guide is inadequate.



3. Compared to Frommer's, Fodor's, and Lonely Planet, the Time Out Guide to Shanghai has proved to be far and away the most informative and useful, and it has the best maps. As the guide itself does not fail to mention, Shanghai is changing at a blinding speed, and a lot of the listings are already out of date. Nevertheless, even after living here several months, my beat-up copy still sits on my kitchen table and gets referenced at least once a week. Indispensable.



4. My friend got the LP Shanghai book while I got this one. This proved to be very helpful and I love the Chinese street translations at the back of the book, which came in handy when a cab driver couldn't understand what we were saying. I hope they release an updated version as I will definitely visit Shanghai again.

1 comments about Insight Fleximap Hong Kong.

1. My husband took this with him last month to Hong Kong and found it most useful, especially for areas other than the center.

5 comments about Lonely Planet Thailand.

1. Normally, I look at tour books for the following things:
   
   1. If mentions restaurants then its touristized and Americanized food.
   2. They steer you to expensive hotels and over prices places.
   3. They are rarely updated.
   
   Not this guide! This was really really helpful. I read most of the background and history. It was nice that they had Thai people on writing staff giving a local perspective. The recommendations were dead on for most part.
   
   I liked the fact that they covered all of the regions of Thailand - its a huge, beautiful country.
   
   Their helpful tips to avoid problems were dead on. I confirmed it with the locals while there. Khup un khap (Thanks in Thai)



2. I just returned from a month in Thailand and found the Lonely Planet Guide to be very impressive. Several things to remember is that:
   
   a) if the publishing date is 2005 the content is probably several months to a year older.
   b) if you have local friends and/or family the guide will still be useful but not nearly so compared to a traveler who is on their own. You might keep thinking why the guide doesn't cover something that your in country friend gives you great info or insight into. Relax, the LP guide, despite its heft can only provide so much info.
   
   Comments on LPs logistics and highlights...
   
   1) Logistics.
   Negative. There wasn't a lot of coverage given on the new low fare airlines that are now available but this might be because these airlines did not exist in force when the research was done.
   
   Positive. I traveled on local bus, long distance bus, train, taxi, moto-taxi, sky train, subway, regional airplane and even tuk-tuk. The guild had very precise information on how to get around locally and through out the country. This was probably the most helpful part of the book with information I was not able to find easily elsewhere. (Always keep in mind that prices and times will change though.)
   
   Highlights.
   Negatives. I could tell that the writers have a particular perspective on what is a highlight and what is not. They love the Wats or temples. I admit that many are incredible and worth the journey. But there are many, many, many of them. After seeing a few Wats, Wat fatigue set. The point is to keep your own interests in mind and not let the guide pick too much of what you decide to do.
   
   Positives. I enjoyed many of the suggestions in the book including the cooking school in Kanchanaburi, walking the alleys of Chinatown in Bangkok, a particularly spectacular guest house in Koa Tao, etc.. My highlights were definitely not the guide's highlights but were found in the guide.
   
   Thailand has a lot to see and the LP guide does an admirable job within the limits of the print format. Now get out there!



3. I travel a lot and, as a consequence, i do purchase a lot of the guides by Lonely planet. That Thailand guide is an excellent guide that gives you info you are looking for, historical highlights, maps and short stories, and, is not 'dry' as other guides.
   
   If you never had it and you are going to Thailand - get it - it is a must.



4. I have read this booking and really love it, I am Thai citizen, but some part which Joe has written in the book is reflect the real thing, something which I never look down and realize (I think insider might see different from outsider). That's really true.



5. I've used a lot of lonely planet guides in my travels, but I found this one a bit less useful than other LP country guides. It just seemed like the detail was missing, especially in regards to beaches and water activities. It almost seems like you need to buy this guide for 'most of Thailand' and then the seperate guide for beaches which is just asking too much. Could have more detail on major attractions like the Grand palace (how about a map?) and more detail on things like snorkelling / diving / surf spots on maps like they do for the Hawaii guide

No comments about Suzy Gershman's Born to Shop Hong Kong, Shanghai & Beijing: The Ultimate Guide for People Who Love to Shop (Born To Shop).

1 comments about Lonely Planet Bangkok Encounter.

1. Not very usefull. Lots of out dated info that has been re hashed over and over. Save you money
   
   Maps are useless, hard to read and limited info

5 comments about My Journey to Lhasa: The Classic Story of the Only Western Woman Who Succeeded in Entering the Forbidden City.

1. I did not see what the big deal was, and would not recommend it. Her language and the way she treated people is offensive, Eurocentric, condescending and narrow-minded -- typical of many travel books of this period. For those trying to learn about Tibet, there is not enough here to satisfy. This is your classic I-am-to-be-admired-because-I-left-the-comforts-of-civilization-applaud-me themed books. She is not a traveller but a trophy collector.



2. When I was reading the reviews of this book, I was struck by the one of the reviews. It was very negative, and the reviewer missed the beauty of this book entirely. I was glad that I had already read it. I read the reviews because I was curious to see if others had enjoyed the book as much as I did. I was buying it again as a present for a friend. The author was a very unusual person, and this book is very much worth the read. She wrote about customs and values honestly as she saw them. She was not a dispassionate viewer, but I also felt that she was not judgemental or superior. When customs of two peoples are as different as some of Tibet and France are, they will shock a person and that person will remark. However, I felt that she loved and respected the people she wrote about, and she did a remarkable job in recounting what she saw. She gave her readers the pleasure of a most unusual journey with her and her young companion through a country that was worth writing about.



3. In 1923 at the age of 55, Alexandra David-Neel put on the robes of a Buddhist monk and walked across Tibet for four months on a pilgrimmage to the holy city of Lhasa. No European woman had ever entered the holy city before, and the road promised many dangers, from wild animals to blizzards to bandits. Her descriptions bear witness to a spunky evolved soul whose scholarly knowledge of Buddhism served her well in her adopted role as an itinerant monk. Her writing is elegant, punctuated by an unselfconscious humor and relentless perspicacity. Truly an adventure trek of many wonders.



4. Personally, I love this book and have read it more than three times. If, for no other reason, you have an interest in Tibet prior to the Chinese invasion in 1950, this book leaves for posterity a Tibet that no longer exists. The border is gone from modern maps, but even a Westerners' interpretation of their daily lives, is treasure to us all of what once was, a free and spiritually ruled Tibet.
   
   The Chinese have a built a "Disneyland" at the foot of Potalla Palace. I need to remember it before the modern attempt at Chinesification of Tibet.



5. Every warm-blooded traveler knows that to savor a journey, to experience a journey, one has to become the journey. Of course, that same traveler will also tell you that typically that also means parking one's notions of comfort at home in exchange for rewards that happily outstrip bodily discomfiture, because places of intense emotion reveal themselves only to the hardy and the intrepid.
   
   But this story chronicles a veritable traveler boot camp! To bed down on rocks, sleep on snow, go hungry, thirsty and unclean, travel by starlight, dangle from a rope over a gorge, beg for food, awaken to the snuffle of wild predators... all this by a woman, almost a 100 years ago, 55 years old and on the run. I thrill and shudder at once and envy her the journey sometimes (and not so much at other times!).
   
   I recently had a tantalizing taste of Tibet's fantasmagoric beauty - like that of a land spellbound by unscrupulous sorcery, where life is harsh, unforgiving, unbending but so endowed by natural splendor that one is unable to escape its thrall. As her adventure unfolds in this well-paced account, I could imagine her tramping through these fabled lands, forging through fog-filled valleys, melting into the moonshine or greeting a golden sunrise at the end of a hard night's trek. I regret that she doesn't pause to paint a fuller picture of what must have been spectacular scenery.
   
   It is also interesting to sketch her personality through her own pen. The portrait that emerges is that of a strong-willed, intelligent, somewhat arrogant woman of unwavering determination, gritty endurance and one who loves a challenge. I have to applaud her unconditionally for the original motivation that launched her on this endeavor. She would have made a great CEO in our times.
   
   Yes, the style is a little dated, as one reviewer commented, but why should that be surprising? This is a period piece. I find her use of Tibetan words occasionally distracting and the Introduction by Diana Rowan is downright hagiographic and entirely dispensable, or at least, deferrable until the end of the author's own story.
   
   If you are a traveler at heart this travelogue cannot fail to touch you.

1 comments about Time Out Hong Kong: Macau and Guangzhou (Time Out Guides).

1. Good book, easy to follow and a ton of info. I'd buy it again.
   
   Pros: has a good, easy to locate layout. Info seemed accurate if you assume that historical sights never seem to disappear but I rarely use guidebooks for restaurant/food/bar recommendations specifically but typically go by local websites and travel forums. Maps were also very good, I thought. Less "biased" stances such as politically related info that other guidebooks tend to incorporate within their books by omitting one thing vs. another due to some biased historical stance.
   
   Cons: Should include some Shenzhen info. This is the city directly opposite Hong Kong and while it's not really that special considering HK is a great "world city" and many cities in China have caught up to the luster of Shenzhen, it's just really just another Chinese city now. However for someone who has never been to the Chinese mainland, it's worth the day or two unless you need a full $130 visa (which Americans do). It does have Guanghzou which is a 70mile or so hike up the Pearl River but they're vastly different places.
   
   Could include more bus-related info as well as some of the best parts of HK still are not connected via the MTR. Plus, the top of a double-decker bus is a great way to "see" HK, if you ask me. Could also talk about the two checkpoints at Lok Ma Chau/Huang Gang if in China and if you're stuck at the bus terminal vs. the bridge, should invest the $$ in buying a bus back to your destination as the MTR does not stop there! This is a common mistake made by Shenzhen taxi drivers I had no idea about this setup at all. I just happened to stay near there in Shenzhen.

5 comments about Riding the Iron Rooster.

1. For many travel writers, the point is more in the journey than the destination. That is especially true with Paul Theroux here. Whether it is the rubble of the Great Wall, the desolate wastes of Inner Mongolia, or the awe-inspiring vistas of Tibet, Theroux uses the various places of China he encounters by rail as a backdrop for what interests him most, the people.
   
   Published in 1988, as China emerged from the darkness of the Cultural Revolution and just before the Tiananmen crackdown of 1989, "Riding The Iron Rooster" captures the world's most populous nation catching a wave of democratic sentiment, embracing materialism and such symbols of Western decadence as Jan and Dean. Whether government handler or fellow rail passenger, most everyone Theroux meets has regrets about the country's hardline past and doesn't mince words expressing it, in the process challenging his (and our) expectations of encountering a continent of doctrinaire Maoists.
   
   "We can always fool a foreigner" is a Chinese proverb Theroux quotes right off the bat, and he takes it as his job proving otherwise. Better equipped than most Westerners, he has not only been to China before but speaks the language, enough so he can distinguish genuine laughs from politeness or insecure warning, while asking questions that would have gotten him in trouble ten years ago but now evoke amusement and curiosity.
   
   The result is a highly subjective, idiosyncratic blast, of a self-admittedly rude foreigner pushing boundaries in an attempt to uncover deeper truths from a populace unaccustomed to giving them. His admiration of the Chinese is not without frustration. "I hated sight-seeing in China," he writes. "I felt the Chinese hid behind their rebuilt ruins so that no one could look closely at their lives."
   
   Score this one China 1, Theroux 0, but he does put up a noble fight, and provides you with an entertaining glimpse at a country that engages your deeper interest, and admiration for an author always willing to go the extra mile, even in a cold and filthy railcar.
   
   The book does lack some sense of geography; even consulting the map on the flyleaf doesn't help as Theroux expands and contracts the reader's sense of time and space. He may dismiss the terra-cotta soldiers' ranks of Xi'an with a couple of paragraphs, while spending pages on the quality and universality of public spitting. But you wind up with a journey that tells you as much about the complexity of Theroux, a dyspeptic but very talented observer in the tradition of Evelyn Waugh, as it does about the great land he visits here.
   
   "Travel is frequently a matter of seizing a moment," he writes. "It is personal. Even if I were traveling with you, your trip would not be mine." Here, you sort of are traveling with him, and the result is a literary journey as intoxicating as it is educational.



2. I read this book over a week-long period, almost 20 years after he rode the Iron Rooster through China. The many commentaries of country life, the weird customs of the people and the constant yearning to shoot birds for food made me wonder if China today is still like it was 20 years ago. I certainly hope it is not, but Theroux's style and detailed observations of miniscule events make this a very interesting, graphic read. I had the sense of where I was in the country, from the barren desert to the freezing mountains and every track inbetween. I didn't want to get off the train.
   
   This was my first Theroux travelogue. I will certainly read many more.



3. Armchair travelers and actual travelers will positively become immersed in the lives and countries of fellow travelers and foreigners as Paul Theroux journeys accross Europe. Scents, sights, sounds and a dead-on ability to skewer irritating passengers and crew, off-train traits and culture give much zing to the chugging train trip. Another Theroux treat.



4. From curmudgeon to comedian, Paul Theroux plays many roles. So too does China, and this is why they make such a good match. Certainly, this book drags in places, but to that end it only mirrors actual travel. It isn't just about the destinations, but the time spent between the destinations, or in this case the time the author spends riding China's trains. Those looking for an informative history of the Great Wall or an amusing anecdote concerning the Terracotta Warriors will have to look elsewhere. Theroux shuns tourist sites almost as much as he shuns foreign tourists. When he does encounter a famous place, he often gives it a one-line assessment. He sums up Beijing's abundant cultural offerings, for example, by saying that everything was "very big and very impressive."
   
   There is no doubt that Theroux can be caustic, but his cold appraisals should ring true for anyone who has traveled in China, at least to some degree. The problem with many China books is that they are often penned by people who are smitten by the Middle Kingdom and therefore don't wish to offend. But Paul Theroux doesn't care who he offends. In any of his books. Period. Simply put, he calls it as he sees it. Despite his penchant for snobbery, one thing that Theroux is exceptionally good at is getting in on the ground level and talking to people. This makes for many of the volume's brighter moments, like when he asks to see a commune and a group of Cantonese laugh so hard they almost fall over.
   
   RIDING THE IRON ROOSTER is a thorough inspection (pun intended) of China during the days it was emerging from the long shadow if Maoism, but before it had begun rocketing toward the realm of capitalism. As mentioned, it can be frustrating, but no more frustrating than China itself. And like China, it's worth it for those gripping moments and laugh-out-loud encounters. I have to hand it to Mr. Theroux. He traveled around China for an entire year, a trip so extensive that he visited several places twice. To my way of thinking, he deserves four stars just for that.
   
   Troy Parfitt, author



5. I enjoy the writing of Paul Theroux. This book is a train book about crossing China in the 80's. It gives a glimpse into life in China post mao.
   If you enjoy Paul Theroux's writing this want disappoint.