No comments about Customs & Etiquette of Nepal (Simple Guides Customs and Etiquette).

3 comments about The Rough Guide to South India 5 (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

1. This book gives ou a nice overview of the region, and incredible specific tips for visiting South India.



2. I used this guide on a recent study abroad trip to Bangalore. It was indispensable for traveling alone (i.e. without the guidance of a local). For example, on a weekend trip to Chenni (Madras) it helped me find the only place in the city with a plethora trees and gardens - The Theosophical Society grounds - as well as make my way around the city and get to a high class restaurant when I was craving comfort food. It also provides little bits of local knowledge; for intance, it tells the story of how J. Krishnamurti was 'found' by the Theosophists on the beach and recognized as the 'enlightened one'- where else would you find that information?! I would have been lost if I didn't have this guide, or relied on the National Geographic India guide my parents gave to me. I don't know about restaurants or hotels as I didn't use it too much for that purpose, but it listed all of the major bookstores in the area, even some that my host mother (raised in Bangalore) didn't know about!



3. I have been travelling for a couple of weeks through Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka using the Rough Guide, together with a friend who had the Lonely Planet to South India. Overall I found the RG a very good guide, both in terms of practical information (maps, transportation, budget hotels) as well as for providing sufficient background information about the temples in that region (which is definitely not the case for the LP!).

5 comments about Molly Moon's Hypnotic Time Travel Adventure (Molly Moon).

1. Molly Moon's Hypnotic Time Travel Adventure is exactly what the title implies. After her pet pug Petula gets dog-napped, Molly chases the devious Maharaja of Waqt to India. They jump back in time to 1870, where Molly meets new friends, new fiends, camels, and others.
   
   Molly Moon is part Eloise, part Little Orphan Annie. I have enjoyed all of the books in the series to date, with their wacky and wild plotlines and quirky characters. Molly Moon's Hypnotic Time Travel Adventure is similar to the previous two books in tone and style. It is cute and fun. It explores the time travel twist - how do you keep the past intact and manage not to change the future? It also talks a bit about various cultures and religions. A cute, fast-paced series for both kids and adults.



2. I totally love this book I would recommend it to anyone who is thinking about reading it
   In this one Molly and Petula learn how to time travel and this book is really interesting and amazingly good this is the 3rd book in a series of 4 (so far) the 1st and the 2nd are just as good as this one I would recommend reading the first and the and the second before you read this one though
   hope you make the right decision



3. Molly Moon appears again-but this time she is worried about a second kidnap of Petula the pug. Then when she goes into the garden later, the kidnapper appears-and now Molly is the victim. Too bad she was concentrating on something else. Because now her life is at stake. Not only is she brought to nineteenth-century India, but so are four of her younger selves-not to mention her best friend Rocky, the hippie Forest and Petula the puppy. Now Molly must learn the art of time-travelling and get her friends home. READ THE BOOK GUYS! It's great!



4. Molly Moon is back and this is the best yet! It's my absolute FAVORITE book! On a scale of 1-10 I give it a 50! I love that there is a cliff hanger at the end. Byng introduces new characters that are very unique, like an elephant. I've realized that in every book she gets a new power, this time it's time traveling. (SPOILER): Molly finds four younger versions of herself.



5. When I first bought this book, I had never read the first two books, so I never knew that this was the third book in the series. Well, ten chapters later I was so confused that I wanted to stop reading the book. I ended up finishing this and it was awesome, despite it being really consfusing. If you like the Harry Potter series, then this is for you.

2 comments about Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra (Regional Guide).

1. This book offers everything you expect from a Lonely Planet travel guide - background infos you need to know about the country (Do's, Don'ts, how to get by in India on your own, etc.), sights, restaurant and hotel listings and much more for your trip to Rajasthan.
   Like most Lonely Planets, it is a bit thin on history and culture, the description of the sights is sometimes very short.
   The Delhi chapter is extensive, though.
   You get everything you expect from a LP, but if you are interested in history and Indian culture and religion, buy another book to accompany this LP on your trip.



2. If you're doing the 'typical' first time trip to India - the Golden Triangle - this is all you need - no reason to have a full guide to India since the south is completely different from the north - carrying a full guide to India if you're just going to Delhi, The Taj Mahal, and say Jaipur, is like carrying a guide to to Poland for a trip to France - I guess that's why Lonely Planet decided to publish this concise guide.
   Traveling to India takes a lot of preparation and you discover you forgot to do half the preparation you needed when you get there - this book helps full the gaps, prepare you for the shocks, gives great connection information to the often confusing and chaotic, but surprisingly pretty well ran Indian railways.
   
   It also gives you good thumbnail estimates about prices -which is essential for Western travelers as you are continuously the target of price gouging. Highly recommended.

5 comments about In an Antique Land: History in the Guise of a Traveler's Tale.

1. Although I was immediately fascinated by the historical and literary detective story of the 12th century Jewish merchant and his Indian servant, I did not fully understand Ghosh's mission in writing this book until nearly at the end. Then it became clear to me. This book is an elegy for a way of life that is forever lost. In the 12th century, Jews, Muslims, and Hindus worked in tandem as traders and merchants, with the only reprisals being angry remonstrances rather than armed violence. What we call sophisticated Western civilization has changed all of that.
   
   Just as Portuguese and Dutch invasions of the Indian Ocean ended the medieval way of cooperation, the quiet life of the Egyptian villages in which Ghosh lived also ended -- within our lifetimes. As televisions and refrigerators came to those villages, so did anger, strife, and urbanization. There was money to be made during the Iran-Iraq war if you were a young Egyptian man, but you would never return to your village.
   
   This book was slow-moving in places but ultimately unforgettable.



2. I enjoyed this book immensely as I have lived and researched in the Kanara Coast of India where a main character in the book spends a great deal of his life and where there have been from early times trade relations with the Middle East. Although I have not researched in the Egypt I can relate to many research experiences of the author. It was a real treat for me. Martha B. Ashton-Sikora



3. I had read this book few years ago , but recently I had a conversation with a freind about it. I just thought I would like to have a copy and read it again.
   A book that I will recomend .



4. I found this book extremely dry and slow moving. All the other reviews focus on the master-slave relationship. I kept waiting for this part of the plot to get moving, and it was 200 pages before it even happened. "The Hungry Tide" is a far better work by this author.



5. If National Geographic stories reconstructing a stone-age human from its fossilized remains dug out of the ashes of a volcano (such as in physical anthropology) fail to engage your fascination, chances are that this story will seem more academic to you than the home work assignment to watch History Channel. I am one such history-averse person and the book was too slow to start. However, I finished it with a renewed respect for social anthropology and its relevance to the world we live in. The way a story of a 12th century Egyptian trader can be relevant to the social, cultural, political and business of our times is hard to ignore and not take heed of. Besides, it is fascinating to learn how a small set of information sources with varying degrees of reliability can be connected like dots that reveal the story of a 800 year old human life in all its aspects.
   
   Some of the revelations in the book that left me agape were: the rich history of trade between Indian and Egypt that made a lasting impact on the evolution of both countries and her peoples; the complex way in which the social temper and cultural identity of a country are entrenched in religion, thus making religion the primary tool for governing powers to achieve political and business goals in ways that are irreversibly divisive; the power of a united few with a disruptive agenda over the divided many with a peaceful one.
   
   Apparently, this book is part of the course reading for anthropology students at UC, Santa Cruz (and possibly many other universities worldwide), as I found out from a student sitting next to me in the plane. However, Amitav Ghosh's extensive research goes beyond anthropology and throws light on relevant topics of today such as Iraq & the Middle East, the cultural divide between Jewish, Muslims, Christians and Hindus, the Indian identity, and the massive social changes that conservative rural Muslims are grappling with.

5 comments about The Rough Guide to India 6 (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

1. A bit too much like the Lonely Planet and like LP, a bit lazy and predictable. Why, for instance, do these guides not recommend hotels near the Jama Masjid in Agra (where one can find shops and food in abundance, where one is but a short walk from the Red Fort and hence a short walk from access to the Taj and where transportation does not involve the hassles that one encounters in other parts of town)? You tend to find that LP and Rough Guide give the same recommendations as far as hotels are concerned 6 out of ten times...it's not that difficult - most Indian towns of any size have an array of options.
   
   I find the most frustrating aspects of this guide to be: the complete lack of maps for certain regions (I found there to be few maps of smaller towns in Tamil Nadu); inaccuracies in the maps (the Akbar Inn in Agra is 1km away from the point indicated and not on the same street as Tourist Guest House...in Gwalior, the guide will have you walking lenghty circles only to find that the hotel you are looking for is a stone's throw from the station on a road not indicated...in Bhavnagar a circle haphazardly placed on a map in the middle of a labyrinthine bazaar is apparently meant to serve a purpose); and the scales are occasionally wrong.
   
   There are also internal contradictions...the time from town A to town B is indicated as 5 hours when one looks at the travel info for town A but as 7 hours when one looks at the info for town B.
   
   Having recently decided that LP had seriously dropped its standards when it suggested turning left out of the bus stop in a Chinese town of plus 1 million people and looking for a red sign, I am at a loss for a decent guide book. Maybe the Footprint or Handbook guides are the way to go - I have yet to try them. What I tend to find most useful are older LPs (eg those of 10 years ago)...prices change and hotels open and close but those guides did tend to provide more options as far as hotels are concerned and the maps tended to be more accurate - some hotels will remain and where one finds one, one usually finds others.



2. I have just returned from a one month holiday in Bangladesh and Northeastern India. I was hoping for a more region-specific guide but there isn't one, so I had to carry this bulky country-wide guide with me.
   
   This appears to be an excellent guide for the more "usual" destinations in India, but people should be aware that it barely covers Northeastern India at all. Part of this is due to an editorial decision to drop information from prior editions due to political instability in many of those states, but the decisions on which areas to drop do not match local knowledge about which areas actually might prove unsafe for foreigners as opposed to local politicians. Granted, it is an ever-changing scenario, and this guide is by now a few years old.
   
   My main complaint though is the maps of the hill stations; particularly those of Darjeeling and Gangtok. They are just plain wrong, and not to scale (even in cases where they say they are to scale). Unfortunately the Indian government tourist maps for those towns and also Kalimpong are also wrong, and not to scale either, but are somewhat more helpful, so my suggestion is to visit the local tourist offices immediately upon arrival in each town and pick up their official maps.
   
   In both cases, however, contours are missing, and considering that these towns have several hundred to several thousand feet differential between top and bottom, and that there are no pedestrian steps to cut across the time-consuming road switchbacks, one can easily make a wrong decision at a switchback crossing and miss a major point of interest (such as the major monastery at the top of Gangtok). At the very least, since most roads are one-way (and few if any are marked), showing directionals would help.
   
   Considering this edition is many generations removed from the first edition, it is not acceptable that directions are often completely inaccurate. For instance, the major monastery outside Gangtok is listed as being to its east, when it is really to its southwest (but I did find it). And in Kalimpong, I missed the main monastery as I ran out of time after going more than twice as far as the stated distance and still not reaching the monastery south of town (which R.G. listed as being at the top of the hill, when ALL of the locals that I asked confirm it is near the bottom!).
   
   To be fair, the Lonely Planet guide is much, much worse all around. I have just ordered the Footprint guide to see if it is more accurate and complete for this region of India. I would at least like an accurate reference for matching against my trip notes, photos, and writeups!
   
   As far as the non-Himalayan eastern states are concerned, there is almost no coverage at all, for the previously stated reasons, but hopefully this will change in the next edition, as travel restrictions are blightening up and it is now possible to arrange permits for Aranchal Pradesh and Naga just a few days in advance (quite easy if you sign up for a local multi-day tour based out of a major town such as Guwahati in Assam).
   
   It would have been helpful to be more specific about which languages are spoken in which towns/regions, as this area is quite a patchwork, and also to mention the likelihood (or not) of encountering English speakers. As it turns out, the main hub for northeastern connections, Siliguri (in the northern part of West Bengal state), inexplicably has almost no English fluency at all, even though ALL travelers must pass through this town to make onward connections. Most resourceful travelers can work through this though, but travel guides need to also guide the more timid tourists.
   
   I will give Rough Guide credit for fairly good descriptions of the major highlights and how to reach them (which is quite difficult and more than one can ask from a guide that is only updated every two to three years). As always, they are the most culturally sensitive guide book and take the most effort to go for first source information (vs. Lonely Planet's habit of quoting second source information that is incorrect, without bothering to check it out -- and I am referring not just to location based information, but also cultural and historical background).



3. This is the best guidebook I know of for India. I used it on my recent trip and found it overall to have excellent, in-depth information, great info for putting things in cultural/historical context, and detailed, accurate maps. In my opinion it blows Lonely Planet out of the water. Several Indian guesthouse owners and the man at the tourist desk in Varanasi (who has worked there for 25 years) told me the same thing, and on the flipside I met not a single person who recommended Lonely Planet over this book. The general consensus about the Rough Guide is that rather than just giving a bunch of listings, it gives really practical information on how to get to places, get things done, get a ticket, avoid scams, and so on, in significantly greater depth than Lonely Planet. But not only is it more practical--it also gives more cultural/historical context, opinion, and descriptive writing. Lonely Planet, on the other hand, seems to have become lazy since they know they will sell a lot of books on name recognition alone. The last time I used Lonely Planet was on a trip to Brazil, and I was so disappointed with it that I vowed never to use them again. However, unlike Lonely Planet, I think you will have a positive experience with this book. A good guidebook is crucial in India because it is such a difficult country to travel in, and I think you won't be disappointed with this one.



4. Some of the same complaints that I have for the Lonely Planet Guide except this one was harder to read due to the use of the lighter inks in the text. Information was excellent! Now print a smaller, more detailed version for Rajasthan, Delhi, Agra, Khajuraho and Varanasi. These are the areas that most tourists are traveling to and all the rest is just wasted paper as we tear the books apart for our travels.



5. who ever wrote the rough guide to India obviously didnt have a very good time. almost every section is prefaced with "try to get out of this area as soon as possible, but if you have to stay here are some places you can get some bread and coffee." its down on most every city and only has a couple of places it can bring itself to recommend.
   
   i never had any problem with any of the hotel or restaurant information but having that book was like having a whiny friend along who wanted to go home. it became a joke at the end every time we consulted the book on a new city and it had a mopey description.
   
   i left mine on the table at the YMCA in Delhi on purpose.
   
   ps do not eat the dahl at the ymca in delhi.

3 comments about Lonely Planet Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya, Eighth Edition.

1. I used this book during my six weeks in Nepal spring 2004 (trekking in Lantang, Helambu and Annapurna regions), and was glad to have it. In fact, I have my copy sitting in front of me right now! It gives detailed information on many of the better-traveled treks, along with some that are more out of the way. Plenty of information, including topo maps, to help you plan your trip or your day. Before I bought it, I sat down with several other guidebooks in an actual bookstore (yes, they do still exist!), and really felt that this one was the winner.
   
   The most major component that I felt lacking was that there are many small guest houses or tea shops along most routes that are not mentioned at all, or that have sprung up since publication. But I soon figured that out on my own, and simply asked locals and other trekkers for advice. Overall, I definitely recommend this book. Enjoy your trip! I can't wait to go back!
   
   *Note: Kathmandu has some great bookstores in the Thamel (tourist) district, and many (not all) books are cheaper than in the US (maybe pirated??). If you can wait, consider buying there.



2. If you are going the Nepal to trek, this is an invaluable guide. I was in Nepal for three weeks and I used this book everyday. Stan Armington knows Nepal better than anyone. He has help from people like Jamling Tenzing Norgay and many others. This is an essential guide to the trekking in Nepal.



3. Purchased as a gift - arrived in very short order and in great shape - what can one say about a book?

2 comments about Delhi, Agra and Jaipur (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE).

1. This might be a great book if you are in the process of considering a trip to India. It is a good overview. However, if you know exactly where you will be traveling, pick up a more detailed guide for that area. I did like all the color pictures.



2. It's tough to pick the "best" guidebook for a particular destination, and the proliferation of free travel information on the web makes choosing "the one" even tougher. My wife and I always start with a copy of an EyeWitness guide for the destination: there are pictures on every page, and we find the images help us plan our trip: the guides are particularly good for architecture and art. The practical guides in the back cover currency, hotels and restaurants.
   
   This guide to Dehli, Agra and Jaipur is a particularly good example of the DK offerings: the images, paper, text, all are up to the high standards of other books in the series.
   
   Having written that, there is really only one page that matters in deciding whether to buy: the newer the better. This book appeared first in 2000 and my wife and I used that edition two years ago on our trip to North West India. It was substantially revised in 2007 so be sure you check the copyright page before buying. If you like the Eyewitness series and have any interest in the destinations, armchair or on the ground, your decision is made.
   
   Note: DK maintains an excellent website with updates on many of its guidebooks.

4 comments about Bali and Lombok (Eyewitness Travel Guide).

1. I grew up in California, and continue to love the scenary and the people there. I thought it was the best place on earth, until I made it to Hawaii. Wow! Do I love Hawaii! I was convinced it, too, was the greatest, until I arrived in Tahiti. Now there's a really awesome place!! When I got back, I spoke with my cousin, the world traveler. She said, "You'll really love Bali, it's much more beautiful than Tahiti." So far, I haven't been able to test her views, but this book certainly helped me to see the many beauties of Bali and the neighboring island of Lombok (which she didn't tell me about).

   The scenery, animals, arts, temples, crafts, costumes, and dance are vivid, colorful, intricate, and involved. This guide to the two islands features over 700 color photographs that give you a sense of this beauty in very many ways. Even the smallest images are crisp and distinct.

   The book is also a good size to slip into a pocket while traveling, so that you don't have to be burdened with excess weight or bulk. That will help, because this guide has many details of streets, restaurants, and the insides of temples that you will wish to refer to when you are in Bali or Lombok.

   This guide has the details of all of the festivals on the two islands, which are reportedly a high point of any visit there. You also get lots of detail on local history and traditions (which will be unfamiliar to many in the United States).

   The book breaks the two islands into regions so you can get a flavor of how being in one area compares to another. For example, you can go as an eco-tourist, as a cultural tourist, a scuba tourist, or a plain old beach tourist (but there is good surf for those who like surfing and wind surfing). Bali offers lots of variety for those with different tastes and preferences, and the guide makes it clear how to plan for each. Golf has even made its way to Bali.

   I was also glad to see that the book contained many website addresses to obtain additional information.

   I cannot report on the accuracy of what is here, because I have not been to Bali. On the other hand, the information made sense in terms of what I know about other islands, and Hindu and Moslem countries.

   This guide is so rich in photographs and detail that I can have quite a few "trips" just by reviewing the material here. So even if I don't make it to Bali for a few more years, I will have enjoyed some of the wonders of this wonderful island. I hope you will have the same opportunity.

   After you finish enjoying this delightful guide, I suggest that you think about where else you know little about and might like to see. If your time and budget do not permit much travel, you could perhaps use these DK Eyewitness Travel Guides to provide pleasant diversions in the meantime. Then, when you are ready to go to a new place, you'll have an informed view of which one to pick.

   Grasp the potential all around you, with all of your senses!




2. Bali and Lombok are just two islands in the Indonesian archipelago... and one of the most popular tourst destination. This book is crammed with wonderful information as well as photographs by well known photographers, maps, drawing etc... of Bali and Lombok. I found it very wonderful that it covered both aspects of Bali and Lombok's culture regarding religion, music, dance etc... The book is much different from Lonely Planet with maps in colour with icons regarding the village and what the villages are well known for. For example the village of Taro in central Bali in Gianyar Regency is famous for it's white breed of Cattle and there is a little bit of information talking about that village. The book covers all of Bali as well as Lombok.

   Denpasar Bali's capital contains many sections like the Museum... the market and so many places of interest. For Kuta its beaches which are popular with many Australians and well known for the surfs... Gianyar regency in central Bali was well known for it's cultural and artistic creation. The famous village of Sebatu and Peliatan are famous for their Legong Kraton dancers... wonderful and graceful like butterflies or heavenly nymphs... Klungkung regency in east Bali was home to the powerful rulers with the title of "Agung Dewa" and most revered... Klungkung was a historical city and site where the golen age of Balinese history began the mass exodus of many Hindu-Javanese fleeing Islam came to the royal court bringing their traditions and tansplanting it in Bali while the ancient art form disappeared from the island of Java as a whole...

   Lombok hasn't been developed to tourism yet but it is slowly starting to. The island is very lovely with it's lush green rice fields and wonderful people who are of Balinese race and Sasak origin... They produce wonderful crafts like clay jars, pots, weaving etc... If you want to know more you will need to read or grab hold of the book yourself...

   There is even a section on food and the types of food eaten with lovely photographs of food and things to buy in Bali... This is great and I guess it is too good to be true too... Excellent work and research I must say went into making this book...




3. Colorful guidebook has marvelous images that create an immediate illustration of Bali and Lombok.

   While the practical references are a bit truncated (foreign embassies listed are only Australia and USA; hotel & restaurant listings are scanty), the cultural & special interest tips are excellent.

   The guide works its magic by tying photos to text. The reader can zero in on an image and immediately see the relevant text. This is a highly practical format, leaving no mystery as to whether some place or item may be of real interest to the individual reader. Therefore, reader can figure out what he/she wants to see & do without slogging through chapter upon chapter of text.

   I spend a lot of time in Bali and I think this is probably the most useful guide for the average traveler to Bali & Lombok. It has quite a few entries....

   If you have a limited amount of time in Bali, and an even more limited amount of time to prepare for it, this guide will suit you very well indeed!




4. The Guide is great to get an overview over the many attractions in Bali - lots of pictures and some nice overview maps of the island's regions. However, the descriptions are on the short side and it does not contain detailed street maps that could be useful for orientation. But overall a nice introduction!

4 comments about Come, reza, ama / Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia.

1. Con humor y realismo Elizabeth Gilbert explora su esencia espiritual llevando al lector a encontrarse con ella cara a cara en su camino. Cada mujer que lee este libro puede identificarse con muchas de las experiencias de crecimiento personal y espiritual. Esta es una comedia divina que todas vivimos y pocas podemos articular.



2. Este libro es para cualquier mujer, de cualquier edad y condición, porque todas encontrarán en él algo con lo que identificarse.
   Gilbert aborda con cierto humor y con inteligencia temas como el amor y el desamor, la vida, el éxito, el fracaso, la espiritualidad, el auto-conocimiento y mucho más.



3. El relato de Elizabeth, permite no solo acompañarla en su viaje a través de Europa, Africa e Indonesia por un año, sino ser además testigo de lo que suele acontecer dentro de la cabeza y en el espiritu de mujeres de este tiempo. Nos vamos formando para ser exitosas, para vivir vidas emocionantes. La falta de propósitos más profundos nos llevan a decisiones cortoplacistas y descentradas. Sublevarnos entonces contra nosotras mismas y decidirnos a cambiar nuestro rumbo se convierte en una travesía como la de Elizabeth, dolorosa y larga, en la que el verdadero propósito es alejarnos de la persona que nos fuímos convirtiendo y dejar que aflore un ser, con un centro mejor establecido que nos permita empezar de nuevo y ser capaces de tomar decisiones y caminos diferentes.



4. This book is amazing. I bought it cause one person in my family is going through something similar and it has really helped me to give her advice. I haven't finish the book but i can't stop reading it. Definitely something that happens to many women.