2 comments about Insight Guide New Mexico (Insight Guides).

1. We have found this to be an excellent guide. There is a lot of detail, wonderful photographs and just a lot of practical tips. I would recommend this book to anyone traveling in the New Mexico area.



2. Lots of striking photos, thoughtful discussions of historical and cultural topics, useful descriptions of important attractions, and mention of top restaurants and accommodations make this a worthwhile guide for adults traveling in New Mexico. It would serve well as a valuable and interesting supplemental guide to enrich a trip, but not as a primary source of basic travel information. Traveling families will also want to consult other guides as activities for children are not addressed. As its name suggests, this guide provides insights, not facts and figures, but it does that very well.
   
   - Libby Lynn, Author of I see Santa Fe!: Hear, taste, smell, and touch ; a children's guide and coloring book

No comments about Mexico City (City Guide).

5 comments about National Audubon Society Field Guide to Tropical Marine Fishes: Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Florida, Bahamas, Bermuda.

1. A few years ago, I bought the Audubon Society Field Guide to Tropical Marine Fishes and found when I tried to use it in the Florida Keys that there were many fish I couldn't identify. People recommended I buy Paul Humann's book, "Reef Fish Identification." The book is more expensive, but I found it to be far more comprehensive and user friendly. For example, many fish look entirely different when in their "juvenile," "initial" or "terminal" phase, and the "Reef Fish Identification" book has clear photos of each of the three stages shown beside each other, and frequently includes photos of alternate color phases as well. The Audubon book usually just shows a picture of the fish in just one phase, and often not a terribly good photo at that. Next to each photo in the Humann book is an excellent line drawing of the fish, highlighting and labeling which features of a fish are most dependable for identification. The Audubon book includes no such diagrams to aid identification. Finally, the Humann book is based upon both an extensive bibliography and collaboration with field biologists, and if the detailed descriptions in his book of definitive features for discriminating species of fish are correct (and experienced scuba divers tell me they are correct) then some of the pictures in the Audubon guide are actually even misidentified as to species. For example, the Audubon picture labeled as a "Leopard Goby" is almost certainly a picture of an "Orange-sided Goby" (if the Humann book is correct about dark lines outlining the orange rectangles being a reliable discriminating feature). If there were no other reef fish identification book available, I would have given the Audubon book more stars, I am usually a great fan of the Audubon Field Guide series, but in comparison with the Humann book it just doesn't rate very well. I should add that I have never met, nor have any private or professional association with, the author of either of these books, so my opinion is not biased by any such affiliation.
   Finally, I should add that I am pleased nevertheless to own both of these books because, for many species of fish, fish of the same species can be found in a wide variety of colors and patterns, so you can never study too many photos to get a handle on the range of appearances possible for any given species. Buy the Humann book if you can just afford one book, but owning both books is even better!



2. Although there are many fishes accounted for, it has quite a few that are missing, and it would be helpful if more showed pictures of the difference between adult and juveniles.



3. The Audubon Field Guides are the best there are. Every category of book is well documented and the glossy photos are fabulous. I buy these books for my 11 year old son. He enjoys reading them so much that I count his time spent as credit for our homeschool science course.



4. I bought this book as birthday gift for my son-in-law. I looked through the guide before I sent it to him. My impression was very positive, but no where near the rave reviews that Steve had for it. This guide to tropical fish should be a must for anyone taking a tropical vacation.
   
   Dick



5. I bought this book for my husband to prevent him from telling me about "that yellow fish" he saw when we were diving. It is good because it has a lot of variety of different types of fish, but it is by no ways all encompassing reference. It has only a few varieties of each type of fish (ie only a few angel fish shown, not all of the types). So, it is good, but not exactly what I was looking for.

5 comments about The Doors of San Miguel De Allende.

1. If you are looking for information about San Miguel, this book does NOT provide it! Very little written...too many door photos!



2. If you are looking for rustic colonial or American Southwest doors then this book is a must buy. - jim



3. This book was purchased as a gift for me. I am a subscriber to International Living, and San Miguel is a long-time favorite of theirs.
   
   I mentioned this, and the way the city had piqued my interest, to a family member. She then promptly went online and ordered this book for me.
   
   It is for this reason that I issue the following warning: the title should be taken LITERALLY, not figuratively.
   
   It could be read either way, but this book is NOT about opening the metaphorical doors to life in San Miguel. You will not look in these pages and then find the metaphorical doors to San Miguel thrown open to your understanding and appreciation. You will not learn about expat or local life in this historical city. And you will not find yourself frequently referring back here as you plan your trip or your move.
   
   What you WILL find, seriously, is heaps about the actual physical doorways on buildings in San Miguel.
   
   If you WANT the world's premiere photo-essay collection about the doorways in San Miguel, then this is a five-star tome all the way. Look all you want, you won't find better. If you want info about the city and culture of this red-hot expat community, look elsewhere.



4. but if not, you'll be bored senseless.



5. There is no doubt that this book contains fine photography of a very interesting subject. I just wish, however, I paid more attention to the product description: Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.3 x 0.5 inches. This is not a coffee table book, and each photograph is 4.25 x 6.5 inches. So don't expect a book of the dimension that usually does justice to these types of photos. Let's just say that I wish I had a much larger format with which to enjoy the author's work.
   
   That said and out of the way, the author/photographer hits the mark exactly with a very intriguing facet of Old Mexico and the charming colonial city of San Miguel de Allende. Cities like this have an ancient patina to them, something that only history and time can impart. Like most art, you either get it or you don't, and this author gets it.
   
   The book isn't a metaphor to life inside the city, it is exactly what the title states - a collection of beautifully photographed handcrafted doors. But there is more; even if you have not made the journey to Old Mexico, you begin to know it by the faces of these doors. Much like human faces, there is embedded in each a perspective of a life lived and served, and serving, such that the reader/observer begins to wonder about the depths of the soul of each residence.
   
   I have been to San Miguel de Allende on one of several motorcyle journeys through Mexico. It is a land of enchantment, wonderful history, lively tradtions, excellent food, and most of all, a rich culture and some of the most vibrant, friendly people in all the world. They literally open their hearts - and doors - to all who travel and visit with humility and respect.
   
   This book deserves a larger footprint to display the author's work. But since it does not, I hope it serves as a teaser to those who have never been to San Miguel, or Guanajuato, or Zacatecas and the like - to go and see, and open, doors both literally and figuratively to a world so close yet so far away. Viva Old Mexico!

1 comments about The Rough Guide to Mexico Map (Rough Guide Country/Region Map).

1. We crossed Mexico with it, from San Diego to Belize without problem. There is obviously not the details for every city, but just the major and secondary road.

1 comments about How To Buy Real Estate In Mexico.

1. This book truly contains a wealth of information regarding the legalities of participation in Mexican real estate. This book explains in detail the legal processes involved in purchasing, owning and improving properties outside and inside the "restricted zone", including the "federal zone". This book references and translates many Articles of the Mexican Constitution including details as specific as how close trees and bushes may be planted to adjoining properties, and as to why windows may not be placed in walls unless located at least one meter from adjoining properties. One drawback of this book is that it does not contain an index, although its detailed table of context alleviates that.

2 comments about Downcanyon: A Naturalist Explores the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.

1. Ann Haymond Zwinger has contributed her scientific expertise to subsidized, multi-week inner-canyon environmental impact expeditions, has run each of the Canyon's rapids countless times (in nearly each month of the year), in every sort of water craft. What her scientific eye takes in, her pen transmutes into its own river of irresistible prose, carrying the reader, willing or not, from one chapter to the next. As a hiker, I expected the vision of a "boat person" to suffer from its constricted horizons. A bottom-up myopia. Instead, we find ourselves soaring with eagles. We climb cliffs, clawing our way through a darkness of thorns and pain. We crawl along brushy beaver tunnels. We ponder the local history and lore...and the primeval past. Our journey evokes visions of thousand foot-high lava dams filling the entire Canyon with water, as well as today's horror of a rapid at Lava Falls. While some of her snippets of local human history are rarely mentioned in other books about the Canyon, Zwinger's forte is in the natural sciences. In that arena, she has no peer among Grand Canyon authors. Since this is not a trail manual, it is not easy to restrict one's reading to a single, specific Canyon location. Rather, the chapters are organized by seasons of the year. No matter. If you start at the beginning, its 220 or so pages of narrative will sweep you into their main current and, well... I'll see you below the rapids.



2. As was written by the copy editor to introduce the foreword by Ms. Zwinger to my recently published book "Deep Immersion: Thoreau's Engagement with Water" (Green Frigate Books): "Few have ever been so 'haunted by waters' - to use Norman Maclean's wonderful phrase - as has naturalist and 'water logged' nature writer Ann Haymond Zwinger." This particlar book, like all of her works, very much offers a deep well for thirsty minds.

5 comments about Adventure Guide to the Yucatan, Cancun & Cozumel.

1. I spent a week in Cancun last year and this was the only guidebook I took with me. The best part about this book is that it highlights some more out of the way sites and things to see and do. I also appreciated the section on car rental since we did end up renting one to see some of the aforementioned out of the way sites (Tulum and Aktun Chen - which, if you are planning a trip to the Yucatan, are must-see sites).
   
   The dining recommendations were spot on. We ate at several of the reviewed restaurants and were very happy. When I didn't follow their recommendations, I was a bit disappointed (they were right and I didn't listen).
   
   If you want a Mexican vacation where you sun yourself on a beach and want some upscale dining and hotel recommendations, this book might not be for you. However, if you want to stay busy every day with exciting things to do and interesting sites to see, this book will surely help you on your adventure.



2. We visited the Yucatan area for ~8 days and used this book extensively throughout our trip. This is an excellent guide if you like to do things different than the mainstream. Not surprisingly we got tired of Cancun itself very quickly, with it's Vegas-like atmosphere, crowds and prices. This book was the only reference we needed to visit the surrounding region and provided a great overview of the 'real' Yucatan.
   
   However, the coverage of hotels and restaurants is not comprehensive. The authors only describe the places that where they have actually eaten/stayed, with a lot of personal opinions rather than objective views. Also, they seem to be fixated on bakeries, which was kind of odd.
   
   Overall a great book, but I would suggest to get a complementary guide for the purpose of food/lodging.



3. Might be a great book, but for my purposes (travel from Cancun to Tulum) it really didn't cut it. (1) None of the maps are to scale. Not a big deal, but in some instances towns don't appear to be placed in the correct geographic locations (e.g., shows Playa de Carmen located inland), and in the text the authors sometimes neglect to mention how far the town is from benchmarks (e.g., other towns, kilometer markers). As a result, you will have no idea if you are getting close or still have 20 km to go. In unfamiliar terrain this is somewhat of a big deal ("did we pass it?"). (2) Many of the prices listed in the book are WAY off. Not sure how this could be unless the locals have recently figured out they can charge a lot more. (3) Some of the recommended "budget" or "moderately-priced" hotels were faily sketchy. Personally, I wouldn't recommend a hotel that didn't come with a toilet seat on the toilet, or that provided only one dingy, ripped towell for the shower. Maybe that suits budget travelers, but at $60/night I doubt it.



4. This is a great guide we have been using now for the last two editions. We have looked at other guides, and so far this one is the most comprehensive for folks who want an unbiased guide to travel and learn the local flavor, locations, and habits of the people of Cancun and the Yucatan. If you are an "all-inclusive" type traveler who stays in one of those mega-resorts, this guide may enable you to see what you are missing by not venturing out on your own outside of the "packaged" trips controlled by the mega-resorts. If it had more information on local shopping areas like Mercado 28, Mercado 23, etc. and more local street restaurants, I would have rated it a 5.



5. This is a great guide. I've been to the Yucatan and Cozumel many times, and have family who live there. Still I found new places to go and things to do using this guide. I recommend it over the other guides out there. Some of the other guides claiming to be for the current year (2007-2008) list restaurants that closed down 2 or 3 years ago as favorites. It doesn't seem like the reviewers have actually been to the area. This guide really does seem to be from first hand experience. The descriptions are honest and informative.

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

5 comments about Cruising the Mexican Riviera & Baja: A Guide to the Ships & the Ports of Call (Cruising the Mexican Riviera & Baja) (Cruising the Mexican Riviera & Baja).

1. This is a very quick book to read about the ports you will be visiting. I read it on the airplane on the way to my cruise. It made my trip to the Mexican Riviera a pleasant experience with many helpful hints and colorful pictures included.



2. My wife and I are experienced cruisers. We are cruising the Mexican Riveria in February.
   
   Mr. Ludmer's comments about cruising, in general and preparing for a cruise are right on the mark.
   
   The reason we bought the book is for the information on the ports. It is all right there, in an easy to read, easy to find format.
   
   Of course we haven't been on the cruise yet. We always take a travel writer's opinions with a grain of salt, but we'd never criticise their observations. Everyone's likes are too subjective. Nonetheless, having the input of someone who's been there is very valuable. That's the way I feel about this book, a fun read, with information that, I'm sure, is well worth the price.



3. I just returned from a Mexican Riviera cruise. We followed the walking and taxi tours recommended by the author(actually tore out the pages for each port and took them with us) and had a wonderful time. We saw so many sights that our fellow cruisers missed. The author provides detailed information, along the lines of, "Exit the ship, turn left, walk two blocks... skip Museum A in favor of Museum B" etc. including advice regarding when to take a cab vs. walking to certain attractions. I found the directions to be very accurate for Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo, and Zihuatanejo, although the map for Acapulco was not sufficiently detailed, so I suggest you pick up a city map if you're planning on walking there. Unfortunately this book does not have any restaurant recommendations, but we ate at several of the "authentic" local restaurants mentioned in the book "Mexico's Beach Resorts for Dummies" and were very happy with our choices. Finally, the author provides some useful information about cruising in general, including a checklist of items to take, and since this was my first cruise, I found this to be very helpful.



4. Generally found to be a very good book in regards to our trip but was in error on some specifics in our three ports; i.e. by walking left (per the author's instructions) we went in the wrong direction. Double check before you go but this book is a great reference.



5. This book is a fine guide to cruising the Mexican Riviera and Baja California. It describes the main cruise ships, especially those on the Carnival, Celebrity, Holland-American, Norwegian, Princess, and Royal Caribbean lines. There's advice on climate, what to wear, both in port and on the ship, and the costs involved. And there are good descriptions of the ports. Anyway, I was on a one-week cruise and found the book very useful. The cruise prices were very reasonable (it was the off-season, but the weather was fine). Do not expect to get seasick: I rarely noticed that the ship was moving. Yes, I liked the food. And the Lido deck. And even the art auctions with the free champagne.
   
   As the book explains, cruises are often one week long, with stops in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas. These leave from the Los Angeles area: mine started from Long Beach. It's fun being pampered and having all sorts of things to do on board.
   
   Puerto Vallarta, about 250 miles south of the tropic of Cancer, is not a very rich city. But there are some things to do there. One can swim with the dolphins! Or, if one is really adventurous, soar over the jungle on a guide rope! One can shop for tanzanite, silver, leather, pottery, and ceramics. Or visit a tequila factory. There is a very unimpressive church, completed in 1987, with a fiberglass crown on top. And there is Mismaloya, where one can see plenty of iguanas.
   
   In Puerto Vallarta, I liked the sculptures along the Malecon best. These include the "homeless whale," the "dancing dolphin trio," "Caballeo del Mar" (by Rafel Zamarripa), "Neptune and Nereida" (by C. Espino), "The Milleniums" (by Mathis Lidice), "Nostalgia" (by Ramiz Barquet), "Nature as Mother" (by Adrian Reynosa), the fantastic "Rotunda of the Sea" (by Alejandro Colunga), and my favorite, "In Search of Reason" (with the pillow-headed mother, two children, and ladder, by Sergio Bustamente).
   
   In Mazatlan (about 15 miles south of the topic of Cancer), one can see cliff divers, the flying pole dancers (an interesting display of acrobatics), bullfights (not my cup of tea at all), more sculptures, and a tall natural lighthouse (a great landmark for the city). There is also a rather nice church, the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.
   
   Cabo San Lucas is about 50 miles south of the tropic of Cancer. This is a true beach resort. It has some great scenery, and most folks take a boat trip to El Arco. There are a couple of nice little beaches there. These include "Lovers beach," which is a good swimming beach and "Divorce beach," which is right next to it but is very dangerous to swim at. One can also visit the glass-blowing factory. And across the peninsula, in San Jose del Cabo, one can visit Cacti Mondo, a big cactus garden. In Cabo itself, I also recommend an Italian restaurant with a terrific view, the Mona Lisa.
   
   Do not miss the opportunity to see the Los Angeles area if you have time. Just to give you a tiny idea of what is there, let me mention two of the things that interest me: art museums and large pipe organs. Seven of the best art museums are the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), the County Museum of Art, the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Norton Simon museum, the Huntington Library, the Pacific Asia Museum, and the Armand Hammer museum.
   
   What about pipe organs with over 100 ranks? There are at least seven of them: First Congregational Church, Los Angeles (5 manuals, 346 ranks), Crystal Cathedral, Garden Grove (the sanctuary is not of crystal and it has no cathedra, but the organ is 5 manuals and 270 ranks), Westwood United Methodist Church (4 manuals, 153 ranks), Lake Avenue Congregational Church, Pasadena (4 manuals, 126 ranks), Disney Center, Los Angeles (4 manuals, 109 ranks), Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels, Los Angeles (4 manuals, 105 ranks), and Royce Hall, UCLA (5 manuals, 104 ranks).
   
   If you are thinking of taking such a cruise, get this book!