1 comments about Green Dreams: Travels in Central America.

1. Mainstream media usually gives Latin America a raw deal. News articles zero in on violent crime, political uprisings and natural disasters, while tourism features tout escapism from cruise ship extravaganza to Fantasy Island-wannabes.

   Rarely are environmental issues discussed, let alone ecotourism initiatives. However, this situation is improving. Case in point is the publication of Green Dreams, (Oakland: Lonely Planet, 1998, 278 pages, $13) by Stephen Benz.

   This new volume in Lonely Planet's Journeys series provides narratives from the authors travels in the Amazon, Chiapas, Honduras' Mosquitia, Guatemala and Honduras. Despite the chapters about his adventures in South America and Mexico, the book is unwittingly subtitled, "Travels in Central America."

   The chapters are arranged chronologically, detailing the authors first forays into "ecotourism" by traveling to Iquitos, Peru's port on the great Amazon River. He has been told he can survive as a stringer if he writes unusual travel pieces.

   "Not much money, but a quick and easy by-line, and it paid enough cash to keep you going for a spell without having to resort to the even older stand-by of giving English lessons," he explains in the opening chapter.

   A year later he headed to Honduras, another political hot spot, in search of journalistic opportunities. But instead of covering the war, he finds himself wanting to explore the country's wilderness.

   "Here it was, the object of my quest, the Rio Platano. I should have felt exhilarated, but in fact, I felt vaguely disappointed; I had no idea why, exhaustion perhaps," he writes, adding, "Or perhaps the biosphere had become in my mind something so fantastic, a place so sublime that reality was bound to seem anticlimactic."

   Benz's observations are candid and thoughtful. He recounts other adventures in Costa Rica, and a trilogy of chapters about the "Mundo Maya" - a megaproject tourism scam that exploits the indigenous peoples.

   On his journeys - seemingly random in choice - he meets up with an incredible cast of characters perfectly detailed and familiar to anyone who has spent time traveling in Latin America. Here are his meetings with journalists with fat travel expenses, government lackeys, ugly tourists, and dare devil bus drivers.

   His epilogue recounts some of his adventures on the internet, trying to touch base and keep track of places he grew to love, if not on his first journey, then in memory.

   Thanks to the author's candor, Green Dreams redefines the travel narrative and paints a realistic picture of what green travelers can expect south of the U.S. border.

   Ron Mader is the host of the Eco Travels in Latin America website. He travels extensively in the U.S. Mexico borderlands and is the author of the new guidebook, Mexico: Adventures in Nature (John Muir Publications, 1998).

1 comments about Gringos in Mexico.

1. Edward Simmen, an English professor at the Universidad de las Americas-Puebla (in Mexico), edited this fantastic collection of short stories whose common thread is that of American authors writing about Mexican settings. The period covered by the stories ranges from 1850 to 1960 Mexico. If you are a Mexican or Latino reader trying to grasp how American writers have depicted Mexico through the years, or you are an American trying to figure out what to expect south of the border, this book is a must read. I had it at a seminar with Prof. Simmen himself, and I can hardly forget a more joyful and illuminating cross cultural reading experience... You will enjoy the trip, one way or the other.

No comments about 2008 Mexico City Atlas by Guia Roji.

No comments about Taos, New Mexico / Los Alamos / Espanola / North Central NM Street Map.

No comments about Aaa 2001 Mexico Travelbook (Aaa Mexico Travelbook).

1 comments about Fodor's Pocket Mexico City (3rd Edition).

1. This tiny, outdated excerpt from the larger Fodors guide to Mexico is practically useless. You can read the whole sightseeing section on your coffeebreak. Too much time is spent on side-trip suggestions -- it's almost 1/3 of the book!

1 comments about Los Alamos Outdoors.

1. Dorothy Hoard doesn't just present a book on hiking the Los Alamos outdoors. She leads the hiker on a guided tour of the environs, its geology, its people, its natural and social history. She walks the walks of the ancient Pueblo Indians as she explores the niches of their art, lifestyle, and work. She introduces the hiker to the area's unique rock and land formations, and the fragile yet resourceful flora, while inviting the hiker to appreciate the strength of this ancient land and the art and work of its innovative people. This is a book not just about hiking; this is a book about discovery in the land of the Ancients.

2 comments about Frommer's Mexico 2006 (Frommer's Complete).

1. Covers only the most popular tourist destinations and provides no coverage of cities one might drive through getting there. For example, Tampico and Monterey (!) are not even listed in the index. For covered areas, the emphasis is on the on the destinations popular with the fly-in tourist, while other major cities receive scant attention: Mérida, Yucatan's capital, has about the same number of pages as Tulum, a small Maya site easily assessable from Cancún. Hotel and restaurant coverage leans toward the upper end of the $ scale. Should be useful for the English-speaking tourist who wants to see something other than the beach (major archaeological sites are reasonably well covered), but is not useful for the traveler who might happen to arrive in Coatzacalcos (or any other non-tourist city) looking for a hotel and a meal.



2. Mexico is popular! Last year it received over 20 million visitors, and with a fairly stable Mexican peso the prices for food, lodging and transportation offers a very good vacation value.
   
   I took both Fodor's and Frommer's with me on my recent visit to Mexico and Frommer's is clearly the best. Frommer's Mexico 2006 opens with "What's New in Mexico", and this is a store house of information, especially if you are a frequent travelers to Mexico. New hotels and resorts are popping up throughout Mexico. If you can go to these spots before they become well known and packed, you apt to get great prices and better service.
   
   Another section that I highly recommend is "The Best of Mexico" where the authors, Baird and Bairstow, have selected "Best Beach Vacations", "Best Culture Experiences", "Best Active Vacation", on and on.
   
   Unlike, Fodor's, Frommer's makes life a bit easier by giving you the actual cost of accommodations and restaurant in dollars. Yea! All of the hotels have website listings and going online to see the rooms and layout of a hotel is a major help. The hotel recommendations are right on the money, but I found the restaurants recommendations to be hit or miss.
   
   The authors describe each hotel and restaurant accurately and write in such a way that they paint a picture for you, "This centrally located hotel is comfortable, beautiful and well managed. It is a half-block from the plaza, in a large colonial mansion made from the same stone as the church. The two floors of rooms surround a stately courtyard with orange trees growing around a stone fountain and bougainvilleas creeping up the walls." Great writing.
   
   Though the guide attaches a pull out-map of Mexico (a nice gift) they completely omitted maps by which locate the restaurants that they recommend. Thus finding the restaurants becomes a serious hassle, especially in the sprawling cities. This is serious omission. The six page anemic section on the history, politics, environment, culture and customs is an affront to Mexico.
   
   If you are on a tight budget then you should consider Rough Guide or Lonely Planet. If you are on a very tight budget then Let's Go is the guide for you. If you got a little "jingle" in your pocket and you like the nicer things of life then Frommer's is the best "upscale" guide available.

2 comments about An Odd Odyssey: California to Colombia by bus and boat, through Mexico and Central America.

1. Some years past, a colleague suggested a year of travel instead of my intended return to school. It took thirty years to fulfill that suggestion. David Short didn't require any more prompting than a dull, dirty and dangerous job. His destination, prompted by a world-traveling grandfather, became Central America, specifically, the Panama Canal. The journey lasted just short of six months and resulted in this account of his adventures. A spirited read, An Odd Odyssey should inspire anyone of nearly any age to pull up stakes at least once in a lifetime and venture somewhere distant. Short's account shows how richly rewarding travel can be to those willing to make the effort.

   There are two kinds of travel books - the "guidebook" with sights, prices, accommodation ideally suited for those seeking comfort instead of adventure. Glossy photos, usually portraying conditions found on movie sets, detailed maps, prices listed. The other type is the personal journal, which, properly done, imparts a far better sense of "being there" than does the guidebook. Short's chronicle is the second type, a vivid sharing of his thoughts, experiences, disasters, even love. The means of travel was by bus. Just finding one was fraught with hazards - timing, crowding or even just running. Once boarded, there was the issue of finding the proper seat: "Sit in the rear. Bandits will shoot through the front window." On a limited budget the "guidebook" hotels were out of the question for Short. Many havens he found for a night's rest became adventures in their own right. Weather, ever a primary topic for travellers, added its own quirks - a major Caribbean hurricane being the most spectacular.

   These minor discomforts aside, Short's recital of his travels points up the many benefits of journeying solo. One of these is that you don't remain alone for long. Not every acquaintance is a welcome companion, but none are dull. They bring their lives into his view, and to ours. Short meets former convicts, travellers from Europe, Canada and Australia. Not limiting himself to fellow "gringos" he deals well with the local residents. Although a few are not as friendly as he - he's robbed twice and has the usual tangles with bureaucrats, cheating taxi drivers and sullen hoteliers. Still, he maintains his equanimity, exhibiting strength in adverse circumstances. In this modern age he can turn to internet cafes, at one point spending more on email and 'net surfing than on accommodation and food.

   Short is a learner, eager to know the current and historical conditions of the lands he visits. Teotihuacan, Tikal and the world's largest stone sphere. His account leads you along with him in fine descriptive prose. He shares his learning without becoming pedantic or opinionated. His judgments result of thoughtful assessment and it's easy to agree with them. The book becomes not only the tale of his journey, but a guidebook without gloss or sham. By the end of it, we envy his adventures and his ability to relate them. It's hard not to embark on a similar jaunt with the aim of duplicating his effort for your chosen locale.




2. This book is several books in one. In addition to his varied personal experiences on the road, it includes some well researched history of the countries he visits, both ancient and contemporary. He talks about the big people in history, like Cortes, Clinton, Subcomandante Marcos, Leon Trotsky, Frida Kahlo and Manuel Noriega. He then gives equal attention to the little people he meets along the way, like the Mexican museum curator whose family had been guarding an ancient relic for several generations. He even travels to Paul Gauguin's house with a Playboy Bunny he met in a youth hostel. But he also engrosses the reader with his thoughts about his personal life, most interestingly, his romance with a Nicaraguan girl. Hurricane Mitch, which strikes when he is Guatemala and devastates the region, adds a sinister backdrop to his odd holiday, but in the end he achieves his goals despite numerous setbacks. It is a little bit like a collection of short stories, since it is written in diary form, so each day represents a new thought, and a new mini adventure. The stories about the crocodile and the monkey I almost wouldn't have believed except that he included photos in the book. I especially liked his description of his climbing of the volcano... and was left feeling it is much more enjoyable - and safer - to read his description of it than to attempt such a feat in real life.

No comments about Mexico's Most Wanted™: The Top 10 Book of Chicano Culture, Latin Lovers, and Hispanic Pride (Most Wanted™ Series).