No comments about Five Years in Hawaii: A True Saga of International Adventure and the U.S. Intelligence Community.

No comments about Guatemala Alive and Panama Alive.

No comments about Panamexico.

No comments about The Panama Canal. Hearings Before the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce of the House of Representatives. (House Documents Volume 137: 62D Congress, 2d Session, 1911-1912, H. R. Document No. 680).

No comments about The Panama Traveler.

4 comments about The Voyage of the Vizcaina: The Mystery of Christopher Columbus's Last Ship.

1. This is a truly exciting read. Although the title and subtitle both suggest that the book is mainly about the Vizcaina, in fact, only about 20% of it contains discussions that directly pertain to that ship; most of these discussions deal with efforts towards determining whether the wreck that was found in the Bay of Playa Damas (Panama) is indeed the Vizcaina. Naturally, when something of such historical importance is found, some form of politics must step in to play its important frustrating role of slowing down, with utmost efficiency, any exciting archaeological progress; this case is no exception. However, the main bulk of the book is about Christopher Columbus: his life, his travels and his adventures. Also presented are fascinating outlines of current disputes as to his true origins as well as where his bones are currently located. Published in 2006, this is an English translation of a book that was originally published in German in 2004. Although the original German title seems to be more appropriate than the current English one, the translation is well done in the sense that the writing is so clear and engaging that the book is very difficult to put down. It will likely be indispensable reading for most history buffs, but it can be enjoyed by anyone.



2. In the mid-1990s, divers discovered the wreck of a large ship just off the coast of Panama, feeding the rumors that this might be the remains of one of the ships from Columbus's final voyage. Columbus was able to persuade Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castille to give him a fleet of four ships in 1502 to return to the New World in search of more riches. Although he reached the Americas, his ships, all victims of shipworms eating through the hulls' wood, began to sink one by one. Columbus reported abandoning the fourth ship, the Vizcaina near Portobelo.
   
   It was said that this ship has three masts and a loading capacity of fifty tons. But when divers went searching, they couldn't immediately determine that the abandoned ship off the bay in Playa Damas was the Vizcaina because of the contents of the ship and the relative integrity of the ships structure.
   
   The authors combine Columbus's history, and the discovery of the ship buried beneath the ocean for decades. Divers and archeology experts are quoted throughout the book, which makes it a bit of a hybrid historical read. The past and present converge by finding the Vizcaina. Yet, it's a true adventure whether you like history or archeology. The history of the man who founded the New World is fascinating as he was a true adventurer.
   
   Armchair Interviews says: Thrilling historical, yet scientific reading that leaves you satiated with a host of historical facts and awe about modern archeology.



3. This book is not the easiest read. That said, it contains amazing detail about Columbus and his several voyages to the new world. I felt the book delivered a good feel for the man and for the times. A tremendous amount of research has been done on Columbus over the centuries and this book seems to touch on the major findings and integrates them well into the overall story. I was amazed at the amount of information to be had and how little I actually knew about Columbus and the history surrounding his discovery of the new world.



4. What really happened to the last voyage of Christopher Columbus? This is a great story of history, politics and exploration.

No comments about Panama Government And Business Contacts Handbook.

3 comments about Travel & Site Guide to Birds of Costa Rica With Side Trips to Panama.

1. Lots of tables and descriptions of where to go to see birds. 99% Costa Rica. A few black and white drawing of birds, plants, maps. Not good if you want color photos of birds you might see.



2. This is not a birding field guide, but a helpful guide to quite a few Costa Rica birding sites. Very good descriptions of sites included (including some information not available elsewhere) but many other places were not covered. The author's assessments are useful. Supplements other guides.



3. This is a good little birding site guide, not a species identification field guide. This would be very helpful in planning a birding trip to Costa Rica and gives information for about 75+ sites with a good introduction to birding Costa Rica in the beginning. Here too is a table on pgs. 20-22 called "Characteristics of Major Birding Destinations". This table groups destinations with accomodations in the different sections of the country (NE, NW, SE, SW, highlands, lowlands. It details accessibility, cost, comfort, guide availability, and difficulty of birding.
   
   The book is arranged in chapters for each region of the country with details of the birding sites including excellent maps (better than most site guides I have seen) and written directions. The birding accounts are first person and folksy and make for easy and yet absorbing reading and are enhanced with many black and white location photos. There are also bird lists for each site that tend towards the more expected commonly seen species rather than an extensive checklist for all species located at the site. Each site does have a list provided of the birds the author found when he was there including notations of their abundance and the season that he visited. Some sites have additional checklists provided by the lodges or other birders.
   
   There are brief mentions of a few sites in neighboring Nicaragua and Panama at the end of the book and two appendices the first is a complete list of birds of Costa Rica in checklist order and grouped according to location with notes on abundance, habitat and elevation. The second is a a seven day checklist for your trip.
   
   I enjoy sitting down in a comfortable chair and reading over books like this but you should consult the internet for updates on lodges and parks as this book is now over ten years old. Some places of course are not included, including one of my favorites Savegre Lodge also know as Cabinas Chacon in San Gerardo de Dota. Other site guides that I would recommend in addition to this would be Dennis Roger's "Site Guide for Costa Rica" and Nigel Wheatley and David Brewer's "Where to Watch Birds in Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean".

3 comments about Naked to Love: Letters from a Young American in Panama, 1952-54.

1. I am sorry to say I didn't like this book. I couldn't wait to get it because my boyfriend also was in the service in the 50s and we wrote to each other every day. I enjoyed the first part of the book and all of the "interpretations" given by Carole (his wife), but Chris himself was (even for a young man/boy in the 1950s) egocentric to the point of being boorish. I don't remember exactly when Atlas Shrugged was written, but Chris (the author of these letters) sure had Ayn Rand's philosophy of selfishness. Imagine a man telling his wife he slept with prostitutes because his "sexual urge was just like my urge to eat or to scratch an itch" and he HAD to satisfy it . . . expecting her to believe that, YET telling her if she slept with anyone else he would kill himself. Ugh. I just didn't like Chris. Also, he wrote in his letters how he was DRIVEN to write . . . but we never find out if he ever WROTE anything of significance again. Very disappointing.



2. The authors letters are honest. I had to stop and remind myself these letters were written by a very young man. It's not often we are allowed to look into the heart and head of someone so completely honest in his feelings and thoughts. I want to secret the book from others who ask me what it's about, as if the letters were written to me.

   I laughed outloud on a bus while reading Chris's conversation with Andy regarding god and hell.

   I was not offended because he told his wife everything including his trips to the 3 dollar whore-house. Frankly I would have been more surprised if he hadn't. I believe him when he said it had nothing to do with his feeling or love for his wife Carole. The fact that they are still married and his wife saved his letters tells me all I need to know about the character of Chris Colie.




3. A man in the Army writes home to his wife, constantly telling her to write to him. He is very self-involved and constantly begs her to tell him how much she loves him with no real feeling for the fact that she is home pregnant with his child. He pays little attention to where he is and spends his free time with prostitutes and complaining about others making too much noise. Gives very little information about much except himself.

No comments about Eldorado or Adventures in the Path of Empire. A voyage to California, via Panama; Life in San Francisco and Monterrey; Pictures of the Gold Region, and Experiences of Mexican Travel (Prose Writings of Bayard Taylor Revised Edition).