2 comments about The Cove: Panama City's Neighborhood (FL) (Images of America).

1. I, man and boy, have spent near 50 years in the brackish salt water areas of coastal Florida.. I moved from the New Smyrna Beach area (well, more Daytona but there are fewer serial killers in NSB, that's another story...) to near Panama City and the Cove just over a year ago.
   It's a wonderful neighborhood and this book seems to tell it as it was and never will be again.
   I have gotten to know a local lady of some vintage, she read my copy and thought there were things she disagreed with awarded the book a 'not bad', which for her is five stars...
   The last year we have noticed a change in this area already... less Southern, more commercial.. it's too bad but it is bound to happen. Get this books and see it as it was.
   I can recommend the Port Orange book too.. It reminded me that I went to grade school 300 yards from the state KKK headquarters.. later a candle factory that BURNED down.. poetic justice?? or 'jus'us???
   L. McD.



2. For many years, I have been a BIG fan of the Images of America series. Each time I have moved to a new community, I have used these excellent books as my introduction to the history of my new home.
   
   Expecting a nice synopsis of the history of early Panama City, FL; what I got was a family photo album of the "who's who" of those elitist families who ran (and still run) Panama. There was virtually no coverage of the historical development; or the many house types in The Cove (yes, there were scattered house photos, but it was as if that were an afterthought).
   
   Sadly...... all this book did was dredge up my long buried personal memories on why I choose to leave that area, 40+ years ago.

No comments about La Pollera - Traje Nacional de Panama.

5 comments about Lonely Planet Panama.

1. I only used this book for Panama City and Bocas del Toro, but it was an invaluable asset for both. How can Doggett write knowledgably about so many hotels and restaurants, cultural issues, how to buy authentic jewelry, etc? Seems like he spent decades there. It would have been helpful if he wrote about how to bargain with taxi cab drivers for half day and full day rentals. Most one-way fares are pretty much fixed, but it is much nicer to have a driver show you the sights in P.City, which are spread out. My recommendation: Buy the book, and explore the places outside of Panama City.



2. I spent six weeks in Panama last summer (2001): 4 weeks on Isla Colon in Bocas del Toro (and surrounding areas) and 2 weeks traveling around the rest of Panama. This book is a useful reference if you don't have anything else - especially if you don't speak Spanish. It provides a lot of valuable information on hotels, both budget hotels and very expensive ones. However, I often got the impression that Doggett is somewhat of a yuppie traveler. For instance, in the chapter on Bocas del Toro, he spends a paragraph or two trashing the bat cave found between the town of Bocas and Boca del Drago. I imagine he was so busy whining about the smell of the cave and the shriek of the bats that he did not stick around long enough to discover that there is a SECOND bat cave, very close to the first. This second cave contained an astounding variety of biodiversity, including a giant boa constrictor. Hands down, this cave was one of the most incredible natural wonders that I saw on my entire trip. If you are a traveler who is more into roughing it and seeing lush primary rainforest (even if it means tromping through rainforest with mud up to your knees), then this lonely planet guide may not be adventurous enough for you. Fortunately, in spite of the differences of opinion I had with this guidebook, I still had an amazing time in Panama. The rainforest left me speechless, the people were always friendly and helpful, everything is much less expensive than in the U.S., and there are fewer tourists in Panama than in Costa Rica. Still, I would recommend looking for a different guidebook before you settle on this one.



3. As the owner of a first and only backpackers hostel in David City,Panama (The Purple House) .... I see many people carrying this useful book around and it seems to be a great help to many. My only complaints about the book (not the writers' fault) is that 1) we are not in it yet because we weren't open at the time of his research. 2) the city of David is not made to sound attractive as a place to visit. There are lots of things to do here that aren't listed. Of course, that too is Not the writers fault, he can't possibly visit everything the way a person like me can. I have lived here for more than 3 years so I have been able to collect alot of information over that time.

   As with any guidebook, it should be used as a guide and not a bible, definitely worth buying and carrying, its the best book for Panama.




4. Having traveled for 3 months in Panama, I found the guide to contain many opinions and to be extremely judgemental. It is actually offensive in some parts with it's colonial nature. Also very ego heavy. The author believes his opinions to be golden.

   A big dissapointment.
   The Panama yellow pages is a much better book.

   Go buy the Ulysesses guide.




5. Lonely Planet, probably has the most up-to-date, comprehensive, practical guide for Panama, currently available. Would I recommend it? Absolutely! Unfortunately, Lonely Planet, failed to edit the author's crude, narrow-minded, self-righteous, self-serving commentary. The author also glosses over or totaly ignores pertinent information. Personal politics and self-aggrandizement have little, if any place in a travel guide, and when it exists in such a publication, it suggests a lack of empathy for, and or understanding of, other people and their cultures. The shortcomings of Lonely Planet's guide, noted above, mar an otherwise excellent publication. For the typical "Ugly American" wanting to "Do" Panama, the Lonely Planet guide should prove more than adaquate. If on the other hand, you are an open-minded traveler capable of independent thought, you might consider, also obtaining, "Getting to know PANAMA" by Michele Labrut, a former press attache to the French Embassy in Panama. Written with class, mature intelligence and a sense of respect for Panama and it's People, "Getting to know PANAMA", not only fills the gaps in the previous guide, it is also an excellent travel guide in it's own right and an outstanding source for unbiased information.

No comments about Illustrated South America;: A Chicago publisher's travels and investigations in the republics of South America, with 500 photographs of people and scenes ... of Panama to the Straits of Magellan,.

No comments about Moon Panama (Moon Handbooks).

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.

5 comments about Adventures in Nature: Panama (Adventures in Nature Series).

1. Do not, repeat, do not go to Panama without this book. There is little of interest spared from this book. Mr Friar obviously has traveled the paths about which he writes, from the trails in the western highlands of Chrirqui to the bustling streets of Panama City. If he makes a comment such as 'your call', believe me be cautious. We just returned from a 10 day trip that included hiking some of the highland trails. We negotiated roads that should not be driven, and competed for space in streets barely wide enough for our rental van in San Felipe. We hiked trails that require athletic skill and wrestled our way through the market at Sal Si Puede.

   The directions are impeccable, and food recommendations are excellent plus still quite current. If he does not write about something it is likely of little interest or non existent. Example: when we lived there from 1994-97, there was a nice artesan market at Stevens Circle at the foot of the canal commission headquarters. We wrongly thought Mr Friar missed it, however,it was not mentioned because it no longer exists. We found it has moved to just up the street from the YMCA on the way to the Bridge of the Americas.

   Even as former residents, this book was a truly valuable guide to travel in this quite interesting little country.




2. Excellent book. You don't really need to be an adventurer to get a lot of use from this book, just be interested in the outdoors.

   We visited Isle Grande (crowded only on weekends), Boca Brava, San Blas, and the Volcan Baru region and found the book to be quite accurate and reliable. The San Blas islands were our favorite, but we enjoyed all places. No one got sick. All had a great time.

   We did not use the book for either hotel or restaurant recommendations so I can't rate it there.




3. This book provides good, in depth information about natural destinations in Panama. It gives more detailed descriptions of each place then a guide like Lonely Planet. However, the restaurant, hotel, and transportaion information is too limited for this to be the only guide book you take. I took this book and the Lonely Planet guide on my trip to Panama, and it worked out well.



4. Although this book does contain some useful information there is a very definite bias. The visa information relates only to US citizens, there are other countries in the world, and the information on the canal is very definitely the view of a zonian. Areas which to me are very definitely in the city are described as being in the canal area.
   I do not have a problem with a museum in a Spanish speaking country giving the information in Spanish and resent the patronising comments he makes about the fact not everyone speaks English.



5. I just finished reading this book, and want to offer the author my thanks and compliments. I'm planning to move to Panama someday, and his book helped cement my plans. Friar does a lucid and loving job in describing the country, but for me the most important undercurrent in the book is his obvious love and respect for the people who live there. Friar doesn't just tell you about Panama's hotels and restaurants and tours; he introduces you to the people who run them.

No comments about The Jeff Corwin Experience - Into Wild Panama (The Jeff Corwin Experience).

No comments about Panama and the canal in picture and prose.

1 comments about Ulysses Travel Guide Panama (Ulysses Travel Guides).

1. This book was published in April of 2004, but in a five week trip to Panama in June and July I found it to be less accurate and less complete than my 4 year old Lonely Planet Central America on a Shoestring. We even encountered one listee in Panama who expressed doubts that Ulysses had even returned to Panama to update the book. Get Lonely Planet and supplement it with Nature in Panama.