No comments about Woodall's Western America Campground Directory, 2008 (Woodall's Western Campground Directory).

1 comments about Pantanal: South America's Wetland Jewel.

1. Pantanal - just one word that makes you itch to see for yourself the wonders of this magical wetland in the heart of Brazil! Dozens of caimans lurking in the current, mouths agape; a big jaguar comes stalking through the understory at the shoreline; giant otters appear out of thin air right next to the boat; a tapir crosses the lagoon in marvelous light; a group of hyacinth macaws gathers on a fence of a fazenda, and in the savanna a young giant anteater clings cutely to his mother's fur - wildlife photographers' dreams, subjects everyone exploring the Pantanal with a camera longs for.
   Theo Allofs got all these images - thanks to his patience, photographic excellence and his cooperation with Conservation International (CI), opening doors to subjects of some of the most beautiful farms in the area.
   Large pictures, great colors and fine printing - impressive, even at a first glance. A closer look reveals that among some 150 pictures there is no weak or even mediocre one! A photographic gourmet-piece and yet, even more: the publisher and the CI writers found an elegant and well balanced way of presenting pictures and heaps of information on such a vast region, its human inhabitants and breathtaking biodiversity. A fine example of a cooperation between nature conservation and nature photography!

No comments about Moon Argentina (Moon Handbooks).

4 comments about The Middle Passage.

1. 'The Middle Passage' is the account of a sunny journey across the Caribbean in 1960-61. During his travelling, Naipaul enjoys the calypso in Trinidad, takes a memorable hiking trip to the Nutchi falls in British Guyana, travels around the picturesque roads of Martinique, enjoys a cool beer in Brazil, and goes to the beaches of Jamaica and Surinam.

   However, Naipaul is not primarily interested in the joys which an average tourist might take from such a dreamt-of holiday. `The Middle Passage' is a book with a purpose: it seeks to dissect the ways in which different Caribbean territories deal with the legacy of more than 400 years of European domination. There is very much Naipaul doesn't like about the people living in these (post-)colonial societies. But his sharp eye and elegant prose lead to a cascade of eye-opening, stunning and often merciless observations which makes this book still mandatory reading today.

   On the multi-layered social structure of Trinidadian society, Naipaul says: "[The Trinidadian] is adaptable; he is cynical; having no rigid social conventions of his own, he is amused by the conventions of others. [..] If the Trinidadian has no standards of morality he is without the greater corruption of sanctimoniousness."

   On the Indians of British Guyana: "Among more complex peoples there are certain individuals who have the power to transmit to you their sense of defeat and purposelessness: emotional parasites who flourish by draining you of the vitality you preserve with difficulty. The Amerindians had this effect on me."

   On Martinique: "Martinique in the interior is prettily feudal, with a white or coloured gentry and a respectful mass of straw-hatted black people who can only be described as `peasants', the twentieth-century literary discovery, whose soft manners, acquiescence in their status and general lack of ambition or spirit can be interpreted a `dignity'."

   Finally, on `poor whites': "[H]ere and there in the West Indies are little groups of `poor whites', whose poverty is their least sad attribute. [A]merindians `sickened and died'; these Europeans [..] only sickened, and are like people still stunned by their transportation to the islands of this satanic sea."




2. This wonderful quick read is V.S Naipaul's travels from Trinidad, to British Guinea through Suriname and then on to Martinique and Jamaica in the early 1960s. The dated feature makes the read fascinating. Here we see how racial issues have surfaced in Trinidad, where the Urban black population is at variance with the rural indian one. We see this through the eyes of an English educated Indian returning home to a nation he both loves and hates. He remarks att he outfite, the attire and aspirations of the people. In Guinea he meets Mr. Jagan, the Indian Communist leader who Naipaul will return to in his book "The Writer and his World". In Suriname we learn about a dutch colony where race has not been the deciding factor.
   
   Fascinating and poetic this story is a tour of the culture of the caribean. Of transplanted Africans and Indians living on islands and places once inhabited by natives, of the stirrings of colonial peoples and independence. A must read. Full of color, history, insights and amazing characters.
   
   Seth J. Frantzman



3. No writer writes with more pointed anger than the young Naipaul, and this book, along with An Area of Darkness, strikes the most strident note of rage. This is not surprising. The young Naipaul reserved his rage for the places, people and things which struck closest to his roots: for An Area of Darkness, India, and for the Middle Passage, even closer, the Caribbean. Although most of the places he writes of in this book have been radically transformed in the forty years since this was written, The Middle Passage is still worth reading. The writing, even when it levels off into casual meanness, is superb. This book amply illustrates Naipaul's complete mastery as a travel writer. Few writers get to the heart of place, its dark muddled center, than Naipaul, and he lays it out clear, crisp, and pointedly, and then moves on.



4. This makes for some pretty dreary reading. Over 30 years ago, Naipal headed for his old home with a sense of foreboding and depression. These are interesting for what they tell of the emotional sources of his novels, in particular Mr. Biswas, so are worth a read by his most devoted fans, of which I am one. But looking at this as a reading experience, I must say that it is not as good as many of his other books. Indeed, I sometimes felt he was straining to add drama, rather than what I expect as the treasure of interesting and unusual observations that I am accustomed to finding in his books. It is, as always, beautifully written and vivid.
   
   Recommended with these caveats in mind.

1 comments about Chile: A Traveler's Literary Companion.

1. Blessings on the heads of the Traveler's Literary Companions folks, who figured out a magical formula: travelers like to read, and reading infinitely enhances the experience of a trip. This small, packable volume collects stories by Chilean writers and arranges them geographically from Antofagasta to Punta Arenas, in the process revealing much of Chile's mood, culture, and geography.

No comments about Venezuela.

3 comments about Travellers' Wildlife Guides Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands (Travellers' Wildlife Guides).

1. I have just returned from those Enchanted Isles and found Beletsky's guide omnipresent, dog-eared and tightly clutched in the sea-salted hands of many a visitor. I am surprised that the Sea Lions and Blue Footed Boobies did not have their own copies!

   This guide is a truly indispensible accessory for those fortunate enough to have visited those Islands of wonder and enchantment. It is also a great whetter of one's appetite! Other books have their strengths, but when push comes to shove, or in this case just going around..., one wants a thorough compliment to one's naturalist (to make all those notations when one gets back home, of course) and also a look into what is to come. Accurate and beautifully illustrated.




2. A layman needs a good guide when on tour of a new territory, whether that be a museum, a literary genre, or a country's heritage. In David Pearson's and Les Beletsky's 485 page ECUADOR and its GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, they present a book that is as good a guide as a layman could hope for, not just for exploring Ecuador or its Galapagos Islands, but for getting to know much of the fauna of Amazonian Latin America. The text is professionally written, yet down to earth and not infrequently humorous. The famous entomologist J. Henri Fabre once wrote, "Others again have reproached me with my style, which has not the solemnity, nay, better, the dryness of the schools. They fear lest a page that is read without fatigue should not always be the expression of the truth. Were I to take their word for it, we are profound only on condition of being obscure." This approach to scientific writing - being informative without being pedantic - allows writers like Pearson and Beletsky to fill the reader's heart with wonder while still often bringing a smile to his/her face.

   With Ecuador being one of the most biologically diverse countries on earth, it is impossible to create a book that is both comprehensive and brief. The authors have gone for middle ground, covering the portion of Ecuadorian wildlife that is of interest and/or likely to be spotted by the ecotraveller to Ecuador. There are 96 color plates (with 5-6 animals illustrated on each one), several pages of color photographs, an excellent chapter - with maps - of Ecuador's National Parks and Bioreserves, a section on Ecuador's geography and habitats (e.g., Lowland Wet Forest, Mangrove and Coastal Vegetation) along with drawings illustrating several major plants in these regions, and 200 pages of animal descriptions under the headings 'Amphibians', 'Reptiles', 'Birds', 'Mammals', 'Insects & Other Arthropods', and 'Galapagos Wildlife'.

   As an Ecuadorian resident, I have found this guide to be an excellent aid to identifying and understanding the natural history of the country. The book was both informative and fun to read, and I can highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about this wonderful area of the world.




3. This book was one used by my guide during a recent trip to the Ecuadorian
   Selva. I purchased it on my return home and transfered my field notes to the pages with the appropriate birds and animals I had the pleasure to see. I have enjoyed reading the addition info the book provides and it will help preserve my experience for myself and others.

2 comments about Waterproof Galapagos Islands Map by ITMB.

1. Map is not very informative, mistakes in the names of the islands (Gnovesa instead of Genovesa)



2. This is an excellent topographical map of the islands with the location of the many unique species identified. It will be an excellent complement to the natural history book by Michael Jackson Galapagos: A Natural History. Both, I am sure, will make our trip more enjoyable and intellectually stimulating.

5 comments about Cuban Elegance.

1. This is a great coffee table book of good quality. The colour photographs are excellent, accompanied by descriptive text. I bought it out of a sense of curiosity of how the more affluent Cubans might live. Unfortunately, as it turns out, I don't generally share their taste in design or dark furniture, but don't let that put you off an excellent and informative book.



2. I recently bought this book and despite that I had never being in Cuba before this is better than the real thing. Cuba was one the biggest economies in the region and such growth gave the possibility to create one of the most selected elites in the Caribbean islands. That prestige and class is all what you can find in this book full of excellent pictures. The reading of the book is pleasant, accurate and, full of details. I was amaze by the work around Cuban furniture which reflects the passion of the author in the topic. It's worth 5 out 5 starts with any doubts.



3. THIS IS IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL BOOK. THE PICTURES ARE BEAUTIFUL, THE TEXT REGARDING EACH ONE IS VERY CLEAR. IT HAS A GOOD FLOW AND MAY I DARE SAY IT IS A SEXY BOOK? IF THERE IS SUCH A THING. I WOULD RECOMMEND EVERYONE AND ANYONE TO GET IT. WHEATHER YOU'RE CUBAN OR NOT.
   
   IT HELPS POINT OUT ALL THE BEATY THAT ONCE USED TO BE AS WELL AS THE ONE LEFT NOW AMIDST ALL THE DECAY AND ABANDONEMENT CURRENTLY AFFECTING THE ISLAND COUNTRY. I LOVED IT.



4. Cuban Elegance is a great book, has wonderful photography and dipicts the elegant decore of Cuba and its architecture as well.



5. This is a beautiful book with gorgeous photos of Cuban architecture and furniture of the Cuba I left behind many, many years ago. I gave it to all of my siblings for Christmas and it was an instant hit! Its ovely pictures bring both smiles and tears. A must for those of us who want to keep a collection of what once was our life in Cuba before our exile.

2 comments about Frommer's Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands (Frommer's Complete).

1. The guide covers most of the key places but lacks in indepth research. In my opinion, it does include all of the best places to stay and visit, and overestimates some mediocre places.



2. This book is everything a travel book should be. Logical reading, with good explanations of what to expect. I especially like the suggested itineraries section. If you want your travel to be easy and fun, this book will get you started. We plan to carry it with us as we travel.