2 comments about Moon Handbooks Patagonia: Including the Falkland Islands (Moon Handbooks Patagonia).

1. Patagonia is of course a large area and trying to cover it in a single book is a challenge. The author made that harder by including topics that aren't really "Patagonia" and this has helped to create a book that is larger than I would want to carry. There is a lot of space dedicated to Buenos Aires and Santiago, presumably because a foreign visitor might spend time there as well as in places further south. But the book space could have been better used sticking to the point. The author includes the Chilean Lake District under the "Patagonia" banner, which most Chileans don't seem to think is appropriate (unless they are marketing something in the Lakes, and want the Patagonia cachet). There is mention of Cochamó (east of Puerto Montt) and although elsewhere in the book much is made of the Butch Cassidy connection to Patagonia, nothing is said about how Cochamó played into the lives of the Wild Bunch, since this place was visited often by them and served as the port from which their cattle were shipped to northern Chile. I was pleased to see our store (World's End) mentioned for Puerto Natales, but surprised to see the author's mention of high-speed internet. When we did have some PCs for client use (no longer - that was prior to my arrival in 2001) they were certainly low-speed. Anyway, for the past several years there have been many decent ciber-café places in town. There are other errors surrounding Natales, including the description of the post office being at the southwest corner of the plaza (it's to the east of the plaza). The name of Last Hope Sound is improperly associated with Spanish colonial governor Sarmiento de Gamboa in the Natales chapter (it was Ladrilleros who did the exploring and naming). And throughout the rest of the book there is similar (and crazier) evidence of fact-checking shortcomings. Some serious and significant information about Ruta 40 (Argentine side) is in error regarding distances and fuel availability. For example, the book says Bajo Caracoles is the only gas for nearly 500 km, but in one direction it is just 128 or so km to fuel (at Perito Moreno) and about 336 km to fuel at Tres Lagos, in the other direction, and these fuel points have been that way for many years. Similar problems plague this book, but it still has a lot of useful material, inaccuracies notwithstanding.



2. I just got home from Peru, Chile and Punta Arenas. Book was much more than I needed for my limited travels in Patagonia, but what I needed to know was certainly there. Good job Mr. Bernhardson.

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

5 comments about Whispering in the Giant's Ear: A Frontline Chronicle from Bolivia's War on Globalization.

1. Now I have a better appreciation of Bolivia-its geography and culture. WHISPERING IN THE ELEPHANT'S EAR extends my understanding of globilization beyond our Western concerns of the East. It makes me equate the impact of globilization similar to that of the Industrial Revolution. In retrospect, the progress of that revolution ultimately involved all nations without particular attention to geography and culture. Now we hope to integrate the two without paying the price environmentally.
   
   Powers' descriptive writing is powerful. I could have used a glossary of Spanish words. Although his personal anecdotes are entertaining they seem secondary in a book of such importance. Perhaps more anecdotes on indiginous people would have been more significant.
   
   WHISPERING IN THE ELEPHANT'S EAR is a must read for those interested in our complex planet.



2. I have to say, I'm envious of Bill Powers' writing abilities and his experience in Bolivia. Thanks to his detailed descriptions of character conversations, speeches, emotions, reactions, etc., I feel like I could easily recognize any of his Conservation International colleagues - Salvador, Smithers, Len - if I saw any one of them on the street...or deep in the Bolivian jungle. I did wonder whatever happened to the author's relationships with Daniel and Anaí - two of the author's close friends - but at the same time both side-stories were pleasantly left open to the possibilities. This book provides a highly readable, history of Bolivia and it's current political and environmental challenges. In addition, it provides a detailed look into the relationships between a "gringo" do-gooder and his Bolivian counterparts.



3. I learned of the concept of carbon credits when I read Big Coal. It seemed like an interesting idea, but I was curious about investigating it from the perspective of those countries participating on the other side of things. Whispering in the Giant's Ear was an excellent choice to reveal the conseqenses of our exploitation of non-renewable resources on "less developed" nations. Powers does an outstanding job of providing an interesting narrative with which to educate the reader about the role carbon credits are playing in the struggle of indigenous people to gain political power in a nation that is caught up in the process of globalization. The number of characters is not so many as to cause confusion, but enough to provide insight into several segments of Bolivian society. A sympathetic portrait of the indigenous peoples of the poorest of South American nations.



4. So much good writing is being done about the need to develop sustainable life styles that it's difficult to sort out the best. This is a very important and readable book in that context. William Powers was there in Bolivia struggling with the tension between an indigenous Amazon tribe and the attempt of apparently well-meaning nonprofits and industrialists to change the natives. For those who think we can go back to living in the pre-industrial world, and for those who are looking for a better answer, this is an engaging story of great importance.



5. I have just finished Whispering in the Giant's Ear and felt compelled to write a review. So much of what Powers has written about Bolivia has struck a chord with me, as I have just returned from Bolivia on assignment for a Canadian magazine. As I read this book, I found myself on the edge of my seat, anxious to see how Powers dealt with many of the same contradictions and frustrations I witnessed traveling through the Andes and into the low-lying areas in the east. This book's obsession with the fine line between romanticism and pragmatism, the spiritual difficulty in assigning "value" to a forest in order to ensure its protection, makes it an absolutely crucial (and very entertaining) read for anyone interesting in globalization, indigenous rights, environmentalism, global warming, Kyoto, NGOs... the list goes on. Pick up this book. Expose yourself to one of the most heart-wrenching (and under-reported) social dramas currently unfolding on our planet.

5 comments about Galapagos Wildlife, 2nd: A Visitor's Guide (Bradt Travel Guide).

1. This relatively small book on the wildlife of the Galapagos Islands is packed with information and pictures. The author has gone to a great deal of trouble to condense a vast amount of data into a handbook for the traveller, without sacrificing essential information, clarity or accuracy. Not only does it cover the wildlife that the visitor is most likely to encounter, it also gives a succinct history of the islands. Working in the Galapagos Travel Industry, and having considered many similar books for pre-trip briefing and ready reference while in the islands, this is the book I would recommend.



2. I just came back from the Galapagos and found David Horwell's book indispensable. It is a very readable and concise introduction to the flora and fauna of the Galapagos islands. Beautiful photographs. Very informative. Easy to carry around and refer to. I highly recommend the book to anyone interested in the Galapagos islands.



3. Having visited the Galápagos and planning my return, I can say this introductory booklet (140 pages) is a reliable for people who want an overall idea of the ecology and want to identify some of the most prominent wildlife they are likely to encounter - it is easy to understand, has good information, decent photos of the main players and illustations of the commonest landing sites. For you, this booklet rates three stars for clarity, comprehension level and lightness in your backpack, but it fails next to Andy Swash and Rob Still's more comprehensive and better illustrated "Birds, Mammals and Reptiles of the Galápagos Island".

   For those who want a more in depth knowledge of the Galápagos and their wildlife, or are traveling to some of the more remote sites or the northernmost islands: you will feel short-changed and wish you had purchased more comprehensive guide(s), so you can identify all the critters you will possibly observe and learn much more about their habitats and behaviors, climate and cvlimate zones, etc. For those travelers (birders, nature buffs, divers, etc.), this booklet rates a generous three stars for its relatively topical treatments.

   Choose your guidebooks according to your interests and skills. And go there, walk softly and leave nothing. Visiting should have as little impact as possible, and in my opinion when done properly does help protect these wonderful islands of biological diversity from rampant pirate fishing, oil spills and short-sighted political stewardship. Our "tangibilitized" interest is the only one the Ecuadorian government- at least up until now- has responded to.




4. Small enough to bring with me, but comprehensive enough to be helpful giving a good overview of the habitat and wildlife of the Galapagos. Pictures good as are descriptions of the islands and conservation.



5. I agree with the previous reviewers: I carried this book to the Galapagos and found it a super companion. It isn't comprehensive -- and a few additional pages of IDs and photos might be desirable -- but it covers all of the essential natural-history topics: geology/volcanoes, history, fish, birds, mammals, turtles & iguanas, geography and so on -- and the photos and text are excellent. Indeed, the text is what sets it apart; there are short, interesting discussions of many of the features that are exceptional to the islands, so without any deep study you come away with some appreciation of what you have seen. Finally, in addition to the good chapters mentioned by other reviewers, there is an excellent chapter for planning your trip, which details what you will see where. It is amazing that so much good stuff was fit into this thin book. Take it with a more comprehensive treatment if you want the name of everything you see (or ask your guide).

2 comments about Guyana (Bradt Travel Guide).

1. This is the first guidebook that treats Guyana separately as a country, and is very well researched. There is no contest between this and other guidebooks -- the level of detail and coverage of the country is unmatched when compared to the Lonely Planet's "South America on a Shoestring", the only other guidebook I know that covers Guyana well.
   
   This book is a must have for anyone visiting or moving to Guyana. My only gripe with the book is that there is the occasional typo that can be annoying.



2. I purchased this specific travel guide in preparation for a trip to Georgetown this summer (2008). I found it to be both educational, timely (January 2008 copyright date),authentic and insightful from the author's personal narrative and perspective about this unique South American country. I also wanted to add some of the perceived "typos" mentioned by the previous reviewer are possibly not really typos for those of British or European backgrounds, I believe it is how they form and spell specific word patterns in their country, for example...realised (European) in the USA is spelled "realized" or enquiry (European) in USA is spelled "inquiry"
   
   Callie Wilder

5 comments about A Death in Brazil: A Book of Omissions.

1. This book started out as a gripping travel narrative...if only it had stayed that way! Instead of keeping to the flavorful portrait of life in Recife, the author keeps wandering into various sidetracks of Brazilian history, which don't seem to be particularly connected with anything else in the book and are boring to boot. If he'd have stuck to modern Brazil and used its scandals as a backdrop for his travel writing, he'd have had a much more coherent and readable book.
   Well, that and pore over his style manuals so he understood the difference between italics and quotes. Unaccountably (and annoyingly), passages that should be in quotation marks are set italic. As another reviewer says, it does drive you crazy after a while.
   This book could've easily seen 4 to 5 stars had it stayed with one theme rather than going all tangential and if somebody working on it had been clued in on their typefaces. I think it merits a rewrite, though, and if it got one it'd be a true treat to read.



2. Gripping book about Brazil that captures the feel and contrasts of the country's many dimensions.
   
   The Collor/PC Farias story is just one of many. Just read the paper everyday in Brazil.
   
   Like Mr Stroll, I also think the author does injustice to ex-president Fernando Henrique Cardoso and idolizes Lula too much. Especially since there is an epitath to the book. Lula has now governed for 4 years and :
   
   - continued Fernando Henrique's sound economic policies, which were the basis for his government
   - his government (and party and allies) were caught up in a series of corruption scandals, which would make a book by itself
   - has now been reelected (thanks to sound economic policies ...)
   - Collor has also been elected as senator and invited by Lula to contribute to the new government ..



3. This is the book to read on a trip to the Northeast. It's well written, but not an easy read. The author's personal indulgence, tastes and quirks may sometimes irk the reader, but he has such a good grasp of Brazilian literature and politics that eventually these intrusions don't matter. The characters -- from ordinary people to the current and former Presidents -- are masterpieces. This book is an eye-opener, as timely as the current headlines. The tales of Alagoas may seem like magical realism, but it is all true.



4. I really enjoyed this book. I approached it with apprehension because of the mediocre reviews some other readers gave it, but Robb really drew me in from the first chapter (in which he recounts how he almost got murdered in Rio de Janeiro). While his tendency to jump from theme to theme (from current political actors to food to conquest to everyday life in Recife to historical wars like Palmares and Canudos and back), I found the jumping around invigorating--it was kind of like reading a novel whose chapters end in cliffhangers, but at the conclusion the reader feels truly enlightened. His narrations of the Brazilian colony and state's quests to stamp out the rebel communities of Palmares (a quilombo, or escaped slave colony) and Canudos (a religious community formed by economic refugees) are especially gripping, though Mario Vargas Llosa's "The War of the End of the World" still gives a better picture of Canudos (although Vargas Llosa's interpretation of it as a community of religious extremists may be flawed). Robb also paints in-depth portraits of important Brazilian writers, such as Euclides da Cunha and Machado de Assis.
   
   The best parts for me were the lucid and entertaining stories of the rise of Lula da Silva and the rise and fall of Fernando Collor de Mello. (On a side note, if I had read this book prior to my trip to Brazil last year, I might have appreciated the otherwise dull but pleasant city of Maceio much more than I did.) I agree with other critics that Robb dismisses Fernando Henrique Cardoso's presidency too quickly and unfairly, but that fact hardly detracts from the book's strengths.



5. I'm a big fan of Peter Robb's Midnight in Sicily. About that masterpiece, The Economist called it "simply the best book in English about Italy." The author's latest work, A Death in Brazil, promised and delivered much of the same - a heady, erudite mix of Mr. Robb's skillful interspersing of equal parts history, political machinations, and personal travelogue. For good measure, like Midnight in Sicily you also get a gastronomic tour de force. Robb appreciates the regional dishes and describes what brings them to the table as well as what they taste like going down, what he drank with it, who served him, who he was dining with, other characters in the restaurant that night...you get the idea. As noted in an excellent review in the UK's Telegraph, A Death in Brazil is, like Midnight in Sicily, "impossible to corral into a single genre" and "a dazzling testament to [Robb's] appetite for knowledge and understanding." Exactly. Mr. Robb's home base for this tale in a restaurant in Recife called Bangüê. His descriptive writing puts you square in the middle of the place, with proprietor Vavá chatting you up and Vavá's wife Dona Lia working the Burroughs accounting machine at the bar.
   
   For me, the best parts are the political stuff detailing the rapid rise and equally rapid fall of Brazil's president (1990 - 1992) Fernando Collor de Mello and his personal fixer and moneyman, PC Farias. Robb also details the rise of the Workers' Party and of its leader, Luis Inácio 'Lula' da Silva. We get all sorts of delightful asides from the author. 'Lula' means 'squid' in Portuguese...he is so-named because in his early days, the now-President's unruly mane of hair draped his head like a mass of tentacles. Who knew?
   
   Another good touch is the hand-drawn maps of Alex Snellgrove. There's one of Brazil as whole and another providing more detail on the northeast section of the country where Robb does the majority of his reporting. Every place Robb mentioned in the text is marked clearly on one or both maps.

No comments about Sailing Alone Around the World.

5 comments about A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf.

1. One of John Muir's earliest works, this book traces his travels from Indiana to Florida, continuing on to Cuba, and ending up in California. At times, it is fascinating stuff. As he left in 1867, just after the American Civil War, he encounters many suspicious Southerners, although most are cordial to him. Muir wrote this as a journal of discovery, I think, to document the different flora and fauna he encounters in a part of the country with which he was not familiar. But this book is just as interesting as a social study - in other words, what was life like in America in 1867? How did the people act? How did they treat him? What were his impressions? If you have ever wondered about what America was like 150 years ago, you will find some answers here.
   
   Additionally, Muir has some fine moments of nature writing. Sometimes he delights in just stopping and observing: "I used to lie on my back for whole days beneath the ample arms of these great trees, listening to the winds..." He calls the birds he observes "feathered people from the woods and reedy isles." And despite being a God-fearing man, he disagrees with those who take a fundamentalist view of nature, ridiculing the claim that the world was made especially for man..."a presumption not supported by the facts," says Muir.
   
   Overall, I enjoyed this book. At times there is a little too much discussion on botany for my tastes, but that was OK. Muir's journal is rich with interesting anecdotes. With this journey, the founder of the Sierra Club was well on his way to making his mark in the world.
   
   Four stars.



2. The title sums up quite a bit of the review for me. Not only was he a brilliant naturalist and visionary, but he was a better than decent science and adventure writer. This book, thousand mile walk to the gulf, is from Muir's younger days when he basically dropped out and went exploring. He walked from Wisconsin to the gulf, shortly after the war, and literally slept wherever. Hedges, roadsides, the occasional house. His observations on reconstruction South are all the more insightful because they are unadulterated (is that a word?) by any agenda, and have the overpowering reality of truth.
   
   While his time in the Sierras is what he is most famous for, and the mountains more rugged and inspiring, this pre-Jenkins "Walk Across America" is a tamer warm-up for reading his journals from Yosemite days. I highly recommend it myself, it gives a bit of botany and a lot of background on Muir himself.



3. John Muir (naturalist and founder of the Sierra Club) left his home in Indiana at age 29 and "rambled" 1,000 miles through the woods of the southern US ending in Florida in 1867/68. It was just 2 years after the end of the Civil War and he ran into "wild negros" and long-haired horse-riding ex-Confederate bandits who would "kill a man for $5". He passed through uninhabited stretches of burnt out fields and deserted farms and was often seen as a northern interluder mistrusted by his southern guests. He lived mostly on stale pieces of bread, almost dieing of starvation while camping in a graveyard outside of Savannah, GA. He caught malaria and was bed ridden for 3 months, cared for by a kind family in Florida.
   
   This is a snapshot of the south right after the war and the contrast between Muir's beautiful nature writing and the devastation of war are just as striking today as they must have been for the many people who encountered this unusual walker in the woods. Muir's writing is under-stated - the book was published posthumously and is more a diary than a finished book, which gives it a truthfulness and matter of factness. Fundamentally a Romanticist world-view - the power of nature and mans relation to it - Muir delights in finding, sampling and discussing plants, animals and geography. The genre is best compared with Robert Louis Stevenson's Travels With a Donkey in the Cevennes and Thoreau's The Maine Woods.



4. After an accident in a carriage factory while working as an inventor left him temporarily blinded, John Muir vowed that he would break the moorings of life in Indianapolis and embark for wilderness places to study plants. His intention, which he later acknowledged as foolhardy, was to find his way to a tributary of the Amazon and float down that great river. He never made it to South America. He was lucky enough to survive a bout with malaria and be diverted to California.
   
   It's hard to imagine a much more dangerous undertaking than to set off alone soon after the Civli War to places unknown in the heart of the South. He was warned repeatedly by kind strangers and knew quite clearly of the dangers ahead: the guerilla bands of roving white bandits, displaced and desperate former slaves, a migration of rattlesnakes, the alligator-infested swamps, and the worst of all: catching malaria from mosquito bites (the thing that did catch up to him). It shows how single minded he was in his desire to study and learn about the natural world. As the blacksmith who took him in along the way characterized him: what a tough-minded man he needed to be in order to subordinate the dangers to what he wanted to do.
   
   Some do get rather tired of reading Muir's descriptive passages, but for anyone with a love of plants, this book offers a very unique and special view of the native vegetation along the route that he took to Florida. The cultural observations are less common, but they are keen and say a lot about the times: the people and how simply they lived. Then, there are some amazing experiences such as the time he spent in the natural refuge of the St Bonaventure graveyard in Savannah waiting for a parcel from his brother to arrive. There's a prophecy by a friend along the way about the coming prevalence of electricity long before the light bulb was invented. And, there are Muir's observations that plants do have secret lives, unknown to man, who tends to blow himself up out of all proportion to the rest of Creation.



5. I did not receive this product. One week after I ordered it I got an email stating that I would not receive this book & my account was refunded. Not sure what the deal is.

5 comments about Travellers' Wildlife Guides Peru (Travellers' Wildlife Guides).

1. This book is an excellent intro primer for the ecotraveler. Its wildlife focus is mainly amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammalsts. Insects, fish, and plants get some mention. The book's country overview and its major habitat type descriptions, illustrations, and explanations are clear and useful as are the species photos and info. Thoughtful comments and info on conservation issues and ecotourism are included.



2. Our Peruvian guide (who had been in the business for about 20 years) saw this book and salivated so much that we gave it to him at the end of our trip. Very complete, very well organized, pictures were wonderful. Great help in identifying species. Another guide said it was the bible of Peru Wildlife.



3. Used this on our trip to Peru and it was the envy of our very knowledgeable tour guide. We ended up buying him a copy as a gift.



4. Excellent book,well presented, beautifully illustrated, full of good factual information enabling the traveller to pick and choose areas of interest in this totally amazing country.



5. When I left for Peru, I wasn't sure what book to select. So, I hoped for the best with this book. When I got to the Rainforest, my personal guide called it the Bible. Every guide who saw me referencing the book, would immediately come up to me, take the book, and turn to the exact page where the animal was. I was really glad to have the book. In fact, one guide had a copy that was already on its last legs. I'd recommend this book if you are going on the Tambopata River.

5 comments about Buenos Aires: A Cultural History (Cultural Histories Series).

1. This is not a "travel book" in the usual sense -- you will not, for instance, find anything about where to stay or eat. Rather, this is an historical, cultural, and literary guide to Buenos Aires that will make your time there more interesting and worthwhile.

   Progressing geographically through the city's most important streets, plazas, and neighborhoods, Wilson uses the observations of writers, artists, foreign visitors, politicians, academics, and others to give the reader a "feel" for both the city and its inhabitants. These observations are supplemented with just enough historical framework to provide context. Buenos Aires is a city filled with buildings, streets, and monuments that stir up a great deal of emotion in its inhabitants; what this book does is help to explain why these locations are so important and how they fit together -- geographically, historically, psychologically -- to make up the city.

   This book was along with me during my recent trip to Buenos Aires and undoubtedly made my time there more satisfying. Its only real deficiency is a lack of good maps -- there is one, but it is very general and doesn't cover enough territory. Nonetheless, I would strongly recommend this book to anyone traveling to Buenos Aires.




2. I loved Mexico City by Nick Caistor in this series but this was a HUGE disappointment. There is way way too much name dropping and quoting of other sources rather than getting the author's actual feel of the city of Buenos Aires as it is today. I understand this series is subtitled as "a cultural and literary companion" but I'd have preferred way more emphasis on the culture as it stands now and less of the literary references. It was like reading Footnotes 101.

   Stick with Miranda France's Bad Times in Buenos Aires.




3. I spent a week in Buenos Aires and brought this book with me with the hope that it would introduce me to the uniqueness of this contradictory and culturally rich city - it did not. I have not read a more disjointed, dysfunctional guide than this one.
   
   Jason Wilson uses the word 'Babylonic' to describe Buenos Aires, and in a Freudian way, that very word describes how this book reads. Wilson uses the words of other writers to express (evidently he cannot) the soul of this city. All the multitude of quotes muddles your mind and the book ends up sounding like babble.
   
   Quote after quote assails you from writers you will be sorely pressed to recognize. This book could, maybe, work best in an Argentinian Literature course where the readers would have a pejorative understanding of the writers quoted. BUT, it is not, in any way, suitable for the average, or even above average, traveler in Buenos Aires. If you want an understanding of Argentina's Culture, then you should consider 'Culture Shock! Argentina' (however it too could be seriously improved, see my review). Not Recommended



4. Jason Wilson is an editor of travel writing collections of some note, and I have much enjoyed other books in the Cities of the Imagination series (most notably Elizabeth Nash's Madrid volume), so I looked forward to the arrival of this book from Amazon with much anticipation.
   
   I was, for the most part, greatly disappointed.
   
   The book was intensively researched, and you can count on several apt quotations per page. Hardly a signicant writer about Buenos Aires in the last three centures goes uncited, and it seems as if every block on the city grid gets its moment.
   
   The flaw - and it is a near fatal flaw - lies in the organization. Wilson organizes the book rigidly according to geography, going more or less block by block around the city, and detailing who lived in this building or what writer set a scene in that block of apartments.
   
   Whereas Nash weaves the history and neighborhoods of Madrid into broad thematic stories, Wilson tells no stories. He bludgeons you with facts and literary quotations, tied together only by geography. It is a hard and boring slog, and even if you push through, you emerge with no unifying concepts that might help you understand this vast and magical city.
   
   It's a shame, really, that the book is so dull and mechanically structured, because the research that went into it clearly was extensive, and because Buenos Aires seems to offer more potential than most cities for a proper Cities of the Imagination treatment. It reads, unfortunately, as if time ran out for the actual writing of the book, and the writer delivered a data dump organized by zip code.
   
   If you drive a tour bus around Buenos Aires for English speaking tourists, this book will prove a handy reference, barrio by barrio, street by street. If you are researching your own book on Buenos Aires, the bibliography alone will save you months in identifying the books you should read. If, however, you are planning a visit to Buenos Aires and want one cultural guide that will help you understand the living, breathing city, this is not the book to choose.



5. Because the book is organized around the cafes, theaters, and other cultural landmarks of particular streets, the book was an enormous help in understanding the city. By reading it beforehand, it allowed us to prepare our daily itinerary from a cultural-historical perspective. Forget the naysayers, here is no better book in understanding and appreciating the city of Buenos Aires as Jason Wilson's book. I've given it to all my friends.