5 comments about Panama: The Bradt Travel Guide.

1. I was quite disappointed when I went to the Index to look up the Gamboa Rainforest Resort where we will be staying in December. To my surprise this large resort in Panama is not even listed in this guide! One criticism of this guide says the author does not list budget resorts due to safety reasons. What could possibly be the reason this author omits this resort - could it be she does not wish to inform the reader of the existence of this new resort for political or economic reasons. Reader Beware!!
   
   Also, I went to look up Pipeline Road ( a famous spot for birding) and the index says "See also Parque Nacional Soberania and birding" I then went to Parque Nacional Soberania and it Unbelievably says ""See also National Parks." When the reader goes to National Parks there are many pages listed with NO identifying descriptions!
   
   There is possibly good information in this guide. For me it is too hard to find and not what I want. I do not like to give bad reviews but I feel that I wasted my money on this guide.



2. I feel suitably qualified to judge this guide on accuracy as I live full-time in Panama and know it well. Of course, no printed material can ever be 100% accurate - things change too fast, but this is the best on the market by far. For me, the Bocas del Toro and San BLas sections in particular are both way above average. I was also pleased to spot plenty of great bits of local insight in every chapter - plus stacks of info on birding, camping and truly discovering Panama's great outdoors.
   
   I should add that I've just read the last review posted and in the interest of fair play, I'd like to point out that the Gamboa Rainforest Resort IS listed. Find it on page 121 under Panama Province - the correct location, as it is NOT located in Panama City itself. This is also clearly listed in the Index on page 339. Pipeline Road is listed in the index on the same page and is on page 119 of the guide - and is (as the last reviewer correctly mentioned) a spectacular spot to watch birds.
   
   In my opinion money well spent for an excellent all round guide to the country.



3. Panama: The Bradt Travel Guide is a superb in-depth travel guide, packed cover to cover with everything from where to view more than 350 species of bird to fishing, rafting and hiking opportunities, prime beaches and watersport locations, top-rated locations to stay or eat, the history of the Panama Canal, an extensive focus on Bocas del Toro, and much more. On a less lighthearted note, Panama: The Bradt Travel Guide also covers "need-to-know" information concerning common diseases, what to bring in a first aid kit, natural hazards, and locations that are particular hotbeds of crime or danger. Maps, charts, graphs, and a handful of photographs round out this practical-minded, "user friendly" and informative guide ideal for the casual tourist and the dedicated business traveler alike.



4. I have read all the books out on Panama for travel guides and with out question find this the most informative yet. She is very presise about her travels and not biased as so many other writers have been. She worked very hard to give detales I have never seen in other travel guides to Panama.
   Great job Sarah!
   Looking forward to your next addition, Kevin



5. Too---- much small detail and not enough maps, pictures and history. The print could of been a little bigger. This book would of been fine if you were going to move there. For a short visit, way to much information.

2 comments about Charles Darwin Slept Here.

1. We all want to go and a lucky few have been. Most books on the Galapagos are either about Darwin's famous finches or about the beautiful flora and fauna. Not this time. This Galapagos historian writes of the "human history" of the islands. This incredible book reads like the most captivating novel. Out of its pages spill pirates, a famous writer, a baroness and her lovers, miscellaneous adventurers, mysterious travelers and so much more. If you have even a passing interest in these enchanted islands, this book will leave you wanting more.



2. Most books about the Galapagos Islands are concerned with their natural history but relatively few fully discuss the human history of the islands. This book belongs to the latter catagory and presents an in depth review of how people have interacted with the islands. It is rich with detailed activities of various rogues, knaves, hermits, whalers, tyrants, murderers, and misguided settlers who attempted to establish colonies on these islands.
   
   The Galapagos archipelago was discovered in 1535 during the voyage of the Bishop of Panama, Fray Tomas de Berlanga who was on his way to investigate the activities of conquistadors in Peru. His ship was becalmed and drifted westward due to the ocean currents. On March 10th,1535 an island was sighted and a party went ashore in search of fresh water. Although he did not name the island he described the fauna in a letter to the King of Spain. Known variously as Las Enchantadas, the Archapelago de Ecuador and the Archepalago de Colon, they first appeared on a map as the Galapagos in 1570. The archipelago was claimed by Ecuador in 1832 and the first colony, which consisted of convicts and political prisoners, was established on the island of Floreana.
   
   The most famous visit to the Galapagos was Charles Darwin's during the voyage of HMS Beagle in 1835 which is thoroughly covered in this book. The effects of his monumental conclusions following a five week study of the islands are presented in detail.
   
   The islands of the archipelago are arid with the exception of Froreana where fresh water is available. The history of this island is particularly interesting. The book includes information about the whaler's post office barrel, a slave rebellion, the bizarre activities of an Irish hermit, and the mysterious disappearance of the Baroness vo Wagner de Bosquet. In addition, the activities of a variety of other visitors are described. I was fascinated to learn of the efforts of several groups of Norwegians to establish permanent settlements. In spite of their Teutonic stubornness all such activities failed.
   
   I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the history of the Galapagos.

2 comments about Our Washington, D.C. (Our ...).

1. Terrific photographs. Ample coverage of the usual monuments and tourist must-stops. Refreshing attention is also paid to DC neighborhoods that make the city a great place to live as well as visit.
   
   Page #54 is excellent.



2. My daughter loves this book - Great Memorabilia from our trip to Washington D.C. This book has great photos!!!
   
   Billy Wannyn

4 comments about Compass American Guides: South Dakota, 3rd Edition (Compass American Guides).

1. An ideal book for those intending to visit South Dakota. As well as giving places to visit and stay it provides an interesting insight into the history of the state. A few more photographs would be even better.



2. I am planning to visit South Dakota this summer and since I manage to turn everything I do into an educational project I have been reading up and writing chambers of commerce for information. This book is written in the neutral public relations politically correct style of a guidebook. (Heaven forbid we ever say anything critical about the Indians or why we're still paying $1.5 billion a year for Indian health care.)In fact I believe the author has a PR background. He conveys a lot of information but he could have made the book much more interesting. For example, the story of the trapper Hugh Glass is one of the best stories ever. Glass was mauled by a grizzly and left for dead by his companions. He vowed revenge on those who left him and literally crawls back to civilization to kill the men who left him. However, the author here really does not get into the revenge theme. I had to get that from a Chamber publication. The pictures in the book are great and I would rate the pictures five stars. However, there just aren't that many books about South Dakota. So if you are going to South Dakota it probably is worth picking up. For an interesting book about the entire Great Plains which includes South Dakota read Great Plains by Ian Frazier, which is a five star book.



3. At first , I didn't think this book was of much help in planning my trip but the more I read it, the more great information I found. I would advise you to read it like a novel and not just skim through it looking for specific information.



4. Those factoids and stats you're going to bore your friends with when you get home ... you can find them here. What I didn't find was answers to questions, such as: Where are good places to camp? What do I do to enjoy my trip to the reservation, or a powwow? Where are the best places to eat in Hot Springs? That is, things I wanted to know to enjoy the trip.

3 comments about Peru In Focus: A Guide to the People, Politics and Culture (In Focus Guides).

1. This is a really good book for anyone who wants to to know the basics about Peru. Well written, interesting, compact, up-to-date. It is not a travel guide, really, but as the title says "a guide to the people, politics and culture". Easily read in one night, after which you know if you want to know more or not. A perfect starter's book.



2. The flight from JFK to Lima is about 8 hours, more than enough time to read this handy book several times over. Really, it is a good general introduction to everything you want to know to take advantage of the wonders of such a diverse country, while making you more sensitive to their history and culture. Highly recommended.



3. This is not a travel guide. It is a culture, people and politics guide that will set you smack in the center of Peru. Though in dire need of being updated, it is still recommended for those that are serious about visiting and understanding this largely ignored South American gem. This (along with a good travel guide, (ie. Footprint Peru 4th ed. - see my review) should be in your suitcase before departure.

   Jane Holligan's writing is clear, concise and without a political tilt. She clearly notes "there has been no shift of wealth to the poor... and power in Peru remains highly concentrated." The book is politically dated (pre-2000) and leaves one wanting Holligan to write an update; especially now since ex-president Fujimori's dirty subterfuge has been disclosed and the recently elected President Toledo is suffering a massive crash in his approval ratings (from 84% after the election to 14% May 2003)

   Her sections on the economy and society are informative and succinct. The poor (54% of the society) struggle and live hand-to-mouth while the "wealth and power remains highly concentrated in Peru." Twelve families, the so-called `Twelve Apostles, were so powerful that they formed an advisory committee to previous presidents. This is still a country of masters and servants.

   Areas of improvement are in the mediocre maps and sparse and dated "Further Reading section". When you finish the 96 pages you will have a solid perspective of this country. Although this book is dated I still recommend this book for anyone visiting or interested in Peru.

5 comments about Brazilian Adventure (Marlboro Travel).

1. This is contemporary American adventure: buy an SUV, watch game shows based on Lord of the Flies, try the risotto recipe Martha Stewart used on her ascent in the Himilayas. Please! Brazilian Adventure is the real thing for those who don't own their own snowshoes. Sure, the author and his companions set off with pith helmets worthy of Ralph Lauren and more elaborate gear than they'll ever use; true, Fleming is something of a good old boy circa 1932 Oxford style. Skin to be shed. When reality hits, which it does early in the adventure and continues to the bedraggled end, he rises to the occasion. The narrative is suffused with clear-eyed wit, honesty and optimism. I hope there are other Peter Fleming books out there.



2. Every so often I have to buy a new copy of Brazillian Adventure because I lend my copy to someone and they flatly refuse to return it again. This is one of the most engaging and good-humoured travel books ever. It was Fleming's first adventure and his first book - yet it became a classic work going into several editions early on and being used in schools as a study piece. It is seriously well written, and seriously engaging.

   It starts with his blandly describing how he got involved in the expedition in the first place- answering an advertisement in the paper to go on a 'Fawcett hunt" (as he later called it). He thought he would go on a grand expedition to find the missing explorer Colonel Fawcett and get a little hunting done at the same time. There have been numerous books and studies done on the disappearnce of Fawcett in Brazil in the 1920's - to this day no one quite knows what happened to him, and as it turns out the expedition that Fleming was joining was not going to throw new light on matters either.

   In fact the trip deteriorated badly the moment they hit Brazil, and Fleming's dry wit turns it all into a hilarious read - although it must have been desparately uncomfortable for them all. The expedition Leader was incompetent, the expedition split into two warring factions and they all ended up in a race back down the Amazon to try to get the banks in time.

   Peter Fleming, in case you didn't know, is the brother of the 'James Bond' author Ian Fleming - a talent for writing seemed to run in the family. Peter continued his travels and writing career but I think this first book is the best of them all. There is also a wonderful biography on his life available but I think that is now out of print.




3. I brought this book for my Brazilian trip this past Dec. I found this book slow and boring in the beginning. This may be due to the fact that the author used lot of what I assume to be late 19th and early 20th century references which I have no idea about and the British writing. But after half way through, I learned to read past the subtle British writing and concentrate on the story and this make the book more enjoyable.



4. I bought this book because I am fascinated by South America, the Amazon River, etc..and also because this looked like a real life adventure book searching for clues into the dissappearance of Major Fawcett.
   
   This book starts out slow because of the british style of writing in the early 20th century. For me it was too "flowery" and maybe that is not the right word. I nearly stopped reading the book because of it, but I didn't. Thankfully, the last half of the book, describing the race back to civilization, was much better.
   
   This book is okay, but nowhere near great



5. This is certainly not an adventure book in the classical sense. The style of writing does not allow for it. Buy it for its British humor and charm, not for adventures which don't take place.

No comments about Charleston, South Carolina: A Photographic Portrait.

5 comments about Walker Evans: Cuba.

1. These black and white photos by the famous documentary photographer, Walker Evans, shows what life in Cuba was like before WWII. He captures everyday life in all of its majesty, his subjects ranging from the downtrodden to the affluent. This is a remarkable book of great interest to students of pre-1959 Cuba.



2. I bought this book as a present for my grandparents who are native Cubans. Cuba is a beautiful country with some of the most amazing art, food, music, people, and architecture. This book shows nothing of that Cuba. If you want to see photographs of people living in poverty, than this book is for you. If you want to see the real Cuba, look elsewhere. The photography itself is decent, but the subject matter is just shameful.



3. Everybody knows the stereotype all too well of the joyous Cubans, with their 8-day Carnavals, incredible music and high culture. As someone who visits the island frequently (my wife lives there) the happiness of the people is so uplifting. The suicide rate is so much lower there. The murder rate is way below that of the US. It is a cocaine-free society because of all of the anti-cocaine canine patrols in the major cities. It's really a revelation being there. No drugs, no homelessness (the right to shelter is guaranteed under the Cuban constitution), a LOWER infant mortality rate than the United States, more doctors per capita than Canada, Sweden, and the US, a 97 per cent literacy rate.

   This book however is a REAL eye-opener. I have only experienced Cuba after President Castro took office. I have only seen his good work in a country where EVERY schoolhouse now contains at least one Pentium III computer or better (don't you wish you could say the same about the USA?).

   The fotos inside this book are unbelievable. Absolute abject shoeless, starvation poverty, photos taken from a pre-Castro Cuba. Looks like modern day Haiti, a country which has subjected to US policies from Papa Doc, to Baby Doc, to Aristide, all handpicked by the CIA and look what a mess that country is.

   These fotos and the commentary inside are a revelation. If you EVER wondered why the people revolted and continue to adore President Castro, buy this book! These fotos don't lie. There is NO ONE living like this in present-day Cuba....




4. . I first took a look at the photographs in the book and I guess made a few assumptions about the pictures. Then, I actually took the time to really read the whole thing, then my previous opinions changed. See when a person first looks at photograph they don't see everything. After reading the text I really enjoyed what was said about each photograph. The descriptions took the photographs into a different setting and it broadened my view on matters.
   It was interesting how Carlton Beals, the radical journalist would have described some of the photographs. I was surprised how negative Beals wanted everything to be. Evans just allows the audience to have an open mind when viewing his photos, not like Beals who wants to tell you the way he wants things to be. Regardless, people will have their own opinions about certain photos, but that is what makes photography so interesting. The text is not very long, but it goes a long way in giving insight to the status of Cuba in 1933. After reading and looking at this book I have a better understanding of how Walker Evans works his magic. This is a great book to own!!



5. As an individual who has been present watching countless Cuban young people snorting coke, smoking marijuana, prostituting themselves to tourists to feed their families while eating canned Russian dog food to keep from starving to death, I beg to differ with the basis for his "review". This book simply shows that the Cuban people suffered before the Castrista regime as they certainly continue to suffer today. The book is well done. It is a shame, however, that it was used as a format for Castrista blather and outright lies. I have been there. I have dedicated much of my adult life to the Cuban situation both on the island and in the diaspora and am the mother of two wonderful Cuban-American children whose Cuban family is hungry, NOT ALWAYS SMILING, without healthcare and with a progressively declining level of what was once an excellent educational system. Don't be fooled. If the Cuban people are smiling now, as many were before the revolution, it is because their sense of humor is a part of their resilliance that allows them to survive through one hellish regime after another.

1 comments about Brazil: A Land of the Future (Studies in Austrian Literature, Culture, and Thought Translation Series).

1. Stefan Zweig draws upon his personal experiences andimpressions of Brazil to portray a vast, inviting, fertile land of immense resources and a history devoid of major wars in Brazil: A Land Of The Future. Here portrayed is the untouched beauty of the Brazilian interior, the vibrant growth and progress of the urban areas, and a vision of an almost utopian place seemingly unaffected by the ills of the modern world and providing refuge from global hostilities. Ably translated into English by Lowell A. Bangerter, Brazil: A Land Of The Future is recommended reading for armchair travelers, students of geography and western hemispheric studies, and Brazilian history, culture, and society.

3 comments about Amazon Extreme: Three Ordinary Guys, One Rubber Raft and the Most Dangerous River on Earth.

1. I had no idea that the Amazon was anything other than a flat meandering river flowing through the South American jungle. When my wife first gave me this book, I thought, 'so what? some guys went down a river.' I had no idea that only a select few have ever achieved this feat and that it was so incredibly difficult. Angus paints a magical picture of beauty and fear as they navigate the Amazon's treacherous headwaters. Snow-capped mountains, raging whitewater and excellent team-dynamics weave together to create a story like no other. I would definitely recomend this book to adventurers or adventurers at heart.



2. Several years ago, I read Joe Kane's "Running the Amazon" and I was interested to hear how Angus' journey compared. Not surprisingly "Amazon Extreme" proved to be every bit as exciting. The part that intrigued me the most was their budget. These three young men had just over ten thousand dollars for the entire five month journey - and that included their transportation and equipment. It is easy to see that the sheer determination of these men is what carried them across the South American Continent in one piece. For those of you who read this book, prepare to be inspired. Perhaps the writing isn't the best in the world, but the non-stop adventure more than makes up for it. Definitely worth reading!



3. This book simply wasn't all that good. The adventure was amazing, the book it's self not so much. While I love Angus' wander-lust, his writing is bit repetitive and makes the book somewhat forgetable. I have a hard time really seeing what he sees and trully understanding what his adventure meant to him. I think I was looking for something a bit different. I was hoping to read another person's account of a pilgramige. I want to hear a traveler's soul speak through the book. While the book is gushing with action and suspense, (Of course, they nearly died), it didn't fill me in the way I had hoped. A Dissapointment over all but if you're just looking for action in plain language, this is your book.