3 comments about Let's Go 2001: Peru Bolivia, and Ecuador Including the Galapagos: The World's Bestselling Budget Travel Series.

1. It may be understandable that these are 3rd world countries, and things change all of the time (especially prices). However it often seems as though the reviewers couldn't be bothered to find out the correct opening-times to tourist information centres etc.

   However as a rough guide it pretty much covers everything with invaluable town maps as well as hotel,hostel and restaurant recommendations.

   It is a good thing too that finally one of the big Travel Guide's have included Bolivia to their Peru and Ecuador book to create a succinct yet sufficient review of the popular trio of destinations.

   Avoid taking a library in your backpack - this book should cover your needs - if you are going to two or three of these destinations then this is certaintly the book for you - but don't trust all the information it gives you.




2. I bought this book mainly because it was supposed to be up to date. Some of the information (most notably internet addresses) is already outdated. The information itself is valuable but prices should be cross referenced.

   Through this book I was able to save more than a hundred dollars on a Lima-Cuzco flight. That fact alone pays for the book 4 times over.

   In short, if you want to visit Peru, Ecuador, or Bolivia on a budget this is your book but use it as a rough guide and not as your sole source of information.




3. I only bought this because it has Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia and I was going to all three and only those three.
   I previously used the England, Scotland, Ireland one.
   These books are not geared towards travelers who travel to learn rather than be sporty.
   They are helpful to an extent, but the Lonely Planet books seem to be more intelligent.
   Not all young travelers are out to party and shag the locals.
   *rolls eyes*

5 comments about The Rough Guide to Peru, 4th Edition (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

1. Having what I referred to as my "Blue book" I traveled from Lima to Paracas to Nasca to Cuzco to Machu Picchu to Lake Titicaca and Ariquipa. This book was HEAVEN SENT. We never had to worry about which restaurant to eat in or which hotel would be clean.

   We are already planning the next trip which will include Iquitos and Machu Picchu again! I won't need any other books. I have my "blue book!"

   Thank You!




2. I just returned from 2 weeks in Peru using this book and it was terrible, way below the standard of other Rough Guides. Here are the main problems:

   Out-of-Date Listings - This book may have been reissued in August 2000, but it has not been comprehensively updated. Many of the listed restaurants and hotels no longer exist, which was very frustrating and time-wasting. Moreover, many good establishments that should have been in the book were missing (e.g. Inka Cafe, the best restaurant among the limited number available on the Plaza de Armas in Cusco).

   Bad Organization - The city sections are organized as though you were doing a walking tour of each city. It tells you what's in neighborhood A, then in neighborhood B, etc., even if there's really nothing worthwhile to see in neighborhood A or B. This is stupid, because nobody travels that way. What it means is that you have to read the entire city section, wading through a lot of useless info along the way, to figure out what to do.

   Poor Recommendations - Most travellers have limited time. A good guidebook helps them manage their time by recommending sites to see or to avoid. Unfortunately, this book seems too afraid to have an opinion, except on the most obvious things (e.g. you should visit Machu Picchu). I searched in vain for a list of the best things to do in Peru, or in any of the cities I visited. The book just doesn't help you plan.

   The only caveat to the above comments is that I'm not sure any other guidebook does any better than the Rough Guide. One of these days, someone will write a guidebook that tells travellers what they really want to know -- namely, where should I go, and how can I best understand the places that I visit? Until then, we're forced to rely on subpar offerings like this one that promise a lot more than they deliver.




3. I used the third edition of this book on a trip two weeks after it was published. But I found that much of the information was less reliable and up-to-date than in the Frommer's guide, which is about a year older. Examples: the information on Perurail never mentioned the fact that it is now owned by Orient Express, and is mostly a luxury service with changed schedules, increased prices, and some discontinued lines. And in Ollantaytambo (not a town with a lot of hotels to choose from) this guide didn't mention the three-year old Hotel Pakaritampu, whereas Frommer's correctly identified it as the nicest hotel in town. The reviews of other hotels and restaurants also turned out to be less reliable and useful than Frommer's. This guide does have much good background information on Peru's history and people, and has good maps of the cities. We ended up using this book mostly for background reading and used the Frommer's guide more for practical information.



4. This travel guide was a great help during my recent stay in Peru. It covers a lot in the way of practicalities, like transport, food and wine, etc. It is also very informative on regions, history and culture. It has a useful reading list for anyone wanting to take further their knowledge of Peru. In actual fact, I think the world of this guide. With one exception. It could include a good section on the language. I tried my Spanish but was not always understood. Particularly in everyday speech they seem to use different expressions. So 4 stars for this guide as it is, 5 if a good language section is added on!



5. I really enjoyed the tone of this book, it was full of excellent background information (history, customs, etc.). What I found lacking (a problem I have not encountered with other rough guides) was a lack of details. Many bus companies were left out, and some of the maps were difficult to follow. I do not know spanish and felt very dependent on a guide book. The Lonely Planet had many of the details I felt the Rough Guide lacked, but I would really prefer to use the Rough Guides.

5 comments about Lonely Planet Argentina: Uruguay & Paraguay (Lonely Planet Argentina, Uruguay and Paruguay).

1. This guide badly needs updating! I found that a lot of addresses for museums and tourist information have changed (I visited Argentina in October-December 1999). Though the included local maps are usually very good and easy to read a first stop should always be the tourist office (ask locals for present address) for more up to date information. Background information on history is excellent. Generally I found the guide very helpful but it lacks enthusiasm for this beautiful country and does not really entice one to go. More descriptions about the essential character of individual towns would help.



2. Though I had this book when I visited Buenos Aires, I found it utterly useless. I stayed with a group of friends who are natives of this incredible city and so I was able to rely on their information about cool neighborhoods and off-beat places. Though LP prides itself on offering this kind of information, this edition has little that allows travelers to discover the city's uniqueness. Instead, I used this guide to find museums and other basic info that I could have gleaned from ANY guide. It's hard to believe that LP included hardly any information about Palermo, one of the city's most charming neighborhoods, or failed to mention the tradition of Milongas, which are "local" dances in venues such as community centers where everyday Portenos dance the tango with more grace and passion than you will find in the expensive, touristy shows. It's rather disappointing considering that the LP published an entire city guide on this capital.



3. Used this guide for all three countries - Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. The information for the latter two countries was the most detailed and reliable (maybe because things don't change there as fast as they do in B.A.). It was especially good for hotels/restaurants in Montevideo; the region around Igauzu Falls (including Foz de Iguacu and Ciudad del Este); and Bariloche. Travellers going exclusively to Buenos Aires might want to get a more cosmopolitan book (it is impossible to distinguish good hotels from bad, good cultural events, etc. using this book). The whole lonelyplanet shoestring/adventure "feel" doesn't mesh well with a city as culturally rich & refined as Buenos Aires.



4. LP guides are usually complete and thorough. so why is the section on buenos aires in this one so carelesly researched? is it because LP wants us to buy their book on buenos aires or because their researchers didn't visit the city at all? i've been to buenos aires countless times. reading the LP guide, one would think that it is just a hamlet not worth wasting your time on. buenos aires is one of the most exciting and mysterious places in the world; a european outpost in south america, full of chic decadence and a lot more than just beef and tango. entire districts are overlooked by the guide, descriptions are misleading or incomplete and uninviting at best. one wonders why. if you're looking for a guide to buenos aires, buy yourself a plane ticket and a map. once in the city, meet the locals. this is one city you need to explore and understand rather than just see. as jorge luis borges once said: ''it would seem that buenos aires has existed forever.''



5. It's true, this book is not the best LP has to offer, with somewhat pedantic, bone-dry descriptions and overly-detailed town histories your average traveler could care less about. It still offers your basic traveler's information, though, and you won't miss much with this complete tome in your hot little hands.
   A promise, however: the next edition will arrive spicier and cutting-edge fresh, with beefed up entertainment sections and wittier town introductions to boot. It will also be more fun to read (same goes for the Buenos Aires guide). I personally guarantee it.

5 comments about Mrs. Kennedy Goes Abroad.

1. This book has wonderful pictures that captures the "facts" from actual photographs and transforms them into scenes of "fantasy". I really enjoyed the background information that accompanies each picture. A real treat of Jackie fans.



2. "Mrs. Kennedy Goes Abroad" is a beautiful book. The illustrations are lovely to look at, and the book is fun to read. A good choice for anyone to add to their library; especially recommended for those interested in the Kennedys and Jackie in particular. Evokes the fun mood of Jackie's scrapbook written with her sister Lee, "One Special Summer".



3. Mrs. Kennedy Goes Abroad is an adorable little book filled with colorful Fauvist-like illustrations. Anyone who likes Laura Stoddart's simple-chic illustrations for Kate Spade will probably enjoy it. Fans of the recent exhibition at the Met that highlighted Jackie's White House clothes may appreciate it too. The commentary is kept to a minimum and black and white photos from Mrs. Kennedy's travels are included, but the focus is on French artist Duheme's amusing miniature paintings that capture Jackie in all those great pink sleeveless dresses and crisp suits in Paris, India, London and Italy.
   
   As a side note: Duheme and Jacqueline Kennedy became friends who shared similar painting styles, and Duheme was invited to Cape Cod to give the First Lady an art lesson.



4. As an ardent admirer of Mrs. Kennedy for the past 40 years, I have read every book on her that I could get my hands on. "Mrs. Kennedy Goes Abroad" is a refreshing change from the repetitive narratives and recycled photos that are the mainstay of so many other books about her life. Ms. Duheme's illustrations are elegant and sumptuous but also embrace a childlike purity and simplicity which capture the essence of Mrs. Kennedy's persona and mystique. The commentary has the simple charm of a beautifully written children's book. It is obvious why Mrs. Kennedy chose Ms. Duheme to accompany her on her more memorable trips abroad as First Lady. A truly enchanting book.



5. I interviewed Jacqueline Duheme when she was promoting this exquisite book, and one thing remains in my mind that she said about "The Grand Dame, Jacqueline" - that she could have been a painting woman!!!

No comments about South of Haunted Dreams.

2 comments about Shipwrecks in the Americas.

1. This is not a book for the casual reader -- the text on underwater archaeology can be somewhat dense and technical, and the listings of shipwrecks are encyclopedic, not narrative. However, if you are a wreck diver, shipwreck enthusiast or archaeologist, this is a useful reference volume. Marx's knowledge of the subject matter is obvious, though put to more enjoyable use in his books on the underwater excavation of Port Royal.



2. Mr. Marx has written a wonderful book, which should be of value to anyone interested in sunken treasure. It is a labor of love, by a man who has lived an exciting life searching successfully for both treasure and historic material.

   The book begins with a wonderful and very detailed history of the Spanish treasure fleets - and their impact on Europe, based on extensive research by the author. This is a most impressive and detailed scholarly effort, and alone justifies a read by anyone interested in the conquest of the New World and the effects of this newfound wealth on Old Europe.

   The book then discusses modern salvage techniques and provides the would-be treasure hunter with helpful advice on how to conduct a search. I believe that anyone considering actually conducting an operation would be well advised to read this material and follow Mr. Marx's excellent advice.

   The rest of the book consists of an index of known shipwrecks off the coasts and islands of the Americas, by location, and a brief history of each.

   Many brave souls are asleep in the deep, and Marx has created a wonderful testament to them.

2 comments about Explorers of the Amazon.

1. I have read and re-read this wonderful account of the history of Amazonian exploration since the hardcover edition first came out in 1990. Anthony Smith, an inveterate science writer, writes with warmth and humor as he describes the very first European travels down this mighty waterway, those of the Spaniards Don Francisco de Orellana and the notorious Lope de Aguirre (the subject of Werner Herzog's 1972 movie "Aguirre, Wrath of God") and the Portugese navigator Pedro Teixeira. Next came the scientists, including la Condamine and von Humboldt followed in the latter nineteenth century by a bevy of entrepeneurs who expropriated rubber and other commodities from the rainforest. A well-written book on a fascinating subject!



2. The Amazon has always been a source of dreams and threats to European explorers. In this volume, Anthony Smith selects a few explorers and adventurers who have sougth fame, honor, fortune or knowledge in the banks of the Amazon. The selection is a bit random with some characters, but overall provides a very interesting and readable collection of great men and women.
   
   Devoting about 30-40 pages per explorer, the book covers the following:
   1) Cabral, the discoverer of Brazil. He was never to the Amazon, so it is a bit unclear what he is doing in this volume.
   2) Orellana, the first Spaniard down the Amazon, the first man to report seeing the Amazon women.
   3) Aguirre, the madman who went down the Amazon in a murderous rage only to turn back and try to conquer Peru again.
   4) Teixeira, the man who asserted Portuguese possession of the Amazon, sailing against the current up the Amazon.
   5) Condamine, the first scientist down the Amazon.
   6) The Godin's, one fo the greatest love stories in the world, where a woman, separated for 30yrs from her husband, goes down the Amazon to meet him.
   7) Humboldt, the last renaissance man, does most of his scientific discoveries in the northern Amazon, including the famous Casiquiare canal.
   8) Spruce and Wickham, two botanists and robbers of some of the wealth of the Amazon - cinchona and rubber trees.
   9) Arana, the great and evil character of the Putumayo, where some of the greatest atrocities of the rubber boom were committed against indians.
   
   These stories are well told, though some important characters are not listed -- Wallace and Bates, for example. Highly recommended though, as a door to finding out more about this great region and its history.

No comments about The South American Diaries.

No comments about The Smithsonian Guides to Natural America: The South-Central States: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi (Smithsonian Guides to Natural America).

No comments about The Definitive Journals of Lewis and Clark, Vol 11: Joseph Whitehouse (Definitive Journals of Lewis & Clark).