3 comments about Andes.

1. This is a series of breathtaking photos of the Andes range from the Caribbean to Patagonia. There are stunning photos of the mountains and heart-wrenching photos of earthquake survivors as well as many photos of everyday life. Mario Vargas Llosa, the famous Peruvian author, contributes "inventions" imagining subjects thoughts, feelings, attitudes and stories. This National Geographic book, photographed by Pablo Corral Vega, makes a wonderful tour of the majestic mountains and haunting coutryside of the Andes.



2. As would be expected from a publication by National Geographic, this book has beautiful pictures covering all regions of the Andes Mountains. Buyers should take note, however, that this book focuses more heavily on portraits of the people in these South American countries than on panoramic vistas of the Andes Mountains themselves (review the cover of this book to see the main focus). Also, too many blank pages for my tastes and budget. Otherwise, an exquisite book.



3. From the book description: "In 1995, Pablo Corral Vega began a journey that would take him the entire length of the Andes, the 5,000-mile chain of mountain ranges that extend from Patagonia to the shores of the Caribbean"
   
   
   Andes, published by National Geographic Insight, is not quite what I had expected. Most of the pictures contained throughout the book are of people and/or urban areas, not of the Andes themselves. I purchased this book for a glimpse into the Andes and the people of the Andes from the perspective of Pablo Corral Vega as he had grown up there, spending his childhood in Ecuador. But apparently his return trip for this book did not take him too far from the road, as most of the pictures are urban photos, not what I had expected.
   
   He also attempts to add an artsy flair to many of his photos, but falls short most of the time in my opinion. For example, on page 103 there is a very colorful picture of people with their backs turned to watch an inauguration ceremony, but in the forefront of the picture there is an out-of-focus dog with a chain showing. This could have been a great picture, but it is not! And two pages before that there is a picture in Olmeda supposedly during a festival. Well, the picture show a green tarp or something similar and two people standing against it. It looks like nothing close to resembling a fiesta. At best, I think it can be stated that the pictures are disjointed. I have been to South America, and although I have never grown up there or spent any considerable time there, I honestly believe I could have put together nicer pictures of the Andes and the people who live there from my trips there.
   
   In short, this is a nice book (but certainly not for the cover price of $50), if only for the fact that there are few coffee table books on the Andes. But it is a disappointment in the fact that I had expected much more from National Geographic.

No comments about Touring the Backroads of North Carolina's Upper Coast (Touring the Backroads).

1 comments about Colombia (Ulysses Travel Guides).

1. I have not been yet been to Colombia, but will be teaching at a school there in the fall. I purchased this book hoping to get as quick an overview of the country, its politics, culture, and sites, and everything (and more!) were found in this book. The trivia was also very interesting, for example the history of drug trafficking and the lineage of salsa music. The guides for each city were also very good. I can now plan for my one year abroad knowing what is not to be missed and what can be skipped. The only drawbacks to this book are the small type and very few color photographs.

1 comments about Weekend in Havana / Tres Dias en La Habana: An American Photographer in the Forbidden City / Un Fotografo Americano en la Ciudad Prohibida.

1. WEEKEND IN HAVANA by Robert McCabe is a beautiful and evocative paean to the Cuban people and to the city of Havana. Even the dilapidation that comes with poverty can't hide the splendor of the city and the vibrancy, creativity, humanity and hopefulness of the people. This is a wonderful book, by a photographer whose pictures tell endless stories!

2 comments about Touring the East Tennessee Backroads (Touring the Backroads).

1. This is a must for anyone wanting to see East Tennessee and get everything you can out of it! The book is easy to read and very informative. Maps are at the beginning of each section showing your possible journey, so you can take the entire journey or a portion and know exactly what you will find and see. The directions are excellent so you can't get lost. Now the only downfall...it is very similar to another book I purchased so don't waste your money this book has it all.



2. This and it's sister publications are some of the most detailed, informative tour guides you will find! We simply love this series and the way it is written. There are few commercial details, i.e. hotel recommendations, restaurants etc.If you need that buy the Frommer's or Fodor's books but this one will take you way off the beaten path and bring you back again much more informed than when you left. You can't go wrong with any of the books in this entire series.....I know, I have them all!

No comments about Tierra Del Fuego & Isla Navarino Map: Ushuaia - Rio Grande - Magallanes - Beagle - Isla De Los Estados.

No comments about Charleston, SC: An Album From The Collection Of The Charleston Museum (Images of America (Arcadia Publishing)).

3 comments about Tombs, Travel, and Trouble (Resnick Library of Worldwide Adventure).

1. Our all-American adventurer friend, Lawrence Griswald takes his archaeology passion to the jungles of Central and South America where he meets with killers, traps and really big snakes. Then, off to Indonesia to be the first to capture the deadly living dinosaur: the Komodo Dragon. If these 20's and 30's Indiana Jones adventures are to be believed, then Griswold was the greatest explorer ever. Otherwise, he's the greatest story spinner ever. Either way, who cares. Watch out for the chapter called "Thirst!"



2. Lawrence Griswold's account of his travels in South America and southeast Asia in the 1920s and 30s is as endearing as it is ridiculous. Much in the same manner as the geographers and historians of the ancient world, his narrative walks the fine line between epic real-life experience and absurd, cliched hyperbole. The result is an entertaining tale of faraway places in a time when the world was a little less accessible, and political correctness had not yet been invented. Griswold's unflappable persona in the work coupled with his descriptions of the people he meets along the way provides most of the humor, as well as the ridiculousness of several of the situations in which he and his traveling companions find themselves. The anecdotal and episodic nature of the book means that it is not a whole unit overall, but Griswold does an excellent job of finishing his creation with flourish: the tale of the Komodo dragon and the castor oil.



3. I picked up a hard copy first edition of this at the Strand in NYC. This is the type of book I love. Well written adventure in a world that has passed. What has also passed is book quality. The edition I have is so solidly put together, someone will pick up same in 2070 and no doubt enjoy this book as much as I did. A testament to the hardware and software . The 20 and 30s period was at the cusp of when the jungles of Malaysia, Panama, and Brazil were not yet overly intruded upon by the outside world. Lawrence's sense of humor in the many situations ultimately demonstrate his respect for the locals and locale (but his being a "boss" on these expeditions hides that a bit). Incidences of death amongst colleagues, porters, and now rare wildlife (there are few tiger hunts here that are bit sad)are too easily put aside. But on a one off basis there are some great moments with the West Pointer in Panama, the irresponsible American kid taken along to the Philippines, the hardships of the overweight archeologist up the Amazon, the tiger encounter in Malaysia and more. I laughed aloud many times. This balances the distress one gets on a de-capitation or two and depletion of Sumatran rhinos. An excellent read. Some of the situations tie out so wonderfully here that one wonders about some creeping fiction. I have found though that travel done right leads one into situations that can not be made up. Lawrence, I keep my doubts in check.

No comments about Miami (America Series).

5 comments about Lonely Planet Bolivia.

1. Good up-to-date practical information but the 'things to see and do' part could have been better, as is most other Lonely Planet guidebooks.



2. I was dissapointed with this lonely planet guide. Usually i travel everywhere with LP guides and find them excellent, but this ones is out of question a bad guide. I read it often enough to ensure that it may be good for hiking, but for the other things, like going out, hotel, restaurant and of the track (not hiking) it was not enough info and sometimes some not accurate info. I was very dissapointed with this LP guide. Sorry LP, but this one is BAD.

   thank you




3. There are a few good maps to get you oriented with La Paz before you go to Bolivia. Most of the restaurants do not exist anymore in this book and the stores do not either.

   Since there are not many travel books on Bolivia, this one is one fo the better ones, but it's a shame that there are not any better ones.

   Although this book is a good introduction to Bolivia and La Paz, it's definentely not going to help you much when you get there.
   Very outdated!




4. This latest edition of the Lonely Planet Bolivia book is decidedly retrograde compared to past editions. Lonely Planet has been famous and widely appreciated for its detailed insider information drawn from the "grassroots" - local people, as well as people who use the book. This book seems to be reversal from this tradition to a significant extent. For example, in the section on Bolivian Amazonia covering Madidi National Park, only one multi-national provider of guide and visitor services is mentioned. In fact there are several, some of which are very good, and even superior in some respects - depending on what you're looking for. Such resources for the region were covered in past editions but not in this one. It leads one to wonder what either the author or Lonely Planet was really trying to achieve when they published the 4th edition.



5. I will not be able to add much to what other reviewers have said, but welcome to another opus from Lonely Planet's worst writer, Deanna Swaney. This lady has earned herself a bad name through writing which is more appropriate for an anti-capitalist leaflet and total lack of objectivity.

   Outdated? Yes, even more so than the guide to Russia. Biased? Yes, pretty much on par with Iceland and Greenland guide. Inaccurate? You bet.

   Recommendation: Don't touch this with a barge-pole, even if you are a die-hard LP fan.