Book Reviews/Travel Guides

Good Reads For Your Adventure Travels

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Please Note: The books and Audios reviewed here are my honest opinions. I received these unsolicited and free for promotional purposes, but I simply do not review the ones I do not believe to be review worthy.

Hammaming in the Sham by Richard Boggs is a rather interesting compendium of the hammams, or Turkish Baths, or Roman Baths, across Syria. He visits every kind and bathes in most of them, telling the elegance of their architecture or the derelict nature of each. He gives honest assessments of their cleanliness and hygiene (or lac thereof) along with some very interesting conversations and encounters with locals, who almost always welcomed him with open arms and offered whatever food and drink they had. Boggs obviously enjoyed the research for this book in a climate and atmosphere in which he had always felt comfortable. This is an interesting and informative survey with lots of history and interpersonal encounters, especially if you are going to the Middle East and want to understand this centuries old treasured custom of communal bath houses, for relaxing and gossiping, and learning the news, and generally keeping up with your friends. In most cases the men's hammams were separate from the women's.

On the Back Roads: Encounters with People and Places by Dana Snyman is a well written book of interesting tibits the author has gleaned through his many years as a traveling reporter through South Africa and other nearby countries. He makes each tale and the people who relate it as interesting as a first-hand encounter, showing us how important it is to converse with locals wherever we are. Everyone has a story to tell, which adds to our journey, on the road and through life. The author is South African and this is his first book in English, so some of the coloquial terms are not so familiar to the native English speakers but are easily understandable and fun to learn.

House Museums In Italy by Rosanna Pavoni is little book format which guides the visitor throughout Italy's fascinating places of art, poetry, history, architecture, music, arts and crafts, tastes and traditions by walking through the most important and interesting edifices of each area. With little maps showing where each dwelling is located and a Category Name for quick reference, Pavoni takes you through Collectors's Houses, Historic Houses, Ancestral Homes, Important Society Houses, Beautiful Houses, Clergy Houses, and many others. The photographs of the outside and of various rooms within make this book a good guide in how to select what you want to see in person. Each house is listed by address and website, phone number and email address. Very helpful for planning a trip to Italy.

Walk NYC by Annie Coburn is a really helpful new book from The Suzy Guides which I highly recommend for getting around the Big Apple and finding places and things you would miss if in a vehicle. The guidebook has a chapter on each of eight different sections of the city and tells a quick overview and map of each. Then each point of interest is described, including museums, monuments, parks, restaurants, and other sites along the walk, and each walk is not overwhelming. Significant finds are highlighted as Check This Out. Fascinating facts about many of the places add interest to your walk. This is definitely the book to have tucked into your purse in NYC.

Speak The Culture: Italy is part of a new series of Travel Guides from Thorgood Press, and I am very impressed with it. These guides go beyond the typical guidebook usages which tell where to eat and what to do and how to get around. In these guides you will find fascinating insights in the the events, people, and things that have happened within each country which helped shape the country, its history, its government, its culture, and its people. You will learn all about traditions, significant happenings through the years, important art, literature, music, cinema, architecture, and all about the people and their customs. The discussions of the culture extend into every aspect of life and tell you how to best enjoy these aspects when you visit the country. This really interesting, readable, and beautifully illustrated series gives a great insight for people who travel, live, or do business there . It is really a book to pour over again and again and a good reference for all things Italian. Others in the series include Britain, France, Spain, and Germany and others will be added.

Desert Plants of Egypt's Wadi El Gemal National Park by Tamer Mahmoud is a lovely, full color, soft cover book by the microbiologist who was born in Egypt and has been in charge of plants in this National Park since 2003. He began the herbarium and arboretum in the park. He saw the importance of documenting these plants which have survived hundreds and thousands of years in this flood plane of the Red Sea, even though the area averages 17milimeters of rain a year and may go a decade with no rain. The indigenous people have found medicinal and food uses for many of these, which he has documented. Each plant has beautiful photos of all stages of life and the text tells common name, description, importance and usage, and where the plant is found, as well as a small map. Wonderful book for botanical study or for a desert souvenir.

Touring South Africa's National Parks by Michael Brett is a lovely, soft cover book which gives a really interesting history of the National Parks in South Africa and their preservation and development, a unique concept started in the United States to be for public use instead of only royalty or hunting preserves. There are many National Parks in South Africa today, and each is given several pages in the book with several color photos of the animals and the region and a map with the history and facts of that park. This is a book you'll enjoy reading and looking at the photos. It also is a wonderful souvenir/guide to chooseing which ones to visit.

South Africa: A visual tour through its regions from Sunbird Press is just what the title tells you. This beautiful book divides South Africa into ten regions and tells about each region with exquisite full color images of each. You'll see the people, the landscape, the animals and plants and birds, the foods, celebrations, cities, and fields. Although not a large format book, this is an excellent keepsake for those traveling there and a very good way to research the country in a gentle, pleasant way. The book is filled with information and really excellent pictures.

The small but impressive books Wonders of The Pyramids: The Sound and Light of Giza and also Wonders of Abu Simbel: The Sound and Light of Nubia, are two wonderful books with collections of photographs of the two places. Written by Zahi Hawass, who is Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities and a renowned archeologist, the books are authoritatively correct in their interpretation of the two archeological treasures. A large part of the collection of photographs are of the area during the sound and light show that is put on each night for visitors and tours. The script of the shows are printed in the two books. The photos exemplify the majesty of these wonderful archeological areas. Having recently visited Egypt, we found the books not only great for recapturing the experiences we had while there but also a great aid at expanding our knowledge of things we did not grasp or understand about the area while we were there. Whether you are someone who plans to visit Egypt, has visited Egypt, or is just fascinated in the ancient Egyptian past, or students of geography and history, the books are a must to possess. The photographs bring out the exquisite beauty and grandeur of the places and hold the images of the light show in place for one to marvel at for more than the few seconds you have when you're at the light show in person. The book also has photographs of some of the other high points for anyone visiting or interested in these places. Beautiful!

Lesotho: Southbound Travel Guide by David Fleminger is another very good guide book for those going to the south of Africa. The country of Lesotho has been torn my many tribal wars and other problems but is now slowly becoming a place for tourists. You can plan your trip there with utmost details in this travel guide. You will be able to learn the history, the best places to see, and where to stay and eat.

CapeTown Calling, edited by Justin Fox: This little book is a compilation of descriptions and true occurrences in and of Capetown South Africa. The collected exerpts tell of the awakening of a place in which tribes once fought, then the Dutch explorers came and built settlements which grew and encroached upon the natural way of life, of the events and attitudes on both sides of Aparteid, of the prison that held Mandela and others, of the sprawl of this city of both beauty and untamable nature in all its wonder, glory, and power, or a people and glorious/terrible city and what it holds for those living there and for those who visit, from Mandela to Theroux. For anyone going there or living there, you will want to read this wonderful collection from great writers.

Taihe Dian, The Hall of supreme Harmony of the Forbidden City in Beijing edited by Laura Moro is an interesting concept for a book: perfect for archeologists and architects. The book is filled with color photos and detailed drawings of the very careful and extensive examination of this famous and beloved edifice in Beijing, China. With all the modern tools of photography and radar and computers used, this is the first such exploration of its kind and shows the structure from all angles in amazing ways, a careful and thorough record for the future, should anything happen to destroy the building. It will be fascinating for scholars to study.

Alexandria Historical and Archaeological Guide by Dr. Yousrya Abdel-Aziz Hosni & Zahi Hawass is a beautiful book with a detailed and fascinating history of the city, which was the supreme accomplishment of its namesake, Alexander the Great, in 332 BC when he arrived in Egypt. The carefully planned city was designed by the same architect as Rhodes, creating it according to specific considerations: health, safe harbor, fresh air and fresh water, and lies at the mouth of the Nile on the Mediterranean Sea. With excellent color photos and descriptive, historically accurate text, you will enjoy learning about Alexandria in the Greco-Roman Period. Next is a section about jewish life in Alexandria and the Synagogue. Next is the age of the Byzantine Christian Period with the Church of St. Catherine and St. Mark, and then the Islamic Period of history with many monuments until the Ottoman time. Finally, you'll understand the age from the Ottoman rule until present time. This is an exquisite book with valuable historic, architectural, art, and sculpture photos. It is chock full of interesting information to make history of Alexandria live for you!

Pantheon History and Future edited by Gangemi is a lovely book in dual language: English and Italian on each page, with details of the history, archeology, archetecture, and art of this famous treasure in Rome. The color photos are amazing and use the latest technology from GPS and satelite photography to internet to show the present and future of this historical edifice. Now you can tour every detail of it virtually and learn in an interactive way that is most enticing to students, archetects, artists, and travelers. The book comes with a great dvd, which gives you an delightful virtual interactive, and you don't have to board a plane to go to Rome this way.

In Bushveld and Desert: A Game Ranger's Life by Christiaan Bakkes is an interesting read in which Bakkes tells of many of his often harrowing adventures while learning and performing his duties as a ranger in South Africa. The famous Kruger National Park is one of the places he patrols, rescuing animals and humans, tracking and stopping poachers, surviving crocodile hunts and enormous hail storms unprotected, and many other escapes. It is an interesting, adventuresome read respendent with the Afrikander lingo. You'll enjoy this, especially if you intend to travel on a safari into the bushveld. You'll gain appreciation of the dangers that lurk and of those who keep tourists and the wildlife safe.

Adventure Walks & Scrambles in the Cape Peninsula by Karen Watkins is a little book with a wallop of information for anyone planning to hike in the Cape Peninsula of South Africa. She gives details of how to plan, what to take, how to handle children, and photos and maps of many different kinds of walks, climbs, and scrambles in the rugged mountains so famous for making the Cape so beautiful. If you're already an experienced hiker on Table Mountain, you need this book! It is not for the novices to the area, and Karen, who learned from walking with experienced professionals, advises groups of no less than 12 people on these daring adventures.

Along the River that Flows Uphill: From the Orinoco to the Amazon (Armchair Traveller) by Richard Starks and Miriam Murcutt

What a read! This couple is so daring and takes this amazing adventure through the infested and scary jungles, traveling on the Casiquiare River, which defies all possibilities and flows up over its watershed to connect the Orinoco River to the great Amazon River. The authors' journey along the river was nearly a thousand miles. They are no strangers to perilous undertakings, and Richard yearns for the challenging situations, while his partner knows how to go fearlessly along, both thriving on the unexpected difficulties they encounter. As experienced authors, world travellers, and authors of several book and many articles, these writers know their subject and craft and write with humor and skill that keep you turning the pages. This is a really good read and an amazing adventure, which few have ever been brave enough to undertake. The vivid descriptions and history of the area will make you feel you have been there too, without the dangers!

Tanzania with Zanzibar, Pemba & Mafia by Philip Briggs is the 2009 version of the excellent guide we used on our recent trip to Tanzania. Briggs is thorough in his guide and tells everything you need to know in order to plan your trip and to see the most and understand the most while you are there. He gives excellent information about government, history, geography, wildlife, and people and good maps. The photos are beautiful. If you go to Tanzania, be sure to take this guide with you. We found it most helpful and it gave us understanding of people, places, and animals we were seeing that we could not otherwise have known.

The Ultimate African Wildlife by Nigel Dennis is one of the most beautiful books of the amazing animals of this vast continent, and the slick paperback book is large format and very affordable. Dennis is an extremely expert photographer, with care to details and fascinating postures and habits of animals. The photos are close-up and you can see every individual hair. He divides the book into sections of cats, dogs, big game, browsers and grazers, primates, smaller game, reptiles, birds, and ends with a section on the unusual animals of Madagascar. Each animal is identified and introductory pages in each section tell about the habits and habitats. This book will be a favorite of adults and children alike and a beautiful coffee table book, or memento of your trip to Africa. Excellent!

Botswana: The Insider's Guide by Ian Michler, as with other guide books in the Insider's series, is a beautiful book you'll want to keep on your coffee table long after your trip. Written by an expert who really knows the place well, this guide is perfect for planning your trip with all the details you need: maps, history of the place and its people, personal profiles of the best guides for Botswana, details about your choice of places to stay, even the plans for a roughing it or luxurious safari. You'll learn about the arts, crafts to purchase for keepsakes and the music and festivals to enjoy while you are there. Ian gives great information about all the best overland trips and the plants and animals you'll hope to see. This is THE book to plan your trip!

Smart Packing DVD by Susan Foster, the guru of traveling right and light! Following the success of her book Smart Packing Susan has produced this DVD in which she demonstrates her many wonderful tips for packing anything you need, for a business and/or pleasure week long trip, into one carry on suitcase. She shows tips for business travelers, male and female, and for packing for children. Her cosmetics, small items, jewelry, all the extras that are so confusing in a suitcase are all neatly organized for quick access. She shows how to plan, select, edit, pack, and go. This is an excellent DVD for any traveler. I highly recommend it.

Traveling Through Egypt From 450 B.C. To the Twentieth Century, Edited By Deborah Manley and Sahar Abdel HakimThis is a wonderful concept for a travel book, one which I have not encountered recently. The editors have taken travel notes and travelogs from travelers through Egypt throughout written history. The observations about Egypt compiled in this book are from 115 different writers, the earliest being from Strabo who lived from 63 BC 23 A.D., and they give a compendium of fascinating facts about this ancient country. Early travelers noted in great details the land, climate, workers and their tools, various monuments and buildings from pre history, which no longer exist. The writers speak of the importance and impact of the various stages of the Nile River in different seasons. End notes tell a little about each of the writers. The book is absolutely fascinating and a MUST for anyone who intends to see Egypt.

Book Release: "Rediscovering the Khmers"By Antonio GraceffoAntonio Graceffo's long awaited book about the Kingdom of Cambodia.

"Shortly after the turn of the century, some French guy crawled out of the

jungle and announced, 'I have discovered Angkor Wat.' The Khmers looked at

each other and said, 'We didn't know it was missing.' Just like the famous

temple, no outsider can truly discover the Khmers. But if we spend enough

time in the country, learn the language, the religion, the martial art,

and the culture, maybe we can re discover them."

Mention Cambodia and most people think of either Angkor Wat or the

atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge. But there is so much more! To

help "get the word out," Antonio was hired to show Cambodia's

possibilities, helping increase its tourism industry. To accomplish this

daunting task, he traveled the country and played tourist. It turned out

to be an interesting experience, full of an extreme variety of encounters.

As you follow his adventures, it is difficult not to agree with his

conclusions. Cambodia's infrastructure makes developing a proper tourism

industry extremely problematic. However, the Cambodian people make some of

the finest friends to be found anywhere. Enjoy traveling through Cambodia

as only Antonio can describe, rediscovering who the Khmers really are!

"Rediscovering the Khmers" is Antonio's fifth book. See all of his books

Join him on facebook.com email him at Antonio@speakingadventure.com

See his website speakingadventure.com

See his videos on youtube

http://ca.youtube.com/results?search_query=antonio+graceffo&search_type=&aq=f

Cruise Crazy: The Cruise Addict's Survival Guide by Bob Mick a.k.a. Dr. Kruz Nutty This whimsical book is fun for anyone who enjoys cruises. With a tongue in cheek approach Dr. Nutty will keep you chuckling as he outlines everything you need to know, or already have experienced, about cruising, from how to select your cruise to what to take, how to choose your travel companion, how to cope on board, what to expect. He discusses food, drink, activities on and off the ship, how to pack, and how to get through the difficulties, all with a grin and making you laugh. Enjoy it just for fun!

Volunteering Around the Globe: Life Changing Travel Adventures by Suzanne Stone This book is simple to read because it is so well organized to be the best reference for how to travel as a volunteer, whether in the United States or other countries. There are many personal experiences that various volunteer travelers share, describing what they did to help in many different countries and how it affected their own lives. The author tells how to choose among the many organizations which offer places and ways to see the world as a volunteer, helping as you go. Stone emphasizes that although you will give much needed help, you will receive far more benefits in the personal growth experience and the satisfiaction of knowing you made a difference. The areas of service which she discusses in the bookare volunteers for business development, construction, cultural preservation, disaster relief, environmental work and conservation, healthcare,social services and teaching. She tells how to plan for the trip, what to take, and which organizations to contact. This is a MUST for anyone who has thought about traveling as a volunteer, and you don't have to have any expertise or foreign language knowledge