Latin America Books

The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey

Candice Millard

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Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> Leaders & Notable People -> Presidents & Heads of State
Subjects -> Biographies & Memoirs -> People, A-Z -> ( R ) -> Roosevelt, Theodore
Subjects -> History -> Americas -> South America -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 211 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

At once an incredible adventure narrative and a penetrating biographical portrait, The River of Doubt is the true story of Theodore Roosevelt’s harrowing exploration of one of the most dangerous rivers on earth.

The River of Doubt—it is a black, uncharted tributary of the Amazon that snakes through one of the most treacherous jungles in the world. Indians armed with poison-tipped arrows haunt its shadows; piranhas glide through its waters; boulder-strewn rapids turn the river into a roiling cauldron.

After his humiliating election defeat in 1912, Roosevelt set his sights on the most punishing physical challenge he could find, the first descent of an unmapped, rapids-choked tributary of the Amazon. Together with his son Kermit and Brazil’s most famous explorer, Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon, Roosevelt accomplished a feat so great that many at the time refused to believe it. In the process, he changed the map of the western hemisphere forever.

Along the way, Roosevelt and his men faced an unbelievable series of hardships, losing their canoes and supplies to punishing whitewater rapids, and enduring starvation, Indian attack, disease, drowning, and a murder within their own ranks. Three men died, and Roosevelt was brought to the brink of suicide. The River of Doubt brings alive these extraordinary events in a powerful nonfiction narrative thriller that happens to feature one of the most famous Americans who ever lived.

From the soaring beauty of the Amazon rain forest to the darkest night of Theodore Roosevelt’s life, here is Candice Millard’s dazzling debut.

Rand McNally 2009 Road Atlas: United States / Canada / Mexico (Rand Mcnally Road Atlas: United States, Canada, Mexico)

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Subjects -> Reference -> Atlases & Maps -> Canada
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Always have a copy in our vehicles 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

We have always kept a copy of the Rand McNally Road Atlas in our vehicles; we find them to be invaluable when traveling on the road for basic directional help but also for find alternate scenic routes, etc.

Prior to 2008, we did not purchase the vinyl covered edition and the atlas would get torn and pretty beat up as it partially sticks out of the pockets behind the front seats. When we came across this version, we decided to give it a try and see if it helped the situation. We have the 2008 and 2009 versions and both have held up very well and neither are torn, frayed, or otherwise messed up any longer by general use with one exception.

I did learn a little lesson about the stapled binding and the vinyl cover as noted by reviewers of the 2008 version. This is caused by the thin paper and stapled binding along with the cover being tucked into the vinyl pockets on both sides. The cover can be separated partially or completey due to this and one day, a haphazard toss of the atlas caused it become partially separated from the cover. However, I found that by placing a rubberband around the center of the binding holds it all together perfectly. When we purchased the latest edition (2009), we put a rubberband around it to help reinforce the stapled binding from the start.

One other note about the atlas, we really enjoy reading the general information about each state and the recommended tourist sites. This is a great stocking stuffer and valuable to have in your own vehicle, even if you travel infrequently.

Waterproof Travel Map of Costa Rica

Toucan Maps

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Subjects -> Reference -> Atlases & Maps -> Maps
Subjects -> Travel -> Latin America -> Central America -> Costa Rica

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Waterproof, rugged and current roadmap of Costa Rica, San Jose and more than a dozen of the most visited regions.

2 sided, 39 in. x 26.25 in. (4.875 in. x 9 in. folded)

Roads are clearly differentiated by color and line width for classes from limited access divided highways down to 4WD seasonal tracks. Highway on and off-ramps are shown for the entire central valley. Popular hiking and horseback trails and trail-heads are also shown.

Locations are clearly marked and easy to read indexes are included for cities and towns, National Parks and other natural areas, beaches, rivers (white water rafting locations are indicated as well), peaks, volcanoes, waterfalls and the best hotels restaurants and activities.

The current, accurate, detailed, and readable large scale map of Costa Rica is complimented by a set of innovative exclusive features not available anywhere else.

Exclusives
o Street level details for San Jose, Alajuela, Arenal Volcano/Fortuna, Escazu, Heredia, Manuel Antonio/Quepos, Monteverde/Santa Elena, Playa Jaco, Playa Tamarindo, Puerto Jimenez, Puerto Viejo de o Talamanca, & the entire Central Valley.
o Recommendations based on 15 years experience for over two hundred hotels, resorts, lodges and even campgrounds in every price range, and over a hundred and fifty of the best restaurants.
o Proprietary symbols for distinctively Costa Rican attractions like zip-line and hanging bridge canopy exploration, butterfly gardens, rappelling down canyons, and surf camps, as well as the more typical activities like horseback riding, SCUBA, deep sea fishing, golf, rafting and many more. You can see at a glance what there is to do around Arenal volcano and Monteverde cloud forest, as well as along the road between them.
o Driving distance table and mini map for calculating trip distances and estimating drive times.
o A few dozen useful English to Spanish phrase and word translations are provided in an inset. You will appreciate having What is the best way to get there? and Can you please show me on the map? at your fingertips if you need to ask directions.

This edition replaces the 4 1/2 star first edition ISBN 0-9763733-0-0 addressing the helpful comments provided in the Amazon and other reviews, updating the surfacing indications for hundreds of km of newly paved roads, correcting known errors and adding highly requested regional detail maps.

Frommer's Costa Rica 2009 (Frommer's Complete)

Eliot Greenspan

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Editorial Review:

America’s #1 bestselling travel series

Written by more than 175 outspoken travelers around the globe, Frommer’s Complete Guides help travelers experience places the way locals do.

• More annually updated guides than any other series
• 16-page color section and foldout map in all annual guides
• Outspoken opinions, exact prices, and suggested itineraries
• Dozens of detailed maps in an easy-to-read, two-color design

Completely updated every year (unlike most of the competition), Frommer's Costa Rica features gorgeous color photos of the lush rain forest, the amazing array of wildlife, and the spectacular beaches that await you. Personally researched by a longtime resident, it's the only truly up-to-date guide that gives you such in-depth coverage of this fast-changing country, with recommended accommodations in every price category. You'll visit rugged wilderness preserves and sleepy beach towns, spectacular orchid gardens and mineral hot springs at the foot of a steaming volcano. There are adventures here to suit all ages and abilities: swooping from treetop platform to treetop platform on a canopy tour, taking a dip in a jungle swimming hole, spotting playful spider monkeys as you hike through lush foliage, windsurfing on Lake Arenal, or watching endangered sea turtles nest on the beach. With Frommer's in hand, you'll experience the wonder of Costa Rica's amazing biodiversity, as we point out the best places to see hundreds of unique, colorful species of animals and plants. You'll even get a color fold-out map!

Argentina (Country Guide)

Danny Palmerlee

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Subjects -> Travel -> Latin America -> South America -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

COMPLETELY USELESS 1 out of 5 stars.
6 of 16 people found this review helpful.

If you are a student, make less than $25K a year, and enjoy staying in rudown versions of Motel 6, then this book might be for you.

First, Argentina is no longer the bargain the authors claim it is. Outside of BA, you can get a decent meal on the cheap, but other than that, expect to pay $90 and up for a decent hotel. Many of the references in the book come from online entries and clearly have not been checked for quality, cleanliness, etc.

Second, per the review(s) below, many of the recommended restaurants have closed - in BA, you are better off going to Puerto Madero and picking a reataurant at random - they are all good.

Third, keep in mind that AR got hammered by the peso devaluation and many cities are still recovering. Cordoba and others can be less than an idyllic vacation spot.

Conclusion - if you are seeking a quality vacation, you are better off using a good travel agancy. You get what you pay for in AR, notwithstanding the claims of the authors.

Editorial Review:

Discover Argentina

Feel the thunderous crash of icebergs calving into the icy waters of Lago Argentina
Explore the vast landscapes of Quebrada de Humahuaca with your own pack-carrying llama
Tango like a porteno after learning the unspoken codes of Argentina's sexiest dance
Cycle between Mendoza's legendary vineyards in search of the perfect malbec

In This Guide:

A brand-new chapter on neighboring Uruguay, South America's best-kept travel secret
Seven authors, 308 days of in-country research, too much beef
Color outdoors chapter shows where to fly-fish for trout and much with huskies
Content updated daily - visit lonelyplanet.com for updates and traveler insights

Mexico (Country Guide)

John Noble

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 55 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Is Lonely Planet Losing Its Touch? 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I have about five editions of Lonely Planet Mexico. All previous editions (this is the 11th) were better, if not a lot better. They have quit pricing in dollars, so you have to convert to pesos (admittedly not too hard when the exchange rate hovers at $10M to $1US) for hotels and restaurants. (Forget that travel guides for high inflationary countries are obsolete the day they are distributed.) Worse, they have ceased categorizing hotels as "Budget," "Mid-range" and "Top End," instead using a listing in ascending order of price (no help if the lodgings remodel and go up in price). Worse still, they continue to avoid money saving tips, like staying in San Juan del Rio (which they oimit entirely) when hotels and restaurants in nearby Tequisquiapan are out of sight: the latter caters mostly to rich "Chilangos" (Mexico City people), who go over for a weekend getaway. Some of the comments are downright absurd, e.g. calling Orizaba an industrialized dump, while praising the pricier, relatively boring Cordoba. All in all, this is a B- effort. I am considering taking some other travel guide next trip. In L.P.'s favor, I must admit it still covers small, out of the way spots that are in reality must see's: Rio Atoyac for its tasty, garlicky langostinos and Cuetzalan, Puebla, for its charm.

Editorial Review:

Initially specializing in Asia guidebooks, the Lonely Planet Travel Survival Kit series has long been a favorite of budget travelers all over the globe. Lonely Planet guides have a reputation for plainspoken and practical advice as well as thoughtful writing about history and culture, and Lonely Planet Mexico is no exception. Complementing the information about sights, accommodations, and food are extensive background notes about each region's notable past and present characteristics, from cuisine to geography to art. (Check out the full-color illustrated insert on Mexican artesanías, or handicrafts.) One note: this edition came out during the worst of the peso devaluation crisis, so the prices quoted may vary widely from the actual amount. It's best to rely on another guidebook for exact prices (try one that comes out every year), but for basic comparative information, Lonely Planet is a good name to trust.

Peru (Country Guide)

Sara Benson, Paul Hellander, Rafael Wlodarski

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

so wrong about cusco 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful.

my wife and i spent 4 days in cusco and could not find a single restaurant that lonely planet recommended. my wife is fluent in spanish and we spoke with locals and touristico police and NOBODY had even heard of the restaurants. very frustrating.

and cusco sucks, don't waste time there. arequipa is a million times better.

Editorial Review:

Bike, hike and ride a scary cable car to Machu Picchu on one of five alternatives to the busy Inca Trail, p. 277. Glide past manatees, dolphins, monkeys and macaws in the Reserva Nacional Pacaya-Samiria, p.482. Swill a scoopful of chicha - saliva-fermented corn beer - to earn the respect of the locals, p.78. Descend into the narrow, hallucinatory underground chambers of the millennia-old ruins at Chavin de Huantar, p.415.

Three authors, 144 days of on-the-road research via planes, riverboats and dozens of death-defying bus rides. Dedicated Peru Outdoors chapter, plus expanded activities coverage throughout. Get the inside story on the Inca world from notes explorer and author Hugh Thomson. Content updated daily - visit lonelyplanet.com fro up-to-the-minute reviews and traveler suggestions.

The Machu Picchu Guidebook: A Self-Guided Tour

Ruth M. Wright, Alfredo Valencia Zegarra

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Subjects -> History -> Ancient -> Incan
Subjects -> Travel -> Latin America -> South America -> Peru
Subjects -> Travel -> Latin America -> South America -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 29 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A great way to prepare your eyes for Machu Picchu 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book is fairly scholarly and serious, but I read it on a cross-country flight, using the detailed map insert to locate key items as I read. It made my enjoyment of the site itself many many times greater. Most local guides you hire at the site will only show you "Machu Picchu's greatest hits", and with the book's knowledge you can really appreciate what they are taking you to and can explore the rest effectively on your own. I was glad to have read and studied the book and its many illustrations ahead, however, as the weather was wet and using it as an on-the-spot guide wouldn't have worked so well.

Very Useful for Self-Guided Tour 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I spent 8 hrs visiting Machu Picchu following the guide. It was very detailed in describing each sector and the information given was enough to get a good understanding of the place. We walked to see the "Inca Bridge" and it described exactly what to expect and when to stop walking. I will recommend this book to anyone that is going to visit Machu Picchu. Great guide!!!

Editorial Review:

This revised edition includes newly discovered sites. New photos and maps with full-color illustrations of real life scences from National Geographic Magazine.

Costa Rica (Country Guide)

Matt Firestone, Wendy Yanagihara

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Find a new author Lonely Planet 1 out of 5 stars.
11 of 12 people found this review helpful.

If you want to enjoy traveling to Costa Rica I would recommend another book. If you want to spend your time lamenting about how Costa Rica has changed, how Americans are annoying, and be afraid to take your valuables out of your hotel safe than I recommend you check this book out. I would often read passages out loud to different people I was traveling with. You would think that Jaco is similar to Jersey but with more crack and lots of prostitutes from reading this book. In fact, when I went it was mostly families, a little sketch, but man get a grip. I read the chapter on San Jose and was to afraid to take my camera to the central market and downtown. What a regret! The people everywhere in Costa Rica were so nice. Downtown was crawling with tourists with their cameras and police. It wasn't even remotely sketchy. We could only get reservations in Tamarindo for Christmas day and I was terrified that it was going to be like Myrtle Beach on Spring Break. Yes there were lots of condos but it was still Costa Rica! Dirt Roads. you could walk from one end of town to the other in less then 10 minutes, everyone was nice, the beach was pretty. I just couldn't understand why the authors seemed to hate travel so much and be so hateful towards places where we were going.

Also, the book didn't give a lot of key information about how to get around without a car. We wasted so much time in La Fortuna trying to figure out how to get to the different places we wanted to go. It turns out there isn't a bus, there are only guided tours. They are all expensive. We finally hitchhiked which worked out well but I never go to go on the hanging bridges. I loved Cahuita (it wasn't dangerous) and Dominical. I loved Costa Rica. I am ready to go back.

I just wanted to warn people to stay away from this book. I love guidebooks. I am the kind of psycho that gets them from the library and reads through them even when I am not going anywhere. This one was the worst.

Editorial Review:

This guide provides details on the less frequently visited Central Valley and Highlands regions, interviews with locals who offer contemporary cultural tidbits, and a chapter on sustainable travel options. Maps throughout.

Peru (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

DK Publishing

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Subjects -> Travel -> Latin America -> South America -> Peru

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Whether you are planning to visit a city, a region or a country, DK's foolproof 'Eyewitness' approach makes learning about a place a pleasure in itself. All the traditional guidebook subject matter is covered-descriptions of sights, opening times, hotels, restaurants, shopping, entertainment, phrase books etc- but, with the help of specially commissioned illustrations and maps, DK makes essential information easy to access and quick to absorb. No other guides explain the history of a place as clearly in words and pictures. DK Eyewitness Travel Guides-the best guides ever created.

Continuing to expand our South American coverage, this beautifully illustrated Eyewitness guide will be the premier travel book to Peru, with complete coverage of Lima, the Amazon Basin, and, of course, Machu Picchu. Whether your interests lie in floating on Lake Titicaca, watching the condors soar at Colca Canyon or experimenting with South American cuisine, DK Eyewitness Peru will help you find the essence of the Andes.