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You'll never fall into the tourist traps when you travel with Frommer's. It's like having a friend show you around, taking you to the places locals like best. Our expert authors have already gone everywhere you might go--they've done the legwork for you, and they're not afraid to tell it like it is, saving you time and money. No other series offers candid reviews of so many hotels and restaurants in all price ranges. Every Frommer's Travel Guide is up-to-date, with exact prices for everything, dozens of color maps, and exciting coverage of sports, shopping, and nightlife. You'd be lost without us!
Completely updated every year (unlike most of the competition), Frommer's Hawaii features gorgeous color photos of the stunning beaches and thrilling adventures that await you. Meticulously researched by one of Hawaii's most noted journalists, this is hands-down the most reliable, up-to-date, and comprehensive guide to the islands.
Each of our candid hotel reviews is based on a detailed personal inspection. You'll find lavish beachfront resorts, intimate rain-forest B&Bs, family-friendly condos, and much, much more. Our dining reviews are simply the best in the business, whether you crave cutting-edge Asian-fusion cuisine or a hearty, affordable plate lunch.
Our author makes sure that you'll truly experience the spirit of aloha, and she'll help you steer clear of anything that's overpriced, touristy, or inauthentic. With Frommer's in hand, you'll know where to find secluded beaches; secret spots for snorkeling; the best outfitters to choose for everything from diving to deep-sea fishing; and where to find the top galleries and shops.
Inside you'll find extensive coverage of family-friendly accommodations and activities; tips on how to get married in the islands; recommendations for the best honeymoon resorts; and valuable advice on finding the best airfares and package deals. Whether you want to watch the fiery spectacle at the Big Island's volcano, play a challenging round of golf, snorkel with sea turtles, or simply kick back with a mai tai to watch the sunset, you can design the perfect trip with Frommer's Hawaii. You'll even get a color fold-out map, and an online directory that makes trip-planning a snap!
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Not as good as I expected
I purchase Frommer Guides when I'm going someplace new, and I have always been happy with them. This one, however, is not up to their usual standards. I took it along on my recent trip, and it was less than helpful. Many towns and places in HI have native names, but the translation is not in the book, so asking for directions was harder than it needed to be. Several hotels and good local restaurants were not listed. Travel times (either by car or bus) between cities were mentioned in passing, if at all. Local landmarks might get a word or two in description, but there was a detailed listing of every mall and shopping plaza. Overall, I got the impression that this was written largely from an impression of HI that hadn't been updated in a while.
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Drive . . . and grow rich!
The bestselling author of
Investment Biker is back from the ultimate road trip: a three-year drive around the world that would ultimately set the Guinness record for the longest continuous car journey. In
AdventureCapitalist, legendary investor Jim Rogers, dubbed “the Indiana Jones of finance” by
Time magazine, proves that the best way to profit from the global situation is to see the world mile by mile. “While I have never patronized a prostitute,” he writes, “I know that one can learn more about a country from speaking to the madam of a brothel or a black marketeer than from meeting a foreign minister.”
Behind the wheel of a sunburst-yellow, custom-built convertible Mercedes, Rogers and his fiancée, Paige Parker, began their “Millennium Adventure” on January 1, 1999, from Iceland. They traveled through 116 countries, including many where most have rarely ventured, such as Saudi Arabia, Myanmar, Angola, Sudan, Congo, Colombia, and East Timor. They drove through war zones, deserts, jungles, epidemics, and blizzards. They had many narrow escapes.
They camped with nomads and camels in the western Sahara. They ate silkworms, iguanas, snakes, termites, guinea pigs, porcupines, crocodiles, and grasshoppers.
Best of all, they saw the real world from the ground up—the only vantage point from which it can be truly understood—economically, politically, and socially.
Here are just a few of the author’s conclusions:
• The new commodity bull market has started.
• The twenty-first century will belong to China.
• There is a dramatic shortage of women developing in Asia.
• Pakistan is on the verge of disintegrating.
• India, like many other large nations, will break into several countries.
• The Euro is doomed to fail.
• There are fortunes to be made in Angola.
• Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are a scam.
• Bolivia is a comer after decades of instability, thanks to gigantic amounts of natural gas.
Adventure Capitalist is the most opinionated, sprawling, adventurous journey you’re likely to take within the pages of a book—the perfect read for armchair adventurers, global investors, car enthusiasts, and anyone interested in seeing the world and understanding it as it really is.
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• The record of a spiritual journey through an extraordinary land, and of the devoted pilgrims who seek to climb Mount Kailas.
• Two Americans recount their experiences during the sacred pilgrimage to one of the most remote places on Earth.
• With more than 100 color photographs that capture the awe-inspiring landscape and the tireless determination of the pilgrims.
In a remote corner of western Tibet, in one of the highest, most pristine places on Earth, rises a sublime snow-clad pyramid of rock and snow--Mount Kailas. To Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims this 22,028-foot mountain is the throne of the gods, the "Navel of the Earth," the place where the divine takes earthly form. For more than a thousand years these pilgrims have journeyed here to pay homage to the mountain's mystery, circumambulating it in an ancient ritual of devotion that continues to the present day. Spinning prayer wheels, chanting mantras, and prostrating themselves at shrines, the pilgrims make the arduous climb toward the physical and emotional high point of the journey, the lofty pass known as the Dolma La.
With spectacular color photography and vivid travel writing, Tibet's Sacred Mountain provides a stunning account of this awe-inspiring landscape, and of the variety, vitality, and sheer determination of the pilgrims who venture there. Both photographer Russell Johnson and writer Kerry Moran have made the difficult pilgrimage around the mountain several times. Tibet's Sacred Mountain is the record of their inspiring journey that opens a window on a magical land of pure light and dazzling color where the temporal and the eternal unite and where every feature of the landscape holds its own divinity.
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"There is nothing out there." Such is the claim, at least, of politicians and oil company executives, amazed that anyone would fight to protect the miles of plateaus and canyon bottoms that stretch across southern Utah. Even tourists see this region as an empty spot on the map—an excuse to drive directly from Capitol Reef to Arches National Park. But it is precisely this—nothing—that writer Brooke Williams and photographer Chris Noble find captivating about Escalante. In this thoughtful and exquisitely illustrated rumination, the authors tour the network of chasms and gorges that began forming millions of years ago on the Colorado Plateau and today constitute a desert paradise of mesas, buttes, and boundless solitude. At the center of this landscape is the region known as Escalante, 1.7 million mostly roadless acres, where silence, darkness, and emptiness have no intrusions. With refreshing originality and a haunting rhythm to his prose, Williams reflects on the notion of space and seclusion both internally and externally. Williams also celebrates the landscape: its geology, flora and fauna, its people from the ancient Fremont to its Mormon pioneers, hiking aficionados and recluses such as Everett Ruess, and the controversial politics involved with the creation of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Chris Noble's photographs break down the distinction often felt even in very fine photos, that between the observer and the place. These images pull the reader into the landscape, seamlessly merging the experience and the setting. Part narrative, part poetry, and part meditation, this book charts the quiet places where the human spirit delights in solitude. It reminds us of our intimate connection with the wild and of the landscape's powerful pulse especially when there is nothing to be found.
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Neuroanatomy through Clinical Cases brings a pioneering interactive approach to the teaching of neuroanatomy, using over 100 actual Clinical Cases and high-quality radiologic images to bring the subject to life. This approach allows students to appreciate the clinical relevance of structural details as they are being learned, and to integrate knowledge of disparate functional systems, since a single lesion may affect several different neural structures and pathways.
Most of the book comprises chapters that explain the major neuroanatomical systems. Each chapter first presents background material including an overview of relevant neuroanatomical structures and pathways, and a brief discussion of related clinical disorders. The second half of each chapter is devoted to clinical cases. The cases begin with a narrative of how the patient developed symptoms, and what deficits were found upon neurological examination. Boldface type highlights important symptoms and signs. A series of questions challenges the reader to deduce the neuroanatomical location of the patient's lesion, and the diagnosis. Discussion and answers follow, and an epilogue reveals the actual outcome.
One of the book's most innovative features is the inclusion of CT and MRI scans that depict each patient's lesion. These radiographs help the reader develop skills in interpreting the same kinds of diagnostic images employed in clinical practice.
The book is intended primarily for first- or second-year medical students enrolled in a basic neuroanatomy, neurobiology or neuroscience course. It is also a valuable resource for advanced medical students and residents, as well as students of other health professions, notably physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing, dentistry, speech therapy, and neuropsychology.
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The author who unforgettably captured the experience of starting a new life in Tuscany in bestselling travel memoirs expands her horizons to immerse herself—and her readers—in the sights, aromas, and treasures of twelve new special places.
A Year in the World is vintage Frances Mayes—a celebration of the allure of travel, of serendipitous pleasures found in unlikely locales, of memory woven into the present, and of a joyous sense of quest. An ideal travel companion, Frances Mayes brings to the page the curiosity of an intrepid explorer, remarkable insights into the wonder of the everyday, and a compelling narrative style that entertains as it informs.
With her beloved Tuscany as a home base, Mayes travels to Spain, Portugal, France, the British Isles, and to the Mediterranean world of Turkey, Greece, the South of Italy, and North Africa. In Andalucía, she relishes the intersection of cultures. She cooks in Portugal, gathers ideas in the gardens of England and Scotland, takes a literary pilgrimage to Burgundy, discovers an ideal place to live in Mantova, and explores the essential Moroccan city of Fez. She rents houses among ordinary residents, shops at neighborhood markets, wanders the back streets, and everywhere contemplates the concept of home. While in Greece, she follows the classic Homeric voyage across the Aegean, lives in a bougainvillea-draped stone house in Crete, and then drives deep into the Mani. In Turkey with friends, she sails the ancient coast, hiking to archaeological sites and snorkeling over sunken Byzantine towns. Weaving together personal perceptions and informed commentary on art, architecture, history, landscape, and social and culinary traditions of each area, Mayes brings the immediacy of life in her temporary homes to the reader. An illuminating and passionate book that will be savored by all who loved Under the Tuscan Sun, A Year in the World is travel writing at its peak.
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Sounds Like Somebody Needs a NapI couldn't help thinking, as I jumped from chapter to chapter, looking to recapture that melting-in-the-chair feeling from previous books, that Frances Mayes has turned into a cranky, jaded baby. I don't hear her fascination and delight anymore - or at least I don't hear the authenticity. I can imagine she's tired, and that a million obligations come with being so successful. So then, just...stop. Stop writing until you're ready to write and have something you really want to say. I started growing basil in my garden because of your books on Tuscany. The only thing this latest book made me want to do is stop reading.
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INTRODUCTION For a country that lived in self-imposed isolation until 150 years ago, Japan has not hesitated in making up for lost time since the world came calling. Anyone who’s eaten sushi or used a Sony Walkman feels they know something about this slinky archipelago of some 6800 volcanic islands tucked away off the far eastern coast of Asia, and yet, from the moment of arrival in this oddly familiar, quintessentially Oriental land it’s almost as if you’ve touched down on another planet.
Japan is a place of ancient gods and customs, but is also the cutting edge of cool modernity. High-speed trains whisk you from one end of the country to another with frightening punctuality. You can catch sight of a farmer tending his paddy field, then turn the corner and find yourself next to a neon-festooned electronic games parlour in the suburb of a sprawling metropolis. One day you could be picking through the fashions in the biggest department store on earth, the next relaxing in an outdoor hot-spring pool, watching cherry blossom or snowflakes fall, depending on the season.
Few other countries have, in the space of a few generations, experienced so much or made such an impact. Industrialized at lightning speed, Japan shed its feudal trappings to become the most powerful and outwardly aggressive country in Asia in a matter of decades. After defeat in World War II, it transformed itself from atom bomb victim to wonder economy, the envy of the globe. Currently facing up to recession and rising unemployment after years of conspicuous consumption, Japan still remains fabulously wealthy and intent on reinvention for the twenty-first century, when, together with South Korea, it will become the first Asian nation to host soccer’s World Cup in 2002.
Japan is never going to be a cheap place to travel, but there’s no reason why it should be wildly expensive either. Some of the most atmospheric and traditionally Japanese places to stay and eat are often those that are the best value. Furthermore, the recession and tentative moves towards deregulation of the airlines, among other industries, have led to significant price-cutting in some areas.
In the cities you’ll first be struck by the mass of people. In this mountainous country, one and a half times the size of Britain, the vast majority of the 127 million population live on the crowded coastal plains of the main island of Honshu. The three other main islands, running north to south, are Hokkaido, Shikoku and Kyushu, and all are linked to Honshu by bridges and tunnels that are part of one of Japan’s modern wonders – its efficient transport network of trains and highways.
If you’re after the latest buzz, the hippest fashions and technologies, and a worldwide selection of food, head for the exciting, overwhelming metropolises of Tokyo and Osaka. The cities are also the best places in which to sample Japan’s traditional performance arts, such as Kabuki and NO plays, to catch the titanic clash of sumo wrestlers, and track down the wealth of Japanese visual arts in the major museums.
Outside the cities, from the wide open spaces and deep volcanic lakes of Hokkaido, blanketed by snow every winter, to the balmy subtropical islands of Okinawa, there’s a vast range of other holiday options, including hiking, skiing, scuba diving and surfing. You’ll seldom have to travel far to catch sight of a lofty castle, ancient temple or shrine, or locals celebrating at a colourful street festival. The Japanese are inveterate travellers within their own country and there’s hardly a town or village, no matter how small or plain, that doesn’t boast some unique attraction.
It’s not all perfect, though. Experts on focusing on detail (the exquisite wrapping of gifts and the tantalizing presentation of food are just two examples), the Japanese often miss the broader picture. Rampant development and sometimes appalling pollution are difficult to square with a country also renowned for cleanliness and appreciation of nature. Part of the problem is that natural cataclysms, such as earthquakes and typhoons, regularly hit Japan, so few people expect things to last for long anyway. There’s also a blindness to the pernicious impact of mass tourism, with ranks of gift shops, ugly hotels and crowds often ruining potentially idyllic spots.
And yet, time and again, Japan redeems itself with unexpectedly beautiful landscapes, charmingly courteous people, and its tangible sense of history and cherished traditions. Most intriguing of all is the opaqueness at the heart of this mysterious "hidden" culture that stems from a blurring of traditional boundaries between East and West – Japan is neither wholly one nor the other.
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Informative and helpful
Although I tend to favour Lonely Planet over the Rough Guide, in the case of Japan, the Rough Guide is definitely preferable, and this is increasingly the case now that the latest edition of the Lonely Planet has cut coverage of lots of off-the-beaten-track areas. The Rough Guide to Japan has the edge is conveying the feel of the places covered. I have lived in Japan for more than two years and the guide was practical and sensible on my first trips to Hiroshima and Kyoto - I still find it informative and helpful when I travel around the country now, after substantial experience of Japan. One caveat - while the coverage of such cultural sites as temples and castles is very thorough, the author is obviously not that interested in painting or sculpture. Museum after museum is dismissed for being overpriced, often when the entrance fees are, by Japanese standards, really very reasonable (600 yen or so). Some readers might be put off visiting interesting museums by this bias.
Japan is a fascinating and frustrating country. So much of its natural beauty and traditional architecture has been destroyed, but it remains an endlessly intriguing place. It deserves more visitors than it gets, but many people are put off by two main difficulties: expenses, and the scarcity of English speakers, especially outside the main cities. The Rough Guide gives useful tips on reasonably priced and pleasant accommodation; I have rarely been disappointed by a hotel or traditional inn they recommend. It also gives detailed explanations of how to get around off the beaten track, which should ease the path for the non-Japanese speaker. Newcomers and veterans alike should have few complaints.
skimpy maps, poorly indexed
This book is not marred by the "where can an English-only speaker find a good place to get drunk and party" spirit of the Lonely Planet guide. Sadly, however, it falls short of the Lonely Planet in the crucial departments of maps and index. If you're in a rental car the fact that the Rough Guide maps don't show route numbers will be a painful discovery. For train travelers, the book would be a lot more useful if the index were more comprehensive.
Best Guide Book on Japan
The Rough Guide is hands down the best travel guide on Japan. The writing is fresh and informative, the practical information is up to date and helpful, and the data is accurate. For the amount of material covered, the depth is amazing ... From Hokkaido to the islands of Okinawa you can navigate the entire country with just this book. And not just "navigate", but plan what to see, where to eat, and where to stay with a variety of options.
The main complaints previous reviewers have concern the occasional mistake and the lack of pictures. Of course, when you try to summarize an entire country in a thousand pages there will be mistakes and omissions, and of course information will go out of date. Which is why you should always double check your sources, or be prepared to roll with the punches. Most places have websites and even the smallest cities in Japan have at least a little bit of tourist information in English. If you're spending the time and money to come all the way to Japan, what does it hurt to spend a little bit of extra time on the internet double checking the details on places you want to see.
The same goes for pictures. Personally, I'd rather wait until I get to a place and see for myself what something looks like, but when it comes to pictures (or maps) the internet is a treasure trove of information.
No matter how well you plan things, there will always be hangups. Traffic is bad. A place you want to see is taking the day off. A bar you want to go to has closed its doors. The best you can do is get as much information ahead of time and hope for the best. From my experience living in Japan, if you are going to rely on one main source for your travel information in Japan, use the Rough Guide. It's better than anything else out there.
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Make your wedding the celebration of a lifetime
anywhere in the world! A destination wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and a wonderful adventure, not just for the bride and groom, but for everyone involved. A wedding away from home, however, can be a major undertaking. Where do you begin? Right here, with
Destination Bride, an indispensable guide that will take you through all the details of planning a destination wedding. As the president and founder of her own international wedding consulting firm, author Lisa Light is a respected authority on destination weddings. Inside
Destination Bride, Light details everything you need to know to prepare for a destination wedding. Her two user-friendly sections--Part I, which describes the logistics of planning an out-of-town wedding, and Part II, which provides countless ideas for destinations and venues--make the entire process manageable and stress-free. In-depth chapters include:
• Clear steps for selecting the location of your dreams and hiring reliable service providers who will make your dreams a reality
• Must-have advice for setting a wedding budget--and sticking to it • Helpful checklists and sample spreadsheets to keep you organized, focused and ready for the big day
• Words of wisdom for making seamless travel arrangements and coordinating an unforgettable ceremony
• Detailed, site-specific information on some of the most exciting wedding locales in the world, from the most well-known spots to the best-kept secrets
• Maps, color photos, overviews and important facts regarding international marriage laws and customs
• A comprehensive wedding resource appendix that no destination bride should be without
With her expertise and insider knowledge, Lisa Light empowers couples to plan with confidence, from picking the perfect spot to avoiding last minute surprises. So, if you are planning—or even considering a wedding away from home, don’t do it without Destination Bride! Kirkus Reviews November 1, 2005 Destination weddings are all the rage these days, and international wedding consultant Light shows readers how to make their day special and beautiful, regardless of location. From Europe to the Caribbean, the world is truly the wedding industry's oyster. But while it may seem romantic to say "I do" on a white sandy beach or in an ancient Scottish castle, destination weddings involve a lot of planning and easily forgotten details. Light starts with the big steps, helping couples to actually choose their ideal location, set an appropriate budget and make travel arrangements for themselves and their guests. Then she moves on to details that a lovestruck couple might overlook, such as factoring currency exchange rates into the wedding budget, considering wedding customs that might be unsuitable for another culture and the fact that marriage licenses differ in foreign countries. She provides inspirational stories from her own clients, profiling romantic success stories from all over the world, and also offers scores of practical tips, such as detailed, site-specific information for several of her favorite spots. Light is much in-demand as the authoritative voice about an explosively popular nuptial trend, and her book offers the best of her advice-at a fraction of the price!
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Nab an exquisite view of Bellagio's dancing fountains, discover which buffet lines are worth the wait, shrink the house advantage, learn the lingo before you join the game, catch one of the last classic feather shows or take your drink for a dip in the pool—
Fodor's Las Vegas 2006 offers all these experiences and more! Our local writers have traveled throughout Sin City to find the best hotels, restaurants, attractions and activities to prepare you for a journey of stunning variety. Before you leave for your trip be sure to pack your Fodor's guide to ensure you don't miss a thing.
The San Francisco Chronicle sums it up best —"Fodor's guides are saturated with information."
- We update our Las Vegas guide every year. You won't find a more accurate, current guidebook anywhere.
- Unlike other travel books, Fodor's guides rely heavily on local experts who know the territory best—so you know you're seeing the real Las Vegas.
- We give you the planning tools you need to tailor your trip. We give options for all budgets. You make the choices.
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With Fodor’s you get
much more than a guidebook–we make it easy for you to customize your dream vacation.
Visit
www.fodors.com to find up-to-date travel bargains, mini-guides to worldwide destinations, information on local festivals, dazzling drives, maps, vacation planning tips and much more!
And, for more insider secrets, visit “Travel Talk” and “Rants and Raves” online at
www.fodors.com/forums to get advice from other travelers like you.
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You'll never fall into the tourist traps when you travel with Frommer's. It's like having a friend show you around, taking you to the places locals like best. Our expert authors have already gone everywhere you might go -- they've done the legwork for you, and they're not afraid to tell it like it is, saving you time and money. No other series offers candid reviews of so many hotels and restaurants in all price ranges. Every Frommer's Travel Guide is up-to-date, with exact prices for everything, dozens of color maps, and exciting coverage of sports, shopping, and nightlife. You'd be lost without us! Completely updated every year (unlike most of the competition), Frommer's Spain features gorgeous color photos of the cities, villages, and countryside vistas that make a trip to Spain magical. We'll show you the best of the big cities: Madrid, with its tapas bars, nonstop nightlife, and the world-class Prado Museum; Barcelona, with Gaud''s wild modernist architecture, the astounding Picasso Museum, and the colorful street life of La Rambla; and Seville, from its monumental Gothic cathedral to the locals' favorite flamenco clubs. We'll take you into the countryside, where you can stay in historic paradors, tour the best sherry wineries in Andalusia, retrace the steps of Christian pilgrims in Galicia, and follow the careers of visionary artists like Salvador Dal' (in Cadaques) and El Greco (in charming, romantic Toledo). And we'll guide you to the country's best beaches, from the islands of Majorca and Ibiza to the mega-resorts along the Costa del Sol. Frommer's makes it easy to explore Spain as an independent traveler, always knowing that you have good advice, complete information, and helpful maps at your fingertips. It's all done with the trademark Frommer's attention to style, accuracy, and detail. Also included are an in-depth guide to Spain's art and architecture, as well as all the latest trip-planning advice on everything from bargain airfares to rail passes.
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