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The handsomest man in Cuba by Lynette Chiang ISBN: 1863254161 One used copy in very good condition $7 |
In the glut of Cuban travel books, this one really stands out. Written by a Chinese-Australian solo cyclist who rides a folding bike, it is lively, well-observed and goes off the beaten track. Chiang captures the generosity of Cubans who have little or nothing, but prefer friendship to money. Although cashed up with dollars, she admits to being less generous than her hosts, making her an unusually honest narrator - Caroline Baum, Sun Herald August 3, 2003 |
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Hell or High Water:
Surviving Tibet's Tsangpo River by Peter Heller ISBN: 1741145988 One used copy in near mint condition $16 (RRP is $29.95) |
Hell or High
Water takes you on a
heart-stopping, awe-inspiring journey into a near-inaccessible world of
death-defying white water and international river cowboys. A place so
remote, so veiled in mystery and steeped with religious significance
that one of its earliest explorers called it the very end of the earth'. Peter Heller, an extreme kayaker himself, was on the expedition's ground support team. He is an author (Set Free in China: Sojourns on the Edge) and a contributor to National Geographic Adventure, Harper's, Men's Journal and National Public Radio USA's "All Things Considered". |
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Travels in an Old
Tongue: Touring the World Speaking Welsh by Pamela Petro ISBN: 0-00-655010-X One new, remaindered copy $12 |
Studying in Lampeter, Dyfed and learning Welsh, Pamela Petro found it infuriating that whenever she stumbled with her Welsh, the locals would always revert to English. She decided to go where English was not an option - all kinds of unlikely places with long-standing Welsh-speaking communities. She visited the Hong Kong Men's Choir, all Chinaman who sing in Welsh; the Japanese bardic "eisteddfod" in Tokyo; the Welsh golfers of Oslo; the diners of the Paris Welsh society; and Patagonia. |
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Semar's Cave: an Indonesian Journal by John Mateer ISBN: 1-92073-114-8 One new, slightly shelf-worn copy $15 (RRP $24.95) |
In 1998, the poet
John Mateer arrived in the Sumatran city of Medan, his intention merely
to write a handful of poems and investigate the origins of Cape Malay
culture. But with a keen eye for detail and a fascination with everyday
life Mateer was soon recording his daily experiences. The Indonesia of Semar's
Cave is not that of the television news. Whether describing a
package tour to Lake Toba , meditating at Borobudur or discussing
literature at an embassy party in Jakarta, Mateer's insights into
Indonesia today are measured and precise. Neither travel writing nor
reportage, neither exotica nor history, Semar's Cave is
what may be expected of a poet of his calibre -- an understated yet
challenging reflection on the ethics of travel, writing and being
Australian in Indonesia. |
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Spiritual Adventures: A
Traveller's Guide to Extraordinary Vacations by Stephanie Ocko ISBN: 0806523699 Remaindered, new paperbacks $16 (rrp is $28.95) |
Every kind of travel broadens the mind, but
spiritual adventures are the latest and most popular way to enrich the
soul. Whether the experience involves a pilgrimage to a holy site or a
weekend spent drumming in a forest clearing, participants in spiritual
travel are looking for a new, adventurous way to expand their spirits.
Most of these aspiring adventurers are lost when it comes to
differentiating between a Vision Quest in Upstate New York and a trip to
the Pyramids during a solstice. Spiritual Adventures equips vacationers
with the tools they need to make their own spiritual journey more robust
so they can choose what is safe, right, and most fulfilling for them. Stephanie Ocko, author of Adventure Vacations, addresses the practical dilemmas that arise along the way to a heightened sense of awareness such as the clothing necessary for each journey, the cost, the level of fitness required, and the science necessary to communicate with wild animals. Whether it be standing in the center of Stonehenge or learning healing from a shaman, Spiritual Adventures includes the experiences of past participants in every type of vacation. Featured are detailed accounts of visits to Macchu Picchu and Irish menhirs, a Vision Quest in Joshua Tree Monument, California, and a structured swim with Dolphins in Honduras. Complete with a list of locations, this is the ultimate blueprint for an enriching voyage to a new world of spiritual awareness. |