The Rough Guide to Guatemala 2 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

Book Description

INTRODUCTION

Spanning the narrow Central American isthmus, Guatemala is a physical and cultural microcosm of Latin America, incorporating an astonishing array of contradictions in a country roughly the size of Ireland. Uniquely, it still has a population which is at least half native American, and the strength of indigenous culture is greater here than perhaps anywhere else in the hemisphere. More than anywhere, Guatemala is the product of the merger of sophisticated pre-Columbian cultures with Spanish colonialism and the consumerist influences of modern America.

Today, its Maya society is a hybrid of ancient traditions and more recent cultural and religious influences, which combine - above all in the highlands - to form perhaps the most distinctive culture in all of Latin America. Countering this is a powerful ladino society of equal strength, a blend of Latin machismo that is decidedly urban and commercial in its outlook. At the edges there is a certain blurring between the two cultures, but the contrast between the hustle of Guatemala City and the murmur of indigenous village markets could hardly be more extreme.

Both cultures have left Guatemala with an exceptional wealth of architectural and archeological remains, and it is this outstanding legacy that makes the country so compelling for the traveller. The Maya civilization, which dominated the entire region from 2000 BC until the arrival of the Spanish, has left its traces everywhere, and Guatemala is scattered with ruins, rising mysteriously out of the rainforest and marking out the more fertile of the highland valleys. These ancient cities, such as the magnificent Tikal, surrounded by pristine jungle, are a fascinating testament to a civilization of great complexity and with a tremendous enthusiasm for architectural grandeur. In contrast, the country's ladino heritage is typified by the colonial grace and beauty of the former capital, Antigua, with almost every town or large village in the country boasting a whitewashed church, belltower and a classic Spanish-style plaza.

Physically, Guatemala offers an astonishing range of landscape, defined by extremes, and shaken by regular earthquakes and volcanic eruptions (though you're unlikely to encounter either of these). In the south, the steamy ladino-dominated Pacific coastal plain rises towards a string of magnificent volcanic cones that mark the southern limit of the central highlands. Beyond them lies a series of rolling hills and larger granite peaks, forming the country's heartland, and home to the vast majority of the indigenous population. The scenery here is astonishingly beautiful with unfeasibly picturesque lakes, forests and lush pine-clad hills, dotted with sleepy traditional villages. Further east towards the Caribbean coast, the landscape is more tropical, replete with mangrove swamps, banana plantations and coconut palms. In the north of the country the peaks of the last great mountain range, the Cuchumatanes, drop off into the lowlands of Petén - a huge, sparsely populated area of virgin rainforest, among the best preserved in Latin America, which harbours a tremendous array of wildlife, including jaguar, ocelot, tapir, spider and howler monkeys, storks and scarlet macaws. Further south, in the cloudforests near Cobán, you may glimpse the elusive quetzal, Guatemala's national symbol, or spot a manatee in the Río Dulce.

All this natural beauty exists against the nagging background of Guatemala's turbulent and bloody history. Over the years the huge gulf between the rich and the poor, and between indigenous and ladino culture has produced bitter conflict. With the signing of the 1996 Peace Accords between the government and the former guerrillas, however, the armed confrontation has ceased and things have calmed down considerably, though many of the country's deep-rooted inequalities remain. Despite the country's considerable difficulties, most travellers find Guatemalans to be extraordinarily courteous and helpful. Though more reserved than neighbouring Mexicans or Salvadoreans and often formal in social situations, they are an incredibly hospitable nation, and you'll find most people only too eager to help you make the right bus connection or practise your Spanish.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent guide for environmentally and socially conscious travelers!.......2007-08-24

We found this guide to be outstanding. It boasts great maps, color photos, plenty of tips, and comprehensive historical and environmental coverage lacking in many competing guides. It has eco-projects and off-the-beaten-track destinations not included elsewhere. Coverage of archeological sites such as Tikal and Copan (in neighboring Honduras) are outstanding, and the Bay Islands of Honduras are included as well.

Save your money and get something more up-to-date!.......2007-08-23

This book seems to miss the mark in several aspects. I used it for a trip earlier this year but ended up buying another guidebook once there. In terms of content, it either ends up giving you waaay too much information (to where it reads like an encyclopedia) or not enough, depending on the subject. It just wasn't practical and the information was often outdated, to boot. It's also marred by endless pages of text with nary an occasional black & white photo at the end of a chapter (usually overly dense in printing and uniquely uninteresting). True to its name, it was ROUGH and not very user-friendly. The poor layout causes you to strain your eyes while searching for needed information, especially on bouncy roads in a car or bus. It's like flipping through a phone book (some of the subject headings for local services are vaguely labeled as 'listings').
I'd wait and get the new Moon Guatemala and/or Lonely Planet Guatemala. I see both companies are releasing new editions in September. Insight Guides is the book for fantastic color images, though it's not as good for practical information. Note that most of the positive reviews for Rough Guide Guatemala pre-date the release of this latest edition when there were fewer options on the market. Bottom line: This may have once been an OK guidebook to Guatemala, but there are much better options now.
Moon Guatemala (Moon Handbooks)
Lonely Planet Guatemala
Insight Guides Guatemala, Belize And the Yucatan (Insight Guides Guatemala, Belize, Yucatan)

Best Guatemala Guidebook.......2007-05-09

I have traveled to Guatemala 5 times and usually rely on Lonely Planet, but this year bought the 2006 edition of Rough Guide as well. I was SO PLEASED to have it, even though the maps are slightly better in LP. The depth of explanations in RG leaves the reader with much better understanding of places visited, and is a result of the author spending much more time exhaustively traveling and researching Guatemala than the LP authors did. I loved going to places recommended by RG but barely mentioned in LP, places devoid of backpackers following the Lonely Planet Gringo Trail. Lagunas de Sepalau and Bombil Pek near Coban were both recommended by RG and excellent, but also empty of tourists since the Lonely Planet author apparently did not visit them. I visited 5 caves in the vicinity of Coban, but LP only discussed the ones at Lanquin, which they raved about. In fact Lanquin Caves were much less impressive than several of the others. The Highlights section in Rough Guide for each region is an excellent summary of attractions. I highly recommend Rough Guide Guatemala.

Better than the other good guide to Guatemala.......2006-11-10

This guide to Guatemala is better than the one produced by Lonely Planet.

A nice thought but completely impractical.......2006-03-09

As we flipped through the Rough Guide to Guatemala 2002 edition about a month ago, we were really impressed with the layout and the backdoor feel that the Rough Guide had as opposed to the more conventional guide books. Our only hesitation was that the practical information like hotels and transportation schedules might be out of date because it was published so long ago. We found out that a new version of the Rough Guide to Guatemala was going to come out right before we left for our trip so we decided to hold out until it was published. We were so excited when it arrived and couldn't wait to get to Guatemala. When we arrived, however, it became immediately apparent that Rough Guides had not bothered to live up to their claim of reliability. The information in the guide was completely outdated. We ran into logistical problems at every turn. I understand that Guatemala is one of the countries that is in a state of constant flux but some of the hotel recommendations in the book had disappeared years ago. On the whole, the book was good for the ideas of what to see and do and the history of the country but logistically speaking, it left much to be desired. We ended up forgetting the book completely for logistical planning and asked the locals instead.

The Rough Guide to Belize 2 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

Average customer rating:

Wait until the next edition comes out.
A recommended purchase for your trip to Belize
Recommended
We tried others - but Rough Guide came through.
Very Good Guide-Needs Update

The Rough Guide to Belize 2 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)
Peter Eltringham
Manufacturer: Rough Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Rough Guide | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books

North America | Travel | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
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Frommer's Belize (Frommer's Complete)

ASIN: 1858287103
Release Date: 2001-09-06

Book Description

INTRODUCTION

Wedged into the northeastern corner of Central America, Belize offers some of the most breathtaking coastal scenery - both above and below water - in the Caribbean. Add to this magnificent inland landscapes, archaeological ruins and wildlife to rival any destination in the region, and it's easy to see why the number of visitors to this tiny country increases every year. Despite its small size - roughly that of Wales or Massachusetts - Belize has the lowest population density in Central America, a fact that contributes to its easygoing, friendly and, with the exception of bustling Belize City, noticeably uncrowded character.

Belizean territory comprises marginally more sea than land, and for most visitors it's the sea that's the main attraction. Lying just offshore is one of the country's, and the continent's, most astonishing natural wonders - the dazzling turquoise shallows and cobalt depths of the longest barrier reef in the Americas. Beneath the surface, a brilliant technicolour world of fish and corals awaits divers and snorkellers; while scattered along the entire reef like emeralds set in sapphire, a chain of islands, known as cayes, protects the mainland from the ocean swell and holds more than a hint of tropical paradise. Beyond the reef lie the real jewels in Belize's natural crown - three of only four coral atolls in the Caribbean. Dawn here is a truly unforgettable experience as the red-gold disk of the sun rises over the foaming white reef crest. These reefs and islands, among the most diverse marine ecosystems on the planet, are increasingly under threat; Belize, however, is at the forefront of practical research to develop effective protection for the entire coastal zone, which for visitors means a chance to explore some of the best marine reserves in the world.

In fact, Belizeans' recognition of the importance of their natural heritage means that the country now has the greatest proportion of protected land (over 40 percent) in the hemisphere. As a result, the densely forested interior with its plentiful natural attractions, including the highest waterfall in Central America and the world's only jaguar reserve, remains relatively untouched. The rich tropical forests support a tremendous range of wildlife, including howler and spider monkeys, tapirs and pumas, jabiru storks and scarlet macaws; spend any time inland and you're sure to see the national bird, the unmistakable keel-billed toucan. Although it's the only Central American country without a volcano, Belize does have some rugged uplands - the Maya Mountains, situated in the south-central region and rising to over 1100m. The country's main rivers start here, flowing north or east to the Caribbean, and forming some of the largest cave systems in the Americas along the way. Few of these caves have been fully explored but each year more become accessible to visitors.

In addition to these natural attractions, Belize boasts a wealth of archaeological remains. Rising mysteriously out of the forests are the ruins of the ancient cities of the Maya, the civilization that dominated the area from around 2000 BC until the arrival of the Spanish. Traces of this astonishing culture have been found all over the country; Maya ceremonial artefacts have even been discovered deep in caves. And although only a few sites in Belize have been as extensively restored as the great Maya cities in Mexico's Yucatán pensinsula, many are at least as large and in their forest settings you'll see more wildlife and fewer tour buses.

Culturally, Belize is as much a Caribbean nation as a Latin one, but with plenty of distinctively Central American features - above all, a blend of races and cultures that includes Maya, Mestizo, African and European. English is the official language - Belize only gained full independence from Britain in 1981 - and Spanish is equally common, but it's the rich, lilting Creole, based on English but typically Caribbean, that's spoken and understood by almost every Belizean, whatever their mother tongue.

Customer Reviews:

Wait until the next edition comes out........2004-03-03

This book, though it has many excellent sections and qualities, has one short-coming: its accommodations and restaurants are dated (published 2001 but most establishments were reviewed in 2000 or 1999). There are many new establishments that have opened and a bunch that have closed. I knocked on the door of the "Trends Guest House" in Belize City only to be told by the neighbor, "Its closed. Been closed for two years", "Oh", I replied. "Yea man, there was a murder" the neighbor said. "Oh?" I replied. "Yea, the owner was murdered by a guest." Oh! I replied. So the recommendations are hit and miss, but for those that which were open, the comments are reliable (most have raised their prices) and worth pursuing.

If you are going to snorkel or dive, you should know that much of the reefs in the Northern Cayes (Ambergris & Caulker) are 65-85% dead. This is because of the three hurricanes in the last 5 years. According to one marine expert, it will take 20 years or more of them to return. Nothing is said about the destruction to the coral reefs in this guide.

On the plus side this guide has excellent Internet references. Almost every hotel has email addresses and many of them have webpage addresses. Maps are clear, concise and easy to use. Tons of references that point you to a plethora of information on Belize. (most with web address). Belize is completely covered, no area of interest is omitted, and Peter Eltringham has include a very good section on TIKAL, Flores (across the boarder in Guatemala) and the Bay Islands (Roatan).

His bibliography on recommended books to read is valuable and solid for anyone that wants to know more on Belize.

All Rough Guides have a difficult to use number system to quote the price range of a hotel, i.e. one hotel is a number '6' which means between BZ$110-150 that scale is back on page 28 of the guide, then you convert the BZ$ to $US. This system is a pain when it is so much easier just to say $75 dollars.

Bottomline: WHEN the new edition comes out, Rough Guide to Belize will be at the very top of the Belize guides but, until then, you will be best served by another guide.

A recommended purchase for your trip to Belize.......2003-03-31

My wife and I went to Belize in April 2002. I reviewed several books of Belize, of which there were few. This one seemed to be the book to buy. I wasn't disappointed. It had very good restuarant recommendations for Ambergris Caye as well as hotel info. Some information was not updated (internet cafe in Cayo had moved, [an inexpensive] great internet connection place was not mentioned also, a series of cabins that were listed as in business in Crooked Tree were *completely* run-down and *nowhere* near being in business) but this didn't hamper our vacation very much. It had good info on stuff to do in and near Cayo. Bottomline: buy this guide if you're going to Belize.

Recommended.......2002-09-30

(Planeta.com Journal) - This 300-page book is a superb second edition that details the best of ways of exploring Belize (and nearby Tikal and the Bay Islands). What Belize First calls "a tour de force" is a must-read for travelers heading to this country. Author Eltringham's first visit was during his tour of duty by the UK's Royal Air Force. He's returned numerous times and covers community tourism issues with the same clear-spoken authority of trekking and diving. Independent travelers will relish the detailed information, practical advice and helpful maps.

We tried others - but Rough Guide came through........2002-07-06

We had Lonely Planet "Central America" and Fodor's "Guatemala and Belize", but it was Rough Guide we kept coming back too. In our trip to Guatemala and Belize we spent 4 days in Belize, but only out on the Cayes. Most of the time was spent on Caye Caulker (a very laid back and relaxing escape) staying at Mara's Place which was listed in the guide without much fanfare, but hit the spot.

If you need low budget (~25US per room - no tax!) stay with Mara. She is right near the swimming spit and has lovely cabins (no A/C, but ceiling fans) that are simple, but clean. You'll always notice Mara driving around town in her sporty ATV.

For the size of the Caye the restaurants are plentiful with most listed in the guide.

The one short coming was scuba info. Belize barrier reefs are known for their great scuba and snorkeling and the island has plenty of shops - but only 1 is listed. They will refer you elsewhere if they can't accomodate you, but I am surprised that Rough Guide didn't dedicate more space to this popular sport. I assume the writer either a) didn't spend much time on the Cayes or b) didn't care much for water sports. Might have been both, but this is a huge oversight given that the Cayes are one of the most popular destinations in Belize.

Despite this shortcoming - you won't be disappointed.

Very Good Guide-Needs Update.......2001-02-28

After looking at several other books we chose this one for our 14 day trip in January of 2001. It was an excellent resource for important info and interesting tid-bits. It is a little old now and some information is out dated at this point. It could really use an update. My husband and I would volunteer to go again!! We had a great time and higly recomend Belize for the less mainstream traveler. Go now though, it is definatly changing! Don't miss Hol Chan marine reserve snorkeling and Placencia village. Also, we loved Crooked Tree and Tikal. Have a great time and take this book with you!!!

The Rough Guide to First-Time Latin America, Edition 2 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

Average customer rating:

Great book for travelers planning their first trip to the region.
Buy this first!

The Rough Guide to First-Time Latin America, Edition 2 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)
Polly Rodger Brown , and James Read
Manufacturer: Rough Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Rough Guide | Guidebook Series | Travel | Subjects | Books

North America | Travel | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1843535858

Book Description

Packed with essential information in a clear, concise format and delivered in an engaging manner, the second edition of First-Time Latin America helps prepare readers planning their trip. It includes information on what tickets to buy, where to stay, what to eat and how to stay healthy. There are insightful overviews of each Latin America country highlighting thes best places to visit with country specific websites and necessary budget information. It is designed to answer the ''soft'' issues not addressed by country-specific guides, for example, how to lessen the culture shock of your very first night in Latin America; what to think about if you''re considering travelling on your own and what to do when you return home. This edition includes an expanded chapter on working and studying in Latin America. This guide is designed for the weeks/months before you get on the plane.

Customer Reviews:

Great book for travelers planning their first trip to the region........2007-03-02

I bought this book when I first began planning my trip to Latin America. I hadn't ever been to the region and wanted to know as much about it as possible. When I bought the book, my prior travels included the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and I knew that Latin America would be a bit different! It's a great book for travelers planning a first trip to Central or South America, and also a great guide for first-time travelers in general. I think people of any age would find this book helpful, too--it's information that any traveler will find useful.

There is a chapter on each country in the region with highlights to consider visiting, plus practical information on what to take, how to get around, routes to consider, visas, health, safety, and lots more. It's not a book you will probably take with you when you leave, but one you'll want to read in the beginning or mid-stages of planning your adventure. It'll answer a lot of your questions and concerns and help you have a better idea of what to expect.

I'm definitely glad I bought and read this book as it prepared me well for my three month adventure in Central America and addressed many of my concerns and questions. Recommended for everyone considering or planning a trip to Latin America.

Buy this first!.......2006-11-10

A great book to start with. We bought First-Time Asia before we took off to Asia for 6 months and it was extremely useful to help with all the planning and decide where we wanted to go. This time we know we want to go to Latin America but have no idea how south we will go or what so this book is great for the rampant changing of minds that occurs while we plan trips bc the information is so broad and covers everything. But it's just the basics. You will need a guide for each country you go to to take with you (we usually buy them used and trade them in when we arrive). Leave this one at home.

The Rough Guide to The Maya World 2 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

Average customer rating:

Disappointing and sloppy
Disappointing Coverage of Mayan Sites

The Rough Guide to The Maya World 2 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)
Peter Eltringham , John Fisher , and Iain Stewart
Manufacturer: Rough Guides
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Mexico | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

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Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

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The Rough Guide to Belize, Third Edition

ASIN: 1858287421

Book Description

INTRODUCTION

Some three thousand years ago, nomadic tribes began to settle deep in the Mesoamerican rainforests, establishing the foundations of the most sophisticated ancient civilization on the American continent. The land they chose, which we know today as the Maya World, extends through southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and a sliver of El Salvador and Honduras. It's an astonishingly diverse environment, with the hot, scrub-forested plain of the Yucatán peninsula in the north blending gradually into the lowland jungle of the centre, and in the south a spectacular mountainous region, studded with volcanoes and crater lakes and draped with pine and cloudforests. While the southern coastline is pounded by the Pacific Ocean, gentler Caribbean waters lap the white-sand beaches and coral islands that fringe the region's eastern shores.

This is a land whose natural attractions would draw visitors anyway - and indeed the Caribbean coast of Mexico, and to a lesser extent the cayes of Belize and Honduras's Bay Islands, are big resort areas - but it's the chance to visit the monumental ruins of ancient Maya cities, some of them stranded in dense, tropical rainforest, that sets the region apart. Tikal and Palenque are among the most atmospheric sites, dominated by colossal temple pyramids and set in jungle that screeches with toucans, parakeets, and spider and howler monkeys. To the north, the less humid environs of the Yucatán are home to the equally magnificent architecture of Chichén Itzá and Uxmal; further south, the turbulent history of Copán in Honduras is recorded in some of the finest carved monuments and stelae in the Maya World. But these are just a few of the most impressive Maya ruins - scattered throughout the region are the remains of more than a thousand other settlements, for the most part completely unexcavated.

Although all the major cities had been mysteriously abandoned by 1200 AD, the region was never completely depopulated and, despite the depredations of the Spanish Conquest, descendants of the great astronomers, architects and calendar-keepers survive in the region today. Of approximately nine million indigenous Maya, Guatemala is home to over six million, with around two million in Mexico, and the rest in smaller communities in Belize and Honduras. For the vast majority of modern Maya, Spanish has always been a second language, and their nominally Catholic (but increasingly evangelical) faith is still tempered with traditional religious customs. Inimitable Maya textiles continue to be worn, especially in the highlands of Guatemala and Chiapas, and some isolated communities still observe the 260-day Tzolkin calendar of their ancestors. Having survived almost five hundred years of colonial oppression and political persecution, there are unmistakable signs of a cultural reawakening, as Maya throughout the region develop a renewed sense of pride in their unique identity.

This staggering ancient - and modern - cultural heritage is matched by the region's equally rich natural environment. Offshore, virtually the entire Caribbean coastline is protected by the second longest barrier reef in the world: diving or snorkelling in the warm waters here, amidst a kaleidoscopic world of tropical fish and coral, is an unforgettable experience. Though the smallest of the Maya nations, it's Belize that has the strongest tradition of state environmental protection, which has ensured the preservation of a landscape ranging from the granite peaks of the Maya Mountains, riddled with caves holding Maya artefacts, to the western rivers and jungle, best visited from the ecotourism base of San Ignacio. Throughout the region, however, the network of national parks and reserves is growing, offering protection to some spectacular wildlife, including jaguars and other cats, lumbering tapirs, monkeys and an incredible number of bird species.

Travelling around the Maya World is an adventure in itself. There's an excellent network of roads - of varying quality - almost constantly traversed by buses. This is how most people travel and, though not always comfortable, taking the bus is a quintessential Central American experience - you may find yourself sharing a seat with a Maya woman and her three kids, or even a chicken or two. The countless Caribbean islands of the Yucatán, Belize and Honduras are served by regular boats and ferries; while internal flights can save days of travel and won't necessarily break the bank.

Now that the civil wars in El Salvador and Guatemala are over, the only ongoing conflict in the region is in the Chiapas highlands, where a Zapatista-led rebellion has been smouldering since 1994; this has little effect on travellers to the area, though. Safety is a real issue, however, and, though it's the usual pickpocketing and bag-snatching that most travellers need to worry about, where risks are more significant we've outlined them in the text.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing and sloppy.......2003-01-12

I spent a month in Central America, circling from Belize through Northern Guatemala into Chiapas back into South-Central Guatemala into Honduras back up to East Guatemala and into Belize again. Normally, I always travel with Lonely Planet guidebooks. However, I got this book instead of the one by Lonely Planet covering the same basic area because I had read negative reviews of the LP version here on Amazon. I won't make that mistake again -- the Rough Guide to the Maya World is a disappointment.

The Good:
The strongest point was the the cultural background, though counterintuitively, it is relegated to the back of the book as kind of an afterthought. Based on my past experiences with LP, I still believe that Lonely Planet is more comprehensive, though, so this is faint praise for the Rough Guide.

The Bad:
Maybe this happens with all guidebooks to volatile regions, but much of the info was woefully out of date. At least one of the five or so restaurants listed in every city I visted had gone out of business. Prices, especially for expeditions from Flores, had very nearly doubled in some cases.

On a related note, and much less forgivable, some places were in different locations than they were marked on the maps. In some cases, the text gave the right address, but the map was mismarked. In other cases, text was scattered across the maps in a way that you couldn't figure out which building it was referring to. LP crushes the Rough Guide both in the quality and quantity of maps -- several times I wandered into town with no map, something that LP will never do to you.

Some info which would have been interesting to know and very easy to list (population, for example, or detailed info about the climate and temperature, or info about local artwork and craftwork, or even descriptions of what the particular crafts and food that made a town famous) were absent.

Listed durations for Guatemalan buses were laughable. Take whatever the Rough Guide says a trip will last and add about 33%. Maybe even 50%. If they say that a trip will last five hours or more, expect it to take a full day. Belize and Mexico were generally more accurate.

The physical book itself was not very durable, and after taking generally good case of it for 3 weeks, pages started to fall out even though I had not bent the book or otherwise harshly handled it. This made me really appreciate LP's durable spines.

One very irritating trend in the book is that borders often have different and conflicting information listed for them, depending on which country chapter you are reading -- for example, the Guatemala chapter will describe the border as staffed by very corrupt officials and with 3 connecting buses every day into Mexico, while the Mexico chapter won't mention the border guards and will list 5 connecting buses into Mexico. It's as if the writers for each country never compared their notes, or went at different times, or the editors never proofread everything to have it all add up. In short, the border info is pretty sloppy.

Worst of all, border taxes (legitimate ones for boat and air departures rather than the shakedowns the books describes and which seldom actually happen) were out of date -- you have to pay a big chunk of change to leave Guatemala by plane or boat, for example, and Belize always gouges you for leaving, though not the same price for each means of transport. Check with online bulletin boards for up to date info.

Conclusion:
Like I said, the Rough Guide disappointed me. While probably only about 15% was wrong, I ended up spending considerable time and money because of those shortcomings. Even though the LP guide for the same area has been trashed by Amazon users, I would still advise getting that book, if only for the benefit of having a complete set of maps at your disposal. Also, in my experience, LP books are more coherent and readable. Sight unseen, I say go with LP instead.

Disappointing Coverage of Mayan Sites.......2000-09-21

It was time for our annual trip to foreign fields, so Imogen and I visited Merida in the Yucatan Peninsula in September 2000. We took two guidebooks with us -- the Rough Guide to the Mayan World and a slightly out of date Lonely Planet Guide to Mexico. Our intention was to visit several Mayan sites on the vacation, so we chose the Rough Guide expecting the coverage of the Mayan sites to be good. As it turned out, we found the Rough Guide to be particularly disappointing in the coverage of the Mayan sites, particularly when compared with the Lonely Planet guide. The Rough Guide reads as if it has been cobbled together from the different Rough Guides for the different countries that make up the Mayan region. We did not think there had been sufficient effort to build a focus on the Mayan world.

While out in Mexico, we went on two highly enjoyable trips to the two major Mayan sites in the state of Yucatan -- Chichen Itza and Uxmal. There are maps of both of these sites in both guidebooks, but the description and explanation in the text of the Lonely Planet guide surpasses that of the Rough Guide. However, where we felt the Rough Guide really disappointed was in the coverage of minor sites. We journeyed to Uxmal via the Ruta Puuc. This is a roundabout route that takes in four minor sites before reaching the grand finale of Uxmal. The Lonely Planet guide had at least a couple of paragraphs on each of these minor sites and occasionally a map. The Rough Guide had almost nothing for some of the sites. When we were traveling to the sites on a very smooth road, it amused us to read the description of the barely paved road we were actually using according to the Rough Guide. I suppose the Rough Guide made us feel like we were undertaking a far more difficult and romantic adventure.

On a brighter note, the Rough Guide did a better job of describing the town of Merida. We found Merida's bus service particularly confusing since there are at least five bus terminals that are well used. The Rough Guide gave a slightly clearer account of which terminals to use. One small point is to ignore all of the prices in either of the books. This accuracy is not the fault of either of the books but just the nature of the Mexican currency. Both books make it clear that the prices will be inaccurate, however it is still worth repeating. Just by way of an example, the Rough Guide quotes the entry price for Uxmal as 4 US dollars. We actually handed over 80 pesos each, or closer to 9 US dollars. This magnitude of difference was not uncommon. I suspect the Rough Guide was written when the Mexican peso had just dropped to a low against the dollar and prices in Mexico had not adjusted.

Book Description

INTRODUCTION

Hemmed in by the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, the slender land bridge of Central America stretches from Mexico to South America - seven piecemeal nations stacked on top of each other in a narrowing isthmus. Its geography is in many ways its destiny: a small but distinctive region which for millennia has been the meeting point of the plants, animals and people of the giant continents to the north and the south. Although Central America has receded in the general public consciousness following the resolution of the conflicts which convulsed it during the 1980s, the region's new-found stability has resulted in something of a tourism renaissance, as thousands of visitors have come to experience its startling natural beauty and biodiversity at first hand, along with a range of man-made attractions ranging from the Maya ruins and traditional highland communities of Guatemala to the modernist skyline of Panamá City.

Central America's position at the volcanic cusp between North and South America, and at the meeting point of tropical and temperate climatic zones, has created a startling, often surreal landscape, ranging from the rugged, mountainous cloudforests of Costa Rica and Panamá to the impenetrable swamp-jungles of Mosquitia in eastern Honduras and Nicaragua. Beaches, coves, cayes and island archipelagos hem the coral-laced coasts, while volcanoes - some active - form a backbone of fire that stretches the length of the isthmus. Not surprisingly, given its pivotal geographical and biological position, Central America seems to have been designed for the ecotourist, with a complex system of interlocking terrains, from pristine rainforest to rare mangrove, which are home to a fascinating range of birdlife and wildlife, including tropical, temperate and hybrid species. And along with ecotourism go more traditional pleasures: lolling on Costa Rica's palm-draped Caribbean beaches, diving and snorkelling off the coral atolls of Belize, or exploring the sand-fringed islands of Panamá's San Blas archipelago.

Amidst all the hype about the region's natural beauty it's easy to forget that this part of the world was home to one of the Americas' most sophisticated pre-Columbian cultures, the Maya, whose splendid civilization flourished in Guatemala - and to a lesser extent in modern-day Belize, Honduras and El Salvador - between 300 and 900 AD. During this period the region was made up of independent and often mutually antagonistic city-states - Tikal in Guatemala, Copán in Honduras and San Andrés in El Salvador being three of the more prominent - which fought each other for prestige and economic dominance while their architects and craftsmen fashioned fabulous cities and stelae and their scientists created the famous Maya calendar, one of the most complex systems of measuring time ever devised.

The high point of Maya civilization had already passed, however, when Central America was "discovered" by the Spanish during Christopher Columbus's fourth and last voyage to the Americas in 1502-4. Columbus himself barely set foot in Central America, however, preferring to anchor offshore and write florid letters back home to his sovereign, packed with references to maidens and gold (of which the Spaniards unhappily discovered very little). Nearly ten years later, in 1513, the conquistador Vasco Nuñez de Balboa slashed and clambered his way over the scaly mountain spine of Panamá, becoming the first European to set eyes on the American side of the Pacific Ocean.

Within a few years, in 1519, the Spanish had established Panamá City; the city of León, in present-day Nicaragua, followed in 1524; and in 1541, in Guatemala, they established their most important capital, Antigua, from which the region was administered. Still, Central America remained a backwater of the Spanish Empire in the New World: poor in gold and stuffed with venomous snakes, impenetrable jungles and often hostile natives. In human terms, the ensuing colonial period was characterized by the arrival of waves of yeoman farmers from Spain, and the deaths of countless thousands of indigenous people from diseases to which they had no immunity, while many others were taken as slaves to work the mines in Peru.

Customer Reviews:

Cental America.......2003-08-05

I found this book adequate for my needs of traveling from country to country in Central America over four months. It was lacking in some detail at points, but I enjoyed its easy to follow format and thought the maps were great. If you're spending just a bit of time in each country this is a great book to consider. If you are going only to one or two countries in the region, consider buying books specific to those countries. The format was easier to follow than lonely planet's central america guide.

Cental America.......2003-08-05

Unreliable, sloppy descriptions.......2003-05-20

I have been traveling around the world for a while and this is the worst guide book I have ever used. The maps are inadequate. The information is far from complete. The descriptions seem to be more political propaganda than a picture of Central America. This book tells you what to think instead of letting you know what to expect. It took the joy out of traveling and it's lack of information put my safety at risk.

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