Viva List Latin America
Book Review
By Richard Frisbie
Viva List Latin America - Edited by Paula Newton, Michelle
Hopey and Crit Minster PhD.
 Subtitled
333 Places and Experiences That People Love, this is not your usual guidebook.
In fact, it isn't a guidebook at all. Rather, "Viva List Latin America" is a
compendium of over 300 real first person travel adventures throughout Latin
America.
Forget what travel agents tell you in full-color glossy
brochures, this is a down and dirty look at non-tourist destinations, or of
tourist destinations as a local would see them, written by people who lived
there, worked there and know the language.
Designed more for a coffee table than a backpack, "Viva
List Latin America" is presented in a country-by-country collection of singular
experiences. Each chapter begins with a brief overview of a country's history,
touching on important high points and all things necessary to travel there. For
instance, the Argentina introduction lists: "the tango, the lambada, Evita,
Gauchos, wine, champion futbol teams" and then distills Argentina to the best
single word description, "passion".
Subsequent paragraphs elaborate on those words, and then
list Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, Buenos Aries and other natural and man-made
wonders the chapter explores more thoroughly. Additionally, there is a map of
the country with all the locations of the articles pinpointed, and an insert
locating Argentina in a map of South America. If you read nothing else (shame on
you) this one page introduction to a country is imperative to truly understand
the essence of your destination.
The book itself can be read as a book of short stories,
cherry-picking the one-page articles about your planned destinations to gain
insight into what to expect when you arrive. The whole section could also be
read to help plan your itinerary throughout the country. Either way, the
singular and idiosyncratic travel essays were picked by the editors to present
in depth a dimension of travel that is frequently only a sentence in a
traditional guide - if it is mentioned at all.
Page after page, the culture, history and people come
together, separate voice by separate voice, to create the definitive picture of
a country as a travel destination. You won't take this book with you when you
travel, but, once you read it, you'll arrive at your destination steeped in the
knowledge you'll need to thoroughly enjoy and experience it, not just observe it
through a tour bus window.
In all, twenty-six Latin American countries are given the
Viva Travel Guide treatment, each divided into pages of enlightened nuggets that
are then collected into the first page overview. Throughout, sidebars of travel
tips, reviews and photos of destinations complete the feeling of an insider's
view. Reading Viva List Latin America, it's almost as if you have a personal
guide, a friend, say, at each destination steering you clear of the pitfalls as
they lead you through the richest experiences of their homeland.
"Viva List Latin America" is an incredible journey into the
mysterious and vibrant land of Latin America as experienced through the eyes of
140 writers and photographers from around the world. 8.5x11 355 pages ISBN 13 -
978-0-9791264-0-6 Paperback $19.95. Available through
www.vivatravelguides.com |
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