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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A real treat for the armchair traveler!, June 3, 2005
This review is from: 99 Days to Panama: An Exploration of Central America by Motorhome, How A Couple and Their Dog Discovered this New World in Their RV (Paperback)
I simply loved "99 Days to Panama: An Exploration of Central America by Motorhome" by Dr. John and Harriet Halkyard. I spent a whole weekend with the warm and friendly couple in the pages of their surprising book and felt as if I had taken the vacation with them myself. The book is charming and enchanting and hard to put down. This is why I read travel books!
It reads like letters from a friend. Harriet seems to be doing the writing, and I liked her instantly. She doesn't skimp on her advice, telling us what towns to avoid, how much bribe money you'll need, how much time will be wasted if you don't have the proper paperwork and even if you do, and how to avoid getting robbed. A general map of the couple's trip can be found in the front of the book with more detailed maps in the appendix, so you can follow along at all times. Not enough travel books do this. And there are color photographs on almost every page.
It's a lot of fun. Their adventures include serving as an ambulance for a local family, riding on a boat through the Panama Canal, cave tubing in Belize and hiking through the tops of trees in a rainforest. As they drive through towns with curious names like Chichicastenango in Guatemala and Double Head Cabbage in Belize, the respect of the Halkyards for the local people and for fellow travelers they encounter comes through. They make friends easily by giving out candy, balloons and soccer balls to the kids and vegetable seeds and pens to the adults.
Harriet engages us in her enthusiasm for the people and places she visits, and she really has quite a way with words. In Honduras: "The scenery we passed through was magnificent. Every turn presented new dramatic sweeping vistas. I could stand and turn in a circle and be in awestruck wonder in each direction." In Costa Rica: "The narrow damp dirt trail sliced through the ultimate jungle that reached so high it was as though the clumps of green at the top were in a different world." At the Blue Hole in Belize: "It was a magical place. I could imagine an ogre hiding in the rock crannies, or good fairies living among the ferns and mosses on the cliff edges."
Besides being a fascinating memoir, the book is a very good read. And it's a must-read for anybody who wants to go to Central America or anyone who wants to travel in an RV. A lot of useful information is included in the appendix, where the authors list all their expenses, their secret hiding places in the RV, gas prices in different countries, what to take along, how to travel with a dog, language schools, information on motorhome maintenance (finding dump stations, water, electricity, security, communications), camping places, directions with GPS coordinates and much more. Their Web site is www.brindlepress.com.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Rare Masterpiece, May 11, 2005
This review is from: 99 Days to Panama: An Exploration of Central America by Motorhome, How A Couple and Their Dog Discovered this New World in Their RV (Paperback)
January 14th of 2003, John and Harriet Halkyard and their dog, Brindle, hopped in their 22 foot-long motorhome and set off for Central America and a world of sleepy villages, tropical lakes and warm, deserted seashores at sunset. A world populated with dozens of vividly drawn characters: policemen, farmers, shop keepers, people they helped out and people who helped them.
Harriet's clean prose, rich in detail, quickly involves us into the joys, wonders and travails of their journey. Dr. Halkyard, a renowned marine engineer, created the invaluable appendices. Part One discusses trip preparation, expense budgets, border crossings, things to take with you and even dog permits. Appendix Two is a gazetteer of camping places, with detailed maps for each country and pictures and descriptions of each location.
Beautifully designed and profusely illustrated with color photographs throughout, 99 Days in Panama is a treat for any travel reader interested in the road to Panama. However if you actually intend to motorcamp through even a few of these countries, this book is easily worth twice its price. The Halkyards have created a rare masterpiece of a guidebook, engaging to read yet ultimately destined to end up dog-eared and coffee-stained in the glove compartment of your RV as you roll into Panama City.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tonight is the night, May 8, 2006
This review is from: 99 Days to Panama: An Exploration of Central America by Motorhome, How A Couple and Their Dog Discovered this New World in Their RV (Paperback)
With great sadness, tonight, I will finish the book by the Halkyards. My husband and I were thinking of making the Mexico to Panama trek with our dog and were reticent but now after reading the book, we have changed our minds and are planning the adventure.
Thanks to the Halkyards for de-mystyfing the journey and thank you for such a mellow read. I recommend this book to anyone venturing into Central America. I hope that there might be a follow book book.
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