One for the Road: Vroom By the Sea

by Kelly Amabile on

Australian travel writer Peter Moore, author of memorable titles such as No Shitting in the Toilet and The Full Montezuma has a new book out that was just released downunder: Following on the success of Vroom with a View, comes Vroom by the Sea: the sunny parts of Italy on a bright orange Vespa.

Tough gig, huh? Ride around coastal Italy on a sporty bike, whose color is described as “the same shade of Donatella Versace”, and write stories about travels through Sardinia, Sicily and the Amalfi Coast. All this while your wife is back at home, pregnant with your first child. Very lucky man indeed. It’s “another laugh-out-loud whilst grinding your teeth with jealousy travel memoir.”

If you’re in OZ this week, you can meet Moore and grab the book — Tonight he’ll be at Gleebooks in Sydney, tomorrow at the Malt Cafe in Beaumaris (Melbourne) and on Thursday, he’ll be at the famous Espy in St. Kilda in support of fellow travel writer Brian Thacker’s band, which will be playing that evening. He’ll also be making an appearance in Brisbane in December.

Healing through travel: Elizabeth Gilbert’s story

by Martha Edwards on

Taking a year off to travel is something that inspires envy in the best of us. But few envy Elizabeth Gilbert’s reasons for travelling — heartbroken and depressed after a bitter divorce and a failed relationship, she hightailed it to Italy to learn Italian and eat pizza, then to India to do yoga and pray, then to Indonesia to find herself. Then she wrote it all down and made a best-selling book of her adventures, and while I try not buy into hype, I read it feverishly from cover to cover, intrigued and inspired.

What Gilbert got out of her travels are the kinds of things we all want to get from travelling — to meet life-long friends, to experience a new culture fully and to find ourselves through experiences that challenge us to our very core. These are the reasons so many of us pack up our things, leave the comfort of home and immerse ourselves in unfamiliar surroundings.

But is that to say you should copycat Gilbert’s travels? Not at all — each person has their own unique path, and for some, travelling isn’t the solution to a life crisis. But to those of us who were born to collect stamps on their passports? Taking time off to travel can be the cure for all that ails us.

Want to know how to take time off for travel? Click here.

One for the Road: Moon Belize

by Kelly Amabile on

Moon has released updated editions of several Central American titles this fall. We’ve mentioned their Guatemala and Costa Rica handbooks already, and will highlight another new release today:

Joshua Berman’s Moon Belize has been nominated for Planeta’s Book of the Year award for “best place-based guidebook.” Moon has a special web-only Q & A with Josh, who has spent ten years touring and leading trips around Central America. And we’ve got some insider info from the knowledgeable author as well. Today, November 19, holds special significance for the people of Belize. In his own words, Joshua Berman tells us why:

Settlement Day – the annual reenactment of the Garinagu people’s 1823 arrival on Belizean shores – is one of the rowdiest, raging-est parties of the year in Belize. At least it is in Garinagu (also known as Garifuna) communities up and down the coast.


The biggest party, most bands, and longest drumming binges are found in Dangriga. Smaller-scale celebrations occur in Belize City, Hopkins, and Seine Bight. Festivities start on the night of the 18th, climaxing at dawn when palm be-fronded wooden dories are rowed to shore. Crowds greet the boats’ arrival with drums, dance, and alcohol and then everybody parades through town to a Church, a house party, or to the taco cart by Stann Creek Bridge.


You’ll have a difficult time finding lodging in Dangriga during the week preceding and after Settlement Day, since so many expat Garinagus from Chicago and New York book their holiday a year in advance. But you may get lucky, and if you can convive all night with the locals (as they will be doing several nights in a row), you won’t need a room anyway.

It someone hands you a shot of clear, strong-smelling liquor, it’s probably “bitters,” also called gífit. This cherished nectar of the Gods is good for what ails you: from cancer to romance. As one of Dangriga’s most famous homebrewers, Big Mac said to me from behind his counter, “It’s good for your penis, mon!”

Globe Corner Adventure Travel Lecture Series

by Kelly Amabile on

The Globe Corner Bookstore has announced its latest lecture series lineup. The Adventure Travel Lecture Series includes three events, all beginning at 6 pm at The First Parish Church, at the corner of Church Street and Massachusetts Avenue in Harvard Square. The first one is coming up soon after Thanksgiving, so here’s the scoop on the full set, in case you’ll be in the area at all over the next three months:

On Wednesday, November 28th, Peter Thomson, author of The Sacred Sea: A Journey to Lake Baikal will speak about his and his brother’s extraordinary travels to Siberia. Then, on December 13th, Ferenc Mate will talk about A Vineyard in Tuscany: A Wine Lover’s Dream, his captivating story about pursuing a dream of living in Tuscany. Finally, on January 31, 2008, Helen Thayer will read from Walking the Gobi: A 1600-Mile Trek Across a Desert of Hope and Despair. She’ll talk about her and her husband Bill’s adventures as the first man and woman to walk the entire length of almost 1,500 miles, east to west, of the Mongolian Gobi Desert.

A nice trifecta of engaging journeys have been chosen to be celebrated by the folks at Globe Corner — three very unique and different travel stories. And an interesting collection of books to check out, even if you can’t make any of the Boston-area events.

Suzhou Bookworm now open for business

by Kelly Amabile on

Back in July I took a daytrip to Suzhou, China (about 40 minutes by train outside of Shanghai) and visited the future site of The Bookworm’s latest English-language library cafe location. Owner Peter Goff took me on a tour of the construction site, which you can see here (scroll down to the photos at the bottom of the post.)

I was happy to learn this week that the transformation is complete and the new Suzhou Bookworm is now open for business. The photos really wowed me. After walking through demolition rubble and dust, it was cool to see the finished project looking so fab — the two-story bookstore cafe appears almost to be floating along one of the canals that Suzhou is famous for.

A few days ago, Peter checked in with an update on how things are going: “We had our first booktalk last night..historical fiction writer Adam Williams doing his stuff. It was great. About 30 people turned up to listen and buy books so not a bad start.” They had another event today, award-winning Canadian children’s writer Marie-Louise Gay.

This opening is another great score for booklovers in China. Be sure to visit a Bookworm location (the others are in Beijing and Chengdu) when your itinerary brings you through any of these cities.