One for the Road: The World in a City

by Kelly Amabile on

Whenever I return to New York after traveling overseas, the city becomes my home (again), and invariably also my comfort food — the tastes, smells and sounds of a larger world reminding me that it’s going to be O.K. if I don’t get back out there and travel again right away. There are plenty of ways to experience the world right here in the Big Apple!

I know this, yet it can be so easy to get caught up in daily drudgery and forget to look outside – to really LOOK and see what this city has to offer. Which is why a book like this one by New York Times reporter Joseph Berger, is perfect for hopeless wanderlusts like me: The World in a City: Traveling the Globe Through the Neighborhoods of the New New York. From the publisher:

For urban enthusiasts and armchair explorers alike, The World in a City is a look at today’s polyglot and polychrome, cosmopolitan and culturally rich New York and the lessons it holds for the rest of the US as immigration changes the face of the nation. With three out of five of the city’s residents either foreign-born or second-generation Americans, New York has become more than ever a collection of villages–virtually self-reliant hamlets, each exquisitely textured by its particular ethnicities, history, and politics. For the price of a subway ride, you can visit Ghana, the Philippines, Ecuador, Uzbekistan, and Bangladesh.

This Thanksgiving, I’m more than grateful to be able to call this microcosm of the world my home. And I’m thankful for books like this, which encourage me to keep on exploring, right here in my own backyard.

One for the Road: Realities of Foreign Service Life

by Kelly Amabile on

Jessica Hayden had been married less than 3 months when she moved half way around the world with her new husband, and soon found herself in a tent in the middle of Kyrgyzstan, heavily sedated on pain killers and hooked up to a WWII style medical contraption. It sounds like some sort of extended honeymoon trip gone horribly wrong, but in fact, it was all part of Hayden’s introduction to life as a Foreign Service representative.

Her story, along with 28 others, appears in the AAFSW’s second volume of Realities of Foreign Service Life, a collection of personal experiences from members of the U.S. diplomatic community. Focusing on the “realities” faced by diplomats and their families outside consulate walls, the authors explore topics such as schooling and housing abroad, intercultural marriage and employment for accompanying partners. Those who have already served in this capacity will surely discover tales they can relate to within the pages of this book. And it can serve as an excellent reference guide for folks contemplating a possible career in the Foreign Service.

Jessica was kind enough to share an excerpt from her story, “Your Health Abroad: What you Need to Know about Medical Evacuations”:
I generally consider myself a pretty healthy person, so when I started to experience pain in my abdomen about a year ago, I didn’t think much of it. We had only been posted in Kazakhstan for a few months and I figured my system was still getting used to the changes in my diet. I had, after all, spent the last few weeks experimenting with the local fare, eating Central Asian delicacies like kazy and kumus, otherwise known as horse sausage and camel milk.

But after a few days of increasing pain, I decided to make a late night call to our Regional Medical Officer (RMO), Dr. Kim Ottwell. It would be the beginning of my introduction to the world of medical evacuations, or what most refer to as “medevacs.”

Over the next week, I’d endure various forms of prodding (some of which I’m convinced would fall under the Geneva Convention on Torture) during my medical evacuations to Manas Air Force Base in Kyrgyzstan. I would also brave surgery in a makeshift military tent by Korean doctors who didn’t speak English, spend a week of recovery on a cot, and ultimately return home to Almaty with my appendix in a jar.

Yikes! Sounds like an overseas diplomatic duty disaster, and makes me wonder why a Foreign Service reality T.V. series has not yet surfaced?! This is the next best thing — Pick up a copy of Volume Two (2007) to learn the outcome of Jessica’s medical misadventures…and consider grabbing Volume One (2002) as well.

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.

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!”

One for the Road: Frommer’s Barcelona Day by Day

by Kelly Amabile on

Catalan bread, paella and copious amounts of Spanish wine — food is what first comes to mind when I think of my past visits to Barcelona. (Tip: I had several scrumptious meals at vegetarian gem Venus.) Then there is the inviting Mediterranean breeze, the winding stone alleyways and the entertaining Las Ramblas street performers. And of course, best of all (in my opinion) there is the art! My very favorites are the Gothic architectural masterpiece, Santa Maria del Mar and Picasso’s stunning Las Meninas series. But I’ve hardly scratched the surface…

Barcelona offers up an endless array of activities, sights and culinary delights. Which is why a book like Frommer’s brand new Barcelona Day by Day can be a traveler’s best friend. This about-to-be-released pocket guide is structured around “19 smart ways to see the city”, which includes suggested neighborhood walks, special-interest themed tours, practical day-trip options and the best lodging, dining and shopping around. And it’s packaged quite efficiently in a compact glossy 180-pager. The book contains 39 easy-to-read maps and includes a larger regional Catalonia map tucked in a rear-cover plastic pocket.

Let this handy travel partner help plan your stay in Barcelona, whether it’s for 24-hours or a week — just be sure to get there, eventually, one of these days!