great guidebook. Describes in detail the good, the bad and the ugly of Nepal. The language section was extremely useful. A few hours spent learning some useful greetings and phrases will pay off tenfold upon arrival in Nepal. Being able to bargain or ask for directions in the native language is a lot of fun and much appreciated, especially since most travellers do not take the time to learn anything more than "Namaste."

This book has given me comfort and a wealth of information about what I would like to do and see in Nepal. Having a well planned trip in advance is smart and this book will probably tell you everything you need to know about anything, and more. Food, health issues, places to stay, sights, special points, etc. Definitely worth the investment.

I just returned from Nepal using this guide. The book was very well-written with lots of practical advice-- everything from how to book an airline to what kind of diahrrea you may have picked up. Very accurate information re. hotels, modes of transportation, etc. Useful vocabulary list.

This is the book that first opened my eyes to Nepal and its culture. It's much more than a guidebook: it has a sensitivity and compassion for its subject that is almost unique in the field of travel writing. It doesn't coddle you with if-it's-day-three-this-must-be-Namche route descriptions, but lets you find your own adventure and gain profound insights along the way. It also has an extensive medical section.

Stephen Bezruchka has prepared a valuable and complete guide to trekking in the Nepal / Everest region. The book offers practical advise from years of personal experience for anyone thinking about a trip to the area. Bezruchka also creates a much needed ecological awareness and offers substantial insight into the culture of Nepal. The book is much more than a travel guide and just plain interesting. I don't often give books five stars, but this work was beyond my highest expectations - a labor of love. Highly recommended!

This is the most fantastic travel guide I've ever used and the only one you will need in Nepal. Bezruchka's love and respect for the Nepali people is evident in every line and will enhance your journey to Nepal as well. We followed his advice and had a much richer experience for it. We watched other tourists who didn't follow his advice being laughed at and ignored. The language book and tape that you can order were incredibly helpful, way better than any dictionary. We were able to converse competently which made a huge difference in our experience. Don't bother with the Lonely Planet guide, which just tells you how to get through the country as cheaply as possible. There is so much more to experiencing Nepal than saving a buck here and buck there.

I would agree with all previous reviews that this book is a must-have for all trekkers heading to the Everest region. I used it myself quite extensively on my trek there in May 2001, and it was most useful. The only thing I can add is that not only does it have very detailed maps and practical advice for the trekker, but it is also very compact and leightweight, which is very important if you are going to heights of more than 5,000m! The books' binding is sturdy and paper quite thick, which is good for backpacking (it will not fall apart after a week of trekking). I think this book is the best buy.

Before my trip to Nepal I ended up purchasing almost every english book on Nepal I could find. The Bezruchka book is definitely the bible on Nepal but is very large and doesn't have specifics about the Everest region. This book by Jamie Mc Guinness is very up-to-date and has great trail and village maps which are very accurate. There are suggested itineraries which are very nice but the format is easy to follow on the trail in case you decide to go on your own route. The suggested day hikes for acclimitisation days were very good too.

This book is far better than any of the general trekking in Nepal books if you are heading to the Everest region. The itineraries are great. The maps are very helpful and the directions completely eliminate the need for a guide. If you are planning on heading to the Everest area, this is a must have.

Being a traveller who usually swears by Lonely Planet guides, I have to admit that when it came down to taking one or the other, the Lonely Planet book stayed at home and this one made it into my backpack. It's just plain good. I will be sure to check out other Moon Guides in the future. Their series might soon be alongside my LP and Footprint Guide collections.

This may be the best guide book I have ever used. I think I should write Kerry Moran a fan letter for helping me to have an amazing and wonderful time on my six-week trip to Nepal without always feeling like a clueless tourist. This guide is so well written and interesting that I read it cover to cover during the trip-- even the sections about places we weren't planning to go. The cultural descriptions are informative and sensitively written, but not unrealistically rose-colored. The guides to towns and trekking routes give you an accurate and practical idea of what to expect when you get there without being overdetailed or bossy about telling you what do. The Nepali vocabulary and grammar in the appendix really came in handy and Nepalis, even when they could speak English, seemed genuinely pleased that I was trying to speak Nepali. The maps are not especially good, but then even with maps you would still have to ask directions. This is a great guide for anyone whose itenerary is not set in stone and who wants to get some genuine insight into Nepali culture.

This may be the best guidebook I've ever used-- I read it cover to cover during my trip, and feel like I ought to write Kerry Moran a fan letter. The advice and information in this book helped me to have an amazing and wonderful experience Nepal without always feeling like a clueless tourist. The descriptions of Nepali culture and customs are sensitively written and indespensible for a mystified first time visitor. The guides for trekking routes and towns are right on the mark but not overdetailed, so you get an accurate idea what to expect without being told exactly what to do. The Nepali vocabulary and grammar in the appendix were very handy and I really had fun trying to speak the language. This book does not have good maps, but I was able to get pretty good maps in Nepal.

I did the Annapurna Circuit trek (Around Annapurna) last September with this book. I was my bible.
The book has very good chapters about Nepal in general, Kathmandu and Pokhara but it's strength lies in the trail maps and text.
The maps are very very detailed (you can't get lost...), they indicate where is the next steep climbing and how much time does it takes to the next village. In the text you can find recommendations for eating and lodging (that never miss...).
The book covers all the popular treks in the Annapurna region but also offer side treks for more adventrous trekkers.

The bottom line : Worth every Penny!

This guide is all you need for the Annapurna. Beats the pants off Lonely Planet. Great maps, highlights, places to stay, etc.; small and lightweight; good gear list for preparing, info on when to go; bits on Kathmandu and Pokhara. We hiked the entire circuit and used Bryn several times each day.

I found the information in the book was great help. The maps together with the estimated timings were particularly helpful in deciding the route to take.

In addition to the treks Bryn Thomas also gives useful information on places to stay.

We used the book when treking from Jomsom to Pokhara and it was invaluable.

Visitors to Nepal are frequently young trekkers. A Balcony in Nepal gives us a heartwarming, compassionate view of village and homelife through the eyes of two older women. They describe the unique beauty of the mountains and the people with whom they have interacted in repeated visits to the village of Badel in words and sketches that will remain with you. It is a very touching personal account that goes far beyond most travel books.

There's more to Nepal than climbing, trekking or the teeming streets of Kathmandu. Through thoughtful writing and lively drawings, Sally Olds and Marge Roche invite us to share their involvement in the life of a remote Rai village. We learn about joyous festivals, meet fascinating people and become part of the struggle to live daily life without the amenities we consider necessary. The freindships they make stir our imagination. And by recording their thoughts and reactions to what they've seen, they raise interesting questions on the effect tourists are having on the village and Nepal itself.

The author, Sally Wendkos Olds, has brought experience and talent to use in telling of her experiences in a remote village. Marge Roche's illustrations enhance the story and stand alone as beautiful works. I highly recommend this book to any who would like to experience a very different way of life. Beautiful book!

This is the book to read when you are sitting around in Pokhara by the lake, or hanging out in your hotel room. Full of the quirky flavor of travel in Nepal. And yes, of course, I'm biased -- I wrote one of the stories in it -- but I don't make any money by getting you to buy it. Just like the book and want it to stay in print!

Traveler's Tales is the postmodern guidebook. Instead of lists of iteneraries, temple admission prices and grainy photos, the authors of this book allow the reader to imagine Nepal in all of its tantalizing fullness. The excerpts selected range on topic and style, but all present unique aspects of the Nepali experience-- rural and urban, male and female, touristic and holistic. In opening the pages you can smell the spice markets, hear the chants of priests, feel the grinding poverty, inhale the crystalline Himalayan air and allow yourself to be carried down the narrow alleys of Pokhara. After reading Traveler's Tales: Nepal, I assue you you'll immediately run to Expedia to check fares to Kathmandu.

I loved this book, it was a great travel book. This book gave me insights into the culture and beliefs of Nepal, not just places to stay or to eat like most travel books. All of the stories were unique and made me really excited to hop on a plane and travel there. With this book I know what to expect once I get there and know enough not to offend their culture as an American.

I recommend using this to supplement a Fromer's or Lonely planet travel book.

I have been a huge Tintin fan ever since I received my first Tintin book ('The Red Sea Sharks') in 1974, while on a trip to Kashmir. I have read all of Tintin's adventures as a child, but I have never truly appreciated Herge's artistic style. Now as an adult, I am amazed by the sheer detail and complex characterization of all the Tintin books. Tintin books are truly classic graphic novels which are as interesting to read in 2000 as they were in 1974! I am 32, and I still pick up the ocassional Tintin graphic novel to read whenever the mood strikes me. As an adult, 'Tintin in Tibet' is my favorite book of the entire Tintin series. I am also really glad that the adventures of Tintin are now shown on cable television. If you only had to buy one Tintin book in the entire series (I hope you buy them all), then 'Tintin in Tibet' is the one to have. This book combines great art with amazing characters set in a truly exotic country -- Tibet!

Tintin and Snowy were created in 1929 by Georges Remi (a.k.a. Herge). In 1934 Herge met a young Chinese student, Chang Chong-Chen, at which point Tinti''s creator became convinced of the importance of having a soundly built storyline and getting the facts straight. In short, Herge started taking his soundtrack very seriously. After the Communists took over China, Herge and Chang lost touch. In 1960 the English version of "Tintin in Tibet" was published and it was immediately clear that this was a very personal story for Herge, who was writing about his friendship with a friend he had not seen in decades.

Tintin has a dream about Chang, the boy he made friends with in China in "The Blue Lotus." Chang is lying in the snow, half buried, holding out his hands and calling to Tintin to help him. When Tintin gets a letter from Change he is surprised at the remarkable coincidence, but then he reads in the newspaper that Chang's plane has crashed in Tibet. Tintin, convinced his friend is not dead, goes off to save his friend.

There are none of the traditional villains in this rather special Tintin story in which our hero is aided only by Snowy and Captain Haddock (with a brief appearance by Calculus). This is arguably the most poignant Tintin adventure, focusing on the power of loyalty and hope overcoming all obstacles and Herge places a lot of obstacles in Tintin's way. I think what I like most about this story is about how Herge keeps what are essentially a series of cliffhangers going and going but in a realistic manner, while still working in the series trademark humor with Snowy and the Captain. "Tintin in Tibet" is an atypical Tintin adventure, but that just makes it all the more special.

By the way, in 1981 Herge and Chang Chong-Chen were happily reunited.

More recently in the news, "Tintin in Tibet" was recently in the news when it was announced that the Chinese translation had the story as "Dingding in Chinese Tibet." Given that Fanny Rodwell, the widow of Tintin's Belgian creator Herg, is reported to be a personal friend of the Dalai Lama it is not surprising that she decided not to attend the promotional ceremonies in China for the launching of the Chinese language version of Tintin (the Chinese are not publishing "Tintin in the Land of the Soviets" (anti-communist) and "Tintin in the Congo" (too racist and imperialist).

Tintin and Snowy were created in 1929 by Georges Remi (a.k.a. Hergé). In 1934 Hergé met a young Chinese student, Chang Chong-Chen, at which point Tintin's creator became convinced of the importance of having a soundly built storyline and getting the facts straight. In short, Hergé started taking his soundtrack very seriously. After the Communists took over China, Hergé and Chang lost touch. In 1960 the English version of "Tintin in Tibet" was published and it was immediately clear that this was a very personal story for Hergé, who was writing about his friendship with a friend he had not seen in decades.

Tintin has a dream about Chang, the boy he made friends with in China back in the adventure of "The Blue Lotus." In the dream Tintin sees Chang lying in the snow, half buried, holding out his hands and calling to Tintin to help him. When Tintin gets a letter from Chang he is surprised at the remarkable coincidence, but then he reads in the newspaper that Chang's plane has crashed in Tibet. Tintin, convinced his friend is not dead, goes off to the land of the ice and snow to save his friend.

There are none of the traditional villains in this rather special Tintin story in which our hero is aided only by Snowy and Captain Haddock (with a brief appearance by Calculus). This is arguably the most poignant Tintin adventure, focusing on the power of loyalty and hope overcoming all obstacles and Hergé places a lot of obstacles in Tintin's way. I think what I like most about this story is about how Hergé keeps what are essentially a series of cliffhangers going and going but in a realistic manner, while still working in the series trademark humor with Snowy and the Captain. "Tintin in Tibet" is an atypical Tintin adventure, but that just makes it all the more special (By the way, in 1981 Hergé and Chang Chong-Chen were happily reunited).

"Tintin in Tibet" was recently in the news when it was announced that the Chinese translation had the story as "Dingding in Chinese Tibet." Given that Fanny Rodwell, Hergé's widwow, is reported to be a personal friend of the Dalai Lama it is not surprising that she decided not to attend the promotional ceremonies in China for the launching of the Chinese language version of Tintin (the Chinese are not publishing "Tintin in the Land of the Soviets" (anti-communist) and "Tintin in the Congo" (too racist and imperialist).

This is the expedition book about the first ascent of the difficult Southwest Face route. Bonington's own writing, a little dry, is supplemented by interesting excerpts from the diaries of his teammates, including Pete Boardman, who as always writes beautifully. This is the ascent on which Mick Burke was lost. Overall, though not quite among the very best of mountaineering books, this is a classic and belongs on all shelves. The photos included capture the bleakness and mystery of the terrain and the precarious box-tent camps beautifully.

I first read this book as a young boy. I was enthralled by the personal accounts from the climbers that took part in the expedition, and by Bonnington's writing style.

Each time I have read it, I gain my respect--anew--for the men who leave the comforts of home and civilization to brave the roof of the world. Of all of the accounts of Everest expeditions, this is by far the best. I especially enjoy the section on logistics. Having been a climber for many years, I enjoy seeing how other people "do it."

The story of the British expedition to the Southwest face of Everest by the expedition leader Chris Bonington. The story is well told and very interesting. Bonington intermingles his own thoughts with the views of other members of the team. One of the better books on an Everest expedition I have read. I found it much more interesting then Tom Hornbein's "The West Ridge." Bonington includes many Appendix sections, almost half the book, on the logistics of the expedition. You could run your own expedition by just reading the appendixes. A classic in the Everest pantheon.