travel – Page 2 – Aussie Reviews

Holiday of a Lifetime: Disaster Diary by Megan de Kantzow

31 October: Sydney, Australia. Halloween: the worst possible day to travel

3.03 pm

In thirty-two minutes we’re leaving. Supposedly.

I’ve already told Mum and Dad that this whole trip is a so-called Disaster Waiting to Happen, like other Anderson family holidays I could mention. For example, the time Dad made us go camping in the Warrumbungles and it rained the whole time, or the time we got stuck in holiday traffic for five hours on my birthday and I got a stinking McMuffin without even one measly candle for my so-called birthday cake.

Anyway, if Dad doesn’t get off the phone right now and Mum doesn’t get through her list of last-minute jobs, we’ll be last and then this holiday will be a disaster before it’s even started. Because planes don’t wait for you, you know.

I’d better tell them to hurry up.

31 October: Sydney, Australia. Halloween: the worst possible day to travel

3.03 pm

In thirty-two minutes we’re leaving. Supposedly.

I’d better tell them to hurry up.

Anna’s family are off on a trip to Europe, even though the funds had originally been earmarked for house extensions. A mistake on many levels as far as Anna is concerned. Having her own bedroom would have meant peace and no dancing for Anna, and a dance-zone bedroom for her sister Francine. But despite her dire warnings, off to Europe they go. Dad, Mum, Francine and little brother Timmy are all excited and unhearing of her warnings. Anna realises she’s the one who will have to be prepared for the inevitable disasters. She is helped in her quest to keep the family safe by a good-luck charm from Gran. This little seahorse will provide the luck, her backpack full of just-in-case supplies. There are disasters aplenty, some of which Anna is prepared for, others less so.

Holiday of a Lifetime: Disaster Diary is a contemporary tragi-comedy, full of high drama and humour, written in diary form. Anna is a worry wort and the reader is privy to her worst worries, her first person reportage via her diary entries. They also can read between the lines and interpret the responses of her family and others around her more clearly than she can. The dramas and excitements are almost slapstick in their intensity, and will have readers giggling and rolling their eyes. But there is redemption for Anna too, as she discovers that some things she can worry less about, and for others – well her preparation pays off. ‘Holiday of a Lifetime’ allows a peek into a family, showing their individual and collective growth, filtered through the eyes of an almost-adolescent. Recommended for upper-mid-primary readers.

Holiday of a Lifetime: Disaster Diary!, Megan de Kantzow Omnibus Books 2013 ISBN: 9781862919983

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

Seven Gateways, by Tony Grey

While different peoples and cultures have differing belief systems, there are certain sites around the world which are both held sacred and from which a sacredness emanates, places which resonate with people of diverse backgrounds. In this unique travel book, author Tony Grey visits and explores seven such places: the east Alligator river at Kakadu, an ancient Egyptian temple, Delphi in Greece, Jerusalem’s Western Wall, Assisi, birthplace of Saint Francis, the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus and the mountains of Bhutan.

For each of the seven places, Grey explores its history, its meaning to the local people and to those who continue to visit, as well as detailing his own visit to each place. There is a careful selection of just a few photographs of each place – kept minimal, it seems, to emphasise the spiritual aspects rather than the visual.

This is not a light read, with detailed explanations of the differing aspects of each of the seven sites spanning several chapters each, as well as an introduction and several pages of reflections at the end. But for those with an interest in the spiritual nature of humans, this is an interesting read.

Seven Gateways, by Tony Grey
Halstead Press, 2008

Rhythms of the Kimberley, by Russell Gueho

The Kimberley region – the area of the far north of Western Australia – is one of the most undisturbed parts of Australia’s landscape. With beauty and diversity, this seemingly rugged landscape is also both delicate and vulnerable. Whilst many are familiar with parts of the Kimberley, few know it as intimately as Russell Gueho.

In Rhythms of the Kimberley Gueho takes readers on a journey through the Kimberley exploring the landscape and its inhabitants, both flora and fauna. Importantly, he also examines the forces and relationships which impact on these inhabitants, from natural events such as cyclones and massive tides, to the impacts of man and introduced species.

This is not a light read, but a detailed examination of a place which the author is passionate about. It is also a beautiful book to browse, filled with stunning photographs of animals, plants, landscapes and seascapes, bringing to life the beauty of the region Gueho explores with his words.

Russell Gueho is well qualified to write about the Kimberley, and this is his second book about this part of Australia. He has lived in the region for more than eighteen years and ran a nature-based tourism business in the region. He lectures in Tourism at Kimberley TAFE and is a passionate advocate for responsible tourism.

Rhythms of the Kimberley is a beautiful and important book.

Rhythms of the Kimberley, by Russell Gueho
Fremantle Press, 2007

This book can be purchased online at Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.

Sicilian Summer, by Brian Johnston

When travel writer Brian Johnston accepted an invitation to travel to Italy with a friend, for her god-daughter’s confirmation, he imagined an opportunity to savour Italian culture and cooking, and perhaps the chance to eat a real cassata. What he didn’t expect was to be caught up in the flamboyant dramas of a Sicilian family and the village in which it resided.

Sicilian Summer is a memoir of Johnston’s summer spent staying with his friend’s family. It recounts the places they visited and the food they ate, as well as the dramas they witnessed. There are also the characters he met: the parish priest enjoying his power and refusing to confirm the goddaughter; the reclusive lady who, because of a promise she made her father, doesn’t leave the house except to go to mass; and his friend’s parents, who offer generous hospitality.

This is an interesting read with a blend of travelogue and memoir. At times it feels like watching a cooking show (Johnston, it quickly becomes apparent, loves food), at others a soap opera. There is no time for the reader to get bored.

A very readable tale.

Sicilian Summer, by Brian Johnston
Allen & Unwin, 2005

The Naked Man Festival, by Brian Thacker

It was only a degree above zero and the rain was coming down in sheets, yet here I was about to run around in nothing more than a nappy. I was pretty sure it was going to be the silliest thing I’d ever done.

How many wierd and silly festivals can one man attend in six months? Not a question many would have ever considered, but Brian Thacker did, so he set out to find the answer. In six months he attended as many festivals as time and money would allow.

With a festival of some kind being celebrated somewhere in the world on any given day of the eyar, Thacker decided to focus on Australia, the United States and Japan, with brief forays into Vietnam and Scotland, just for a bit of variety.

Visiting such varied festivals as the Bean Throwing Festival and the Naked Man Festival in Japan and the UFO and Tomato Festivals in the United States, Thacker shares his own humorous insight into the events and recounts his experiences with a good blend of genuine information and healthy imagination.

This is a book for travellers looking for something different, for armchair travellers and for those who just like a dose of something different.

The Naked Man festival (and other excuses to fly around the world), by Brian Thacker
Allen & Unwin, 2004

Survival Around the World

Top athletes spend a lot of time travelling overseas, and one of the most important things they need to focus on when away from home is maintaining good diet. Even non-athlete frequent travellers are well advised to do the same. Survival Around the World is a recipe book which makes maintaining a healthy diet just a little easier.

Put together by sports dieticians at the Australian Institute of Sport, with help from the athletes, it presents a range of healthy and nutritious recipes from around the world – from regions including the Pacific, North America, Asia, Greece and the Middle East.

Recipes are supported by nutritional analyses as well as cooking hints and a range of travelling hints from AIS athletes.

Survival Around the World is the third official cookbook from the Australian Institute of Sport, following on from the popularity of Survival for the Fittest and Survival from the Fittest. You don’t need to be an athlete or a traveller to enjoy the book – with recipes such as Thai Chicken Soup, Ham and Zucchini Risotto and Lemon Coconut Muffins, there are plenty of ideas on hand for any cook.

Survival Around the World, by Louise Burke, Greg Cox, Nikki Cummings and Ben Desbrow
Allen & Unwin, 2004

Planes, Trains and Elephants, by Brian Thacker

Brian Thacker loves to travel. His first big trip was at the age of six when he boarded a plane in England to come and live in Australia. Since then he has had many more adventures in many different countries. But sometimes, Thacker has dicovered, the journey can be a bigger adventure than the destination.

In Plains Trains and Elephants, Thacker shares the tales of some of his most memorable journeys. From riding a Vespa around the Greek island of Corfu, to doing a pub crawl on the London tube, and riding an elephant in Thailand, Thacker recounts his journeys with humour and perhaps just a slight degree of exaggeration.

Plains Trains and Elephants is a funny read and would make an ideal gift for the traveller (arm-chair or otherwise) on your Christmas gift list.

Brian Thacker was born in English and trained in advertising before spending many years travelling and working as a tour leader. His first book, Rule No. 5: No Sex on the Bus, also about his travel experiences, wss well recived. Thacker currently lives in Melbourne with his wife and daughter and works in advertising.

Planes Trains and Elephants, by Brian Thacker
Allen & Unwin, 2002

Penelope Bungles to Broome, by Tim Bowden

When Tim Bowden recounts a journey, he writes much more than a simple travel diary. Instead, he fills his work with diversions into history, geographical information, character sketches and more.

In his latest book, Penelope Bungles to Broome, Tim and wife Ros journey from their home in Sydney across the country to Broome, exploring the Kimberley, Pilbara and Mid-west regions.

Bowden recounts in great detail their journey in their trusty four wheel drive, known affectionately as Penelope and their camper trailer, The Manor. They also explore the coastline on the boat The Coral Princess. Along the way readers are aquainted with some of the wonders the West has to offer, as well as many of the highs and lows of travelling the district. Bowden’s enthusiasm and detailed knowledge and research show through, so that there is plenty to learn even for those who have already experienced the region.

Penelope Bungles to Broome is a treat for lovers of Bowden’s work and those interested in travelling our fair country.

Penelope Bungles to Broome, by Tim Bowden
Allen & Unwin, 2002