| When my family and I visited Guatemala a couple | | | | experience of visiting Guatemala. |
| of years ago, we took along two guidebooks to | | | | Lonely Planet's Guatemala is chock full of the |
| that beautiful and fascinating Central American | | | | requisite maps, the town and city street plans |
| land. One of them was Lonely Planet's Guatemala, | | | | being particularly useful. A nice selection of color |
| and it turned out to be the one we referred to | | | | photographs helps bring the vibrancy of |
| most often. | | | | Guatemala and its culture to vivid life. |
| When the first Lonely Planet travel guides were | | | | True to its backpacker roots, the book includes |
| written, they were aimed more directly at | | | | many recommended hikes, both in and around |
| backpackers and budget travelers than at the | | | | cities as well as up mountains and volcanoes, |
| more well-heeled tourists catered to by other | | | | through jungles and around lakes. Outdoor |
| travel publishers. That spirit of independent | | | | activities in general get a fair amount of attention |
| adventure travel still pervades the Lonely Planet | | | | in this guide. |
| series, but most of their books, including this one, | | | | There are reference sections on such essentials |
| are sophisticated and comprehensive enough to | | | | as exchanging money, finding a doctor, using the |
| be useful to anyone of any age or budget who | | | | telephone system, and so forth. And, there is due |
| wants to learn about the country in question. | | | | attention to what the book likes to call |
| Most readers of Guatemala will find themselves | | | | "annoyances" -- such as being robbed or coming |
| repeatedly thumbing to the chapters on specific | | | | down with a tropical fever. The authors are |
| regions and towns, searching out restaurant and | | | | careful to note areas deemed unsafe due to |
| lodging recommendations or looking up admission | | | | crime or other dangers; it is up to the reader |
| fees and hours for museums and other | | | | whether or not to avoid such areas, knowing the |
| attractions. Back in the hotel room, though, or | | | | risks. |
| back home after the trip, they will likely find | | | | Guatemala was written by John Noble and Susan |
| themselves browsing the sections on the history | | | | Forsyth, both of them seasoned travelers in |
| and culture of the country and the people they | | | | Central America. |
| encountered there. These background sections | | | | Guatemala is published by Lonely Planet |
| are well-written without descending into | | | | Publications of Australia, the U.S., the U.K. and |
| textbook-ese, and will add depth to the | | | | France; ISBN # 1-74059-293-X. |