The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World is a book put together by the folks at Lonely Planet. This book is mainly about the photos, with every country in the world given a two-page spread of glossy, gorgeous photos. The text is actually quite limited - no in-depth profiles of the countries but interesting capsules such as best time of year to visit, essential experiences, books to read and movies to watch before you go, the one word or expression in the country's native tongue that captures the heart of the place, and the trademark things to expect as well as some surprises. Here is an example of a place we are keen to spend time in - Vietnam:
Best time to visit: anytime really, but the dry season is December to April
Essential experiences: riding a motorcycle through North Vietnam's stunning high country and staying at remote hill-tribe villages; having an outfit tailor-made in the beautiful ancient city of Hoi An; floating in a boat along the Mekong
Read: The Sorrow of War by Vietnamese writer Bao Ninh
Watch: The Quiet American starring Michael Caine (set in the final days of French colonial rule and filmed throughout Vietnam)
Eat: pho (noodle soup) and banh cuon (steamed rice rolls with minced pork)
In a Word: Dep qua, phai khong! (beautiful, isn't it?)
Trademarks: postcard sellers; scooter gridlock; constant honking horns; silk shops; tailors; conical hats; rice paddies; limestone cliffs
Surprises: cold weather in North Vietnam; latest fashions have replaced the traditional dress
The 230 countries - presented in simple alphabetical order - range from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. In putting together this book, the editors relied on the UN's list of defined countries, of which there are 192. They then added certain foreign dependencies of those countries (e.g., Bermuda, New Caledonia, the Cayman Islands, French Polynesia) because they are travel destinations in their own right. They also separately feature places like England, Scotland, and Wales - as opposed to one entry for the United Kingdom of Great Britain. Similarly, they feature places like Macau, Tibet, and Hong Kong - which are all parts of China - on their own out of respect to their historic identity rather than the current political reality. Antartica and Greenland are also not countries, according to the UN list, but because they are so strikingly photogenic and fascinating to visit, they also got their own entries in this book. Finally, Tony Wheeler and his cohorts at Lonely Planet stuck in 12 bonus destinations at the end of the book - places they say they could not bear to leave out. Curious? Here they are:
1. Ascension (UK) - home to 44 volcano craters
2. Diego Garcia - British Indian Ocean Territory
3. Gibraltor (UK)
4. Montserrat (UK)
5. Niue (island off New Zealand)
6. Saint Helena (UK) - remote island halfway between South America and Africa - famous former resident was Napoleon Bonaparte
7. Saint Pierre & Miquelon (France)
8. South Georgia (UK)
9. Svalbard (Norway)
10. Tokelau (more islands off New Zealand)
11. Tristan Da Cunha (UK) - very remote, near Saint Helena
12. Wallis & Futana (France) - French Pacific colony
So, all in all, a great coffee-table book. I don't actually own it but have renewed it probably a half-dozen times or so from the good ol' public library so it has pretty much assumed a regular spot on the coffee table in our house. Check it out if you have wanderlust!
