Travel Memoir to write home about: Two big thumbs up for Julian Smith’s ‘Crossing the Heart of Africa’

June 26th, 2011 | By Joshua | 3 Comments »

I first picked up Crossing the Heart of Africa: An Odyssey of Love and Adventure by Julian Smith not so much for the author’s recent route across a continent in the footsteps of some old explorer, but more for Smith’s journey from the guidebook shelves to the more exclusive “Travel Literature” shelf, that holy mish-mash of memoir, adventure-logue, and other curious bits of travel-related nonfiction.

As a writer who spends way too much of his time fact-checking hotel prices and bus departure times for my four guidebook titles — while my own book-length narrative percolates on the back burner — I sympathize with Smith’s journey from guidebook jockey to storyteller. I understand why, after penning successful Moon guides to Ecuador and the US southwest, he gave it all up to try his hand at a narrative tale. In Crossing the Heart of Africa, he succeeds brilliantly. (more…)

Uxmal Archaeological Site: A Maya Beauty in the Yucatan, Mexico

June 25th, 2011 | By Joshua | 2 Comments »

Uxmal is considered one of the most beautifully designed cities in the Maya world, located 70 miles west of Chichén Itzá (and only an hour’s drive from Mérida). Its name means “Built three times,” and it was indeed destroyed and rebuilt at least that many times. Rich soils in the region allowed for large populations to thrive at Uxmal, whose highest glory was in the Late Classic (a.d. 875-900) before the Toltec overran it around a.d. 1000. I got to visit one fine, hot morning in June, 2011. Here are some photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tranquilo/sets/72157626921000751/

Merida, Mexico: New photos from the capital of the Yucatan

June 24th, 2011 | By Joshua | No Comments »

Merida, the capital of the state of Yucatan, totally lived up to the hype I’d heard — namely, that it was such a lovely and remarkable colonial town. I had a chance to visit in June, 2011. Merida is not only a fun-loving city of over a million Yucatecans who love to eat and dance in the streets, it is also one of the best bases for exploring the Yucatan Peninsula’s Mundo Maya, with day trips galore to archeological sites, caves, and haciendas. Enjoy these shots.

¡Viva León Jodido! Nightlife in León, Nicaragua: New York Times Sunday Travel Article and Photos BY JOSHUA BERMAN

April 30th, 2011 | By Joshua | 2 Comments »

Visiting Nicaragua’s OTHER colonial jewel? (Granada gets all the hype, but León is a unique, wonderful Nicaragua town.) Save a night for bar-hopping in León. It’s on the city block that heads west from the southwest corner of the central plaza. Here’s my article on La Zona Rosa, as the Leoneses call their mini-fiesta zone:

Volunteer Opportunity! Alternative Breaks in Nicaragua and Mexico

April 21st, 2011 | By Joshua | No Comments »

One of the best volunteer programs out there: American Jewish World Service. I used to lead spring break trips for them. They write: “Attention 18 to 25-year-olds: Want to have a transformative travel experience to learn about social change in the developing world? Apply for AJWS’s May Alternative Break programs in Nicaragua and Mexico! Applications accepted on a rolling basis.” http://bit.ly/h1JKWh ”

Glass-floor hotel room on private island in Belize: Watch fish and ‘facetime your houseman’!

April 11th, 2011 | By Joshua | 4 Comments »

I couldn’t resist sharing this photo from Cayo Espanto, a private island for rent on the back side of Ambergris Caye in Belize. This is the glass floor in their Over Water Villa. “At bedtime, we recommend counting fish rather than counting sheep,” they say. The high end in Belize really is high-end. Every villa comes with iPad 2s, so you can call your butler (”facetime your houseman! surf the web in your star bed”)–or film and broadcast those fish in your floor.

Travel Writer Action Video in Belize, Part I

April 2nd, 2011 | By Joshua | No Comments »

Just another day in the office… During my last research trip to Belize, I shot this on a Canon HD point-n-shoot, with a Gorilla Grip tripod that I wrapped around tree limbs and canoe gunwales.

The video does NOT show the hundreds of ours hunched over a computer that it takes to complete a guidebook.
This is just an intro to more episodes … Enjoy: JOSHUA BERMAN TRAVEL WRITER VIDEO

“Anthony Bourdain No Reservations” Nails it in Nicaragua

March 16th, 2011 | By Joshua | 15 Comments »

Popular Travel Channel host Anthony Bourdain (”TV personality, best-selling author, weary world traveler, and gourmand”) visited Nicaragua last fall to see what had become of the country that he only remembered from the headlines of the 1980s.

He came, he saw, he ate, he drank, he laughed, and he cried. This 45-minute show is no glowing tourist report, and it is devoid of many of the bright colors and cheer with which I associate Nicaragua, but it is honest, even if a little dark, and I respect that. Perhaps it has to do with the timing of Bourdain’s visit, when many Nicaraguans are upset at their country’s leadership and pessimistic about the near future.

“Anthony Bourdain No Reservations: Nicaragua” aired on Monday, March 14, 2011. A great deal of work went into this episode, lining up a mix of Nicas, young and old, for Tony to talk to, and also a number of interesting sites and eateries in both Managua and the campo around Estelí (my old stomping grounds). (more…)

2012 Book Focuses on the Living Maya’s Ancient Wisdom

March 8th, 2011 | By Joshua | 2 Comments »

The quantity of 2012 literature out there is mind-boggling. There are hundreds of books about the Maya calendar cycle ending on December 21, 2012, but few give a rational, researched, big picture of the 2012 phenomenon and its related aspects.

Fewer still focus on the eight million living Maya and how they look at 2012, and are written by such a respected and experienced author as Robert Sitler, PhD, a professor and Director of the Latin American Studies Program at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida.

Sitler began his career studying Maya culture 40 years ago while traveling in the rainforests and ruins of Chiapas, Mexico. He continues to draw lessons from his decades among the Maya, and his latest book, The Living Maya: Ancient Wisdom in the Era of 2012 (North Atlantic Books, 2010) is a fine example of how he does this—and also a refreshingly grounded approach to the history and implications of 2012. For these reasons, if you haven’t read anything about this subject, The Living Maya is a great place to start, especially for anyone planning a trip to any of the Mundo Maya countries: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, or Honduras.

The book begins with the Yukatek Maya greeting, “Bix a bel?” which means, “How is your road?” And that’s right where the author puts us—in the vivid landscapes of the Guatemalan highlands and southern Mexican villages, traveling through misty, surreal scenery and interacting with modern-day Mayans of all types. (more…)

HEY BOULDER! I’m giving a talk about Nicaragua this Tuesday at Changes in Latitudes Travel Store

February 24th, 2011 | By Joshua | 2 Comments »

Nica-rado represent! Come out to AN EVENING IN NICARAGUA, with current Boulderite Joshua “don Josué” Berman, coauthor of MOON NICARAGUA and MOON LIVING ABROAD IN NICARAGUA. Bring your travel questions and volcano hiking shoes, see you there:

WHEN: 7–8 p.m., Tuesday, March 1, 2011

WHERE: Changes in Latitudes Travel Store, in Boulder, CO

WHAT: Slides, stories, and songs about Nicaragua—The Land of Lakes and Volcanoes! I lived there for 2-and-a-half years as a Peace Corps Volunteer, then returned to Nicaragua to write the first ever comprehensive guidebook to the country, with my compa, Randall Wood. A decade later, Moon Nicaragua 4th edition is hot off the presses… come see what’s new.

DO YOU HAVE A TRAVEL QUESTION ABOUT NICARAGUA? POST IT IN THE COMMENTS BELOW AND I’LL ADDRESS IT AT THE TALK!

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