Reviews (1)

For travelers in Mali
For those who are interested in traveling in Mali, this book is a great choice.The text is clear and comprehensive--covering all regions of the country.It also gives leads to further resources, for anyone interested in pursuing this in depth. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Travel Guides    5. Mali    6. Travel & holiday guides    7. Travel / Africa   

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Area / regional studies    5. Places & peoples: general interest    6. Reference works   

Reviews (13)

To Timbuktu has all that a travel book should
To Timbuktu combines the three things necessary for a great travel book: adventure, history, and humor. The central theme of the book is Jenkins search for the source of the Niger River, but that is merely the rack from which Jenkins explores issues such as friendship, humanity, and cultural differences. That said this book is not dense or slow. In fact it is an extremely quick read. Jenkins writing is sometimes boastful and sometimes self-effacing, but always efficient and entertaining. Couldn't disagree more with those in here
who chastise Jenkins for his "machismo" and affix to him the "Ugly American" label.In a genre literally *filled* with unself-critical machismo, with authors who suffer from bloated senses of their missions and themselves and with ordinary wanderings striving unsuccessfully toward the Epic, this book stands apart. A great mix of adventure and history
I have read the book twice in the past year and enjoyed it both times.With 3 different storylines (doing the Niger River source to sea, a boyhood trip to Europe and Africa, and the history of European attempts tounderstand the Niger and visit Timbuktu) this book is a joy to read.Youexperience the trip and the mental thoughts that go through the author'shead, as well as some of the philosophical issues that are encountered inthe trip (guns, pregnant wives, etc).My recommendation:Buy it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th Century Description And Travel    2. Africa    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Essays & Travelogues    5. Guinea    6. Kayak touring    7. Mali    8. Niger River    9. Travel    10. Travel - General    11. Jenkins, Mark    12. Journeys    13. Travel writing   

Subjects:  1. Description and travel    2. Sahara    3. Slavery    4. Tombouctou (Mali)   

Reviews (1)

An incredible book, filled with humour and adventure
Ted Edwards is one of the last great adventurers, as his experience shows in full detail.Armed with a love for life and what he hoped to be sufficient supplies, he set out across the Sahara, deepening hisalready-full respect for the desert and its inhabitants (whether they bescorpions, nomads, or camels).His is a fantastic story, which will bringany reader's yearning for exploration to the surface!I recommend it toanyone who has a zest for truly living. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. The Sahara    2. Travel writing   

Editorial Review

They say all true stories end in death. Read more

Reviews (4)

Lots of Fun!!!
...over the past three decades I have traveled to some of the cities listed in the book. I found it great reference reading, and a lot of fun, as I passed through the region. Well worth the price and adding to your North African library. BTW - at least one of the grandchildren of an important Moroccan named in the book was to be found in a Smara house referenced. He'll spin a great yarn, to two, over some mint tea that will add to your understanding of the book.
Unforgettable
The experiences described by Vieuchange are somehow so tangible, that they become like one's own memories or dreams. It could be viewed as a futile, insignificant story, however, there is something in the way Vieuchange throws himself into oblivion for a dream that sleeps in a corner of all of us.

one of the most amazing travel journals
Stumbled onto this small work on a back shelf and bought it for a quick read 15 years ago.I have never stopped thinking about it.It is the personal journal of a young romantic on a personal quest seeking a rumored city lost in the desert of Morocco.The danger, pain and ultimate loss of his life to illness far from home is punctuated by his momentary view of the ruins, which to the true romantic, overshadowed all else.You can put yourself in his place on every page and feel his pain and exhiliration. The book is testimony to his brother who followed his trail to find the truth after his failure to return, and found the journal with the nuns who nursed him till his death.It is truly a gem in the travel book genre. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1904-1930    2. Africa    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Description And Travel    5. Morocco    6. Travel    7. Travel - General    8. Vieuchange, Michel,    9. Western Sahara    10. Journeys    11. Travel writing    12. Vieuchange, Michel   

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. TRAVEL & HOLIDAY   

Subjects:  1. Description and travel    2. Indigenous peoples    3. Sahara    4. Tombouctou (Mali)   

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Area / regional studies    5. Places & peoples: general interest    6. Reference works   

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business Law    5. Business/Economics    6. Exports & Imports    7. International    8. Business & Management    9. TRAVEL & HOLIDAY   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Guidebooks    5. International - General    6. Mali    7. Business & Economics / International   

Subjects:  1. International - General    2. Middle East - General    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign   

Subjects:  1. TEC031000   

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. General    3. International Relations - General    4. Political Science    5. Politics/International Relations    6. Travel - Foreign    7. TRAVEL & HOLIDAY   

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Berbers    3. Blacks    4. Description and travel    5. Morocco    6. Sudan    7. Tombouctou (Mali)   

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign    4. Area / regional studies    5. Places & peoples: general interest    6. Reference works   

Reviews (1)

The Value of Persistence
Rene Caillie was one of the great explorers and adventurers in European history.His journey to Timbuctoo is awe inspiring.It is a grand testament to the human spirit that he was able to overcome so manyobstacles to achieve this staggering dream.This uneducated, unfinancedyoung man attained a goal unfullfilled by many a great explorer. GalbraithWelch does a fine job of retelling this amazing tale.I would have tostate that I found some of her narrative condescending to the Africannatives and customs that Caillie encountered in his rounds.There is atrace of a sneer which was probably lacking in Caillie himself.This is aminor criticism, however.Welch was also a product of her own era.Itdoes not diminish from a spectacular achievement.I was inspired by thisstory.The human spirit once more displays its glory.Obstacles can beovercome and goals can be attained.Overall, this is a valuable book toread. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Calillié, René    3. Description and travel    4. Discovery and exploration    5. Tombouctou (Mali)   

Subjects:  1. Description and travel    2. Sudan    3. Tombouctou (Mali)   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (3)

A very fine book on Africa, of a different kind
Having extensively travelled through and lived in Africa, I totally enjoyed this book which seeks and captures the perspective of the Africans encountered. This is a welcome break from other authors looking down uponlocal people. Highly recommended to those planning to go to the region andgenuinly want to know/feel more and those who love the region and people.

A disappointing hodge-podge
The book splits evenly into two halves. The first half recounts Joris's travels in Senegal and Mauritania (the book's high point), and introduces us to Mali.The second half, also dealing with Mali, is an account of herfriendship with the singer Boubacar Traore, and her efforts to delve intohis personal life.Traore comes across as an abrasive and tempermentalcharacter; it's very odd that he should be the focus of the book.Joris'swriting style at the beginning of the book relies on indirect quotationsinstead of actual dialogue, which makes it quite dry; later in the book thewriting quality improves markedly where dialogue is concerned.This ismore the memoirs of Traore than a travel narrative. It's a sad oversight(but emblematic of the book's flaws) that her only visit to Mali's Dogonregion is one day-trip, recounted in a few pages that highlight Traore'srole as her guide rather than the Dogon people.

Interesting more to those who have already been there.
This book is very personal, exposing intimate details of the life of a famous musician in Mali.I was embarrassed on his behalf, and wondered if he knows what this author did to him.Apart from that, given itsshortcomings, such as personal bias and structural weakness, it wasinteresting to read.I'm not sure, however, if someone who had never beento West Africa, and in particular Mali, Senegal and Mauritania, wouldunderstand it fully. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Essays & Travelogues    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Travel writing   

Reviews (6)

good, though somewhat dated, introduction to travel in Mali
There is a dearth of material on Mali in English (much more in French) so at least in English, this volume has little competition.I found the information in this book quite accurate, though a bit dated:as of March 2003, a number of new roads have been paved, and, as the book correctly anticipates, a number of hotels etc. were constructed after the book's publication for the Africa's Cup soccer tournament, and, as a consequence, are not included in the descriptions.The material on Pays Dogon is good, but far from comprehensive - some of the most interesting villages I visited were not even mentioned in the book.Like other Bradt guides it shows a good cultural sensitivity to travel in very low income countries, for example providing some useful suggestions on how to constructively handle the frequent requests one gets from village children for candy or pens. (The claim in another review that the book encourages giving such gifts is a flat misrepresentation of the author.) So, the book is quite good though a bit dated - nothing that could not be addressed easily in a new edition.

seems geared towards a relatively expensive, luxurious visit
Although this book provides a good description of what attractions and tourist facilities one can find on a trip to Mali,it does not convey what it is like to travel in Mali by modest means. tried and true
My wife and I just returned from a month-long trip in Mali, and the one book we found indispensable there was Ross Velton's Bradt Travel Guide to Mali.We would have been lost without it - literally, because the maps in this book are outstanding - clear, accurate and easy to use, unlike those in other books we had (the Lonely Planet maps, for instance, were very disappointing). Velton's writing is clear, lively and accurate, with excellent descriptions of all the main destinations and cultural attractions, and provides a judicious selection of hotels, restaurants, and other practical travel needs.Best of all, Velton conveys a deep understanding and appreciation of the Malian people, preparing visitors nicely for their first encounter with these warm, open, exceptionally likable men and women. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Guidebooks    3. Mali    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign    6. Travel & holiday guides    7. Travel / Africa