Overview

Bill and Janice are off on their travels again, but this time it's to one of the most potentially dangerous areas in the world, Mesoamerica. They braved unparalleled extremes as they moved between the well-preserved ruins of the Mayan civilisation, or encountered some of the most deprived modern communities in the world, where daily existence is almost unimaginable. The reader gets an idea of how difficult this trip could be by the amount of research Bill put into it before they left. He called on friends and contacts from many of his previous journeys to work out an itinerary that took him through seven countries from Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Belize to The Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. If this were not enough, they then braved a trip to Cuba. The best advice he received was probably that of an American ambassador - 'Don't go' - So they did ... And I envy them the sight of colourful macaws flaunting their plumage in the early morning light, of remote Mayan citadels, of carved stone work and gemstones, colourful markets and clothing and kindly local people. But, wherever they went today the shadow of danger seemed ever present; of unfathomable officials, unimaginable wealth and equally unfathomable poverty, the need to be suspicious of strangers, the horrors of favela life, of those vast unimaginable rubbish dumps, of bandits and desperate human beings. - Myra Fonceca of Sheffield, England.

Full Product Details

9781764583091

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Reviews

Bill Stanford's recounting of history, culture and society, politics, economics, the past and the present of so many locations is staggering. You could say that there is something for everyone in his books. And the richness of the encounters, so many beautiful (and sometimes less so) people, how Bill and Janice connected daily with folks who crossed their path. Bill listens closely and people gravitate to him. It's a beautiful thing, that ability to connect with people, and that openness to anyone in their path. It's inspirational and a delight for us readers to meet them as Bill does and get to know some of their 'specialness' in their world. I gravitate to those personal moments in his travels, so richly conveyed by him. Speaking in the first person, made further vivid by those wonderful photos, creates a very personal bond between author and reader. Delivered in the 1st person and enriched by photographs, biographies create a very special level of intimacy, a unique bonding with an author. To wit, what are the odds of running into Javier from the US Embassy (our man in Havana, yes!) and the ensuing benefits? Or for that matter the two young women from Parkes? Apparently pretty high if you are Bill and Janice Stanford. - Janet Loneragan, Washington D.C. America

Author Information

Local author and long time Dubbo resident Bill Stanford and his wife have travelled to 120 countries and sailed several oceans during their 40 years of marriage. Bill's travel tales have enthralled his friends, neighbours and family for many years, and inspired him to write his first self-published book, Bhutan to India.

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