Slicing open the afternoon mail rips apart Nola Stevens’ secure—but tedious—life in Seattle. Twenty-three years ago, she moved from her father’s house to her husband’s house, barely pausing to attend her high school graduation. But now her marriage is over. Her ex-husband’s moved on to something else entirely, leaving Nola parked on her friend Malia’s sofa bed until further notice. When Malia’s summoned home to Maui for her father’s seventy-fifth birthday luau, she persuades Nola to come along. Hawaii astounds her—non-stop sunshine, aloha spirit, and fresh fruit cheaper than canned. And then there’s the half-naked sculptor who keeps sneaking up behind her.
“Mai Tai Butterfly” is a three-fold love story: a love of place, of a man, and the love that makes the other two possible.
Living aloha is the best revenge
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Every time Bill Bryson walks out the door memorable travel literature threatens to break out. His previous excursion up, down, and over the Appalachian Trail (well, most of it) resulted in the sublime national bestseller A Walk in the Woods. Now he has traveled across the world and all the way Down Under to Australia, a shockingly under-discovered country with the friendliest inhabitants, the hottest, driest weather, and the most peculiar and lethal wildlife to be found on the planet. In a Sunburned Country is his report on what he found there--a deliciously funny, fact-filled, and adventurous performance by a writer who combines humor, wonder, and unflagging curiosity.
Australia is a country that exists on a vast scale. It is the only island that is also a continent and the only continent that is also a country. Despite being the most desiccated, infertile, and climatically aggressive of all inhabited continents, it teems with life. In fact, Australia has more things that can kill you in extremely nasty ways than anywhere else: sharks, crocodiles, the ten most deadly poisonous snakes on the planet, fluffy yet toxic caterpillars, seashells that actually attack you, and the unbelievable box jellyfish (don't ask). The dangerous riptides of the sea and the sun-baked wastes of the outback both lie in wait for the unwary. It's one tough country.
Bill Bryson adores it, of course, and he takes his readers on a rollicking ride far beyond the beaten tourist path. Here is a place where interesting things happen all the time, from a Prime Minister lost--yes, lost--while swimming at sea to Japanese cult members who may have set off an atomic bomb (sic) entirely unnoticed on their 500,000-acre property in the great western desert.
Wherever he goes (and Bryson goes just about everywhere) he finds Australians who are cheerful, extroverted, and unfailingly obliging--the beaming products of a land with clean, safe cities, cold beer, and constant sunshine. On occasion the Aborigines, a remote and mysterious race with a tragic history, make a haunting appearance in this book. But by and large Australia is an immense and fortunate land, and it has found in Bill Bryson its perfect guide. Published just in time for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, In a Sunburned Country offers the best of all possible introductions to what may well be the best of all possible nations. Even with those jellyfish.
Price: $4.32
=== See Sydney like a local with this 3-day itinerary. ===
* You can finally stop researching for your Sydney vacation, all of the information you need is in this 3-day tour itinerary guide.
* The best places to see from a local Sydney expert
* How to save money using public transportation
* Details about ATMs, Hotels, Restaurants, Tax Refunds, Nightlife and more...
=== The Main Focus of this itinerary: ===
1. Laying out the exact details of what to do in Sydney. Including specific itineraries if you have 1, 2, or 3 days in Sydney.
2. Using public transportation to save you money.
3. Clear and specific directions to each of the destinations. The directions are supplemented with pictures and maps as well to further reduce your chances of getting lost!
4. Loads of additional information including where to stay, restaurant information, nightlife recommendations, additional places to see if you have extra time.
=== Why You Should Buy The Guide ===
* Saves you time by not needing to do additional research on Sydney!
* Saves you money by giving specific instructions on how to use public transportation. While at the same time giving you the true local feel of Sydney.
* Stop wading through all of the tourist destinations. I've seen them all and will tell you exactly which ones are worth seeing.
The Guide's Table of Contents
* 1, 2 & 3-day itineraries -- If you only had 1, 2, or 3-days in Sydney, I break down the activities with specific instructions.
* Getting into the city from the airport. Specific public transportation instructions to get you where you need to go without paying for an unnecessary taxi.
* How to use the public transportation in Sydney
* ATMs & Credit Cards -- Best ways to get money out while in Sydney
* GST & the Tourist Refund Scheme - Information on getting refunded the tax on purchases made while in Australia
* Restaurants -- General recommendations, information on tap water, tipping customs
* Hotels -- I narrow the hundreds of hotels to just a few great one's
* Nightlife -- If you're not too tired, the best places to grab a drink.
* Other Places to See -- Additional tourist destinations if you're staying beyond 3-days
* Additional Websites for Information
* Random Tips -- Other useful tips for Sydney
=== Day 2 Sample ===
This is a sample of the itinerary. The actual itinerary includes additional pictures.
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Start your second day with a stroll down to Darling Harbour.
If you’re in Kings Cross, first catch a train to Town Hall. If you’re in Central you can cut down on walking time by taking the train to Town Hall, or you can get there by walking straight up George Street.
Just outside Town Hall’s George Street exit, you’ll see the intersection of George, Druitt and Park Streets. This is Sydney CBD’s busiest intersection. The major landmark here is the Queen Victoria Building, with the statue of Queen Victoria out the front. Turn left on Druitt Street and follow it to the overhead bridge and down the steps to Darling Harbour.
[Picture of the main entrance to the QVB]
10:00am – 12:30pm Sydney Aquarium
If you’re up early you might like to check out the very serene Chinese Garden of Friendship which, from the foot of the stairs is a short walk to your left through the park and playground.
Otherwise, turn right at the bottom of the stairs and walk along the harbour to Sydney Aquarium. Entry to Sydney Aquarium is normally $35, so your best bet is to get the Explore4 Pass for $50. This will also give you one entry each to Sydney Wildlife World, Sydney Tower and OceanWorld Manly and is valid for 3 months.
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=== Who is this guide for? ===
* The first (possibly second) time visitor to Sydney
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A guide to show how cultural travel will change how you see the world.
Price: $9.44
Discover Bali & Lombok
Scramble down rocky cliffs to find a private surf beach, then climb back up to your motorbike, tanned and supercharged.
Flip yourself over the edge of a boat while diving the blue depths off the Gili Islands in Lombok.
Dance the day's sand off your feet at Kuta's rowdy clubs or spruce up for Seminyak's sleek bars and restaurants.
Sip honey-ginger tea in a rose-petal bath, drifting back to earth after a mandi lulur massage.
In This Guide:
Two great authors, 68 days of in-country research, 51 detailed maps, 133 bottles of Bintang.
An all new outdoor activities section with detailed diving and surfing information.
Features a Food & Drink chapter by renowned Ubud restaurateur and author Janet de Neefe.
Price: $7.99
At the age of twenty-six, Maarten Troost—who had been pushing the snooze button on the alarm clock of life by racking up useless graduate degrees and muddling through a series of temp jobs—decided to pack up his flip-flops and move to Tarawa, a remote South Pacific island in the Republic of Kiribati. He was restless and lacked direction, and the idea of dropping everything and moving to the ends of the earth was irresistibly romantic. He should have known better.
The Sex Lives of Cannibals tells the hilarious story of what happens when Troost discovers that Tarawa is not the island paradise he dreamed of. Falling into one amusing misadventure after another, Troost struggles through relentless, stifling heat, a variety of deadly bacteria, polluted seas, toxic fish—all in a country where the only music to be heard for miles around is “La Macarena.” He and his stalwart girlfriend Sylvia spend the next two years battling incompetent government officials, alarmingly large critters, erratic electricity, and a paucity of food options (including the Great Beer Crisis); and contending with a bizarre cast of local characters, including “Half-Dead Fred” and the self-proclaimed Poet Laureate of Tarawa (a British drunkard who’s never written a poem in his life).
With The Sex Lives of Cannibals, Maarten Troost has delivered one of the most original, rip-roaringly funny travelogues in years—one that will leave you thankful for staples of American civilization such as coffee, regular showers, and tabloid news, and that will provide the ultimate vicarious adventure.
Price: $3.75
The true tale of his 1906 South Sea odyssey aboard the Snark.
Price: $26.00
