Travel Guides

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Review: Japan- Steve Wide and Michelle Mackintosh

Japan: A curated guide to the best sights, food, culture & art

Steve Wide and Michelle Mackintosh

Pan Macmillan Australia

Plum

ISBN:9781760787646

RRP $44.99

Description;

There is something about Japan that works its way into every fibre of your being. No matter how many times you visit, you’ll always uncover new experiences and life-altering adventures.

Pack your bags and travel with us to a country rich in cultural history and full of fascinating contrasts, from the frantic pace of Tokyo and Osaka, to the wintry soul of Hokkaido in the north and the natural wonders of Kyushu in the south. Navigate the dynamic cities, walk the roads of old Japan in Kyoto, Nara, Kanazawa and Nikko, or go off-grid to smaller, far-flung towns, each with their own unique traditions, crafts, sights, food and art.

Packed with cultural insights and stunning photography, this experiential and eclectic guide takes you on a deeper journey into Japan. Read up on history and local knowledge before you go, learn how to navigate the Shinkansen (bullet train), contemplate modern art and architecture, lose yourself in gardens, shrines and temples, and indulge in the best food tourism of your life. This tightly curated list of must-see places and experiences is for people who want to get an up close and personal look at the real Japan.

My View:

When I opened this book and started to examine some of the wonderful images ( presented more like a coffee travel book than a travel book) I felt an immediate urge to travel – something I have not felt at all during these years of COVID 19 uncertainty and restrictions.

This book has it all; glorious scenery, arts, history, food, beer, culture….I want to visit Japan 🙂

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Post Script: The Green Unknown: Travels in the Khasi Hills – Patrick Rogers

The Green Unknown

The Green Unknown: Travels in the Khasi Hills
Patrick Rogers
Westland
ASIN: B0759PFF28

 

Description:
The Green Unknown is about walking, without a map or a plan, across the Khasi Hills in the Northeast Indian state of Meghalaya—a place of jungle canyons and thousand-foot waterfalls, where it rains more than any other inhabited place in the world, where each village has its own dialect or even its own language, and where the people grow living bridges from the roots of trees. The book is an attempt to express what it’s like trying to explore, mile by mile, village by village, valley by valley, a place that’s beautiful, complex, and fascinating, but most of all, unique.

My View:
This is a book that will appeal to travellers and readers alike. Arm chair travelling is one of my favourite past times and Patrick Rogers has taken me on a journey that has filled me with awe. This is a very personal account of Patrick’s travels as he explores remote, tropical jungles searching for evidence of living tree bridges.

Written with passion, humour and respect for the landscapes that he explores (both societal and physical), you will love the frizzon of excitement you will get when accompanying Patrick on his adventures.

Wishing you safe travels Patrick.

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Post Script: The Garden Wanderer – Julie Kinney

The Garden Wanderer

The Garden Wanderer

Julie Kinney

 Freedom Garvey-Warr (Photographer), Chris Gurney (Photographer)

Margaret River Press

ISBN: 9780994316752

 

Description:

Take an armchair ride with around a small corner of Australia’s south-west and discover some hidden treasures in gardens of the region. Margaret River local Julie Kinney selected an eclectic 20 gardens to mark her 20 years in the region. She says, ‘there are so many wonderful gardens out there, some documented, some not, but gardens are transient beings, people move on and the garden they leave behind changes.’

 

My View:

Congratulations all round; Julie Kinney has written a beautifully restorative and fascinating show case of twenty of the Margaret River regions superb gardens, Freedom Garvey-Warr and Chris Gurney have once again graced the pages of a Margaret River Press publication with style and colour, what a superb team effort!

If you would like a private “fly on the wall” tour of some of the varied and exotic landscapes in this area, knowledgeable tour guide/gardener Julie Kinney will show you the way, pick up a copy of “The Garden Wanderer,” you will not be disappointed.

This is a must read, must have, for every gardener or would be gardener, or day dreamer or tour guide or hotel, BnB or winery in the region (and a perfect gift to send to friends/colleagues anywhere). Share some Margaret River tranquillity and natural beauty, a restful  read.

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Post Script: Beyond the Farm Gate. A Culinary Journey Through Australia’s South West – Danielle Costley

Come on a journey…

Beyond the Farm Gate

Beyond the Farm Gate

A Culinary Journey through Australia’s South West

Danielle Costley

Margaret River Press

ISBN: 9780994316714

 

Description:

Beyond the Farm Gate by Danielle Costley takes you on a culinary journey through Australia’s Southwest.

 

It’s a journey that’s both breathtaking and yet deeply communal, at one with the people, places and produce that are home to the South West Region. Here, the food is very much an expression of craftsmanship and, at times, the very lifeblood of the community.

 

Beyond the Farm Gate celebrates and pays tribute to the artisan food growers who are dedicated to the art of producing flavoursome, high quality produce. Danielle Costley’s in depth interviews with 31 growers reveal the interesting and diverse backgrounds of these food growers some of who share recipes that have been passed down from one generation to another.

 

Embark on a food-finding mission that begins with a unique berry that earned its name from a Tiger snake, unearth the rare and elusive black Perigord truffle, pop beads of citrus caviar in your mouth or pluck a Greenlip abalone from the pristine waters of Flinders Bay. Savour dry-salted organic capers, or sample fresh, oozingly decadent jarrah honeycomb straight from a beehive.

 

Beautifully photographed by Chris Gurney, Beyond the Farm Gate unlocks the stories and secret recipes from a melting pot of flavours and influences. This book will want to make you pack your bags and disappear for a few days on a gastronomic adventure that will leave you craving more.

 

Review:

This is a very impressive book – not just because it focusses on the culinary discoveries of the South West Of Western Australia where I happen to live, not just because the photos are impressive and could easily be mistaken for art works hanging on walls, not just because the book shares some fresh and exiting recipes from local producers and growers and not just because this unique book also shares personal stories from the aforementioned local growers/producers but because this book is crafted with love and appreciation for people and communities featured in this book.

 

This is a book that can be read as a travel guide for a culinary experience of the southwest, this can be read as a “coffee table picture book” its images inspiring, or perhaps as a cook book for those with a yearning for fresh, local and organic produce. This book is the perfect gift to send to your overseas or eastern states family and friends – but be warned after they read this book you may suddenly find yourself with an influx of visitors waiting to explore for themselves the many attractions the south west of Western Australia has to offer. When I picked up this book and started flicking through its pages I had an immediate yearning to pack up and head off in our caravan to discover the places and foods this book features.