Let’s be honest, most people never venture further than
Europe. When the cheap spirit of wanderlust awakens, a group trip
(courtesy of Easyjet) to the sun-kissed regions of Spain soon
cures the travel-bug. Often the holy trinity of boozy paradises
– Majorca, Minorca and Malaga – in association with
Club so and so, adequately nourish the Joepublic soul with the
sublime necessities of sand, sea, sex and more sex. Meanwhile Africa merely registers as that place where Bob
Geldof “did his bit for us, for those skinny kids”.
Often the seasonal destination of many a “Hoorah Henry”
and the hutbuilding wealthy Gap year student, “cos laahk yah
know, I raahlly wanna help the children”, Africa remains
distant and inaccessible to most. A continent that conjures up
images of expense, famine, disease and poverty couldn’t
really be a holiday destination for the masses, could it? Lonely
Planet’s excellent new travel guide, Africa on a Shoestring
aims to dispel the miasma of thought surrounding the continent. A mixture of social comment, history, practical information
and observational humour, this sturdy tome is an invaluable guide
for any budgetconscious traveller aiming to explore the
impressive diversity of Africa. From the Roman and Pharaonic
temples of the Maghreb (North Africa), to the spicy charm of the
East, the platelicking cuisine of the West and right down to the
jaw-droppingly inspiring natural sites of Southern Africa, any
adventurer on a tight budget can experience the continent to its
fullest, particularly students suffering from the monstrous
after-effects of a student loan. The emphasis is on
“shoestring” and so each page is conceived with this
concern in mind; the helpful itineraries to plan budget
backpacking around specific regions of Africa, from North to
South, “the Maghreb Meander” to “French
Footsteps”, must be looked at. With this endlessly useful
one-stop reference guide, you can’t really go wrong. Lonely
Planet adds yet another jewel to backpacking culture.ARCHIVE: 2nd week TT 2004
Nelson’s Columns: A Blindman’s Bluffs
