No Wonder the Lonely Planet Guide misses so Many details in the Colombia Edition!!

pedro says on Apr 12, 2008, 09:40:

haha, I was just about to post this!

¡save pow wow!

Bill Turley says on Apr 12, 2008, 10:17:

I have both the first and the second editions of the Lonely Planet Colombia Guides they are great. They are much much better than the current one!

Mr. Bill Somondoco

Monpirri says on Apr 12, 2008, 10:47:

That's exactly what most of this so called travel journalists do, they do not visit Colombia they just pick up a lot of garbage from biased media.
that due is another scumb bag.

Annette Taddeo for US Congress 2008

durito says on Apr 12, 2008, 10:59:

The first impression I got reading and using the current Colombian Lonely Planet was that the author could not possibly have been in Colombia.

I'd used the older edition 5 years ago and remember it being fine -- for a lonely planet book that is.

Anyone know when the new Footprint Colombia comes out? I'd originally heard April and it's listed at amazon, but it doesn't say when.

http://www.amazon.com/Colombia-3rd-Footprint-Travel-Guides/dp/19060982...

getting better says on Apr 12, 2008, 11:08:

There's a Bradt travel guide to Colombia coming out soon. It's not a publication I am familiar with, but we helped the authors with some information and they gave me the impression of being very thorough and professional.

Simon says on Apr 12, 2008, 11:25:

Monpirri is right, this guy is a freaking scumbag!! It's too bad they didn't get Krzystof Dydynski to write the fourth edition, he did a pretty good job with the previous three editions. Even the cover of the fourth edition is awful.

BTW, have you guys seen those DK publishing travel books, they're awesome. I can't wait till they finally release a Colombia edition.

"You want to talk to God? Let's go see him together, I've got nothing better to do."---Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark)

tejasmarcos says on Apr 12, 2008, 11:30:

how are you guys getting the news that fast?

god is in your head

travelingirl says on Apr 12, 2008, 11:32:

I have the 2nd edition (1995), also written by Krzystof Dydynski, and wouldn't have even bought it unless I'd randomly found it for a dollar at the local used book store. lol That being said, it was pretty decent as far as listing all the tourist sites and things to do. I'm sure a lot of the hotel and restaurant info is out of date, but I didn't need it for that anyway.

Totally stinks this dude did what he did though. Makes me think of Jayson Blair at the NY Times.

Around her hair she wore a yellow ribbon...

Simon says on Apr 12, 2008, 11:38:

It's interesting how the fourth edition is thinner than the second, shouldn't it be the other way around? Also, when checking out other travel books at the bookstore, I also noticed that the Lonly Planet Costa Rica edition is about 3x thicker than the Colombia one. I don't mean to knock Costa Rica, but am I the only one who thinks something's not right here?

"You want to talk to God? Let's go see him together, I've got nothing better to do."---Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark)

travelingirl says on Apr 12, 2008, 11:42:

Seriously. Sounds like they are having trouble getting people to go to Colombia for them. If they came here they'd find many willing participants! lol

Around her hair she wore a yellow ribbon...

Ctg Bound says on Apr 12, 2008, 11:44:

Krzystof Dydynski,

If he is the Polish guy, it certainly looks like a Eastern European name, I met him in Ctg in 2002 when he was updating his book.

He certainly got some freebies for recomendations, but who wouldn't go to a bar or island for free and then recomend them in the book.

travelingirl says on Apr 12, 2008, 11:57:

Yes, he's the Polish guy. Cool that you met him.

Around her hair she wore a yellow ribbon...

Ctg Bound says on Apr 12, 2008, 14:07:

travelingirl,

I only chatted to him for a couple of hours, I was with another Polish American and they were going at it in Polish for half the night.

He seemed like a pleasent guy though.

PALEOLITICO says on Apr 12, 2008, 14:31:

Como la mayoria de las noticias y publicaciones que circulan de Colombia en el mundo, que terminan mas siendo chisme que información. Este le dijo a este y ese le contó a aquel otro y ese a alguien mas... al final, puro chisme.

"Amar a la gente y usar las cosas y NO amar a las cosas y usar la gente" www.paleolitico.net

Man Tequila says on Apr 12, 2008, 14:40:

The third edition of Colombia is useless, doesn't even have maps for many areas in major cities described in the text. Maybe just a map of downtown with fifty arrows at its sides... so and so is 3km away.

I'm not that surprised to hear it was plagarized.

pues se me antoja que sus cantares son de una tierra desconocida, y yo le dije si a usted le inspira, saber la tierra de donde soy... con mucho gusto y a mucho honor...

jonas says on Apr 12, 2008, 15:32:

people buying LP don´t deserve any better. I see it as good news.
I once met a guy in Cuzco, Peru, who was traveling with a self made business card with in his name with a LP logo on it. Every time he checked into hotels the card would "accidently" fall from his wallet and he would quickly put it back once they had noticed it. He always got the best rooms, all kinds of freebies and the best service. Great trick. Oh, yes, the well traveled of you have guessed it already, he was a Scot.

What I have, I do not want to lose, but Where I am I do not want to stay, but those I love, I do not want to leave, but those I know I no longer want to see, but Where I die, I do not want to go;I want to stay where I have never been

Man Tequila says on Apr 12, 2008, 17:11:

That's a good idea, actually.

pues se me antoja que sus cantares son de una tierra desconocida, y yo le dije si a usted le inspira, saber la tierra de donde soy... con mucho gusto y a mucho honor...

SanDiegoSurf says on Apr 13, 2008, 08:11:

One word: HORRIBLE. I would suggest posting your comments on AMAZON so this scumbag does not profit from this turd !!

Sam Salmon says on Apr 13, 2008, 11:45:

SanDiego-you're a little mixed up-it's Lonely Planet who has ripped everyone off.

They knew the book was a POFS because so many people-people like me-complained and yet they did NOTHING.

Now they claim to be checking facts-they are checking nothing at all-do you think that fact checkers are lining up at airports even now to fly to various countries looking for errors?

LP is a joke and not just the Colombia book the Fijian one is as bad I complained about that too and got a line of lying bullshit-the same mistakes are in the newer versions the books are 'written' over the phone from Australia.

Of course now that the company has been sold to the BBC someone is looking for anf=gles to exploit/more lies to tell.

Some management people will move on/some will retire and LP will keep their heads down hoping this will blow over and they can go back to printing money.

' a la orden!'

Juanes says on Apr 13, 2008, 17:22:

damn pinche, chinga, hija de puta, flojero, bobo gringo.....this is what the local police decided to do to him when he came back to cartagena for having a useless effect on the tourism industry there

http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Juanes/

webmanco says on Apr 14, 2008, 05:10:

http://www.eltiempo.com/internacional/otrasregiones/noticias/ARTICULO-...

Abril 14 de 2008

Haberse inventado una guía falsa sobre Colombia admitió colaborador de 'Lonely Planet'

El perioditsta Thomas Kohnstamm dijo que lo hizo porque la editorial no le pagó lo suficiente para viajar al país , informó este lunes el rotativo "The Daily Telegraph".

El escritor hace esa confesión en su libro "¿Los periodistas de viajes van al infierno?", que saldrá a la venta la próxima semana en Estados Unidos y parte de cuyo contenido fue adelantado.

El periodista ha participado en la redacción de más de una docena de libros, entre ellos las guías sobre Brasil, Colombia, Venezuela, Chile y la región del Caribe.

"Escribí la guía sobre Colombia desde San Francisco porque no me pagaron lo suficiente para viajar al país, en Lonely Planet no pagan lo suficiente para lo que esperan de los periodistas", asegura en el libro Kohnstamm, quien admite que consiguió parte de la información que manejó de una novia que trabajaba en el Consulado colombiano.

Kohnstamm, quien admitió haber copiado partes de otras guías de "Lonely Planet", acusa a la empresa de tener a sus empleados en precariedad laboral.

Debido a la insuficiente paga que recibía, Kohnstamm dice que para sobrevivir en Colombia tuvo que traficar con drogas y aceptar sobornos de hoteles y restaurantes que luego citaba en su guía.

Las revelaciones han puesto en un compromiso a la editorial de libros de viaje, la más reconocida internacionalmente y que tiene su oficina central en la ciudad australiana de Melburne.

El editor de "Lonely Planet", Piers Pickard, se apresuró a negar las acusaciones y agregó que la compañía revisó las guías de viaje deKohnstamm y no encontró ningún error en ellas.

EFE

But, I'm going to start making some assumptions here.... Which means I might actually end up making an ass out of myself ..........Thu 04 17, 2008 11:34 am

Ctg Bound says on Apr 14, 2008, 05:18:

jonas,

I bought LP in 1999, there wasn't much on the internet then in English about Colombia, PBH was here, but there wasn't a great deal of information on the site then, but enough to help out, so LP came in handy.

Now there is a lot more information on the web in English for Colombia, I wouldn't recomenmd LP to anybody.

adrimm says on Apr 14, 2008, 07:17:

With Colombia is becoming increasingly popular with the backpaceker scene, AND with most having an awesome experience there.. as a "travel writer" Thomas Kohnstamm has completely ****killed**** himself by freaking out over travel to Colombia.

Not only is he evealed as a lier but a closed-minded bigot succumbing to "travel advisories" and Hollywood image of Colombia, which is about the worst you could be for someone who supposedly enjoys "backpacker travel" .

I can only imagine the scorn that is being collectively piled on him - I'm heading over the LP TT to read the fireworks.

robi666 says on Apr 14, 2008, 07:33:

"Now there is a lot more information on the web in English for Colombia, I wouldn't recomenmd LP to anybody."

I wouldn't recommend PBH either.

"I am a citizen of the most beautiful nation on earth. A nation whose laws are harsh yet simple, a nation that never cheats, which is immense and without borders, where life is lived in the present."

Juanes says on Apr 14, 2008, 10:35:

thorn tree is pretty good as is travelblog for speaking to bloggers over the world who have spent time there. i took lonley planet 9th edition for south america which i bought in costa rica in feb 2007 but the information is from 2004 , i bought it before i landed on feb 14th in cartagena from panama. it does have good info and i wouldnt have gone on the san cipriano train in the jungle if it wasnt for that book.....a good mix of friends there, internet research and lonely planet is good..

however, sometimes i feel a bit stupid with the bible as if the book is dictating to me what i should see and where i go so for the last 2 months of my latin american journey i only used it as a headrest on the beach or to roll a dooby....

i would recommend sometimes its worth travelling ad hoc without travel book and looking for adventure and places to go which are maybe not as well visited, maybe one would have a better travel experience cos often in central america from mexico city to panama city i came across the same traveller groups on this route.

http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Juanes/

Ctg Bound says on Apr 15, 2008, 14:17:

robi666,

There is a plenty of useful information here for a newbie, but a lot of crap to wade through to find it.