Panamá

J.H. Galloway is a professor of geography at the University of Toronto
and the author of The Sugar Cane Industry.

These Ulysses Travel Guides will be particularly helpful to travellers
visiting these respective areas of Central America. Panamб begins with
a brief section on Panama City and the Panama Canal, and a geographical
description of the country and its provinces. This is followed by
information on its flora and fauna, discussions of its population and
culture, and practical information on visas, transport, health, and
food. There is a bent in this guide toward ecotourism, with considerable
attention given to the national parks. There are also 10 pages about the
country’s history and politics, but the greater part of the guide by
far is devoted to what to see, where to stay, and where to eat.

Cancъn Riviera Maya focuses on only one part of Mexico: the Mayan
Riviera. Over the last few decades, an isolated strip of beaches and
fishing villages along the Yucatan Peninsula’s southeast coast has
been turned into a major tourist destination. The area offers a winter
escape for North Americans who come on “packages” to spend a week or
more at one of the large luxury hotels on the beach. Like the Panama
guide, Cancъn Riviera Maya provides information on visa requirements,
health precautions, and local culture, and there is information about
the Mayan ruins; the bulk of the guide, however, deals with hotels,
restaurants, bars, and shopping along the Riviera.

As is to be expected from Ulysses Travel Guides, the information is
clearly presented and there are excellent maps.