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Summary: Breath of Fresh Air
Review: A most enjoyable book, on the first reading, and again as a daily companion.I find myself dipping in frequently here and there for a laugh or an Escape From My Desk!
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Summary: Away from my desk
Review: A refreshingly practical travel guide that is not encumbered by political correctness. I found it to be very funny and easy to read even if you're not planning to travel.
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Summary: A Lovely Read
Review: After 30 years of fulfilling travel and discovery in virtually every conceivable part of the world (and not a few inconceivable), I thought I had thoroughly outgrown the 'travel book'. The few remaining draws in that genre, for me, are the original classics: Thesiger, Newby, etc. Much of the rest seems to rehash established themes and hackneyed observations. At the insistence of a friend, though, I picked up this gem -- Away From My Desk -- and found it genuinely difficult to put down. This is a thoroughly entertaining, witty and nicely-paced book, written by someone obviously enjoying the hell out of his travels. Theirs is the sabbatical of a lifetime, and Mr. Haffar's easy and intimate style takes you along for a memorable ride. Beyond the journey, the author's wide-ranging interests and remarkable knowledge - spanning art, history, geology, economics, and opera to mention a few - take you on a trip of a different kind: a compendious yet fascinating tour of our world, including some of the most thoroughly misunderstood places and peoples. I still dip into this book almost daily for a refreshing perspective or, perhaps more truthfully, for one of Mr. Haffar's reliably hilarious remarks. Highly recommended.
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Summary: An exciting travelogue
Review: Away From My Desk is an exciting travelogue of Rif Haffar's globe-spanning journey across six continents and 45 countries, using every means of transportation from airplanes to elephants. An amazing and exciting world journey, richly narrated in exquisite detail and enhanced throughout with a touch of humor, Away From My Desk is an especially recommended travelogue and rewarding reading for the armchair traveler, as well as anyone who has ever contemplated leaving their humdrum life for an around-the-world adventure!
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Summary: Excellent!!
Review: AWAY FROM MY DESK is not just a travelogue. It is sensitive, insightful, informative, but best of all it provides loads of laughs. Haffar's humour makes his book a good read for everyone. It is touching as when he says after his first day in Bombay, "I'm reviewing all the things we have to be thankful for, but the list is long, and I fall asleep somewhere after 'only one thumb per hand.'" His sharp wit highlights his narrative as when in Lisbon: "If Barcelona had a kid brother who was shorter, uglier, less swift and somewhat inattentive to matters of personal hygiene, that brother would be Lisbon." Haffar presents the world from many points of vantage. Executive suites in first class hotels, dingy inns, camper-van campgrounds with outdoor sanitary amenities, flooded by rain, scorched by the sun and invaded by pests. I enjoyed the way the author compares between different countries and mores, so that the reader can relate to a place he has not been to. Sometimes it was like being there myself.
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Summary: Amazing adventures
Review: Away From My Desk was an intriguing, colorful adventure from the first page to the last. Take it from one who has traveled to 7 continents, there was so much to laugh about and learn about in this wonderful new addition to my library. I was especially impressed with the amount of detail and honesty the book offered, so much so that I felt I was right there with the author as he visited the mysterious Taj Mahal, the awesome magic of the great Barrier Reef and the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu. Bravo!
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Summary: The Great Escape
Review: Cockroaches have invaded our economy ! If its Friday, this must be Martha. From Bernie's yacht, to Enron funded Aspen homes and Tyco funded $20,000 umbrella stands, they keep coming out of the woodwork. It had been a long week and I needed a "roach-break". Away from my Desk is a magic carpet of words woven together with the six senses of the six continents. A terrific journey of delightful humor and high-spirited adventure. It was truly a great weekend escape.
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Summary: Not your average traveler
Review: Haffar leads the reader on an enviable trip to amazing place after amazing place. I enjoyed the introduction to unfamiliar locales, but wished he had left out his often cutting humor in favor of more insights into the cultures. His view of the countries he visits is often from the executive suite of a hotel, making his commentary somewhat superficial. An entertaining read, but not a trip for ordinary working mortals.
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Summary: Terrible
Review: I am a big fan of travel essays, but this book was not at all enjoyable. It reads about as dry as a Frommer's. By making the trip with his girlfriend, the author seldom involves himself with the locals. What little involvement there is is superficial at best. If you are looking to learn about people, look elsewhere. If you are looking to learn about landmarks, buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended read
Review: I enjoyed this travel essay very much. The descriptions of places and cultures were so well written and inciteful that I imagined I was part of the experience. I would recommend this book to anyone curious about the outside world but can't manage either the time or funds to travel.
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