Lonely Planet East Timor (Lonely Planet East Timor)

Rating:
Summary: kudos
Review: Kudos to Lonely Planet for publishing this guide to this recently independent destination, which is now just losing its reputation as a risky and potentially violent (formerly) Indonesian enclave. It reads well, and I believe it will be a glowing advertisement for this new country, which deserves international attention from the tourism community.

Rating:
Summary: A quick, comprehensive guide to the world's newest country
Review: There are not many frontiers left for international travelers who want to explore new and exotic settings, experience a new culture, and do it without encountering hordes of others with the same purpose in mind. This guide to East Timor, or Timor-Leste as it is now called, will help you do just that.

Part of the fascination of Timor Leste is the saga of its emergence as an independent country. This guide includes a remarkable summary of a wide range of historical, political, and social information about the country (as well as the standard tourist data) that helps set the context for what you will see there. The rudimentary Tetum language section at the end would be an indispensable supplement to the 'how to get there' and 'what you will see' information. I was amazed to find new information about areas that I had visited several times, and thought I knew about.

For best results - read at least one of the supplementary books on Timor history that is suggested. An even longer listing would be useful (maybe in the next edition!).