Monkeys on the road: One family's vanlife adventure south in search of a simpler life
- Downloads：9876
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-11-30 06:19:16
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Mary Hollendoner
- ISBN：173794362X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Sudeepa Nair
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A travelogue that not just opens up possibilities for aspiring travellers but offers a perspective from the intersection of different worlds。A family of three， mother， father， and a 6-year-old child， set off to cover 20 countries in a converted van。 The book comes when many of us have been starved of travels and social interactions due to the pandemic。 So， if you are planning to step out of the protective cocoons of your homes gradually and wonder what kind of travel you might like， consider thi A travelogue that not just opens up possibilities for aspiring travellers but offers a perspective from the intersection of different worlds。A family of three， mother， father， and a 6-year-old child， set off to cover 20 countries in a converted van。 The book comes when many of us have been starved of travels and social interactions due to the pandemic。 So， if you are planning to step out of the protective cocoons of your homes gradually and wonder what kind of travel you might like， consider this adventurous option of driving around in a van， camping near serene， peaceful locations across South America， and meeting the beautiful people of the land。 A detailed review is coming up on The Sunday Book Club blog。 。。。more
Geneva Saint-Amour
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If you long for adventure and have dreamed of travel this way， this book will grab your attention and hold you rapt。 In the early part of the book， Mary lets us know who she is with personal details and a glimpse into their lives。 I feel closer to the author as she shares her vulnerability- expressed in her concerns as aMother and even her bout of altitude sickness， and later sea sickness and more！The journey through Mexico sets the tone for many more fun instances through Central America。 Time If you long for adventure and have dreamed of travel this way， this book will grab your attention and hold you rapt。 In the early part of the book， Mary lets us know who she is with personal details and a glimpse into their lives。 I feel closer to the author as she shares her vulnerability- expressed in her concerns as aMother and even her bout of altitude sickness， and later sea sickness and more！The journey through Mexico sets the tone for many more fun instances through Central America。 Time in each country shows the family dynamics and the local experiences they enjoyed。 Anyone who has traveled these places may find familiar descriptions in Mary’s words。 Then on to South America…。 alright already， I get it - Colombians are friendly。 The examples just go on and on and each one makes me feel as if I am sitting there with you。 Then on to more exploration of beautiful places， described in her well-chosen words。 Those words are supplemented at the end of each section with maps and a few photos。 I loved seeing the Monkey’s As the beauty and challenges of South America unfold， I feel drawn even closer to this little monkey family。 Eagerly reading through their tests and trials。 And then laughing out loud at John’s naked release of all stress！ （Spoiler？）Then the closing… a global pandemic that changed world travel indefinitely and certainly changed their journey。 I could not stop reading in the wee hours of the morning。 I had to know how it ended and where they went next。 Such a bittersweet cup of coca tea to swallow。 But I am eagerly awaiting the next book by Mary Hollendoner and more fun with Monkeys On The Road。 。。。more
Thaddeus
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Who says adventuring has to stop once you have kids？ Ms。 Hollendoner provides inspiration to outdoorsy parents everywhere as her story shows at least one way to combine wanderlust with family life。 Such a fun trip！
Tony Slater
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Absolutely fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable！This story of an intrepid couple of rock climbing junkies setting off on the road trip of a lifetime through central and south America – with their six-year-old daughter in tow – kept me completely enthralled。 It’s primarily a feel-good family road trip memoir full of nail-biting adventures， but also weaves in educational snippets about local history and exotic animal encounters， commentary on cultural differences， and realizations about happiness。 Absolutely fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable！This story of an intrepid couple of rock climbing junkies setting off on the road trip of a lifetime through central and south America – with their six-year-old daughter in tow – kept me completely enthralled。 It’s primarily a feel-good family road trip memoir full of nail-biting adventures， but also weaves in educational snippets about local history and exotic animal encounters， commentary on cultural differences， and realizations about happiness。 Traveling， living and bonding as a family， through difficult border crossings， mechanical difficulties and civil unrest， they survived and thrived in country after country。 It’s an optimistic and heart-warming tale， but replete with details about home-schooling， language barriers and bureaucracy that ground you in the realities of their situation。 Whether it was navigating high mountain passes， the beauty and generosity they encountered or the fascinating glimpses into so many different cultures， I devoured every page。 Hats off to them， too – they are far braver than I， to risk being stranded in some of the world’s most remote locations with a van that wasn’t always cooperative！ And to throw themselves so wholeheartedly into the communities they met， even if it meant winding up FAR outside their collective comfort zone！ And even having the， ah， gumption， to set out on such an epic adventure… I guess that’s what happens when people who hang thousands of feet up sheer cliff faces for fun take on the idea of life on the road… Thrilling stuff。 5 stars。 。。。more
Lisa Wright
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A fascinating journey through central and south America。 What an adventure this family had。 From deserted beaches in Baja California to armed guards in San Salvador， hospitable locals and noisy howler monkeys， sharks and bats， freedom and lockdown， they saw and learned so much on this journey and none more so than daughter Lilly。 From age six at the beginning of this book to nine by the end， Lilly’s growth was， for me， the most fascinating and wonderful aspect of a fabulous book。 Wow！ What an am A fascinating journey through central and south America。 What an adventure this family had。 From deserted beaches in Baja California to armed guards in San Salvador， hospitable locals and noisy howler monkeys， sharks and bats， freedom and lockdown， they saw and learned so much on this journey and none more so than daughter Lilly。 From age six at the beginning of this book to nine by the end， Lilly’s growth was， for me， the most fascinating and wonderful aspect of a fabulous book。 Wow！ What an amazing education she had and how much more important and life affirming than a stuffy schoolroom。 This sort of journey should be compulsory for all。Mary herself interacted with all sorts of people during their journey。 As she says， speaking fluent Spanish helped， as did having a child in children-loving Latin America but， the whole family also had that special gift…of listening to others and of being genuinely interested in others lives and histories， and that means much more。 。。。more
Julie Haigh
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