Published!

A year after updating a chapter in the Fodor's Peru guide, it is published and out in the stores. Yeah!!

The most exciting part is that I am listed as one of the author's (of course, Arturo very rightly has commented that he helped me with all of the research and isn't mentioned -- he is right, and does deserve the credit so I am crediting him here and now).

If you want to see the book and my short bio, you can go to the bookstore and check out Fodor's 3rd Edition, in Full Color, of Peru. Flip to the back page to read my bio!! (It's for sale through Amazon, but you can't see this the oh so special page with my name on it)

I also want to share the story of receiving this book here in Lima. Random House sent me the book with FedEx, just like last year when they sent me the book I would be updating. However, this time, things went differently.

Instead of receiving the book, I received a phone call from a holding center asking me why I had been sent "a book of maps." I explained this was a guide of Peru and, thus, there were some maps. I was then informed of an old law which is still in effect -- you cannot legally bring any maps into the country which have not been pre-approved by the Ministry of External Affairs. The idea of a travel guide didn't seem to really be understood. So, Arturo called the Minister's office and was told that I needed to write a letter explaining what the maps are and why I want them to be allowed in the country. Along with the letter, I had to include photocopies of each of the maps in the book. Photocopies from the book that the government was holding and I wasn't allowed to have. Hm...

Instead of trying to figure all of that out, I just had Random House mail out another book -- this time to Christian, Arturo's brother living in the States. He and his family are coming here in December and can just bring the book. Problem solved.

Then, I received an official notification from FedEx about what happened with the Ministry of External Affairs. I went to the FedEx office and, after a very long discussion and explanation, I realized that it isn't illegal to bring in maps of cities, zones, etc., just maps of the country as a whole (to be sure that the borders are correct). FedEx contacted the Minister's office to ask permission if the full map of Peru, at the beginning of the book, could be removed and then I could receive the book.

I called the next day to see what the Minister's answer was. FedEx informed me that there are 8 complete maps of Peru throughout the book and that, if I approved, the government could remove these maps and then deliver it to my house. I approved and finally received the book.

There are a couple of pages missing at the beginning, but the best part is that on the first page of each chapter, there is a big map of the area discussed in the chapter, along with a tiny little map of Peru, showing where that area is in the country. They cut out these tiny little maps (about 2" x 2") at the beginning of each chapter. It is hilarious to see the random cuts they made throughout the book.

Although there is a history of problems with borders on map, we have all agreed that there is - just perhaps - a more efficient way of checking this.

Anyway, it's all an adventure, right? And I am a published travel writer!!