Epinions Recent Reviews for bobnewman

Botswana: Botswana Safari Adventure

Sun, 22 Oct 2000 13:37:38 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author bobnewman -
Review Topic: Sights & Attractions

Botswana, formerly Bechuanaland, is not only Africa's most stable and democratic nation but the continent's finest safari destination. I recently returned from a week-long safari in...

MSN: Money For Nothing

Sun, 1 Oct 2000 16:30:53 GMT

rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author bobnewman - I recently switched from AOL to MSN because I was very dissatisfied with the dolts at AOL. MSN promised that I would enjoy instant access to the Internet, reliable connections, and great customer service. They also swore to me that the bridge in Brooklyn...

Top Contender

Fri, 21 Jul 2000 10:57:29 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author bobnewman - Because I write about flyfishing for a living, I really can't afford to have reels fail on me. When you are so far into the boonies that they have to pump in daylight and your fly reel craps out for any reason, things can get ugly, including possibly not...

Canyon Full of Fun

Sat, 24 Jun 2000 21:34:15 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author bobnewman - Ross Reels has been around for a while now, and anyone who has been flyfishing for any amount of time knows of this Colorado fly reel manufacturer. I've been using reels made by this respected company for several years and recently tested their Canyon 3...

Killer Reel for Real Killers

Fri, 26 May 2000 16:28:12 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author bobnewman - The Orvis Vortex 13/14 is a high-end ($995) large-arbor reel for the most serious of saltwater gamefish. It is meant to be used on such species as marlin, sailfish, yellowfin tuna, and the most evil of all fish, the giant trevally. I recently exclusively...

Guatemala: Fascinating Land of Contrasts

Mon, 22 May 2000 11:25:53 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author bobnewman - Guatemala is a fascinating land of contrasts with an interesting history. I recently visited there for a week and will certainly go back.

One of the most striking contrasts is the rampant poverty as compared to the 1% or so who are very...

Caribbean Coast: Rio Parismina Lodge An Amazing Find

Wed, 19 Apr 2000 12:54:25 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author bobnewman - Tucked into the lush jungle along Costa Rica's gorgeous Caribbean coast, Rio Parismina Lodge is a jem that every angler, flyfisher, jungle lover, and eco-tourist must visit.

For anglers and flyfishers, the mighty tarpon is king at Rio...

Costa Rica: Escondido Trex/Osa Peninsula Are Fabulous

Sun, 16 Apr 2000 18:07:52 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author bobnewman - The Osa Peninsula has been hailed as one of the most bio-diverse regions on the planet. After spending some time in the rain forest there with the owners of Escondido Trex, Tom and Karen Boylan, I now know why so much has been said and written about the...

The Cayes: Turneffe Island Lodge for fun in the sun

Sun, 20 Feb 2000 23:10:14 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author bobnewman - Turneffe Island Lodge, located on 12-acre Caye Bokel at the southern tip if this atoll (one of only four in this hemisphere), provides divers, snorkelers, anglers (fly or spinning), and sun worshippers with more fun that any human short of Mother Theresa...

Mega Rod for Mean Fish

Thu, 27 Jan 2000 13:05:00 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author bobnewman - Scott's Heliply Series was apparently designed by flyfishers who got tired of not being able to reach important game fish with a breeze in their respective faces, and when they did get a big fly through the wind to the fish, they found that they couldn't...

One Love Mon...

Thu, 27 Jan 2000 12:09:17 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author bobnewman - I first wandered into the Caribbean many years ago and began hearing an unusual form of Rock that cut it owns path through the subtropical forest. The music came from funky little bars on the back streets of St. Johns, the transistor radios of smiling...

Odyssey+: Can stop a train

Tue, 25 Jan 2000 18:58:23 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author bobnewman - I have been using an Orvis Odyssey III for several years now under widely varying conditions--false albacore off Cape Lookout, tarpon in the Keys and Belize, bonito in Costa Rica, and plenty more--and have yet to be disappointed. Although I have heard a...

Charlotte Church: No such thing as miracles?

Tue, 25 Jan 2000 17:44:03 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author bobnewman - As I write this review, the other-worldly voice of this astonishing 12-year-old Welsh child is filling my home. People ask: Where did this child receive such a voice?

Look up.

What praises could I possibly add to a list that grows...

Frankfurt am Main: The fall-of-the-wall syndrome

Tue, 25 Jan 2000 15:16:03 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author bobnewman - Frankfurt, where I used to live on Plattenstrasse, is a teeming metropolis with great history and plenty to do. However, since the wall came down, many large cities in Germany have experienced substantial social decay due to high unemployment caused by...

Zimbabwe: Incredible adventure

Tue, 25 Jan 2000 15:02:51 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author bobnewman - As a travel writer, I have become pretty darn spoiled by visiting so many amazing places and having such wild adventures. But I have to say that my safari in Zimbabwe was among the top 5 things I have done in my life, and that includes such thrills as...

Goodall, Jane: Fabulous reading from an amazing woman

Wed, 19 Jan 2000 14:13:59 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author bobnewman - Jane Goodall's Reason For Hope is a new release from one of the most respected animal behaviorists alive today. She is to the study of chimpanzees what Cousteau was to the sea and what Attenborough is to nature in general.

This book is an...

Quite good so far

Wed, 19 Jan 2000 13:56:58 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author bobnewman - Because I use a variety of cameras and lenses to support my magazine articles and books, I am always on the lookout for new cameras that will fit the bill. I recently bought a Canon Rebel G kit and so far, so good.

One thing that I immediately...

Excellent info from a master flyfisher

Tue, 18 Jan 2000 12:18:19 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author bobnewman - It seems that every day about 30 flyfishing videos are released, with many being quite bad insofar as direction, content, and production are concerned. It is always a pleasure to see a true master flyfisher release an instructional video that does what...

Good so far, for the most part

Mon, 17 Jan 2000 22:07:11 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author bobnewman - As an outdoor writer specializing in travel, flyfishing, hunting, and the environment, I use several cameras a great deal to support the articles I sell to dozens of magazines, and for my books. For many years I have used Canons only, but in the spring...

Mitchell, Joni: Elect this talented woman Empress of the Universe

Mon, 17 Jan 2000 18:42:27 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author bobnewman - Joni Mitchell is one of the true greats in rock music because she has a commodity so few of today's "musicians" possess: genuine talent. She remains a cool hippie chick for whom we old long-hairs pine, for she represents a past that will never...

Morissette, Alanis: She'd have been laughed out of the 70s

Mon, 17 Jan 2000 18:17:21 GMT

rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author bobnewman - Granted, growing up in the 60s and early 70s, I was spoiled with the proliferation of genuinely talented rock musicians and groups--Croce, Taylor, Simon, John, Baez, the Doobie Brothers, Three Dog Night, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac,...

Alaska: Two amazing Alaskan lodges to try

Mon, 17 Jan 2000 15:27:08 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author bobnewman - Alaska is as diverse a state as there could ever possibly be. I have traveled there twice in the last two years, with each trip being quite different.

If you would like to explore and fish the southeast coast of Alaska, and do so from a luxury...

Darn good rod for a great price

Mon, 17 Jan 2000 12:58:23 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author bobnewman - Because I fly fish and write about it for a living, I am more than just a little spoiled. I probably have more fly rods than I deserve, but as they say (whoever they are), it is a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

Which brings me to St...

A rod for dragons

Mon, 17 Jan 2000 12:37:38 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author bobnewman - The popularity of saltwater flyfishing continues to raise eyebrows across the board; more and more people are really getting into this sport, and as they do, more and more of them are finding themselves facing situations and gamefish that demand respect...

DS2 a dandy entry-level rod

Mon, 17 Jan 2000 12:23:42 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author bobnewman - Sage may be best known, especially of late, for their very high quality saltwater fly rods, which isn't to say that their freshwater rods aren't so popular, because they are. Rods like the highly respected RPLXi series are seen everywhere and are used on...