Welcome to the December 2012 issue of online magazine Perceptive Travel, the home of great travel stories from book authors and the latest notable travel book and world music reviews. Here's what we've got in store for you:
The First Astrotourists of Panama - Darrin DuFord
A visit to Panama's first observatory leads our author to reflect on the country's gradually morphing sense of place.
What's Wrong Gary? Rust and Ruin in Indiana - Niall McCrae
Taking the train from Chicago to blighted Gary, Indiana, a British visitor confronts globalization's impact on former industrial cities in the midst of car-focused urban planning.
We're the Greatest! Our Quest to Be the World Capital of…Anything - Chris Epting
You've seen the signs along the highways and back roads, proudly proclaiming a city or town as some sort of "Capital of the World." Some are silly, some are historic, some are downright weird, but they all have something in common: they all help define the place they are named for.
World Music Reviews - Laurence Mitchell
A long-awaited follow-up from Colombia's Bomba Estereo, Sephardic Spanish songs, disquieting music from Norway, and Putumayo's new collection of yoga music.
Travel Book Reviews - Susan Griffith
This month, contradictions abound in the simultaneous beauty and menace of nature on remote islands and in the history and sub-cultures of Naples, as well as in one man's tiny contribution to fixing the world.
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Enjoy!