The Full Montezuma

by Peter Moore

Peter Moore’s wicked sense of humour and eye for the bizarre add to the pleasure of this cautionary tale for anyone planning to cross a continent with their significant other. From Mexico to Jamaica, Honduras to ancient Mayan sites and golden beaches, follow the highs and lows of one couple’s journey.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Memoir, Humor

469 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Peter Moore (born 18 July 1962) is an Australian travel writer.

Moore, who was born in Sydney, claims to have visited 99 countries. He currently lives with his wife and daughter in London. He has published many books that re-tell tales of his travels.

He is a Vespa enthusiast and his 2005 book Vroom with a View and 2007 book Vroom by the Sea feature trips through Italy taken on vintage Italian motorscooters.

[Wikipedia]

Reviews

[Diane in Australia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peter, and his new girlfriend, spend 6 months traveling through Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Since they hardly know each other, they tend to bicker, which can get dull fast.

It's not an in-depth travelogue type book. It's more of a memoir. He does briefly describe some of the sights they see.

For me, it was a quick read, a light read.

3 Stars = I liked the book.

[thereadytraveller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moore’s second foray into epic overland journeys, see him this time bringing along his girlfriend of six weeks, referred to as the GND (the Girl Next Door). The book is a good read with some great experiences not least due to Hurricane Mitch that proceeded their arrival and throwing their travel plans somewhat into disarray. The only downside is that the constant references to the bickering between the author and the GND becomes repetitive and distracts from the quality of the rest of the story.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moore's a great travel writer, but I wouldn't advise folks who've never read him before to start with this one - try Vroom with a View instead.

[Rebekah Larsen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Only gave it two stars instead of one because it was a bit of a trip down memory lane--I followed similar roads four years ago in Central America. Apart from that...it reads as a 'meh' travel itinerary of a somewhat privileged white dude from Aussie, who continually writes off places as 'shitholes' and more than once describes the local children as just generally snot-nosed. He spends too many of the 400+ pages detailing increasingly repetitive fights/conversations with his girlfriend (whom he has named nothing more than GND throughout the book - the 'girl next door'), and never really seems to get to know the locals or the places he visits.

Would not really recommend.

[Geoff Orton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A colleague lent this to me to take with me to Central America and I read it very quickly. I think it's because of the subject matter rather than the book. By the end of the 6 month journey I felt like I needed some time apart from my travel companion. I think the way he constantly talks about money eventually got to me and it was pretty odious considering the relative wealth they had. Besides that, I don't think this book gets published in 2020 as it hasn't aged all that well.

[Steve Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sub-titled "Around central america and the caribbean with the girl next door", which pretty much sums it up. Peter Moore is a young-ish man who lives to travel, and this is the latest in a small series, this time relating his travel with a young woman whom he had known for just a short time when he asked her to accompany him on his next journey. Of course, travelling is an excellent way to get to know someone, but it is rather unfortunate if you discover incompatibilities while on the journey, as is suggested here. There is much in here about such discoveries, but (I hope) with the intention of entertaining the reader rather than elucidating any truths about relationships. I would have liked to have heard her point of view too -- I feel sure that she would have a usefully different view of events! The strength of the book is in the decriptions of the places seen and the roads travelled. Although Moore is no great wordsmith, the book is honestly and straight-forwardly written, making for a light and entertaining read. Jan 2001

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this romp through central america with Peter and the GND. I thought it was a good combination of the experience of going on a long term trip with a new girlfriend and an exploration of (to me) parts of the world I have very little experience of. This book was published in 2001 and so was written in an era before social media, when carrying lonely planet books was how people found their way. They visited internet cafes for email and for getting hotels they just turned up somewhere and asked - a bit different from now with the online booking systems available. Some of the places they visited were/are dangerous to visit and yet they managed okay without any major dramas happening to them. A good read.

[Queen Bzyb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve previously read this book but given the current travel restrictions (and unlikely travel for a while) it was great to explore Central America with Peter & the GND. Possibly slightly dated now but funny, educational and provided a sense of adventure nonetheless. 👍

[Louise · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible. No other word for it. I even skipped to the Costa Rica chapters as I'm married to a Costa Rican but even those pages sucked.

[Michael Cusick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makes a change from solo traveller books. Liked it a lot.

[Ben Skeen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am obviously a Peter Moore fan. How else can you explain the fact that I have somehow managed to get my hands on and read four of his books, despite the fact that they are not widely available in the States? I enjoy reading his stuff because it flows quickly (it has never taken me more than a few days to finish any of his books, even this one which weighed in at 450 pages) and because it describes the kind of traveling that I will never have the guts to attempt. Moore enjoys visiting huge swaths of the world at a time, staying at the cheapest hotels, and using the cheapest buses to get around, even if it takes all day to get someplace rather than an hour. So it was natural that I would enjoy this book, which happens to be about a part of the world I desperately want to explore.

My expectations were definitely met. As in the other books I have read, Moore spends most of the book describing the rough journey from point A to point B, saving a little space in each section to briefly describe where he ended up and what he did. He works in some of his trademark humor, finding ways to laugh at the bus driver who is still drunk from the night before tearing down the winding jungle road with reckless disregard for the passengers on the bus. And he expresses both the frustration of being seen as a mark by touts in one country and being welcomed with graciousness in another.

When I read travel books, I usually find my enjoyment of the book directly related to my sense that I might enjoy traveling with the author. This book made it hard to get a sense one way or another, because of an ongoing theme in the book. Moore is traveling with a new girlfriend, and the point of the book might be that traveling with anyone for long enough can be difficult. Moore is very evenhanded in his exposition of this theme; he is as willing to point a finger at the girlfriend as he is to admit that he can be hard to get along with. Had this book been Moore's take down of an ex, it wouldn't have been enjoyable at all. The balanced approach keeps it from getting too out of hand.

Bottom line, while I don't think I would be able to last too long with Moore, it's only because of the budget, not because of his interests or humor. Another enjoyable trip from my favorite stinky Aussie backpacker.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sub-titled "Around central america and the caribbean with the girl next door", which pretty much sums it up. Peter Moore is a young-ish man who lives to travel, and this is the latest in a small series, this time relating his travel with a young woman whom he had known for just a short time when he asked her to accompany him on his next journey. Of course, travelling is an excellent way to get to know someone, but it is rather unfortunate if you discover incompatibilities while on the journey, as is suggested here. There is much in here about such discoveries, but (I hope) with the intention of entertaining the reader rather than elucidating any truths about relationships. I would have liked to have heard her point of view too -- I feel sure that she would have a usefully different view of events! The strength of the book is in the decriptions of the places seen and the roads travelled. Although Moore is no great wordsmith, the book is honestly and straight-forwardly written, making for a light and entertaining read. Jan 2001

[Cormac Healy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Such a disappointing travel book. The premise is really solid, the route exciting enough to keep you reading, but the style is just grated on me. I really did not like the author.

It started very early. After spending the entire first chapter complaining about how much his significant other was packing for the trip, he then opens the second chapter by admitting his bag weighed about 8kg more than hers. What a twat. From then on I knew I was never going to like him, but kept reading purely because I wanted to find out about his time in Jamaica watching cricket, and his return to Mexico to visit my current location of Playa Del Carmen.

I really don't know how you could enjoy this. He is not funny. I would say he is a poor man's Bill Bryson but I don't think he even deserves to be mentioned with the great man. A complete lack of style, like-ability, and entertainment make this a travel book to avoid.

1.5/5

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

Now fairly dated (Moore's trip took place in 1998), this is the story of Peter Moore's trip around Central America with his brand new girlfriend and so their travels are fraught with squabbles, money problems, and completely different expectations about daily activities. Each chapter starts with an annoying habit and which one of them was responsible, but despite being so focused on their relationship, it's still an entertaining look at travelling around Central America.

Frankly, it gains an extra half star from me because so many of his experiences in certain towns and cities and tourist attractions are almost identical to my experiences in those places ten years later, and it gives me a nice sense of nostalgia.

[Malina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect book for holidays, long hours on the train, even longer hours on the beach, as well as cosy "armchair travelling". This is such a light, funny, engaging story of a young man taking his girlfriend of a couple of months to Central America. They get to know each other, they get to know the places on their way... a simple recipe for a slightly silly, but oh-so-cute and cool travelogue! It might be light, but still it's packed with details about the travel, so one finds it super engaging and actually informative. That was my first book from Peter Moore and I immediately got online and searched for more. I can even see myself coming back to it, easily!

[Henrik Lindstad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had greater expectations to Peter Moore after reading his blog and som reviews of his books. This was a dissapointing book to read. The start was sometimes hilaroius, but then it grew to a bore, picking itself up on the latter part of the book, but after finishing this - do I need to read more books on travel that are so superficial as this? Bill Bryson is a lot both wider and deeper, and makes you feel you know the country visited a lot better than Peter Moore. Perhaps I should try some of the earlier books, or should I just leave it?

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book about a guy who is travelling around Central America with a girl that he had only known after 4 dates. It is a true log of their travels around CA along with all the trials and tribulations that go along with a trip out of country for 6-8 months. Very Funny! Anyone who has travelled with others can totally relate. Plus it gives good descriptions of the countries and sites visited on the trip around the time of Hurricane Mitch in the CA region. Good read!

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love travel memoirs and am attempting one myself so I have a particular interest in writers like Moore. There's a trick to making someone interested in your travel stories (we've all seen eyes glass over when we give an all too enthusiastic answer to someone's simply-being-polite, 'how was your trip?) and Moore seems to have the knack. His Swahili For the Broken-Hearted is a better read than this one though.

[KJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, though sometimes trudging through the author's negative observations of just about everything can feel like a chore- even for a fatalist like myself. I would still recommend it + will still read more of his books even in light of it.

[Asta · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit too long - all those lengthy descriptions of bus ride details were not necessary. And it seems that author wants to be witty, but in comes out a bit banal. However, there were some parts which reading I laughted out loud.

[Elizabeth Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book so much more than The Wrong Way Home. I actually read it from cover to cover without having to leave it and come back to it. I have two more of his to read then I will be done. I hope that he writes more.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the parts about Guatemala... the rest, not so much.

[Melissa Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, light reading, nothing too spectacular.

[Dolf Patijn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice read. Not his most interesting travel book imho. I enjoyed Vroom with a view and Vroom by the sea more. Still worth reading though.

[Yvette · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastically funny quick read. It was full of facts and humor and lots of travel insight.