After Phil Karber's last book, Vagabond Memoirs , he thumbed the pages of his Nat Geo World Atlas for what came next and decided to circle back to his unpublished material of a bus trip down the Pan American Highway through Mexico and Central America. Though eighteen years had passed since that memorable journey, the underlying themes-faith, politics, Indigenous poverty, anti-Americanism-struck him to be as relevant today as they were in 2007. The Spanish Conquest, inspired by "gold, glory, and God," the 1823 enactment of the Monroe Doctrine, and 20th century American hegemony are now embedded like atavistic memories in every jungle village and urban slum in the region. Gringos Traveling South of the Rio Grande forks and fuses like an epic novel, capturing the landscapes and cultures along the Pan American Highway. Maybe it was the jolting potholes on roadways, combined with odors, colors, sounds, seatmates, naps, and meditations, but Karber's senses peak as he pens this remarkable book based on his 3,000-mile journey from the Rio Grande to the Panama Canal. While all Americans know of these two landmarks, good chance that they don't know much about what's in between. - Billy D. Higgins, Professor Emeritus of History at UAFS In Gringos Traveling South of the Rio Grande , Phil Karber creates a kaleidoscope of color, sound, and taste, as he and his companion, Cowboy, ride buses south through Mexico and Central America. Along the way, he weaves in the history of ancient Indigenous cultures, Spanish conquests, American interventions, and current politics. Karber's insatiable curiosity and hunger for adventure make this book a delightful and satisfying read. - Bonnie Bishop, Poet, with her fourth book of poems, Patience , released in 2025 Phil Karber's travel tales are always underlaid with adventure, history and hilarity, and it's no different with his newest book. Given the parlous state of the era, traveling southward with Karber on the Pan American Highway could not have been more timely. Lucky for us, at every stop in his journey, he embodies and invokes Rilke's advice-"Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going." - Mark McDonald, Former correspondent for the New York Times and the International Herald Tribune One marvels at the documentary detail of Phil Karber's prose. Gringos Traveling South ... delivers, rat-a-tat-tat, diverse insights into the region's politics, power and history. - Simon Redington, Visionary Artist Phil Karber is a two-time Lowell Thomas Award-winning travel writer. He has journeyed to all continents and 157 of the 193 UN-recognized countries, lived in Africa and Asia for fourteen years, and has authored the following books: Vagabond Memoirs; Postmarks from a Political Traveler; Fear and Faith in Paradise: Exploring Conflict and Religion in the Middle East; The Indochina Chronicles: Travels in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam; and Yak Pizza to Go: Travels in an Age of Vanishing Cultures and Extinctions.