I saw a piece about this on the BBC today and find it relatively amusing in a bad way. I met the other author to the Lonely PLanet guide to Colombia some years ago and he was quite clearly not going to all the places that he had to. He spoke to one hostal owner in a town (I saw this with my own eyes) and identified himself and then asked the owner what else he should write up.

He then bothered me, I was slumbering in a hammock post ciudad perdida trek, to look over the previous edition's write up of the trek to see if it was still up to date since he did not have time to do it himself.

Oh yes, did I mention he did not speak spanish.

Now, I have finished two guidebook contracts which for me makes this discussion more interesting. For Fodor's I merely needed to update and expand on their Colombia chapter and this was detailed yet bread and butter work. For another editorial house, Viva, I was supposed to cover roughly 40 per cent of Colombia filling out to their specifications hotels, restaurants and activities. They have since written - two months after I had sent in my completed draft - to say that some parts are too brief.

The problem is, as I see it, that they are asking for so much info from places that don't generate a lot of copy. The pay is dreadful and has only justified the work in that the opportunity took me to places where I could garner further articles.

This said, on neither gig did I identify myself, try to gain free access anywhere or take advantage of any waitresses. There's a balance that needs to be struck and the people that purchase these guidebooks in my opinion deserve fair and detailed copy.

Tim wrote: "I think T-Kone would be a pretty fun guy to hang out with."

Hmmm... Maybe if I was wasted and a senior in high school again. "Wow... You, like, travel and get paid? Tell me again about that crazy party in Rio. Oh, and remind me - you said you played a varsity sport in college, right? *Swoooon*..."

;)

I gotta say, even if all this turns out to be some giant, crazy, blog-tastic misunderstanding, the one thing I'll probably still believe at the end of it is that T-Kone doesn't strike me as a very nice guy.

One thing this scandal has generated is a serious discussion about the working conditions for guidebook writers. This gets the rest of them some sympathy from me, but none for T-Kone. Regardless of how justified your complaints, if you have an issue with your employer, you either raise it like an adult or you walk away... like an adult. You don't continue to work for them, screw them at every opportunity while doign so, and gleefully wait for your chance to hit back at them in the global media while simultaneously pumping up sales of your supposedly "tell-all" book.