You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
Really everything you could want out of a non-fiction adventure book. Funny, respectful, and passionate - loved it! Really makes me want to go to Peru.
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
It's most interesting to read this book if you've ever visited Peru. If you've been there, then you've almost certainly been to Cusco, former seat of the Inca Empire and gateway to Machu Picchu, and to Machu Picchu itself, as they're considered non-optional stops for any tourist trip to Peru. I'm sure it's an even more interesting read if you've ever hiked any part of the “Inca Trail,” which I haven't. It's fun to recognize the names of places you've been (for me, it was major stops like Sacsayhuaman and Ollantaytambo), and the more of them you've been to, the more fun the pointing and grinning “I've been there!” aspect of the story is.
The story is in three layers with frequent switching between them – a structure I found interesting and not as hard to follow as you might think. In Layer 1, you have our author/protagonist, Mark, a writer for an outdoor adventure magazine who lives in New York City and is, ironically, about as unadventurous as they come. He's your relatable average schmoe who somehow landed this job despite not being particularly outdoorsy or adventurous, and for reasons I've now forgotten but which are explained at the beginning of the book, decides around 2010 he's going to hike the Inca Trail, and not just the popular one that everyone hikes. He's going to get out on the some of the other, much lesser known, Inca trails and have himself a real adventure, despite being ignorant, out of shape, and unprepared. He hires himself an expert guide and a bunch of porters, cooks, and mules, and off he goes. Aside from speaking some passable Spanish and having a Peruvian wife, he's your basic entitled white norteamericano. Some hilarity and plenty of eye-rolling moments ensue as our hapless hero encounters the realities of the Andes. Some people have panned this book because Mark is such a typical example of the infamous white American traveler's sense of privilege, but you don't have to like him or approve of all his choices to find this book an enjoyable and interesting vread. And honestly, how much better would you really do? I spent six months learning rudimentary Spanish before my Peru trip, but it sure never occurred to me to learn Quechua, which at least one reviewer thought any responsible traveler to the Andes should do.
Mark is following the footsteps of Hiram Bingham, the man widely (and in the purest sense of the word, incorrectly) credited with “discovering” Machu Picchu in 1911, and Bingham's story makes up Layer 2. Mark begins with some personal history about Bingham, and the story follows the ups and downs of Bingham's career as well as the literal ups and downs of his expeditions through the Andes and the things he saw and wrote about. (It's more fair to say that what Bingham really did was rescue Macchu Picchu from obscurity and neglect, and ensure it would be known to the world and preserved as a treasured part of Peru's national heritage, rather than being destroyed by rapacious treasure hunters as so many other Inca ruins have been. Still a significant accomplishment, even though it wasn't "lost" in the sense that people like to think of.)
Layer 3 is the more ancient and obscure history of the latter days of the Inca Empire in the 15th and 16th centuries, which in many cases is filled with inferences and guesswork because so little is firmly known and nearly all of it is filtered through the lens of the victorious Spanish conquistadors. It deals with mysteries like, “Who built Machu Picchu and what was it for?” and “What's the significance of all these extremely well-built roads that lead to incredibly obscure and hard-to-reach places (even by Peruvian standards) deep in the mountains and cloud forests?” and “What really happened at the legendary last stand of the Incas at Machu Picchu?” These are the kinds of questions that have captivated adventurers, historians, and archaeologists for centuries, and it's hard not to find yourself a little captivated, too.
Other travel/adventure books it led me to: [b:Wind, Sand and Stars|8837|Wind, Sand and Stars|Antoine de Saint-Exupéry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328876428l/8837._SY75_.jpg|1198592] [b:The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom|9013|The Long Walk The True Story of a Trek to Freedom|Slavomir Rawicz|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1417980460l/9013._SX50_.jpg|1019008] [b:The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon|3398625|The Lost City of Z A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon|David Grann|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320487318l/3398625._SY75_.jpg|3438638]
It's most interesting to read this book if you've ever visited Peru. If you've been there, then you've almost certainly been to Cusco, former seat of the Inca Empire and gateway to Machu Picchu, and to Machu Picchu itself, as they're considered non-optional stops for any tourist trip to Peru. I'm sure it's an even more interesting read if you've ever hiked any part of the “Inca Trail,” which I haven't. It's fun to recognize the names of places you've been (for me, it was major stops like Sacsayhuaman and Ollantaytambo), and the more of them you've been to, the more fun the pointing and grinning “I've been there!” aspect of the story is.
The story is in three layers with frequent switching between them – a structure I found interesting and not as hard to follow as you might think. In Layer 1, you have our author/protagonist, Mark, a writer for an outdoor adventure magazine who lives in New York City and is, ironically, about as unadventurous as they come. He's your relatable average schmoe who somehow landed this job despite not being particularly outdoorsy or adventurous, and for reasons I've now forgotten but which are explained at the beginning of the book, decides around 2010 he's going to hike the Inca Trail, and not just the popular one that everyone hikes. He's going to get out on the some of the other, much lesser known, Inca trails and have himself a real adventure, despite being ignorant, out of shape, and unprepared. He hires himself an expert guide and a bunch of porters, cooks, and mules, and off he goes. Aside from speaking some passable Spanish and having a Peruvian wife, he's your basic entitled white norteamericano. Some hilarity and plenty of eye-rolling moments ensue as our hapless hero encounters the realities of the Andes. Some people have panned this book because Mark is such a typical example of the infamous white American traveler's sense of privilege, but you don't have to like him or approve of all his choices to find this book an enjoyable and interesting vread. And honestly, how much better would you really do? I spent six months learning rudimentary Spanish before my Peru trip, but it sure never occurred to me to learn Quechua, which at least one reviewer thought any responsible traveler to the Andes should do.
Mark is following the footsteps of Hiram Bingham, the man widely (and in the purest sense of the word, incorrectly) credited with “discovering” Machu Picchu in 1911, and Bingham's story makes up Layer 2. Mark begins with some personal history about Bingham, and the story follows the ups and downs of Bingham's career as well as the literal ups and downs of his expeditions through the Andes and the things he saw and wrote about. (It's more fair to say that what Bingham really did was rescue Macchu Picchu from obscurity and neglect, and ensure it would be known to the world and preserved as a treasured part of Peru's national heritage, rather than being destroyed by rapacious treasure hunters as so many other Inca ruins have been. Still a significant accomplishment, even though it wasn't "lost" in the sense that people like to think of.)
Layer 3 is the more ancient and obscure history of the latter days of the Inca Empire in the 15th and 16th centuries, which in many cases is filled with inferences and guesswork because so little is firmly known and nearly all of it is filtered through the lens of the victorious Spanish conquistadors. It deals with mysteries like, “Who built Machu Picchu and what was it for?” and “What's the significance of all these extremely well-built roads that lead to incredibly obscure and hard-to-reach places (even by Peruvian standards) deep in the mountains and cloud forests?” and “What really happened at the legendary last stand of the Incas at Machu Picchu?” These are the kinds of questions that have captivated adventurers, historians, and archaeologists for centuries, and it's hard not to find yourself a little captivated, too.
Other travel/adventure books it led me to: [b:Wind, Sand and Stars|8837|Wind, Sand and Stars|Antoine de Saint-Exupéry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328876428l/8837._SY75_.jpg|1198592] [b:The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom|9013|The Long Walk The True Story of a Trek to Freedom|Slavomir Rawicz|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1417980460l/9013._SX50_.jpg|1019008] [b:The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon|3398625|The Lost City of Z A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon|David Grann|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320487318l/3398625._SY75_.jpg|3438638]
I didn't get into it at all. I was looking for some adventure, some emotion to rediscover the sites, but I got very factual descriptions. Some jokes here and there, but overall, very dull. The author combines some history with his own adventure, with Bingham's expeditions, and before that the Spaniards. I skipped a lot of passages that felt really long, I kept waiting for the peak of the adventure, but really never got there. Very disappointed!
1. Be passionate
2. See the world
Not just new year's resolutions, but resolutions to live by always.
2. See the world
Not just new year's resolutions, but resolutions to live by always.
I love travelogues although they do not help the wanderlust. Adams weaves together the Incan period, Bingham's "rediscovery" of Machu Picchu, and the author's own recreation of Bingham's path. With a self-deprecating voice, this book is really engaging and makes me want to recreate Adams' recreation. Do you think there is a tour for that?
It's been 3 years (in a month) that I went on a 2-week adventure to South America, where I got to see Bolivian salt flats, lagunas, flamingos, hiked the Lares Trek for 3 days, saw so many llamas/alpacas, visited old cities, saw Machu Picchu, and climbed Huaynapicchu Mountain.
While the big cities like La Paz don't interest me as much, the natural landscape of Peru and Bolivia are absolutely breathtaking, although that might be the altitude.
While on our guided Lares Trek and tour of Machu Picchu, it's clear that while we have plenty of theories about the Inca, we still don't know a whole lot. I definitely received mixed messages from both scholars (in articles and books) and Peruvian guides about Machu Picchu's original purpose. I've heard such answers as the Inca escape from the Spanish, an Inca ruler's summer home, the end of a spiritual Inca pilgrimage, and a university.
If anything, Mark Adam's book made it even more clear that this mystical city set high on a mountaintop is, and forever will be, a complete mystery. There is not enough concrete evidence, and any evidence there is seems to conflict other accounts, to say what Machu Picchu really was. Machu Picchu had been looted and ransacked multiple times before Hiram Bingham had even arrived, and it's hard to say what purpose rooms and buildings serve when only the stones are left.
Mark Adams' journey across Inca trails, following Hiram Bingham's footsteps, was entertaining, informative, and interesting. He intersperses his personal hiking with Hiram Bingham's journey and the history of the Spanish vs. the Inca. This way, events in three timelines are either kept together via geography and is less confusing and boring than a third dedicated to original history, a third to Hiram, and a third to Mark.
The adventurer craze that swept the industrialized nations (mostly America and Europe) in the early 1900s is not only funny to read about with hindsight (who in their life hasn't wanted to experience an adventure like that??) and also very problematic. In fact, there are still multiple, ongoing lawsuits over thee artifacts Hiram brought and smuggled out of South America.
Mark is funny in a lowkey way, like he's not going out of his way to be a comedian, but throws in some funny lines. John, the Australian guide, is entertaining because he's exactly the rugged, tough adventurer stereotype, yet Mark never pokes fun at him, or his porters. Sure, everyone is a bit of a character and a little zany, but it feels like affectionate depictions, never cruel.
While we're in isolation due to the coronavirus, reading this book is a bit like experiencing the Inca ruins, but not quite the same. I'd always recommend visiting South America in person and hiking the trails yourself (if you can), but this is always a good substitute.
While the big cities like La Paz don't interest me as much, the natural landscape of Peru and Bolivia are absolutely breathtaking, although that might be the altitude.
While on our guided Lares Trek and tour of Machu Picchu, it's clear that while we have plenty of theories about the Inca, we still don't know a whole lot. I definitely received mixed messages from both scholars (in articles and books) and Peruvian guides about Machu Picchu's original purpose. I've heard such answers as the Inca escape from the Spanish, an Inca ruler's summer home, the end of a spiritual Inca pilgrimage, and a university.
If anything, Mark Adam's book made it even more clear that this mystical city set high on a mountaintop is, and forever will be, a complete mystery. There is not enough concrete evidence, and any evidence there is seems to conflict other accounts, to say what Machu Picchu really was. Machu Picchu had been looted and ransacked multiple times before Hiram Bingham had even arrived, and it's hard to say what purpose rooms and buildings serve when only the stones are left.
Mark Adams' journey across Inca trails, following Hiram Bingham's footsteps, was entertaining, informative, and interesting. He intersperses his personal hiking with Hiram Bingham's journey and the history of the Spanish vs. the Inca. This way, events in three timelines are either kept together via geography and is less confusing and boring than a third dedicated to original history, a third to Hiram, and a third to Mark.
The adventurer craze that swept the industrialized nations (mostly America and Europe) in the early 1900s is not only funny to read about with hindsight (who in their life hasn't wanted to experience an adventure like that??) and also very problematic. In fact, there are still multiple, ongoing lawsuits over thee artifacts Hiram brought and smuggled out of South America.
Mark is funny in a lowkey way, like he's not going out of his way to be a comedian, but throws in some funny lines. John, the Australian guide, is entertaining because he's exactly the rugged, tough adventurer stereotype, yet Mark never pokes fun at him, or his porters. Sure, everyone is a bit of a character and a little zany, but it feels like affectionate depictions, never cruel.
While we're in isolation due to the coronavirus, reading this book is a bit like experiencing the Inca ruins, but not quite the same. I'd always recommend visiting South America in person and hiking the trails yourself (if you can), but this is always a good substitute.
I enjoyed this as a nice balance of travelogue, history, and memoir. The writing felt a bit slow in parts, but overall enjoyable.
I really enjoyed this book. It was rather long, but I finished it within a week because of how compelling the author made this story. I have read other books with a topic similar to this, and what I appreciate most is the fact that Adams parallels his journey with the history he is writing about, which makes it much more enjoyable.
2 1/2 stars -- the parts about Peru, the Incas, Machu Picchu, Hiram Bingham III, and John the amazing Australia tour guide were interesting, but the author was kind of boring and annoying, and too much of the book focused on him.
Interesting account of Adams' adventures in Peru exploring the Inca ruins, especially Machu Picchu. He (mostly) followed in the footsteps of Hiram Bingham, who has often been credited with discovering Machu Picchu, though many Peruvians already knew it was there. In fact, three families were living there when Bingham "discovered" it.
Adams gives some interesting background, describing Bingham's exploits about every other chapter. It's not a serious history, but it is intriguing enough in its own way. Adams writes well, with humor and insight. My only wish was that there would have been more about the actual hiking. What did he pack, and how? What were the surprises he encountered? What does he wish he would have done differently? Of course, that wasn't really his purpose, so I can't really fault him for that.
Adams' book has reinforced my own desire to hike the Inca trail one day soon. I thought I had the chance once in my early twenties, but the railroad was shut down due to one of the numerous worker's paras, or strikes, and I wasn't able to get to Cusco. Some day soon!
Adams gives some interesting background, describing Bingham's exploits about every other chapter. It's not a serious history, but it is intriguing enough in its own way. Adams writes well, with humor and insight. My only wish was that there would have been more about the actual hiking. What did he pack, and how? What were the surprises he encountered? What does he wish he would have done differently? Of course, that wasn't really his purpose, so I can't really fault him for that.
Adams' book has reinforced my own desire to hike the Inca trail one day soon. I thought I had the chance once in my early twenties, but the railroad was shut down due to one of the numerous worker's paras, or strikes, and I wasn't able to get to Cusco. Some day soon!