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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I read this book for a book club I belong to that is currently following a travel theme. The book follows Mark Adams as he retraces the steps of Bingham, the explorer/adventurer/professor who “discovered” Machu Picchu, on the 100 year anniversary of the discovery. This should have been a great travel adventure but there were some issues with the book. Mark Adams tells his present day story interspersed with Hiram Bingham’s original tale and then with tales from Pissaro and the Conquistadors. The switching back and forth is done erratically and is often disruptive. I can’t tell whether the author did this deliberately to make a statement about how the journeys were interchangeable even after the passage or time or if it was just ….erratic.
Another issue is that the author is not the most descriptive of writers, when I am reading a travel book about some place I will probably never see, I would like the author to “paint pictures with his words” so that I can vicariously “see” his views and experience the trip. Some of the writing is very flat and leaves you with a let down feel,… okay we got to Machu Picchu, now we’re going someplace else….what?
The main positive of the book is John Leivers, Mark Adam’s Australian born guide. He seemed like a fascinating person and I would probably have loved a story about him. There is also information about the controversies surrounding Machu Picchu and antiquities in general that was all very interesting. It seems to me that the book had an identity crisis. It tries to be a little bit of everything, a biography of Hiram Bingham, a travelogue, a historical text of Peru, and some ethics essays about antiquities. In trying to do too much , if succeeds at nothing. it has interested me enough in Hiram Bingham, that I will look for other books about him.
Another issue is that the author is not the most descriptive of writers, when I am reading a travel book about some place I will probably never see, I would like the author to “paint pictures with his words” so that I can vicariously “see” his views and experience the trip. Some of the writing is very flat and leaves you with a let down feel,… okay we got to Machu Picchu, now we’re going someplace else….what?
The main positive of the book is John Leivers, Mark Adam’s Australian born guide. He seemed like a fascinating person and I would probably have loved a story about him. There is also information about the controversies surrounding Machu Picchu and antiquities in general that was all very interesting. It seems to me that the book had an identity crisis. It tries to be a little bit of everything, a biography of Hiram Bingham, a travelogue, a historical text of Peru, and some ethics essays about antiquities. In trying to do too much , if succeeds at nothing. it has interested me enough in Hiram Bingham, that I will look for other books about him.
Great travel adventure including memorable characters and great humor combined with good historical fact and a summary of relevant current events.
The perfect primer for a trip to Peru and Machu Picchu--very readable and accessible, but offers lots of excellent historical and cultural context. Highly recommend for anyone visiting MP.
I enjoyed learning about explorer Hiram Bingham and doing armchair travel to a region I may never physically visit. I liked the author's sense of humor but felt like the book would have benefited from a shorter length. It only received 2 stars because about halfway through it became a chore to continue.
Last book in my read-around-the-world summer (minus Antarctica & Australia, unless anyone can recommend good books for those continents!).
First I need to say that I love to travel. I love knowing new places, the more different from my own country, the better. Second, I love to organize every detail of my travels, and while doing that learn as much as I can about the place that I am going.
I also love books that teach me things, lots of things. Biology, history, geography, survival tips (if lost in the jungle do not eat or drink anything).
This book joined everything together. And made me start researching on the web about the people involved, the places spoken about, and dreaming about trekking the Inca Trail myself. I will go there one day before it gets destroyed by the thousands of tourists, or sloppy governments!
So now is walking around here, to get ready for my big walk someday.
I also love books that teach me things, lots of things. Biology, history, geography, survival tips (if lost in the jungle do not eat or drink anything).
This book joined everything together. And made me start researching on the web about the people involved, the places spoken about, and dreaming about trekking the Inca Trail myself. I will go there one day before it gets destroyed by the thousands of tourists, or sloppy governments!
So now is walking around here, to get ready for my big walk someday.
It had been too long since the last time I read a travelogue. This one was a excellent choice. The author, a travel journalist who freely admits he doesn't do that much traveling, hooks up with an tough Australian guide in Peru to follow the trail of Hiram Bingham III, a Yale man who had "discovered" Machu Picchu in 1911. The narrative weaves together Bingham's history, Peruvian history, and his own trekking in the area and succeeds in telling a fascinating, well-paced story. The book includes a number of black and white photos as well.
Just for fun, here's a quote from his guide, John, when they were discussing craziest things they've ever eaten:
"I once ate a cockroach, but that was on a bet back in Australia. I also once, after quite a lot of beer, ate a kilo of butter." He leaned forward between the front seats. "Won ten dollars on that bet."
Just for fun, here's a quote from his guide, John, when they were discussing craziest things they've ever eaten:
"I once ate a cockroach, but that was on a bet back in Australia. I also once, after quite a lot of beer, ate a kilo of butter." He leaned forward between the front seats. "Won ten dollars on that bet."
If you’re curious about history, about Incas, have wanted to explore the mysteries of Peru, you’ll love this book. I think having done the Inca Trail, I had more of a pull to the story, but I think anyone can appreciate. This is a must read before journeying to Peru, but if you’ve already been, still should be on your list. My guide on the trail recommended this book and I can see why. Mark Adams, the author, is a relatable adventurer. Begins as a tourist (a respectful one) but slowly turns into an investigator of Peruvian history and an adventurer in his own right. It’s an interesting combination of historical non-fiction, with an adventure novel, and bucket list traveler novel all in one. Would recommend.