Turn Right At Machu Pichu (2000) - Plot & Excerpts
Mark Adams writes tongue-in-cheek half the time, but produces a humorous, fact-filled history of Machu Pichu, with a particular focus on Hiram Bingham, the "explorer" from Yale who put it on the map for non Peruvians, and all the subsequent conflict about "discovery" and ownership of artifacts, etc. He intersperses that story with his own mid-life leap into hiking and exploring the region around Machu Pichu with a Crocodile Dundee type leader named John Lievers. Their story is the more compelling as they retrace Bingham's first 1911 trip. It makes you want to hike the high altitude Andes in Peru! A pretty good book mixing the history (and controversy) of Hiram Bingham's discovery of Machu Picchu with the author's current experience following Bingham's trail. I enjoy these books that give me the historic background while at the same time updating me to how those previous events are viewed in retrospect. Most of yesterday's heroic explorers are viewed today as foreign exploiters, and poor Bingham is no exception, I guess. It is rather sad to note that even Machu Picchu is somewhat of a tourist trap now, too. It would have been nice to travel at a time when every interesting place didn't have a gift shop.
What do You think about Turn Right At Machu Pichu (2000)?
Could not put the book down ! Amazing from beginning to end . Loved the sense of humor .
—Irene
Loved this book. Made me really appreciate even more, us doing the Inca Trail.
—Xhezi
Twas nice to recall my own adventure on the Inca Trail via this book.
—yaa
