Why a Booktrail?
2000s – With a title that sounds not too dissimilar to the booktrail’s ethos ‘ one step/book at a time’ we wanted to know more….
Turn Right at Machu Picchu
What you need to know before your trail
In 1911, Hiram Bingham III climbed the Andes in Peru and ‘discovered’ the famed archaeological site. but did he? History has not been in his favour and who really did discover the famous site has been discussed ever since. The history books seem to have Bingham as nothing more than a liar and a cheat.
So who better to find out what really went on than a man who has never even slept in a tent? The intrepid explorer he may not be, but his passion more than make up for it , as he set off in the footprints of a man who may not have been an adventurer either depending on who you believe.
Quite the premise for a travelogue!
Travel Guide
July 24, 1911 Machu Picchu
This was the day when Yale professor Hiram Bingham III ventured out into the Andes Mountains of Peru and is said to have discovered ‘the ancient city in the clouds’: or more commonly known as Machu Picchu. Did he really discover this amazing archaeological site or did he in fact smuggle out treasures he had no right to do so?
Written in the style of a historical ‘who dunnit’, Mark Adams is the travel detective who follows the same path. The path littered with latitude sickness, dubious donkeys and sunburn….
He’s not on his own though as he goes with a man named Jon who is a a bit of a Crocodile Dundee character who ressembles a cum laude graduate of the French Foreign Legion – but his part in the journey is both funny and insightful.
Cusco
Cusco was a magnet for mystics. You couldn’t swing a crystal without hitting someone wearing feathers who called himself a spiritual leader
This is more than a trek however – it’s a real journey into the past. This guide is an impressive one – from the ancient Inca capital of Cusco to the ruins of Vitcos and Vilcabamba. The story of the Incas, the Spanish Conquest and more. Of course Bingham’s travels take centre stage – and the contrast between Macchu Picchu then and now is fascinating too. Oh and the way in which the Inca engineers and priests aligned all the site up with the sun and stars…
This book is made for the traveller – even the arm chair one for it has maps,a chronology and index, photos and a glossary of all the names in the book. so you could be in the Peruvian jungle for some time.
Booktrail Boarding Pass Information:
Destination:Macchu Pichu Departure Time: 2000s
Think you have the strength to climb the mountains? Don’t forget to turn right at Machu Picchu
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