7/3/2018 0 Comments turn right at Machu PicchuTurn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams may seem like old news to some, since it was published in 2011 and immediately made the New York Times' bestseller list. However it is worthy to mention and recommend to anyone remotely interested in adventure travel, discovery, history, or Peru. For those unfamiliar, Adams, a writer for an adventure magazine who lived a very non-adventurous life, follows the steps of Hiram Bingham 100 years after Bingham was led to Machu Picchu and made the site known to the archaeological world. Adams' writing is entertaining and makes the reader feel the ups and downs of the hikes, from the exhilaration of coming across age-old archaeological sites to the true unpleasantries one doesn't soon forget (lookin' at you, traveller's diarrhea!). But the most impressive part of this book is the weaving of past and present, which is almost essential when writing about Peru. Adams includes his personal history with Peru (his wife is Peruvian), and as he traverses the mountains of Cuzco describes Bingham's journeys and tribulations upon reaching each site on the way to Machu Picchu, Choquequirao and Vilcabamba. The reader is also introduced to an overlooked hero of Peru: Manco Inca, a revolutionary who started an insurgency against the Spanish that lasted nearly four decades and came precariously close to retaking Cuzco for the Incas. A little-known fact of the Spanish invasion of Peru is the last Incas (Manco's descendants) outlasted the Pizarros, who each ended up dead or rotting in jail by the time the war was over. Adams does the true histories of Bingham, the Spanish and Incas justice in this book without losing the magic one experiences when hiking and discovering the land of the Incas. This is a great read for lovers of history, drama, complex characters, and comedy.
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