Turn Right At Machu Picchu

Synopsis
Mark Adams spends his midlife crisis trekking through Peru and recounting the explorations of Hiram Bingham, the first Westerner to see Machu Picchu.

My thoughts
I'm a little weary of the whole subgenre of "bored well-to-to Westerner quits his day job and jets off to find himself in a foreign country" travel writing. I couldn't bring myself to finish Under the Tuscan Sun, and I haven't even picked up Eat, Love, Pray. But when it's done right, it's really a joy to read, and my friend Sarah loved this book (yes, I'm linking to it even though Sarah is the only one who actually reads this blog). Adams isn't as superb as Bill Bryson, but this is still a worthwhile read.

Adams is good at what he does. I haven't been to Machu Picchu, but Adams is at his finest when he's describing his experiences there. But the book does slow down when he detours to the early twentieth century to describe American explorer Hiram Bingham's "discovery" of Machu Picchu. The backstory is interesting and I didn't know it, but it sounds all too familiar—Western explorer stumbles onto ruins the locals have always known about and announces his discovery to much fanfare.

Bottom line
This made me want to see Machu Picchu for myself.

Fine print
Turn Right at Machu Picchu, by Mark Adams
Genre: travel, memoir
Photo from Goodreads
I borrowed this book from the library.