"I had never been to the Amazon ... but it had a mystique all of its own. Surely the trees would be much bigger, the wildlife had to be much richer and more diverse and the people would be that bit wilder and cut off from the outside world. It gave me butterflies to think of spending time in the Amazon."
On a lark, Ed Stafford and his friend, Luke Collyer, decided to walk the entire length of the Amazon River, all 4,345 miles of it. It'd be a first. No one had ever done it before. They thought it might take them a year. Instead, it took Ed 860 days. (Luke quit after 3 months.) Ed experienced mosquitoes, wasps, and snakes, heat and humidity, blistered and infected feet, flooded forests, hospitality and hostility, hunger, exhilaration, depression, boredom and fear. But through it all, he never considered giving up.
There's something about the Amazon that I find fascinating. I like to read about it and imagine going there someday, but I'd never want to walk it like Stafford did. (I'm not a fan of mud or bugs or snakes or 100% humidiy.) Walking the Amazon is both an interesting and readable memoir; Stafford does a good job of chronicling his long journey, but he focuses more on the day to day logistics--the guides, and tribes, money, gear and food, miles trekked, and the problems encountered along the way--than on the Amazon River itself and the surrounding rain forest. I would have liked a little more description, for him to paint a better picture of where he was walking, and what he saw. There's some. Just not enough for me. It's still a really good read. But I'd have to give it a B+ rather than an A for that reason.
Happy Reading!
Two other books about the Amazon that I enjoyed even more than this one:
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Sounds like a fascinating read. I'm not much of an adventurous person when nature is concerned; and definitely not a fan of insects and those crawly creatures, lol. And thanks for these books I'm able to "experience" them without involving with the real activities. ;p
ReplyDeleteI love that I can experience things from the Amazon rain forest to the deepest cave in the world without ever actually leaving my comfy chair. :)
DeleteMy issue with the amazon would be the giant spiders the size of your head! And the snakes and biting insects...and a ton of other scary stuff!
ReplyDeleteBiting insects, snakes and spiders are big deterrents for me, too! :D
DeleteWhat an amazing journey! This sounds fascinating!
ReplyDeleteIt's a very interesting read. :)
DeleteInteresting. I enjoy survival stories, so I'll have to look this one up!
ReplyDeleteIt's not super long, and it does read well, so you might really enjoy it.
DeleteWow that would be quite the journey. I think I'd want a little more description of the actual wonders of the Amazon too, but I imagine it is an interesting read! 860 days... holy smokes.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I would have lasted 86 days let alone 860! ;D
DeleteWhat an interesting book! I cannot see myself walking the Amazon like this either, but it would be fascinating to live through the author vicariously.
ReplyDeleteA book's the way to do it, that's for sure!
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