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Throughout her adventures, Muller weaves a lively history of the rise and fall of the Incan empire. While the old road is hard to find, the Incan legacy is everywhere, from curanderismo (shamanism) to roundups of golden-fleeced vicunas by villagers spread in human chains to the farming of coca leaves. Her explication of the coca tradition is particularly interesting: the "quintessential Andean sacrament" and the ultimate marker of indigenous identity, chewing coca leaves is akin to sharing a cup of coffee. Of course, she also joins a Bolivian special forces drug patrol in the Amazon to see the more familiar face of cocaine. While Muller doesn't slow down long enough for introspection or much genuine human connection (and you have to occasionally wonder about her cultural sensitivity), she does have a remarkable knack for putting herself in the middle of events, and an unflagging enthusiasm for taking risks most tourists wouldn't dream of. --Lesley Reed --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
What made this book quite tiresome was Karin Muller's lack of a sense of humor. It is my firm belief that it is very hard to write a breathtaking book about a difficult journey without being able to see the funny side of different situations. Perhaps that was why I can't say I like the author as a person - and since this book is based on her personal experiences, that itself takes away from the fun of reading this book. Also - as another reviewer correctly noted - she constantly tries to do things that are only done by men in this country, ignoring the gender roles there are a part of the local culture. Is it some misguided attempt to show that women are equal to men? It's certainly very out of place in this country of so ancient traditions.
Karin Muller's descriptions lack real vividness, and she is considers too many local people to be weird. True, their lifestyle is quite different, but it can be said with absolute certainty that so are the lifestyles of many individuals of her own country. She gives fake respect to the world views of these people, talking about how perhaps that is the right way to live. It is obvious she doesn't have the intention of ever doing so.
My review is almost certainly too negative, do not expect the book to be so bad, but I have outlined the main faults simply trying to guess why I instinctively didn't like this book.
And - too much amateur philosophy, perhaps?
"I had once thought that I was embarking on a 'hero's journey' - an odyssey into the unknown, filled with obstacles, success and failure, and newfound knowledge. And so it had been - only I wasn't the hero of this story. I was just the chronicler. The true heroes were the people I met along the way... They had all stopped for a while to lend me a hand. What I learned from them would carry me through the weeks to come. As long as their memories stayed with me, this journey would never really end (p. 294-295)."
And even more succinctly, she remarks: "The history books have it all wrong. The Inca Empire was never really conquered. It's alive and well (p.294)."
To participate vicariously in her fresh experiences, read this bright travelogue. You won't be able to put it down.
Nancy Lorraine, Reviewer
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