Turn Right at Machu Picchu

Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time

By: Mark Adams

Narrated by: Andrew Garman

Writer for the New York Times and GQ, Mark Adams is also the acclaimed author of Mr. America. In this fascinating travelogue, Adams follows in the controversial footsteps of Hiram Bingham III, who’s been both lionized and vilified for his discovery of the famed Lost City in 1911 - but which reputation is justified?

©2011 Mark Adams (P)2012 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

“Adams deftly weaves together two story lines, each peopled with striking characters and astonishing landscapes.” ( Kirkus Reviews)

Delightful

The author, Mark Adams, retraces the steps that led Yale Professor, Hiram Bingham, to discover Machu Picchu one hundred years ago, on July 24, 1911.

The chapters more or less alternate between Bingham’s and Adams’ expeditions. Adams packs a lot of information into the book. He includes anecdotes, observations and sometimes he tosses in hilarious tidbits. He also includes information on the flora and fauna as well as Inca history of the area. He also describes what it is like today. I picked up a bit of trivia: “Peru has twenty of the thirty-four types of climatic zones of the Earth and mules have bowel problems at high altitudes.”

The book is meticulously researched. The author does an okay job with intertwining three separate plots. I discovered that the April 1913 issue of the National Geographic is all about Bingham’s discovery of Machu Picchu. This is available on CD or on line for members. It was great to hike the Inca trail without doing the physical work and deal with the mosquitoes.

Andrew Garman does a good job narrating the book. Garman is an actor and audiobook narrator.

Too many technical glitches

Unfortunately this book was copied from a bad CD with many tracks skipping. The story was good with a little too much emphasis on the writer, but with lots of interesting details. The narrator was excellent.

Don’t read before going to MP. Or do. It’s your spirit walk

Wonderfully researched. Humorous. Relatable. Awful accents. Just read in whatever your mother accent is.

Recommend not reading before doing the Inca Trail. While you’ll learn things you maybe wish you had known before your journey, you will also be unable to approach the ancient natural, archaeological, historical & spiritual journey with a clean mind. Plenty of “packing list guides” exist to get you ready.

That said, I totally agree his best piece of advice about planning a trip—don’t fly all the way to Perú and rush the Inca Trail. The less popular 5 day, 4 night hike is absolutely the best travel decision I made about Perú.

Great story telling-both past and present

We thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book on our vacation. Mark Adams wove a great story around the Incan history, Hiram Bingham's expeditions and his own Machu Picchu experience.

Must Read before visiting Machu Picchu

Excellent linkage of the adventures of Mark Adams as he retraces the explorations of Hiram Bingham and the history of both the Inca people and Bingham's efforts leading to the discovery of Machu Picchu. A must-read before visiting the site.