Along the Inca Road : A Woman's Journey into an Ancient Empire

Rating:
Summary: interesting story about an interesting place
Review: A book review

It is safe to say that although there are many travel opportunities available today, the majority of people on this planet will seldom stray far from their home roots. Some may take a trip here or there but in the main, few casual travelers (of the several billion earth occupants) will go very far away.

All of this is to say that though we may not go ourselves, we can travel to far away places by motion pictures, video and, of course by reading books by those who have gone to the places that, for many people, will never be on their travel agenda.

Karin Muller does this as she traveled "Along The Inca Road," which is the name of her book, published in 2000 by the National Geographic Society of Washington, D.C. It is her journal of traveling this historic road of some 3,100 miles which runs along the coast line and nearby mountains of western South America.

There were adventures at nearly every juncture as Muller encountered people and cultures reflecting the days of the Inca. Though those days are long gone, the Inca live on through many of the customs and lives of those peoples who today inhabit the villages and cities along this road. In a vivid way the book is a mix of the past & the present. That is, in order to understand the lives of today's people along this road, it became necessary to appreciate their roots. How did it happen that they exist as they do? What are the many tales they repeat and repeat, as parts of their cultures?

The nearly 300 pages of Muller's work is a word by word trip, to say the least. It brings into closer focus lands, people and history that most of us have long ago forgotten, having met the facts in elementary school, if at all.

It is an easy and pleasant read.

Dan Schobert

Rating:
Summary: Take a walk
Review: A book review

It is safe to say that although there are many travel opportunities available today, the majority of people on this planet will seldom stray far from their home roots. Some may take a trip here or there but in the main, few casual travelers (of the several billion earth occupants) will go very far away.

All of this is to say that though we may not go ourselves, we can travel to far away places by motion pictures, video and, of course by reading books by those who have gone to the places that, for many people, will never be on their travel agenda.

Karin Muller does this as she traveled "Along The Inca Road," which is the name of her book, published in 2000 by the National Geographic Society of Washington, D.C. It is her journal of traveling this historic road of some 3,100 miles which runs along the coast line and nearby mountains of western South America.

There were adventures at nearly every juncture as Muller encountered people and cultures reflecting the days of the Inca. Though those days are long gone, the Inca live on through many of the customs and lives of those peoples who today inhabit the villages and cities along this road. In a vivid way the book is a mix of the past & the present. That is, in order to understand the lives of today's people along this road, it became necessary to appreciate their roots. How did it happen that they exist as they do? What are the many tales they repeat and repeat, as parts of their cultures?

The nearly 300 pages of Muller's work is a word by word trip, to say the least. It brings into closer focus lands, people and history that most of us have long ago forgotten, having met the facts in elementary school, if at all.

It is an easy and pleasant read.

Dan Schobert

Rating:
Summary: You won't be able to put it down
Review: Along The Inca Road is a fresh and exciting experiential travel documentary written by a woman who follows a route of the ancient Inca Road from Quito, Ecuador to Santiago, Chile, along the mountains and coast of western South America. Her experiences are immediate, vivid, demanding and colorful. She clearly enjoys the challenge of dipping into and sampling all aspects of local culture. We are with her as she learns to pilot a caballero (reed boat) on the coast of Peru, carries the feast table of Mama Negra in Lacta Cunga, and climbs endless roads and trails to meet the people. Along The Inca Road is a book about the author's experiences with the people as much as about geography and history. After many hair-raising, sometimes hilarious, always challenging and intriguing experiences, she sums it up with the following:

"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

Rating:
Summary: facinating
Review: I've always been facinated by the Incas. This book only whetted my appetite further and now I'm reading everything I can about them. This book is full of Karin Muller's adventures while travelling the Inca road and has plenty of Incan history, too.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful romp through a significant part of South America.
Review: Muller is a wonderful travel writer with the ability to make even the mundane come alive. Her way with words ("The main square was full of Saturday-night drunks all walking like wobbly bowling pins") keeps you reading on to find out where she will land next, and among whom. From helicopter crashes to street festivals, Karin Muller follows this ancient road, and allows serendipity to play its hand. She encounters not only the absurd and strange (having your head beaten with a guinea pig to find out your disease or ailment), but the beautiful and sublime ("people who reached out to help a stranger through a day of violence and despair").

Her travels follow the famed Inca Road. This ancient highway reached from Equador down to Chile, and played a critical role in homogenizing the Inca Civilization. I have been to South America over a dozen times in the past six years and her highly entertaining stories ring true.

There is a significant weakness to this book - the lack of maps. I find it a bit baffling, that National Geographic, curator of some of the world best maps, failed to include any quality maps of a journey that snakes down and around South America. Rather, National Geographic gives you one decrepit and confusing black and white map of South America. BUT! They do include 26 excellent color photographs. Go figure.

In 'Along the Inca Road', Karin Muller gives you more than just a great read, she furnishes you with provocative and informative insights into both the history of the Inca and their culture. This is a wonderful book and will be enjoyed by all who appreciate the Inca culture, South America and great travel writing. You should read this book. 4 1/2 Stars Recommended

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful romp through a significant part of South America.
Review: Muller is a wonderful travel writer with the ability to make even the mundane come alive. Her way with words ("The main square was full of Saturday-night drunks all walking like wobbly bowling pins") keeps you reading on to find out where she will land next, and among whom. From helicopter crashes to street festivals, Karin Muller follows this ancient road, and allows serendipity to play its hand. She encounters not only the absurd and strange (having your head beaten with a guinea pig to find out your disease or ailment), but the beautiful and sublime ("people who reached out to help a stranger through a day of violence and despair").

Her travels follow the famed Inca Road. This ancient highway reached from Equador down to Chile, and played a critical role in homogenizing the Inca Civilization. I have been to South America over a dozen times in the past six years and her highly entertaining stories ring true.

There is a significant weakness to this book - the lack of maps. I find it a bit baffling, that National Geographic, curator of some of the world best maps, failed to include any quality maps of a journey that snakes down and around South America. Rather, National Geographic gives you one decrepit and confusing black and white map of South America. BUT! They do include 26 excellent color photographs. Go figure.

In `Along the Inca Road', Karin Muller gives you more than just a great read, she furnishes you with provocative and informative insights into both the history of the Inca and their culture. This is a wonderful book and will be enjoyed by all who appreciate the Inca culture, South America and great travel writing. You should read this book. 4 1/2 Stars Recommended

Rating:
Summary: I don't really know why I didn't like this book that much...
Review: The strange thing about this book is that theoretically everything's fine about it - looking for and at the remains of a fascinating culture, the author taking part in the local rituals and daily life, writing of acceptable quality. It should be grand - and still I don't like it for some reason.

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?

Rating:
Summary: facinating
Review: This armchair adventure story tells of a woman's journey on the Inca Road - a 3,124-mile odyssey across four countries in search of the peoples and history of the region. Stories blend Inca history with observations of contemporary peoples, providing a first-person 'you are there' feel.

Rating:
Summary: Winter Gateway
Review: This is an exellent book to read, while snow and ice falls from the sky. Heading to South America next year, found it to be a great starting point to plan the trip. She has a some great stories to share with others on the trip.