Walking the Amazon by Ed Stafford Ed starts walking in April 2008 from the Pacific Ocean in Peru and 860 days later in August of 2010 he emerges on the Brazilian coastline at the mouth of the Amazon River. This is the first hand jungle story of an incredible journey made entirely on foot from the source of the Amazon River to its end in Brazil. He begins with a partner but three months in his partner gives up. Ed continues and enlists the help of local guides throughout his travels. One guide, Cho sticks with him and completes all but 4 months of the entire journey.
Ed is a “realistic” writer and does not dramatize the often dangerous situations he finds himself in – and there are plenty of these. This is the story of human endurance and adaptation both physically and mentally. The challenges of the greatest jungle on the planet are immense, raw and certainly dangerous – but at times the challenges they faced were most dangerous from the natives who live in the Amazon jungles. Certain tribes and villages refused to let them pass, threatened them with death and were involved in drug trafficking. But then again in many cases it was the hospitality of random strangers that kept them going on this long hike.
Leave a Reply