Wednesday, April 15, 2009

The Amazon is a scary place

Yes, it has been awhile. But you, whoever you are, GO READ the book "The Lost City of Z" by David Grann. A great adventure story with history, science and anthropology thrown in the mix, it tells the story of one of the greatest exploration mysteries- the disappearance of Percy Fawcett and his party during their search for Z, a supposed Eldorado-like lost civilization in the Amazon. One thing becomes clear early on- the Amazon is a place where everything in nature it set against humankind-the bugs, the reptiles, the fish, the "native savages", the weather etc. I greedily devour exploration tales- Krakauer is a favorite and I am searching for a copy of Shackleton. It is so wonderful to hear about places on the planet that have yet to be corrupted and destroyed- that still hold a wild mystery to outsiders.