Cut Stones and Crossroads: A Journey in the Two Worlds of Peru

From the glowing reviews here I was expecting a magnum opus worthy of Thoreau. So I was a little disappointed to find that the author of this book obviously kept a journal during his travels in Peru, then expanded those notes into a book which truly reflects the outlook and attitude of someone in a foreign land who is suffering from dysentery and a head cold. I actually felt myself feeling a bit ill as event after event was portrayed as yet another tedious and exhausting struggle against poor roads, lousy food, surly Peruvians and nasty weather. Hey, I don't need to go to Peru to discover that Ronald Wright is (was?) an academic with a snotty attitude. His insufferable judgements and negative outlook give me the impression that I spent a week on an old-fashioned stagecoach with my only companion being a particularly bad-tempered Betty Davis who hates everything and just wants to go home. I give it three stars for being authentically what it is.

Very good travel book, describing in fun, readable language the places, history and culture of Peru. Excellent preparation for a trip there.

A best guide to Peru's treasures I read -- a must