Eight Feet in the Andes

If you love to experience other cultures, Dervla is for you. If you want a vacation from our consumer culture and get in touch with common humanity, read Dervla. She’s an amazing woman who prefers hard and hungry travel. Her books are now old and of historical interest. In fact, not one copy of any of her books in my entire county’s libraries!

In true Dervla-style, this book logs her journey through the Andes with her young daughter and a mule. The little family traces Pizarro's route through Peru from Cajamarca to Cuzco. Dervla's ability to live so simply, and quite frankly endure such hardships, never ceases to amaze me. Her daughter, Rachel, shares that same talent. As with her other books, she paints a realistic picture of the country; the good, bad, beautiful, and ugly. Ever empathetic and never judgemental, she describes the land, people, villages as well as economic/political situations in an easygoing style.

Dervla Murphy is definitely a one of a kind treasure. The vistas she conjurs up in this book are breathtaking. The hardships she endured are more than most of would care to experience in our travels. Still, it's a great armchair experience!

Dervla Murphy is definitely a one of a kind treasure. The vistas she conjurs up in this book are breathtaking. The hardships she endured are more than most of would care to experience in our travels. Still, it's a great armchair experience! (This review has migrated from its proper location. It is for the book Eight Feet in the Andes by Dervla Murphy.)

Wonderful, uncomplicated and witty descriptions of the environment, culture, peoples and journey. Amazing courage to do what had to be done to get through. Made me want to travel mysel, instead of earning large amounts of money in an office. Truly inspirational.

Although the thought of reading about Dervla Murphy's trip throught the Peruvian Andes did not greatly interest me because of the potential for boring day-by-day narration, I found Murphy's description and narration of her trip very enlightening. Murphy deftly ties together her story of her trip with historical facts and cultural observations of Peru. Although I did not always agree with Murphy's opinion of the Peruvian people, she gave me food for thought during my trip to Peru.