GIVEAWAY: 5 copies of Summer Heat: CYPRUS
A Travelogue through Central and South America
11th April 2022
Monkeys on the Road by Mary Hollendoner, a travelogue through Central and South America.
In 2017 Mary Hollendoner, husband John, and six year old daughter Lilly set off on a three year road trip from California down through Mexico and into South America. They complete the journey in southern Argentina. They travel in a specially converted (by John) VW van that doubles as transport and their home. There are, of course, many adventures along the way… They rush through some countries that are politically or violently dangerous, dawdle and wild camp by amazing beaches and volcanos in others, and positively grind to a halt in some.
They spend months in both Ecuador and Costa Rica – places identified before the journey commenced as possible long term places to live away from the bustle of California. Lilly is largely home schooled throughout the trip – but is enrolled in local schools for ‘proper classes’ in both Ecuador and Costa Rica. Life is at times pretty idyllic, but at other times it is not. The van inevitably breaks down on more than one occasion – and parts have to be flown in from the States. And then, of course, there are the equally inevitable medical problems. What, though, comes through repeatedly, is the hospitality of strangers. Locals offer help without charge, and invite them into their homes to share food and conversation. People with very little share what they do have.
What, I guess, is especially interesting for much of the world who maybe lump South America together as one entity, is the enormous differences between the various countries. We Europeans clearly recognise the great divides on our continent between, say, ultra liberal Sweden and the largely illiberal Hungary. I’m not sure we make the same distinctions for South America. Yes, most people possibly know that they speak Portuguese in Brazil and Spanish everywhere else – but probably not much more than that. It is seen as a continent of corruption, dictators, and dodgy politics. Some of it may well be, but an awful lot is not. Costa Rica, for example, is a world leader in conservation and living alongside the natural world. Peru is host to some of the finest civilisations of all time.
Reading Monkeys on the Road is a totally positive and uplifting experience. It is the story of three years in the life of one amazing family. The book is self published and, I feel, could have benefited a little from some more professional editing. For example, some of the quite long descriptions of the hospitality the family receives are a bit ‘samey’ and an outside eye could have reduced and distinguished them a little.
But this is only a small niggle. The book as a whole is a brilliant read and evidence that humans can positively interact across cultures and varying fortunes.
Recommended.
Tony for the TripFiction team
Join Team TripFiction on Social Media:
Twitter (@TripFiction), Facebook (@TripFiction.Literarywanderlust), YouTube (TripFiction #Literarywanderlust), Instagram (@TripFiction) and Pinterest (@TripFiction)
Please wait...
Not sure I’d have picked it up based on the title alone but this sounds interesting – thanks for highlighting it. I was terribly disappointed by Bruce Chatwin’s description of the continent and I’d love to read something more appealing.