{"id":356,"date":"2009-09-08T16:53:23","date_gmt":"2009-09-08T15:53:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thewhiterock.co.uk\/?page_id=356"},"modified":"2021-04-29T08:26:26","modified_gmt":"2021-04-29T07:26:26","slug":"links","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.thewhiterock.co.uk\/?page_id=356","title":{"rendered":"Links"},"content":{"rendered":"

Interesting writers, travellers and explorers:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

.<\/p>\n

Benedict Allen<\/a>\u00a0– whose Mad White Giant<\/em> was just the first of a string of epic travel books. \u00a0And who recently made the BBC Radio 4 radio series Two Men And A Mule<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>with Hugh.<\/p>\n

Roz Savage<\/a> – who having joined one of my\u00a0Peruvian expeditions is now the first woman to have rowed across the Pacific. With a high tec tracker so you could follow her progress (she always did have the best gear!) \u00a0Last seen crossing the Indian Ocean as well.<\/p>\n

Mike Jay<\/a> – who has helped me navigate the wilder shores of Peruvian hallucinogenic substances when writing about them, and has written some excellent books on drug and other cultures.<\/p>\n

Christopher Somerville<\/a> who has walked more of Britain’s wild places\u00a0and the world than just about anyone else I know….<\/p>\n

…except possibly Rob Macfarlane<\/a> who has also explored some intriguing mountains of the mind and carried on the legacy of the wonderful and much missed Roger Deakin<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bidisha<\/a>, whose Jamesian memoir of Venetian Masters<\/em> and manners probes at the darker side of La Serenissima.<\/p>\n

William Dalrymple<\/a>, whose recent and excellent Nine Lives<\/em> book begins by describing a walk to a shrine at the source of the Ganges – a walk I\u00a0later took with him, arriving at Kedernath just as the snows were melting and the ash-smeared naked naga sadhu<\/em>s arriving …..<\/p>\n

And for a healthily uncommercial contrast to the Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman project of motorbiking around the world, check out the delightfully eccentric late Hubert Kriegel <\/a>who travelled around the world with his sidecar \u2013 but without a support team.<\/p>\n

A collection of travellers doing some mad cycling adventures – like crossing the world on a Penny farthing – can be found at the aptly named www.crazyguyonabike.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Or take the Magic Bus to India with Rory MacLean<\/a>, whose Berlin Blog<\/a> makes fine reading as well.<\/p>\n

I am a great admirer of\u00a0Dervla Murphy<\/a>, now in her 80s, who remains passionate about politics, conservation, bicycling and beer after some 20 travel books over a career that spans half a century.\u00a0\u00a0 See my interview with her in the Telegraph<\/a><\/p>\n

And for some serious and knowledgeable writing about Egypt, nobody beats Anthony Sattin<\/a>.\u00a0 As described in my review of his latest book<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Also in that part of the world, see Robert Twigger<\/a>, author of some terrific travel books and coordinator of The Explorer School<\/a>.\u00a0 His website contains some essential advice tips, like ‘how to shit in the\u00a0desert’<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Another Arabist is\u00a0\u00a0Barnaby Rogerson<\/a>\u00a0who somehow manages to combine writing\u00a0 a series\u00a0of fine books about the Middle East, like his recent The Last Crusaders<\/em>,\u00a0with co-running Eland<\/a>, an admirable publishing company\u00a0specialising in travel.<\/p>\n

Paul Theroux<\/a> has some acerbic and funny views on e-books and travel writing in an article for the Atlantic<\/a>, which includes the following exchange:<\/p>\n

Intv:\u00a0 ‘The inevitable question: What\u2019s your advice for a young person who wants to grow up to become a fiction writer?’ <\/em><\/p>\n

PT: ‘Notice how many of the Olympic athletes effusively thanked their mothers for their success? \u201cShe drove me to my practice at four in the morning,\u201d etc. Writing is not figure skating or skiing. Your mother will not make you a writer. My advice to any young person who wants to write is: leave home.’<\/p>\n

Conni Biesalski’s attractive blog<\/a> preaches the\u00a0unlimited freedom of a\u00a0nomadic lifestyle; \u00a0she has been living, working and travelling around the world since she was\u00a0fifteen.<\/p>\n

Nicholas Asheshov<\/a> has finally been bullied – by me – into collecting his excellent articles for his column Country Notes<\/a>\u00a0about Peru onto a website, so they can finally receive the mass adulation they \u00a0undoubtedly deserve.<\/p>\n

.<\/p>\n

Advice about travelling off the beaten track in South America:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Highly recommended American-based trekking company \u2013 and friends of Hugh\u2019s:\u00a0 Adventure Specialists<\/a>, run by Gary Ziegler and Amy Finger, who offer the chance to join an archaeological research\u00a0expeditions in the Andes as well as various\u00a0horse tours.<\/p>\n

Machu Picchu on-line<\/a><\/p>\n

For a recommended and friendly base in the Urubamba valley from which to base treks \u2013 and where I lived for a while with my family as described in Cochineal Red:\u00a0 K’uychi Rumi<\/a>. \u00a0Take a pot of English mustard for Carlos.<\/p>\n

.<\/p>\n

General on Peru:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0Caretas<\/a>:\u00a0 the very funny and sharp Peruvian equivalent to Private Eye, with a weekly column by veteran British explorer Nicholas Asheshov<\/a>, see above.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n

Specialist web-sites:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Best bibliographical resource on Machu Picchu <\/a><\/p>\n

best Andeanist on-line resource<\/a><\/p>\n

For the complete digital Guaman Poma: Guaman Poma<\/a><\/p>\n

Gary Urton\u2019s impressive research project on the meaning of the khipus<\/a>, the knotted cords used by the Incas and earlier Peruvian civilisations but as yet largely undeciphered.<\/p>\n

The Cusichaca Trust<\/a>, which\u00a0 pioneered the restoration of traditional Andean agricultural terraces and irrigation canals and has tried to combat rural poverty with innovative technology.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

for forthcoming talks and readings – <\/a>and\u00a0 for some treks Hugh is leading to Peru<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Interesting writers, travellers and explorers: . Benedict Allen\u00a0– whose Mad White Giant was just the first of a string of epic travel books. \u00a0And who recently made the BBC Radio 4 radio series Two Men And A Mule\u00a0with Hugh. Roz Savage – who having joined one of my\u00a0Peruvian expeditions is now the first woman to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"page-without-sidebar.php","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-356","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thewhiterock.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/356"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thewhiterock.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thewhiterock.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewhiterock.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewhiterock.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=356"}],"version-history":[{"count":72,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewhiterock.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/356\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3626,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewhiterock.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/356\/revisions\/3626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thewhiterock.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}