This was a different type of a travelogue. The author is working for a German television company, and together with a production team, he went to South America to do a very long motorcycle ride, from the Peruvian Andes to Tierra del Fuego. He is an experienced traveller, given that he has reported on rather extreme locations, like war zones. That said, even without a war in their itinerary, the trip was nevertheless extreme. And this book was written in a diary style, gathering his impressions on a daily basis.
One thing I liked about this book is that I also learned quite a bit about producing a TV program. The author was describing how they shoot, what equipment they have, and what considerations they need to work with. They carry two cameras, both are rather sophisticated. When one broke, they had to have a colleague fly to Chile to Germany in order to bring a replacement. Given the rather extreme locations they are shooting, having two cameras was definitely a must.
I also appreciated the rather tight schedules and precision planning. I found it amusing that they would have these tight schedules knowing that in South America, there are plenty of things that do not run on time. In the end they did make it, but there were times when they had to travel very long distances and arrive in the middle of the night because otherwise they would not be able to catch their ferry ride.
Overall I enjoyed reading this book. It adds another evidence to my rule that when a travelogue is written by a journalist, then the likelihood of me enjoying it would be higher. This book definitely follows that rule. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
See my other book reviews here.
