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The Adventures of a Tropical Tramp
A WWI veteran seized with "wanderlust," Foster sought adventure in tropical South America in the 1920s. Working as a miner, reporter, war correspondent, diplomatic attache, guide, companion, and rag-time piano player, he "tramps" his way through Peru and the Andes, and continues on a perilous canoe expedition down uncharted headwaters to the Amazon.
220 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1922
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 19, 2015
Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Brazil are all topics in this book. But in 1922 the map borders were far different than they are now and conditions far different. A great read, very personal descriptions of people and places.
He differentiates a 'Tropical Tramp' from a 'Beachcomber' and a tourist in a very interesting way.
See my blog page, http://stillwoods.blogspot.ca/2015/09... for all we know about Harry!!!
He differentiates a 'Tropical Tramp' from a 'Beachcomber' and a tourist in a very interesting way.
See my blog page, http://stillwoods.blogspot.ca/2015/09... for all we know about Harry!!!
January 23, 2011
A hilarious and well-observed romp. You MUST read this before visiting Perú, although your adventures will not possibly compare with Foster's in the 1920's.
August 15, 2022
Foster's first travel book is a bit rougher around the edges than his later ones. But by the end, he has rounded into the form that matches his subsequent adventures in traveling around the world. The World War I veteran, Foster, in this case finds himself mostly documenting his travels in Peru. But they are extensive, ranging from the arid coastal regions, to the mining camps of the high Andes, then to Lima, and finally a lengthy trip down the tributaries of the Amazon River, until coming to the river itself and going on into Brazil. Apparently of small stature (he describes himself as 5'6"), Foster nonetheless was a clever improviser who often without funds managed to work himself into sufficient money to continue his journeys. Often, he did this through taking advantage of his piano playing skills and his knowledge of ragtime. He also managed to get work as an attache at the US Embassy in Lima, while also getting hired on as a reporter for an English language newspaper.
Is there some exaggeration going on? Maybe. I do know he employs the story told here, of plans to get a young Englishman out of Peruvian town because he has become engaged to a Spanish girl, later on his book on Mexico. In both instances, the escape and disappearance is to be explained away as the result of a bandit ambush that kills the would be groom. Again, in both instances, however, the groom decides to marry the girl. There couldn't have been two such similar cases, could there?
Another attribute of this book is the flavor of its times it imparts to the reader. The language is frank regarding race, nationality, and ethnicity, with all parties expressing distrust and some amount of prejudice against all the others. Unlike later books, nonetheless, there is a different tone in this volume regarding the Indians of Peru. Foster is critical and demeaning of the Indians of the mountains, calling them "stupid," but gradually comes around to admiring the Indians in the Amazon Basin. It is one of his writing habits to acknowledge his tendency to stereotype and then later back out of his views. He does it, here, with his fears of cannibals and a tribe that massacred whites just a few years earlier. As events unfold, it turns out that when he asks to see them that he finds he has been traveling and staying among them the entire time. They're the same people who impress him with their craft and skills in the jungle and their hospitality and friendliness despite their poverty.
One final thing. I'm an enthusiast for the post World War II travel writer, David Dodge, whose first three travel books documented in order his trips through Mexico, then Guatemala, and then Peru, where he crosses the Andes and journeys down the Amazon and its tributaries. The very same pattern Foster followed. Did Dodge consciously duplicate Foster's trips? I would dearly like to know if he did. Whatever the fact, the two authors share many similar travails and discoveries, albeit Foster does it after World War I and Dodge does it after World War II.
Is there some exaggeration going on? Maybe. I do know he employs the story told here, of plans to get a young Englishman out of Peruvian town because he has become engaged to a Spanish girl, later on his book on Mexico. In both instances, the escape and disappearance is to be explained away as the result of a bandit ambush that kills the would be groom. Again, in both instances, however, the groom decides to marry the girl. There couldn't have been two such similar cases, could there?
Another attribute of this book is the flavor of its times it imparts to the reader. The language is frank regarding race, nationality, and ethnicity, with all parties expressing distrust and some amount of prejudice against all the others. Unlike later books, nonetheless, there is a different tone in this volume regarding the Indians of Peru. Foster is critical and demeaning of the Indians of the mountains, calling them "stupid," but gradually comes around to admiring the Indians in the Amazon Basin. It is one of his writing habits to acknowledge his tendency to stereotype and then later back out of his views. He does it, here, with his fears of cannibals and a tribe that massacred whites just a few years earlier. As events unfold, it turns out that when he asks to see them that he finds he has been traveling and staying among them the entire time. They're the same people who impress him with their craft and skills in the jungle and their hospitality and friendliness despite their poverty.
One final thing. I'm an enthusiast for the post World War II travel writer, David Dodge, whose first three travel books documented in order his trips through Mexico, then Guatemala, and then Peru, where he crosses the Andes and journeys down the Amazon and its tributaries. The very same pattern Foster followed. Did Dodge consciously duplicate Foster's trips? I would dearly like to know if he did. Whatever the fact, the two authors share many similar travails and discoveries, albeit Foster does it after World War I and Dodge does it after World War II.
August 24, 2015
I read the 1922 edition of this great book that I paid $2 for. It was great value and an easy read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews