Jungleland: A Mysterious Lost City, A WWII Spy, and a True Story of Deadly Adventure is an entertaining true-life thriller by Christopher S. Stewart, a Wall Street journalist who became caught up in a mysterious quest deep inside the 'Little Amazon' jungles of Honduras's Mosquito Coast - never mind that he cannot kayak, hates camping, hates snakes, doesn't hike, and barely leaves Manhattan.
In spite of his incredulous wife and daughter, he boldly heads off with a guide and general directions into one of the largest and most impenetrable rainforests in the world. Why?
He had become fascinated by the account of explorer Theodore Morde, who claimed in 1939 he had discovered 'Cuidad Blanca', a fabled lost city also known as The Lost City of the Monkey God. Morde went on to become an OSS agent during WWII and a credible plot to kill Hitler. Before he could reveal the location, Morde died under mysterious circumstances, leading to stories of a spirit curse. The legend off the White City has been compared to the search for El Dorado, with many dreamers plunging into the jungle - many did not return. Christopher Stewart is one of the next to be caught up with the adventure, and Jungleland alternates between Morde's diaries and Stewart's progress as he retraces Morde's steps.
It's an epic journey I can't imagine. Stewart has collected the simple maps and pictures Morde left behind - including an invaluable walking stick with geographical coordinates carved into it. He is not experienced outdoors, and quickly grows sick of walking, eating beans, and wandering. Luckily he has guide Chris Begley along to help navigate, and judging from the little I've read about him, he needs to write a book - he seems to live adventure.
There has been a coup in Honduras and roaming pirates can stop you in your tracks. At one point they hire transportation, and all they can get is a new white Geo Prizm, which slowly and literally burns out piece by piece for five hours as they climb the rutted mountainside tracks, as night falls and the satellite radio dies, and the bandits with blacked out windows ready to jump out of the bush. Following Morde, they travel down the Rio Patuca (hair raising now, imagine what it was like in 1939!) where they listen to the cries of the giant monkeys - perhaps the monkey men, the Ulaks - before the water begins to roar, shutting out the sound as they hit the rapids.
It's that kind of book: exciting - full of cliffhangers, interesting facts about the jungle and the tribes living there now, Morde's fascinating history, and the thrill of finding what fancifully could have been the lost temples of the Monkey God. Well worth the read!
2013 / Tradeback / 263 pages
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