Dr. Erich Schröder

The author, engineer, physician, journalist, life artist and frequent traveler, reports in many small episodes about his experiences from numerous journeys to South America - and again and again about encounters with the people there and with other travelers.

South America - fascinating landscapes and magical places of ancient cultures, hot rhythms and worn panpipe sounds, parrots, howler monkeys and alpacas, simple meals, and gourmet cuisine - and above all proud and lovable people. His travels have taken the author to the snow-covered peaks of the Andes, through the jungle of the Amazon region, along the deserts of the Pacific coast and into picturesque places, dreamy small towns and megacities. And mostly especially to Peru.

This book is a declaration of love to a country and a continent.

And more than that. The partly funny and partly thoughtful episodes also show the diversity of travel and give an idea of the value of travel for one's own education, tolerance and life experience.

It is the small and large and mostly unexpected experiences, episodes and encounters that make travel so exciting, make adventures possible and allow them to be experienced, and which will be remembered. Such experiences from about 15 South American journeys compiled from memory and supplemented with some information about the country, let the reader become a travel companion and provide him with information that he will not find in any travel guide. The first trip without any knowledge of the national language, a robbery, the loneliness of the person travelling alone, a lecture tour across the continent, which was only allowed with hand luggage, an anaconda flicking at the boot, falling rocks and danger of falling downhill in a jeep on a gravel road at 5,000 m altitude - and so much more. And always encounters with the people in the country and with other travelers. And finally, a wonderful friendship that began on Machu Picchu and - following a myth - never ends.

All those who like to travel and are not only looking for sun and beach, but also experiences in other countries and foreign cultures. All those who do not expect a travel guide but rather inspiration for spontaneous own experiences and adventures, who do not book a package tour but travel individually. All those who dream of faraway places and especially of South America.