Trail of Feathers: In Search of the Birdmen of Peru

Tahir Shah likes to play the fool, but behind the jokes is a sharp observer of people. Trail of Feathers is actually a fascinating adventure and serious work of ethnopharmacology masquerading as yet another dumb European travelogue (as a Pakistan Brit raised in the West, I count Tahir as Western, at least compared to indigenous Amazonians). A chance encounter with a mysterious Frenchman at a London auction for shrunken heads gives Tahir the bug of an idea. The Inca flew, and he's going to find evidence of pre-Columbian flight.

The first part of the book takes Tahir through the Peruvian tourist trail: Cuzco, Machu Pichu, Puno, Nazca, where encounters with other seekers and Peruvian shamans push him towards his ultimate destination, the show more Shuar tribe of the Amazon rainforest. The second half of the book is intense, a long journey by water in the Amazon, guided by a Vietnam Veteran and crewed by a handful of superstitious Peruvians on a leaky boat, towards the deadly Shuar headhunters. When he arrives at their village, he find that evangelical missionaries have gotten there first, but a few shamans hold to the old beliefs. Tahir convinces one of him to let him participate in the ayahausca ritual, which is a potent and truly awful hallucinogen, and yes, he meets the Birdmen.

For all that Tahir's quest is weird and exotic, it's also firmly grounded. He has no patience for those who say the Nazca lines were created by ancient aliens, and besides the lines are boring compared to Nazca mummies, which are nothing next to Peruvian textiles. I'm engaged to an Andean archaeologist, so I know Peruvian textiles are Serious Business. I've done a fair bit of the Peruvian tourist trail, and while it may have been grittier 20 years ago, any combi ride you walk away from is barely a hardship. Tahir exaggerates the standard Lonely Planet stuff for effect. That said, I've never been to Iquitos, and the whole jungle voyage thing seems like a real venture, with some real danger. On the last trip, the one by ayahausca is indescribable, and if you expect birdmen, you'll find them. While these days The Onion can crack jokes about the commodification of shamanic voyaging, Tahir's book holds up as a great adventure. show less

Shah turns a pretty phrase, even when it's about shrunken heads or disgusting food. Here he pursues the legend of the birdmen, a quest that includes colorful and sometimes alarming fellow travelers, grave robbing, hallucinogenic vines, crumbling textiles, matter-of-fact mystics, and the Nazca lines. Shah is neither a curmudgeonly character like Theroux nor a macho creep like some travel writers whom out of delicacy I shall not name. Instead, he lets the reader in on his hopes, his discomforts, and his apparently genial willingness to subject himself to traditional treatments for a variety of discomforts, including parasites in his pants, as he seeks answers to many, sometimes related, questions. Readable and quick-paced, it will cause show more the reader to be actively delighted that she isn't eating rat stew or picking wolf spiders out of her hair. show less

The author weaves a travel tale of his adventures through Peru that are difficult to believe. However, he has the photographs to prove that he wasn't making this stuff up. Regardless, this book is a page turner. In the end, I thought it well written and researched.

Trail of Feathers offers the perfect mix of travel memoir, history, local lore and colorful characters while traversing the diverse country of Peru. A great read for those planning to visit, or for those seeking some armchair adventure.