SPOILERS THEY MADE IT ACROSS THE OCEAN!! But also how cool is that??? Their journey is a perfect example of the dumb western world forgetting that everyone got along fine in the world BEFORE they showed up. I love how as the raft continues along it’s journey, they watch as all the reasons people said it would sink are exactly the reasons it made it across the ocean. This is a great book for someone who loves reading about humans and nature and just how amazing a symbiotic relationship of the two can be.

Have you ever wanted to build a huge raft out of gigantic balsa trees that are found in the rainy, steamy jungles of Ecuador, assemble and bind them using vines and other natural ropes, not using any nails or metal wires of any kind in the construction, invite 5 of your friends to join you, and then launch from the shores of Peru to embark on a 4,300 nautical mile journey (a distance of travel equivalent from Chicago to Moscow!) across the Pacific Ocean to land on one of the tiny islands found in French Polynesia?

If so, then go pick up Thor Heyerdahl’s fantastic and adventurous Kon-Tiki!

Thor wanted to prove a theory of his: that Incan Indians in ancient times sailed from Peru, landed and populated the islands located in the Polynesian Triangle. He stated that similar structures of pyramids and statues located in the jungles in Peru were also found on the islands in the Pacific. Archeologists and anthropologists he presented his theory to stated that it was impossible for humans to cross such a vast distance in a wooden raft while battling the elements in a vast and chaotic sea and SURVIVE.

So determined was Mr. Heyerdahl to prove these nay-sayers wrong that he decided to build a raft just like the ancient Inca had built them. He used the blueprints drawn up by the Spanish conquistadors who saw these ancient vessels in person long ago for its formation. Did I mention this voyage took place around 1947, well before GPS was a thing?

I found the whole book to be fascinating and the story had me day-dreaming about sailing on a raft while traversing the rough seas. The men became connected to nature; they came to know the currents and the trade winds; fish of all kinds would join them on their quest; when the rhythm of the ocean changed, they knew. The billions of stars that shone at night were their guides. The great ocean, the blue skies, the clouds, the raft herself – these were all the men knew for 3 whole months.

That’s pretty damn inspiring. Humans are born to travel, to go where no Man has gone before. The urge to explore the mysterious, the wild, and the untamed; that’s innate in us all.

I highly recommend this jewel. It will leave you wanting more.

I did not expect to like this book as much as I did. Generally I hate any book dealing with the open sea. This book was different somehow, perhaps because these fellows were not experienced nautical men, perhaps because they were not in a boat or ship. I think mostly it was the style of writing, and the obvious enthusiasm all these men had for everything that happened. There is not a dull moment. These men travel on a raft for 97 days and there is not a single dull moment, and never a conflict between them. Were there conflicts that Thor left out? I would say almost definitely, but there is such a camaraderie among these fellows, that I can only see them as having been minor. A surprisingly good read.