Unlost: Roaming Through South America on a Spontaneous Journey

The Buddha and the Bee #2

by Cory Mortensen

Finalist 2022 Independent Author Network

Life doesn't come with a roadmap
And this is not a guidebook

CORY MORTENSEN rode his bike from Chaska, Minnesota, to California. The experience ultimately changed his perspective on how life could be lived. So, rather than returning home after his adventure-back to the life unwanted-and equipped with absolutely no plan and nothing tying him down, he makes a simple phone call to quit his career and decides to hitchhike south along the Pacific Coast Highway. Destination unknown. Sounds like a pretty good idea.

One minute, I'm sitting in a cubicle, and the next, I'm haggling over a room in the Andes in a location of the world I never even knew existed.

Where does a guy go when he has no place to be? Passport, tent, sleeping bag, and a favorite pair of Chaco sandals-enough gear for meandering from the Mexican border to the southern tip of South America, right?

Humor ■ Insight ■ Adventure ■ Gratitude ■ Peace

Forty-hour bus rides, Mayan Ruins, five-dollar tattoos, mountain biking down the Road of Death, para-gliding the mountains of Mérida, trekking the Patagonian Andes. Spectacular sights, strange foods, unfamiliar smells, interesting people-and what would a trip like this be without a little dynamite?

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Memoir

319 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 13, 2021

About the author

Born in the small town of New Prague, Minnesota, and raised amidst the sun-soaked landscapes of Scottsdale, Arizona, Cory Mortensen embarked on a unique journey that shaped both his life and literary career.
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Choosing an unconventional path, his journey began with dropping out of college to immerse himself with a job on Wake Island, gaining valuable experiences that would later infuse his writing with a distinctive perspective. Returning to the United States, he started a dynamic career as a project manager for several prestigious architecture firms, coupled with a venture into real estate by flipping houses.
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The allure of exploration took center stage when Cory made the bold decision to sell everything and traverse the globe for two transformative years. This period of travel not only broadened his horizons but also laid the foundation for a successful entrepreneurial endeavor. Cory established and grew a business into a multimillion-dollar venture, eventually selling it to pursue a shared dream with his wife, Kate.
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Marriage to Kate marked the beginning of another adventure as the couple once again divested themselves of possessions to embark on a two-year journey through South America. During this time, Cory and Kate not only explored the breathtaking landscapes but also dedicated themselves to volunteering and trekking, fostering a deep connection with the communities they encountered.
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In 2020, Cory Mortensen penned "The Buddha and the Bee," a captivating work that became a bestseller and earned acclaim with numerous book awards. This success was followed by the publication of "UNLOST," a top 100 bestseller and recipient of multiple book awards, further establishing Cory as a notable voice in contemporary literature.
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Cory's writing seamlessly weaves together the threads of personal experience, cultural exploration, and a profound sense of purpose. Their work continues to resonate with readers worldwide, offering a unique blend of storytelling that transcends boundaries and inspires a deeper understanding of the human experience.

Reviews

[Tia Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun read

Cory has a way of telling a good story with few words. I love his adventures. It’s hard to keep it interesting when you’re doing the same thing over and over- backpacking thru South America. But his humor and succinct writing makes it fun and interesting. I envy his travels and ability to just go with the flow. We could all learn a few lessons from that.

[Matt Connolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book details the author’s journey south from California to the tip of South America and onto Antartica. Overall it was pretty good! The author has a great sense of humor and does a good job distilling down intense experiences into bite-sized morsels. Nothing too intense but enjoyable. Also a Goodreads giveaway which I always appreciate.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

The realities of traveling are a bit different from the expectations people make it out to be. The author takes the time to embrace the cultures, people and scenery around him to provide great detail of the experiences that impacted him - for better or worse. It provides insight into what it’s like to take in another world compared to our own and encourages perspectives that allow you to see what it’s like outside of one’s own world. A great read that will hopefully inspire the reader to put down their cell phone and head out on a lifetime of an adventure to see the wonders of the Americas.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received this book from GoodReads in return for a review

Unlost continues the story of the author's adventures in self supported travel. The previous book, which I didn't read but would like to, was titled "The Buddha and the Bee" and detailed his journey by bicycle from Minnesota to California. Picking up where that book left off (apparently), the intrepid author details his journey, after stashing his bike, through Mexico, Guatemala and points south. Traveling first down the western coast of South America, on to Antarctica to run a marathon, and up the east coast. I've been to Peru a couple of times, but never to the tourist sites like Cuzco, The Inca Trail and Machu Picchu, so I was fascinated by the details of his journey there. The book is well written and very informative, filled with much personal detail about the places he stayed and the people he traveled with. Supposedly, his next book is about his travels to Iceland. I went to Iceland in January of 2020, before the pandemic, and pretty much only saw Reykjavik and some of the south, due to extreme weather conditions. I look forward to reading that book some day. In the meantime, I highly recommend this book.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm rather disappointed in "Unlost". Cory Mortensen shares the story of the second leg of his trip descending into Mexico and continuing down through South America. Mortensen's trip develops on the whim of the day, taking advantage of the suggestions of friends he makes along the way in his trip of ... adventure? So, why disappointed? Mortensen shares remarkable tidbits of places I can only dream of visiting but every encounter seems to hit on psychedelic mushrooms, beer, wine, and whatever other such escape he finds along the way. Maybe that's part of the journey, the discovery that his 7 months of wandering isn't a sustainable life and not the life he dreams of.

Several books I have read about traveling these roads through central and south America as being dangerous and authors sharing that stamps on a passport can be complicated as each country along the way treats the passport differently and it seems to be the luck of the draw as to which border agent you encounter and what his whim of the day is.

I just think Mortensen could have shared an enlighting journey with the reader, humm, maybe he actually did just not as I would have wished it.

[Meagan | The Chapter House · Rating 3 out of 5]

This read was a pleasant respite after a heavier read I'd spent too much time editing in my head, lol!

Mortensen has a great sense of humor, and I found myself literally LOLing at times. While I've been to South America (Chile, more specifically) once, it was on a church mission trip, ergo a much different experience from his on a lot of levels. (And that was abundantly clear at times during the read, ha!) We'd make for quite the Venn diagram of different experiences and the occasional surprising components that did actually overlap.

I really enjoyed learning more about each location's history and Mortensen's own thoughts on each, along with the rando factoids about area volcanos, altitude, cathedrals, and more.

Note: a fair bit of language, as well as discussion and use of drugs. (Hence the 3-star rating for me.)

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wanderlust adventure

Can't put it down good! We all at some point in our lives catch the wanderlust itch. Most of us try try to scratch it with a week or two of vacation from our 9 to 5 existence. Cory, on the other hand, went all in by quitting his job and restructuring his life to undertake a cycling adventure followed by a south American trekking journey. Read part I, The Buddha and The Bee first. The adventuring flows in a free form manner, loosley planned with maximum opportunities for fun and fellowship. This is an extremely well written narrative with plenty of historical facts and side stories for context.

[Alan Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adventures

The second memoir by Cory Mortensen. When last we followed him bicycling from Minnesota to California. I'm this book he travels through Mexico, Central America, South America, and Antarctica.

This was actually the first book of the pair I won via #GoodreadsGiveaway s. After having won the first I read it first to follow the adventures in order.

There is a clue where "we" are going next......Iceland. This has been fun so far.

I received a complementary copy via #GoodreadsGiveaway.

[Elisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun, quick read. Loved hearing about his adventures, from border crossing adventures, the people he met along the way, places I'd never heard of before and the fact that you can run a marathon in Antarctica! Found myself Googling pictures of the places he went. Looking forward to reading his next book when it comes out.

[Michele Rice Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

Unlost: Roaming Through South America on a Spontaneous Journey reads like catching up with a friend who just returned from an extended vacation. It was excellent! The people, places, events, and details are nicely done. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys travel adventure, non-fiction, or casually written books.

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book continues Cory's journey after his epic bike ride in The Budda and the Bee. From immigration and border crossing issues to forty hours bus rides Cory's sense of humor guides us through his hitchhiking journey along the Pacific Coast Highway.
I really enjoyed reading this 2nd installment of Cory's life changing adventure.

[tyRonE hArDing · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite travel writers. Super fun read, just like his first book "The Buddha and the Bee", which I am now going to read a second time. I am looking forward to reading his newest book "Embracing Bewilderment".

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounding up for the helpful travel tips. I hope this was indie published because it needs an editor. I loved the small side stories and the fun facts (tallest mountain vs smallest mountain). It was a quick fun read and added another level of interest for when I go to some of the same countries.

[Pen Winton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh…..

[john a allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful story

A must read, after reading his first book of course !! I truly cannot wait till the next one, good job Cory.

[Connie C Hamann]

Enjoyed Corey's great adventures!

[david sergeant · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read

Really enjoyed reading about his journey. It was a proper travel story which I would dearly love to do one day

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than Buddha & The Bee but still lacking the depth I would expect from such a journey as taken by the author. This wasn't even light reading but boring reading.

[shannon austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by Cory Mortensen

Such a fun book to read. Not just a good story but educational as well. I’m looking forward to reading the 3rd book.

[JoeytheBROfessor · Rating 5 out of 5]

live his adventures through this book!1

Cory does a great job of telling stories of his life. I felt like I was there! Definitely a great read!

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy travelogues but was challenged by this one. He introduced that he would be referencing his previous book and did that, prolifically, through his footnotes. He did not, however, give details of that reference - just noted in his book that it was covered in there. It almost felt like a push to purchase his previous book.

This is a brief introduction of his adventure through Central and South America - plus a touch onto Antarctica. And I use "introduction" intentionally as he never really went into depth about any of the experiences. Well, other than a personal connection with one woman - that was a bit more detailed even though it didn't really add much to the story, in my opinion.

I really wanted to like this book more but the lack of details and explorer perspective was too lacking for me to do so.

#Goodreadsgiveaway

[Elly Sands · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVED "Buddha and the Bee" and I LIKED this one. I will certainly read his next one. He is good company on a trip aside from the talk of perhaps too many "turned on trips" and believe me I'm not a prude. He does have fun and his spontaneity is a bit crazy and admirable at the same time. He educates the reader along the way and had me googling all kinds of things. I'm looking forward to reading about Iceland on his next journey.

[Maisaa Salma · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a well-written book that provides valuable insights into South America, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. However, there is a subtle tone of arrogance in the traveler's perspective.