In 1896 a young housewife from Hackney made a remarkable journey into the Amazon jungle. LIZZIE HESSEL survived treacherous rapids, hostile Indians and appalling conditions on her way to the remote Bolivian location where her husband was to manage a rubber estate. The adventure-packed 4,000-mile voyage took 13 months and Lizzie became the first
European woman to travel so far up the Amazon.
Maria Aitkin follows in her footsteps and finds the journey no less challenging, as she treks through some of the wildest country on earth to the exact spot where Lizzie lived like a queen among the rubber barons. Her quest brings a fascinating insight to Amazonia, interweaving her modern journey with a dramatised reconstruction of Lizzie's original trip. Photography JOHN HOOPER
Associate producer TONY MORRISON Film editor DAVID ELLIOTT Produced and directed by LAVINIA WARNER
* FEATURE: page 82
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