Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time
One day they ran into a group of white-lipped peccaries, the deadly, sharp-tusked wild pigs that roam the rain forest in packs. “Jaguars and pumas are afraid of them because they attack,” John said. “When they sense an outsider, they form a group. They make the most awful scraping sound with their tusks as a warning, and you can smell them. They gi
... See moreMark Adams • Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time
According to the fascinating book The Languages of the Andes, Quechua includes a vast number of words to denote the act “to carry.”
Mark Adams • Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time
John pointed to the far end of the site, where groups of Inca Trail hikers who’d awakened at four to meet the sunrise at the Sun Gate—virtually every tour company uses this supposedly magical moment as a selling point—were waiting impatiently for their first glimpse of the city. “The Sun Gate at sunrise is a complete waste of time,” John said as we
... See moreMark Adams • Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time
“A place like Angkor Wat is fantastic,” he said, referring to the enormous twelfth-century temple complex in Cambodia. “But they didn’t have the problems there that the Incas did here. This place is a statement: look at how we can tame nature.”
Mark Adams • Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time
Machu Picchu: Exploring an Ancient Sacred Center, by Johan Reinhard. The original, and best, explanation of why Machu Picchu is most likely situated where it is.
Mark Adams • Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time
“Okay, open your eyes. This is my way of saying, ‘Welcome to the Inca Trail.’”
Mark Adams • Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time
The Conquest of the Incas, by John Hemming. The definitive history of Francisco Pizarro’s occupation of Peru, and the starting point for any serious examination of Inca history.
Mark Adams • Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time
For the first time since dropping out of graduate school, I remembered an unpleasant weekend spent struggling to comprehend the philosopher Immanuel Kant’s explanation of the difference between calling something beautiful and calling it sublime. Nowadays, we throw around the word “sublime” to describe gooey desserts or overpriced handbags. In Kant’
... See moreMark Adams • Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time
“There’s one fellow I know from Amazonas Explorer named Efrain—he’s very, very good. Speaks Quechua and English, knows his history.