Machu Picchu, Peru

 

 

 

Machu Picchu is one of the world’s foremost archaeological sites. The amazing ruins was completely lost in the jungle until some local s led Hiram Bingham there in 1911. The Spaniards never found it , the Incas left no records about it, so Machu Picchu remains a great enigma, a whole city set on a saddle surrounded by immense jungle-covered mountains.

Prior to reaching Machu Picchu, I finished the book “The Machu Picchu Guidebook: A Self- Guided Tour” by Ruth M. Wright & Dr. Alfredo Valencia Zegarra. The book help prepare for the visit, but our tour guide provide significantly better and more comprehensive information than what was available in the book. The book was very rout and westernized. Our tour guide had more to offer from a local’s (native Peruvian’s) perspective.

I also finished reading “The Conquest of the Incas” by John Hemming. I enjoyed the book a lot and learned much about the Spanish conquest of the Inca nation. The book was somewhat dense (it included 100 pages of footnote), but well worth the read. I get a particular thrill out of reading about local area’s history while traveling through it.

I’m currently reading “100 Years of Solitude” by Gabriel Garci’a Ma’rquez. I’m about halfway through it. I like it, but I really had great expectations and its not really living up to those expectations. Moreover, I’m really not a fiction reader. That may also be the problem.