The Gen Z Report

The Gen Z Report

Memoirs

We Were Attacked by Fire Ants in the Amazon

Ants, bridges, and the ambitious trek to Macchu Picchu

Ben Ulansey's avatar
Ben Ulansey
Mar 06, 2026
∙ Paid

Photo by oktavianus mulyadi on Unsplash

Signing up to walk the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, I held an image in my head of a timeless path through an ancient landscape, flanked on all sides by sacred stones and preserved by the apocryphal powers of native Peruvian mysticism. I envisioned something almost processional in its importance — a red carpet for th…

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