Trail of Feathers: In Search of the Birdmen of Peru

A shrunken head from Peru and a feather with traces of blood are the clues that launch Tahir Shah on his latest journey. Fascinated by the recurring theme of flight in Peruvian folklore, Shah sets out to discover whether the Incas really were able to "fly like birds" over the jungle, as a Spanish monk reported. Or was their soaring drug-induced? His journey, full of surreal experiences, takes him from the Andes mountains to the desert and finally, in the company of a Vietnam vet, up the Amazon deep into the jungle to discover the secrets of the Shuar, a tribe of legendary savagery. - Travel writing at its best, at once colorful, informative, and amusing. Doris Lessing said that Shah has a "genius for surreal traveling." - The cast of characters includes madmen and dreames, sorcerers and con men, headhunters and scholars--in short, the usual assortment for Shah. - Features an appendix on flora-based hallucinogens of Amazonia, including ayahuasca, "the vine of the dead." - Hardcover ISBN: 1-55970-613-9