How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Mortenson smelled the village of Korphe a mile before he approached it. The scent of juniper woodsmoke and unwashed humanity as overwhelming after the sterility of altitude. (2.40)
Mortenson isn't one to talk about "unwashed humanity," seeing as how he hasn't bathed in weeks, but it's interesting that Korphe has a distinct smell. What does your town or city smell like? Also: Do you think where you live smells the same to you as it does to someone who's never been there before? It seems possible that the scents people identify can clue us into their perspectives on a place.
Quote #5
[Mortenson had] never heard of Korphe. He was positive it hadn't appeared on any map he'd ever studied of the Karakoram, and he'd studied dozens. (2.53)
As we said earlier, Mortenson has always been more focused on the mountains than the villages. The mountaineers are only interested in what can benefit them on their journey, so a little village like Korphe passes unnoticed.
Quote #6
Ali apologized that tea was not yet brewed and sent a boy running for three bottles of warm Thums Up brand orange soda while they waited. (6.60)
Not only is the landscape different in Pakistan, so are the customs and the soda. Normally tea is offered at a meeting, but in this case it's replaced with a foreign brand of soda. It's so foreign, that Mortenson even gets the flavor wrong. Thums Up is more like Coca-Cola.