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Published: April 22nd 2006
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Motley Crew
Our group of 12 gets ready to hit the trail. Peru: Lima, Cusco and Machu Pichu (March 31- April 8)
The spirit of the Inca is alive- in the mountains, the sky, and in the heart of the Sacred Valley in Peru at Machu Pichu. I began the week flying from Bogota to Lima with an open mind and came away with spiritual enlightenment and one of the most awe-inspiring scenes I will ever see. The Inca people had built this civilization to worship the Gods of nature and founded their economic capital in the city of Cusco and their spiritual center in Machu Pichu, located in the heart of the Sacred Valley. The 4 day hike through the valley was clearly the way to feel and understand the culture of the time and appreciate the ruins of the Incas, who dominated most of South America from the 12th century to the 15th century. Even though it is a major tourist destination, the spirit of Machu Pichu and the nature-inspired beliefs of the Incas will stay with me for a long time.
I had 1 full day in Lima to see the sights before heading to Cusco. I stayed in a pretty hip area called Miraflores, a suburb which
A good day of hiking
deserves a beer in the mountains, Cusquena, the Peruvian beer of choice. had great cafes and nightlife (and the first Starbucks I found in South America!). My only full day there I headed downtown to the Plaza de Armas and the surrounding area to check out a few museums for the bulk of the day but, being the end of March madness, met another gringo from the US and hit an expat bar to watch the disappointing final 4.
I was really excited to get to Cusco not only to see the Inca ruins but to meet up with Chris, Brian and Kirsten, who had flown down from the US to join us for the trek and bring some goods from the northern hemisphere- books, food and Immodium. Having been on the road alone for a while, the first thing we decided to do was grab a beer and catch up, which turned in to a long and fun evening ending at a funky place called Mama Africa. Cusco is a city built for tourism and you’re constantly surrounded by people- especially kids- tugging at your arm to buy something.. and being a gringo, of course you stick out in a pack and of course someone buys something- so we had
Morning tea at 5 am
The porters woke us to this stunning view of the morning mountains with coco tea.. what a way to wake up! a small crowd following us throughout our time there. We spent the next day acclimating to the climate, visiting local ruins and getting an introduction to Inca religion. Without getting much into it, the Incas had an incredibly fond appreciation of nature- the sun, the moon, the seasons, animals, and more- and built their culture, architecture and civilization around it, giving anyone who appreciates the outdoors a deeper understanding of things.
We started the Inca Trail at 5am that Tuesday (April 4) with a group of 12 from the tour group Quente, our guide Miguel, and 18 amazing porters to carry everything. Miguel, who referred to us as ‘family’, started the hike with an offering of 3 cocoa leaves to the nature spirits and began to explain the Incas deep beliefs in these gods. The first day was a pretty easy hike of around 4 hours in good climate and allowed the group to get to know everyone as people moved up and back within the pack, constantly being passed by the porters running past. One constant I was amazed by was the food we received- fish, rice, fruits, soups- and the amazing presentation of it. That night, Miguel
View from Waynapichu
Waynapichu was a vertical hike up for a stunning view of the mountains and Machu Pichu.. very spiritual. took more time to describe more about Inca culture and the people who once ruled this land; he further explained that there have even been human sacrifices in recent years. He went on to elucidate about their beliefs in the clouds and water as the spirit of life and fertilization, their praise of condors, pumas and serpents and more.. the spirit of the Incas and nature was settling in as we drank tea under the stars and tucked in for an early night.
The porters greeted us every morning around 5 with a hot cup of tea as we prepared for the day and ate breakfast; they were incredibly helpful throughout. The second day was the most difficult, starting with 4 hours of strenuous climbing uphill to ‘Dead Womans Pass' at 4600 meters. I should note that the climates constantly changed during our 4 days; at the top we were all bundled and freezing, but stripped off layers when descending.. this surely added to the sickness that some felt at the end of the week. The third day found us descending quite a bit, seeing more ruins and getting more of an understanding of the significance of the Sacred
Above the clouds
Our resident adventurer, Chris, looks over the valley from the top of the cliff. Valley as an incredible agricultural area and varied topology with mixed mountains and jungle. That night we had made it to Aguas Calientes, a small town near Machu Pichu, where we holed up for the evening. That last night was a celebration for our porters as we wished them well and went off to have a few beers ourselves.
With massive ruins at the end of the Inca Trail comes the spiritual center of the Inca Universe, Machu Pichu. Miguel brought us to a few stops to explain his architectural theories and the significance of some of the symbols and stones- pointing to the mountains in different directions. Machu Pichu (which means Old Mountain) was an entire community of around 800 people where the rulers and holy people of the empire were located. Being nestled between massive mountains in the jungle, you quickly get an awe of the appeal of nature as a god- the mist among the mountains, the fertility of the plants, the sound of the animals, the power of the water- the physical geography of the mountains commanded the religious respect of these people. The Incas built rocks perfectly formed as compasses, carved out holy areas
Pittsburgh in the house
Chris came down from Pittsburgh to make the pilgramage. to celebrate the sunrise of the solstice and erected the religious center to respect the gods of nature- and it is an incredibly moving experience after earning the view with a 4 day hike through the cold and rain. The highlight for me was climbing up Waynapichu, a peak overlooking Machu Pichu, with an incredible view and a divine sense of it’s own.. it is as if you are on top of the world up there, close to the gods the Incas once believed in. It’s hard to imagine it was built in the 15th century but left, probably to hide from the Conquistadors, until discovered in 1911 when American Hiram Bingham found it with the help of locals. The most consistently disturbing theme throughout the week was the destruction of the Inca culture and the pillaging by the Spaniards, who not only took all of the gold back to Europe but systematically erased this once powerful culture.. Without a doubt, the devastation caused by these Conquistadors and other Spaniards has had a lasting impact on all of South America today.
What made the adventure even more special was having a fantastic group of people with whom to do the hike. And so on the Friday night upon return to Cusco we did what gringos do well- drink in mass.. it was a really fun night. It was a bit of a downer, however, to see not only our group move on, but our own friends depart back for San Francisco and Pittsburgh that next day. It was back to solo travel again for Amy and I and we decided to hit Lake Titicaca and Bolivia to experience more indigenous culture after that.
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Marty Fletcher
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Awesome Rick!
What an experience Rick. Simply Awesome!