Advertisement
Published: October 8th 2006
The one and only... Machu Picchu
Can you see the profile of an Inca in the mountains behind?I tried really hard to get up at 5.30am to be able to get to Machu Picchu at about 6.30am as most travel journals suggested, but I just couldn´t... I was still so tired from the trip the day before.... anyway, we managed to get on the 8.30am bus up to Machu Picchu, which isn´t too bad....
For a change the ride was along a narrow, zigzagged road at the very edge of the mountainside... but I can´t complain because the views were fantastic.... Unlike the other Inca ruins visited until now, the area around Machu Picchu is really lush and green. The site is completely surrounded by mountains (something which the Incas had pre-planned, of course) which gives you the feeling that you are secluded in some secret hiding-place which is safe from all harm... it´s like the mountains are encircling you to protect you.... very nice feeling...
Once we got to the gates, we were approached by some tour guides, for which I was grateful for once since I had decided to do the trip on my own and I hadn´t yet figured out what to do about a guide.... her name was Martha, Peruvian and really
The Hut of the Caretaker of the Funerary Rock
A carved rock by the hut may have been used to mummify the nobility, hence the hut´s name friendly and said she would only charge about Lm6 for a 2-hour private tour.... sounded fair enough...
Martha was great... she explained so much without ever going into too much detail... and all in Spanish to my great pride... hehe
I´ll try to remember as much as I can... there were quite a few things that were new to me, notwithstanding I tried to read as much as I could before the trip... for example, did you know that Machu Picchu was never intended for permanent living?? Apparently it was a place where people would travel to from the various cities of the Inca empire to educate themselves and since the site is very difficult to reach, the journey is one of purification. The Inca Trail (remember, the trek of four days) is merely part of the authentic trail that existed then - most of it was destroyed when the Spanish arrived so as to hide its location....
This was another thing that struck me... when the Incas became aware of the Spanish arrival they did their utmost to protect Machu Picchu... and apparently removed all the mummies (because the Incas mummify their dead in preparation for
their journey to the next life) of any significant importance, say of the Incas and the noble families, as well as all their riches and retreated to the jungle where legend says Inca treasure is still buried today.... When Hiram Bingham, the American academic, disovered Machu Picchu in 1911, it was completely bare....
Machu Picchu is smaller than I would have imagined but no less spectacular.... the people of the Andes are renowned for their respect of mother nature (pachamama, in quechua) and it is incredible how they always try to accommodate their needs by working with nature, not against.... for example, even when constructing Machu Picchu, which was planned to the finest detail, they would always work around what was already there.... and everything must fit in with the current landscape.... why have we not learnt from the cultures that preceded us.... it´s so sad to think of all the damage we inflict on our environment nowadays....
Once the tour was over we just lingered on, walking around taking it all in and me, of course, taking pictures at every corner... the views were just unbelievable.... luckily it didn´t rain as in previous days, actually we got
really burnt and I´m peeling now...
Anyway, I´m just going to let you enjoy the pictures.... I highly recommend that at some point in your life you visit Machu Picchu and read about the Incas and the people of the Andes.... it´s more than just interesting, it´s inspiring......
The next few days I´ll just relax in Cusco, and Saturday we are off to Lake Titicaca.... as legend says...the birthplace of the Incas...
Besos xxx
Advertisement
Tot: 0.119s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 14; qc: 23; dbt: 0.0619s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Jean
non-member comment
Ah Yvanka!!! This place is amazing!!!! - I really wish I could have experienced it!!!! Enjoy the rest of the holiday!!! Jean.