Empire Under the Sun

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Peering through the plane window, I looked out across the Andes Mountains and gave a big grin. I've been thinking about these mountains and climbing up to the ruins of Machu Picchu for the last six years. Ever since Bobby returned home from his travels in this region and planted the seed with his pictures and stories, it has been in the back of my mind.

Arriving in Cusco, I walked through the cobblestone streets and soon realized that many others had been thinking about the same thing. This heart of the once-powerful Inca Empire is a haven for tourists from all over the world. I do realize that it was the cities most festive week of the year and people had traveled from a far to experience it, but I was still shocked at the number of tourists in the city. But even harder for me to believe was that, without even planning it, I happened to arrive two days before Inti Raymi and just in time to catch the parades and various other Inca traditions. There was one problem though, when you don’t plan for a festival of this size finding a vacant room tends to pose a problem. Well, you're not going to believe my luck. It just so happened that during my little airport experience in Iquitos, I became friends with a fella by the name of Marlon who lives in the Amazon Basin. He informed me that one of his best friends (Robert Gonzales) lives in Cusco and that he would happily call him upon our arrival in Lima and see if he had room at his place. There you have it. I ended up staying for free at Robert and his Danish wife’s (Dorthe) house...and get this, they own a coffeehouse/movie lounge called “The Film” that plays two movies a day for free, has internet, and World Cup non-stop (Hello!!!). It just shows you what a smile, some friendly conversation, and an airport crisis can get you. Not to mention the generous deeds of three complete strangers. This brings to mind a quote that I once read by George Elliot,

Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds.

The couple had just opened up their business four months ago and is working non-stop day and night (9am-11pm) to ensure things go as planned. Despite their busy lives and crazy work schedule, they simply handed me the keys and said that their home was my home, not even charging me (which I offered). Oh yeah, and Dorthe is six months pregnant...if that's not enough. It sure is nice when you meet people who go out of their way to help a complete stranger and ask for nothing in return. I've come across this several times in my travels (the Rices and Abel’s family), and I'll never forget their generosity.

Located at 3,399m (11,150ft) above sea level, Cusco is the archaeological capital of the Americas and is steeped in history and cultural tradition. Cusco (Qosqo in Quechua) means “navel of the world,” because it was the economic, cultural and political center of the Inca Empire. Archaeological sites are located throughout the region surrounding the city. The most important cultural tradition for Cusco is Inti Raymi (The Festival of the Sun). Inti Raymi celebrates the winter solstice and is the greatest of all the Inca festivals. The streets were full of spectators all gathered to watch as floats were carried past, traditional dances were performed and children trotted along carrying the Cusco flag (rainbow colors).

Saturday the 24th was the big day when the ancient Inca ceremony was re-enacted at the ruins of Sacsayhuamán. Hundreds of people from all over came together at the old ruins, which were just a 40 minute hike up into the hills over looking Cusco. In order to get a good spot on the stone ruins, I got there 5 hours early and hung out. The set up looked like that of a Dave Matthews concert and I was positioned front and center on the lawn section. Two medical students from California (Terra and Pauline) joined me on my rock to wait for the big show. After much talk and crowd watching, the festival of Inti Raymi began. During the reign of the Inca Empire, this ceremony was performed to attempt to bring back the sun, which was moving further away with the onset of winter. Over the next two hours, twelve tribes (all dress much differently) entered the confines of the Sacsayhuamán ruins and performed traditional dances together and individually. The head chief and leaders from each tribe gathered on the center structure and went through several speeches (all in Quechua) and performed a sacrificial offering. They acted out the sacrifice of a llama and burned its organs (fake) in the fires set at each corner of the arena. Music and traditional dances went on throughout the ceremony, which made for a very entertaining spectacle. Some of the tribesmen pranced around nearly nude and others were draped head to toe in moss-like outfits. The girls and I had quite the laugh when the chief and tribesmen were chanting and waving their arms about in order to bring back the sun...and then suddenly it started raining. I believe they got some of the words mixed up during the ritual or maybe God was just having a little fun with them. All in all, the day was very entertaining, but I sure was glad to get off of that frozen rock. Later that day, I went to a local agency and signed up for a 5-day backpacking trip (Salkantay Trek) on an alternate route to Machu Picchu. Now this is what I'd been waiting for!

Due to the fact that the Inca trail was booked up solid till September, I had to search out an alternate route to Machu Picchu. This turned out to be far better than I'd ever imagined. Instead of sharing the trail with 500 other tourists for 4 days, I spent 5 days with a group of seven and maybe 50 other hikers at the most. I ended up paying half the price of what I would have paid, and got nearly the same deal. It would have been nice to have been on the actual Inca trail for 4 days, but at least I got to spent the last day on it and finish at what was most important - Machu Picchu. The food and treatment by our guide (Jason) and crew of three (cook, server, and horsemen) was great. The crew was amazing and made this an experience we will all never forget. The team of horses would go off ahead carrying all of the heavy stuff and the men would have camp and the meals ready awaiting us. Every morning, a hot cup of mint tea was brought to our tent to start the day. Breakfast consisted of omelets, pancakes, yogurt, etc. and the lunch and dinners were better than the meals I've been eating at most restaurants. Jason went out of his way everyday to ensure that we were all doing well and having a good time. Usually in every organized group there is at least one person who is annoying or whinny, but we didn't have a one, well maybe me but I wasn't bothered. Our group of seven (Eline- Norway, Kate- Norway, Laci- Canada, Meagan- Canada, Harriet- England, Neil- England, and myself- homeless) sat around every night and spent hours learning and comparing stuff about our countries and just having some good laughs. After 5 days, we had all formed a bond and cut up like good friends do.

Besides the good company, the scenery and trek were awesome. Day one brought us through the lower hills of the Andes and up to the base of Salkantay (Wild Mountain). Unaffected by the lights of the city, the stars shone like glitter in the night sky. We all stood with our heads tilted back and looked out at the unfamiliar. The constellations (Big and Small Dipper, Orion's Belt, etc.) that we were all so accustomed to seeing, were nowhere to be found. Staring out into the sky of the Southern Hemisphere introduced us to a whole new group of constellations (The Southern Cross, etc.). Being at this high an altitude really gives you a clear and up-close view of the heavens, but it also can be a bit chilly. That first night was absolutely freezing. Even with three layers of clothing, gloves, beanie, and a goose down sleeping bag, I still had trouble sleeping. The following days we slept at a much lower altitude, which meant much warmer nights and less trembling. Speaking of altitude, in order to prevent altitude sickness the first two days, we all had to keep our jaws packed full of Coca leaves the entire trek. They didn't taste great but they sure did do the trick. I'm now hooked on them and will have to seek treatment, but that's another story.

Day two was the longest and hardest of the five, but it was also the most beautiful (with the exception of Machu Picchu of course). That day, we hiked 12 miles and reached an altitude of 4,800 meters (15,748 ft.). Most of the day was spent trekking straight up switchbacks and then finally crossing in between the two mighty snow peaks of Salkantay (6,264m - 20,551ft) and Umantay (6,100m - 20,013ft). It sure was a beautiful sight to stand there between the two massive mountains, with Salkantay standing taller than North America's highest summit of Denali (6,194 m - 20,320 ft). Note that the highest mountain in Peru is Hauscarán towering 6,768m (22,205ft) to the summit, ranking up there with some of the world's giants. Reaching the highest point of our climb, the group stood speechless and stared out over the Andes with a smile of accomplishment across each face. The smile was also due to the fact that everything else was downhill for the rest of the day.

The next two days were less strenuous than the previous as we made our way from snow covered mountains to the Peruvian jungle below. We all stopped off and took a nice long soak in some natural hot springs, which was great for the sore muscles. Although that afternoon when arriving to the small village where we set up camp, Neil and I joined in on a local futbol game and completely shredded our legs. Lucky for us, the next day consisted of much less walking. The next morning, the crew all piled into the back of a ton truck and motored through the jungle for an hour and a half until reaching the river's edge. There we paired up and crossed over the river in a cable-cart system. Standing at the foot of the cable system were three crosses in the ground to mourn the loss of some locals that had died traversing the river a few years prior. It wasn't exactly the thing we wanted to hear just before hopping into the rickety old bucket to cross the river. Surviving the angry waters, we hiked up past the hydroelectric plant and then proceeded down some train tracks for 2 hours until finally reaching Aguas Calientes (the town just at the base of Machu Picchu). That night we stayed in a hostel and had our final dinner together. We all said our farewells to the helpers, toasted to good times, and soon retired to our beds to rest up for our last big day.

Rising at 4am, we scarfed down a quick breakfast and began our death march up steep, stone stairs for an hour and a half. Reaching the top as the sun broke the horizon, we made our way through the gates and over to the cliffs edge...and there it was... Machu Picchu (Old Mountain) - The Lost City of the Inca. What a magnificent sight to see. Mountains surrounded the ancient ruins on all sides holding off the rays of the sun for a short while. For the next two hours, we weaved our way through the ruins as Jason explained the history and culture of the once mighty Empire. Following our tour, we all geared up for our last big climb - Huayna Picchu (Young Mountain). This was the small mountain that shadowed over Machu Picchu and gave a bird’s eye view of the ruins and surrounding peaks. The hike was steep but well worth it. The 360 degree view from the top was absolutely breathtaking. Looking down on the ruins, you could see the complete layout of the ancient city. Some claimed the overall design resembled the shape of a condor, but I just think they'd chewed far too many Coca leaves. The view of Machu Picchu and the surrounding mountains from Huayna Picchu was the highlight and perfect way to end this amazing trip. After our day of exploring the Inca ruins, the group traveled back to Cusco via train/bus and there we said our goodbyes. I could not have asked for a better group of people and I wish them all the best. Although, I must apologize to the Norwegian girls for totally destroying them every single day in our game of “Name that Celebrity”. Maybe sometime in the future you all will have the vast knowledge of movies that I am blessed with...but not yet!

Back in Cusco, I took a few days to recoup before I headed to Lake Titicaca on the Bolivian border. I forgot to mention that my stomach has not been right ever since the Amazon, and you all know if I say my stomach isn't right - its wrong! The Canadian girls (Medical students) had diagnosed me with having a possible parasite, but I'll give it another week or so because I sincerely doubt any living creature in its right mind would want to hangout in my organs that long. Staying again at the Gonzales household, I now have two French girls (Carol and Tiffany) as roommates. The Gonzales' are part of a group called Hospitality Club (www.hospitalityclub.org), an organization were the members help other members with housing or simply information in their own hometown. It's a great way to meet people from other cultures and help them out at the same time. I checked it out and will probably eventually join, but I have to get permanent residence first (that could be years). One of the French girls had done a year of studies at MTSU in Murfreesboro, TN at the same time I was living in the area...what a small world. The three of us went down to the Gonsales' establishment to watch France take on Brasil in the World Cup Quarter Finals. After an amazing match, France came away with the victory (1-0) which had the girls jumping with joy. Only one week left and we will have a World champion. I'm going to have to find a good place to be for that day. Well, that about does it for Cusco and the Lost City of the Inca. I believe I've attached way too many pictures this time (I had to narrow them down from nearly 300), sorry TravelBlog.org. I just didn't know which ones to leave out. It was good to hear from you all after the Amazon, it sounds like everyone is doing well. I hope you all have a great 4th of July and Trey - shoot your dad with a Roman candle for me. Take care and I'll write you all soon. Ratukama!

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Photos

The Crew in Machu Picchu
Kate, Eline, Jason, Meagan, Neil, Harriet, and Laci

Decked Out in Alpaca Wool Head to Toe
I Thinka I'm a Inca!

Comments

[Laci]

Brings a tear to my eye.....
Hey Jeremy- this TravelBlog thingy is wicked! Your Cusco/ Salkantay entry is perfect and makes me wish I was back eating popcorn and cookies at tea time with the gang! I hope you belly feels better soon. I made it to Bolivia after one cancelled flight so if you are in the Cochabamba area, drop me a line. Ciao and best of luck in the rest of your travels!