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We started off our journey full of gratitude and anticipation for a new environment and opportunity. After months of talking about the Inca trail, we were finally going! It finally hit us as we set eyes on the cobblestone street of Cusco 11,000 ft. above sea level. The squares of Cusco are flowing with people, water and life. Everyone has something to sell. Textiles, pottery, food, instruments... Many Cusqueños carry their goods on their backs with colorful blankets, the same way they carry their young. It´s very easy to tell who is a local and who is a tourist. This area is loaded with temples, churches, museums, ruins and unique scenery. But in addition to what there is to see, it´s also a break from the western world. Other than a hole in the wall McDonald´s and a Peruvian girl wearing a Hannah Montana shirt, you´d have no idea you were in modern times. Our guide Raul taught us about the mix of Incan and Spanish culture. We went to see the saint of earthquakes in the church, who we later saw being carried through the plaza during a procession. There were lots of processions during our visit because of semana santa.
We visited a handful of Incan sites around the city. Places of spiritual worship mostly.
There were many common themes in Incan culture that we learned about throughout our trip. Everything goes back to the constellations and the worship of the sun. Each temple of the sun was built in line with the southern cross constellation, Cusco being at the center (72, 13). In addition to the sun, they also worshipped the mother earth, the mountains and water, which I can fully relate to. The position of the sun on the mountains told the Incans when to plant and when to harvest. It also gave them information about time, which they kept track of by tying knots in hanging pieces of rope. A selected group of animals were symbolic to the Incans for many reasons and of course are represented in the constellations: the serpent (past), the puma (present) and the condor (future). Unfortunately the puma and condor are endangered. Many Incan lessons came in three´s. Pacha, meaning the human interaction with the universe in Quechua, comes in three forms: knowledge, love and work. Work also has 3 forms: reciprocal, for the community and for trade. The 3 Incan
sins are lying, cheating and laziness.
All of these trilogies are encompassed in the Andean cross. In order to visit the ruins we drove through the country side. It was breathtaking, sometimes literally because of the altitude. As we dropped down in each steep valley we could see snow capped peaks in the distance and thin lines of clouds at the foot of the valley. It looked like you could set up a latter in the corn field and touch the clouds.
In the ruins we got our first taste of Incan architecture. The Incas used limestone rocks weighing up to120 tons to build walls and structures so perfect you can even fit a razor blade in between. They did this by cutting the rocks with harder rocks like volcanic rock or meteorites and connected the rocks with keystones. Every stone is a different shape and size but they are fit together like a puzzle. Levies, ramps, cacti and human force were used to move them. Every door, window and quasi-window (used for offerings to the gods) is shaped like a trapezoid in order to protect the structure from earthquakes. Why we don´t do this now is beyond
Pisac Market
Natural dies for textiles me. No one has been able to replicate what they did. Every time there´s an earthquake the "modern" structures fall and the Incan foundations remain. The Incans ruled from 1200-1532 (when the Spanish came). It seems to me that we’ve regressed.
The 3rd day of the trip a River Rafting guide named Cali picked us up
early in the morning. He was also my guide when I went rafting in Pucon Chile 2 years ago. What are the odds? Thankfully Cali made us laugh a lot and kept us thinking positive because we were scared and so were the two Germans in our boat. We sang songs and watched Cali dance with his paddle. The tall green mountains looking down on us were also a nice distraction. On the hillsides there were lots of cacti, wild flowers, Incan tombs, herds of sheep and of course llamas. The moon was always in the back drop. The waves that hit our boat were huge. We all got nailed with water but managed to stay in the boat and keep paddling. Inevitably we had a great time. Lunch, showers, a sauna and a zip line across the river awaiting us back at
the camp. We spent the evening having drinks with our new friends.
The last leg of our trip, The Inca Trail, was a physical and spiritual crossing of a threshold. There were many bridges to cross literally and figuratively. We had to ignore our doubts and fears and trust that we could make it. We walked for 4 days straight, all day, subiendo y bajando stone stairs, over 3 passes and through very dense jungle. The views were unforgettable. We were so high up that the light shinning through the clouds made it feel like heaven. At night we could see the stars so clearly, I understood why the Incans studied the constellations so thoroughly. On the trail we came across parrots, llamas, deer, millions of butterflies and beautiful orchids. As we pushed along, beyond tired, but determined, we were constantly humbled by the beauty of our surroundings. It was such a magical and unbelieveable place to be, it was hard to believe we were really there. Another thing that kept us going was the superhuman presence of the porteros running by us with huge packs filled with tents, chairs, cooking supplies, even coolers. Most of the porteros wore
sandals made of tires. They all had rock hard calves.
As a result of the Inca trail being regulated in the past ten-fifteen years you must enter with a tour which means using porters. The experience is bitter sweet. They left our camp after us, packed everything up, ran past us on the trail, set up our camp and had our meals ready when we arrived. They arrived 2-4 hours before we did even though they were carrying more weight. I was so grateful to have a delicious meal waiting but it felt strange to not help prepare it. The porteros have a union and have fought for regulations such as a max load of 25 kilos and the prohibition of using animals on the Incan trail to ensure job security. It is a way to earn a living but that didn’t change the fact that there were clear class differences happening. We tipped well.
On the last day we arrived at Machu Picchu. After being isolated in the
forest for 4 days, the crowds of people were overwhelming. The ruins along the way were similar to Machu Picchu but they didn’t all have the temples and were
not as large. The ruins have been well restored since Hiram Bingham discovered them in 1911, with a hint from the locals who used the terraces for farming. There are many Incan sites along the trail that were later uncovered by Bingham. They must be constantly maintained in order to not get eaten by the jungle again. Terraces were used as retaining walls, decoration and for agriculture. We took pictures doing cartwheels on the terraces. Some theories say the people left because they heard the Spanish were coming, others believe there was an epidemic but no one knows for sure.
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Nellienoos
Ornella Hulbert
Loving it!!!
I really enjoyed reading your blog! I love the photos, especially the market and coca leaves ones! Aren't the Incas just incredible? The architecture and everything really! I took my 5 year old last year, because of her age we couldn't actually do the Inca trail nor go rafting, which would have been great! Our guide who took us to Macchu Picchu used to be a portero, he said those were fun days although the work was hard but the faster you got back the quicker he could take another trek. Incredibly fit guys though! I am glad you tipped well, they definitely deserve it!!! Can't wait to hear more about your adventures!