All posts tagged Lima

Inca trek to Machu Picchu, Day 5.

Michael and I woke up at 4 a.m. to make sure that we would be on the first bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu. It’s only a half hour bus ride, but since Aguas Calientes is kind of the only town near Machu Picchu, there are a lot of people wanting seats on that first bus.

Our tour guide Ivan recommended getting there early so we could enjoy Machu Picchu without a ton of other people roaming around. He wasn’t joking, there were already folks waiting at the bus stop when we got there a little before 5 a.m. and by the time the first bus left at 6 a.m., the line was down the street at least a couple hundred people deep. The weather up to this point had been lovely which was a blessing since it would have been miserable trying to hike 10+ miles a day in inclement weather. But the day we get to Machu Picchu, the skies started drizzling a bit. It was super foggy and misty when we first arrived and I worried that we wouldn’t be able to see that breathtaking panoramic view.

I was forgetting that it was literally 6:30 a.m. and the sun hadn’t had a chance to burn off any of that fog yet. Turns out I was concerned about nothing. Around 9 a.m. the skies were blue and beautiful. At 10 a.m., it was sunburning hot.

If I had known it was going to be foggy for a couple of hours in the morning, I would have rather slept in and just gone with the rest of the tourist crowds at 8 a.m.We did an early walk-through and Ivan told us about the history of Machu Picchu and its discoverer, Hiram Bingham, then broke for an early breakfast to wait for the sky to clear up. Apple pie = breakfast of a champion. Still probably healthier than Michael’s burger.The sun came out and I could see for miles. The air was so clear. Machu Picchu is immense, at once secreted in the middle of a forest and secluded on a mountaintop, and also huge and open. It’s an insane feeling to look around and know that the Incans built this structure. Incans created the floorplans and the dwellings over 600 years ago, and carried fertile earth to fill the terraces from far-away valleys. Ivan said that though Machu Picchu now is only 40% original ruins and 60% reconstructions, the ruins are still visible toward the treeline. I imagined Hiram Bingham discovering Machu Picchu amid a tangle of jungle and rock, covered and hidden among the greenery. Tingles.

And so ended our journey to Machu Picchu, one of the wonders of the world. In the past two years, Michael and I have seen the pyramids, the Taj Mahal, and now, Machu Picchu. I am the luckiest woman.

We spent the afternoon back in Aguas Calientes killing time until our 7 p.m. train ride back to Cusco. Michael and I even watched a very shaky bootlegged copy of Mission Impossible 3: Ghost Protocol at a weird little theater. Fun times.

Though the pyramids will probably forever remain my favorite wonder of the world, the Incan trail and Machu Picchu is a close second.

xoxo,

Jenn

In which I pet all the things.

I grew up in San Francisco. Not exactly out in the country. So I was never exposed to farm animals like chickens, ducks, cows or pigs. Especially not baby chicks, baby ducks, calves, or piglets. On the Inca trail, we walked past many smalls towns teeming with these domesticated species. I was enchanted. And determined to touch them.

When I was young, my mom never let me pet strays. Such a mom. But since Michael and I started traveling together about three years ago, every time we see a friendly looking stray, you can bet your buns that I’ll be petting it. They need love too.
Our guide, Ivan, told us a legend while we were camped one night on the Inca trail. The Incans believed that when a person died, he had to pass a great river to get into Paradise. Kind of like the Styx in Greek mythology. To pass this river, a black dog was man’s best friend. The Incans thought that since black dogs were already black, they wouldn’t mind dirtying their coats and crossing. All other dogs of different colors may balk at leading the soul across the river.

All the animals I saw were in really good shape unlike the ones we encountered in India and especially Egypt. Ivan said that animals are revered by the descendants of the Incans – mestizos of Incan and Spanish blood. This is also probably because Peru is so green and food is abundant. India and Egypt? Not so much.That little brown beast stole a chicken carcass after Benito was done preparing our lunch. He got to eat most of it before the bigger dog behind him stole it.There were also many more older dogs around. In other places I’ve traveled, all the strays or dogs roaming the streets seemed young and in their prime. The older dogs probably died out before they could get really old. In Peru, the older dogs are testament to the care and scraps of food available.xoxo,