The sacred incas site of Machu Picchu, high up in the mountains of PeruMachu Picchu... magical place... mysterious place... sacred travel destination... How can I ever forget my experience?... On 16 January 2011 Louis and I were on our way to this mysterious place, the lost city of the Old Inca Empire. Many stories have been told and even today, no one knows the true facts about this ancient universe of the Incas.The Incas were South American Indian people who ruled one of the largest and richest empires in America, between the years 1200 and 1500.
It's hot! We buy some mosquito cream from a lady vendor. Lots of women selling t-shirts, bottled water, little handwoven gifts and the most delicious mealies (corn) which they keep warm in a pot of boiling water. It's fresh and tastes delicious! A big crowd gathers in front of a huge steel gate and finally a little 'Machu Picchu' blue train arrives... and then another two trains... We take a one and a half hour trip into the Andes, around beautiful huge rocks, under massive boulders, below green ferns and countless old trees... forever into the mountains! Then suddenly, the powerful Urubamba river appears. I LOVE IT!! This is where the Incas lived centuries ago. In this Sacred Valley, where their fields flourished and everybody lived in abundance and prosperity. 
At last we arrive. Off the train and immediately our small luggage is taken by a guide. We then have to follow a 'Machu Picchu guide" into another bus, taking us right up to Machu Picchu... Wow!!!!! We have to walk fast through the most beautiful little stalls, handmade goodies, the most colorful and vibrant materials I have seen. This little town, Aguas Calientes, is like a place of ants, bustling and busy with hundreds of tourists from all over the world. Apparantly more than 12 trains arrive every day at the Machu Picchu sanctuary. The Quecha (native) word Machu Picchu, means Old Bird, or the guardian spirit of peace among mankind.Another Mercedes busride up into the Machu Picchu mountains... gravel road... up and up and up, zig-zagging the mountainside. After about 15 minutes, we arrive at the top. Four huge buses are already parked here and there's lots of activity. The name of our guide is Augustine. I can see he resembles the native Indian tribe - maybe his forefather is from Inca descent. We are a small group of 6 ( 1 person from New York, 2 from Denmark etc) And then the journey begins... The Experience of Machu PicchuThrough the first gate, showing our passports and tickets, we walk a short way and come to a standstill. It's boiling hot and Augustine is chatting away... Meanwhile, after some minutes, we continue walking. This time, we climb a few steps on stone and then... suddenly and unexpectedly the sight of the magnificent face of Machu Picchu greets us. This kingdom of the face of the Inca, the place for Inca nobility built in the 15th century is an unbelievable holy place of stone. It was designed to withstand intense rains and earthquakes. Huge ancient terraces as well as buildings known as the "guardian houses," hang from the slope.
Everybody takes pictures. Cameras and cellphones go from hand to hand and this is the postcard picture place that I will frame at home, in Cape Town , to hang on my travel wall... AWESOME!!!!!!! For the next two hours and more we walked this sacred place, through the "Main Temple", "House of the Chosen Women", "Temple of the Three Windows", "Space of the Puma", "Place of the Condor" ... and to think that more than 100 acres of temples, houses and terraces remained hidden until American explorer Hiram Bingham in 1911 was led to Machu Picchu by a 10 year old local boy.
Augustine takes no prisoners. He walks a few metres and stops to explain something new but he is agile like a cat, with his sun hat and yellow umbrella raised to point the way for us... He points towards the Inca trail, a famous 35 mile path that crosses 2 passes, the highest being over 13 500 ft. He says that during Inca time, they always searched for areas within the cloud forest for new land and resources (among them coca). 'Inca Trail' was probably the path that allowed them to discover a magical place set in the midst of some high mountains surrounded by an enormous serpent (Vilconofo River). I look at the green terraces covering the mountain in front of me. Unbelievable to see where the Incas lived and how high they went up the cliffs to pray to their gods ... Specifically their Sun God "Inti." They also believed that the first Inca man was the Son of the Sun. The Incas founded this kingdom in Southern Peru in 1200. They were master architects and road-builders and competent astronomers. By early 1500, they had built a great empire and their civilisation reached its peak. So great was their kingdom, that it stretched north into parts of Colombia and Ecuador and as far south as Chile and Argentina. As I stand still looking all around me at green terraces, high, high mountains, valleys, stone walls, temples, massive stone rocks lying around and half finished work, I see the Urubamba river snaking through the beautiful valleys, far far below. I see on the other side of the valley from where we started the hundreds of tourists winding and making their way up to where we are. It looks like a big tourist machine and I realize how everything has changed. How I have missed the incredible moments of quiet, peace and sacredness many thousands of years ago. It is all so busy now.
The ReturnAfter our two and a half hour tour of Machu Picchu, we were so tired and so hungry and sweaty. Fortunately we were pre booked at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary restaurant. We had a lovely buffet meal, where Louis and I had second helpings, together with 2 ice cold Corona beers, sharing our experience with Naouki, our Japanese friend. After a long lunch, we got to our bus and zig zaged our way down the mountain to the little village of Aguas Calientes. I so hoped we were staying in a nice hotel.Eventually were dropped off close to our hotel with just a few minutes walk. The little town of Aguas Calientes is very small. "On my right hand side, I see many many small shops with colorful headbands, beautiful embroidered bags, jewellery and many more handwoven products. But I am too tired to even stop, and eventually we walk across a small bridge and then, we see the most beautiful Inkarerra hotel. Everywhere on the side of the foot paths, there are little waterfalls and small streams and the sound of running water fill my ears. Big wet ferns and green trees cover the ground. It is all so peaceful and calm. There is a stone path that connects all the chalets. After we book into the Inkaterra, we walk up the exquisite path through the trees and little streams to our hotel room number 28. It has a little balcony with 2 big rustic wooden chairs, a beautiful big bed with all the linen in white and the bathroom in stone and big chrome taps. We both take a warm shower and get into bed. Oh .....what a wonderful feeling! Louis and I sleep right through until 9 am the next morning. We have a wonderful breakfast on the balcony of the Inkaterra Hotel's Dining room. A few metres below us the restless grey waters of the Urubamba river fllows - so loud that we can hardly hear ourselves speak." We stayed for another night and a day at this hotel. At midday the following afternoon we returned with the same train, the Vistadome, from Machu Picchu all the way down with the bus until we arrived back in Cusco. What an unbelievable and magical journey... I will return one day and I'd love to bring my children and grandchildren with me. Return from Machu Picchu to Home Page |
