South American adventure Oct/Nov 2018 part 2

Click on any image for a larger view

Cuzco, Peru

Machu Picchu

To our surprise the van taking us to the airport is on time.  Here is where I find out not all airport security is the same; we are allowed to bring water through the TSA line.  Once through that, and at the appropriate time, we all got up to stand in line to board the plane, no ‘zones’ or ‘groups’ for boarding.  Once we are all in place, seat belts clicked, an announcement is made; we get wait another 45 minutes before departing.

The delay means almost no time to eat and make our tour.  I had seen a French bakery close to the hotel so we hurried over to pick up empanadas for Nicida and me so we could eat during the tour.  Eugenia didn’t eat; upon arriving in Cuzco she instantly started feeling the effects of being at the 11,000’ elevation.  I had a low grade headache the entire time in Cuzco.   Nicida had no problems.

Our tour starts at the main Cathedral.  Spanish conquest of the area is apparent with parts of this cathedral along with many other structures having foundations using Inca construction techniques topped by Spanish construction.  There are many small alcoves with icons and statues in the main body of the cathedral.  There is also a ‘black’ Jesus hanging on a cross.  The natives recognize this Jesus because the color of their skin is close to the black Jesus.  The change in pigmentation of the statue is due to the smoke from hundreds of years of burning candles and incense.  After touring cathedrals and museums in Cuzco we board a bus to enter the Sacred Valley.

Cuzco

Here Inca construction is unbelievable.  We visit several sites this afternoon including Sacsayhuaman, (it sounds like ‘sexy woman’ when pronounced), where walls of precisely fitted stones to boulders make up walls hundreds of feet long and tens of feet high.  Viewing the walls leaves me speechless; even today we do not understand how these toaster to refrigerator sized boulders were assembled so precisely.

Sacsayhuaman

During our tour Eugenia develops full blown high altitude sickness.  Once we had arrived in Cuzco we started the drinking coca tea supplied in the lobby of the hotel, it’s supposed to help, but it is not apparent to us it does.

Sacsayhuaman

After dinner Eugenia retreats to the hotel room for the night, Nicida and I stop for a hot chocolate at one of the many artisanal chocolate shops.  Returning we find Eugenia in agony thinking seriously about abandoning her trip to Machu Picchu staying in Cuzco to recover.  Nicida and I decide we have to pack all our stuff into a small bag for our trip to the Sacred Valley, and Aguas Caliente; entrance to Machu Picchu.

The next morning she is still feeling nauseous - she’s not coming.  We have breakfast planning the final items to pack for the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu tours.  Weather forecasts change between rain and sunny conditions every time we look.  We are just at the start of the rainy season so we have to be ready for anything.  We stop at one of the kiosks along the street to pick up water for the day.  Fireworks explode in the air above us.  Both of us jump at the sound wondering what is going on but then remember that fireworks is the Inca version of ringing bells that traditional religions use.  It certainly gets ones attention.

Our bus tour of the Sacred Valley starts where the previous day’s tour left off.  Our first stop is at a museum where we learn about the several different types of corn the Incas grew, dried and preserved for growing at a later date.  Peruvian women were sitting on the floor weaving tapestries.  There is also a shop allowing us to spend our Peruvian Sols on authentic Peruvian products.  Crossing over a ridge we see fertile plains adjacent to the Rio Urubamba; running the length of the valley.  The Rio Urubamba is running fast and muddy from spring runoff.

Pisac

We pass through the present day town of Pisac on our way to the archaeological site of Pisac.  It sets high on the side of a mountain consisting of many terraces where food was grown for the inhabitants.  Skulls from people of that time stare at us from a cemetery on an adjacent ridge alongside the top of the ruins.  Our ride up to the site is and adventure on the two lane road.  Small vans of tourists; much like us, are returning from their explorations.  Leaving, we hike down a quarter mile of cars, vans and full-size tour buses to our van, our driver has to navigate even further through the snarl of vehicles before the road opens up.  This is not even ‘tourist season’.

After lunch our guide talks up the Peruvian beer – Chicha; a corn based brew.  A hearty ‘Yeah’ came from most of the guys on the tour wanting to sample the drink.  Knowing my reaction to alcohol at altitude I opted for Fruitta a non-alcoholic drink made from local berries.  I was not impressed with the Fruitta; to me it was not refreshing or very tasty.  The others that tried the Chicha were not impressed with their selection either, most of them slamming down the last of it rather than leaving some behind.

Ollantaytambo

Our last stop of the bus tour is Ollantaytambo; with the exception of Machu Picchu these ruins are the best preserved.  The Spanish were after the reigning Inca ruler at the time wanting to kill him and destroy the sites they occupied.  Before being caught he disguised the Inca road that led to Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu so neither of these sites was found by the invaders.  More terraces, storage structures and lookout towers are associated with this site.  Even today more is being learned about the Pre-Inca and Inca civilizations as more is found.

Ollantaytambo

Eugenia was able to catch up with us late afternoon by taking a cab meeting us at Ollantaytambo for our train ride to Aquas Caliente, the launch point to Machu Picchu.  She is feeling better having left the 11,000’+ elevation of Cuzco for the lower 7,000’+ elevation of Aquas Caliente.

Machu Picchu

Weather reports continue changing, all our bad weather gear is in our bags so we are ready.

Light rain is coming down as we leave the hotel for the bus ride to Machu Picchu.  Looking up in the general direction of Machu Picchu the clouds hang thick and low.  The line for boarding the bus starts out well but the scene becomes chaotic approaching the bus.  We are only a group of four including our tour guide, but we have to stay together;  our guide is needed to tell us the story of Machu Picchu.  The number of tickets to the site is limited.  I seem to remember 400 per day when we did our initial search but there seems to be many more than 400 once we form another line to enter the park itself.  The bus ride is thrilling; the roads are a wet mud with sections of gravel and bare rock.  This didn’t slow down our bus driver.  He drives like he has done this route many times; I hope he has.  I’m never quite certain who gets the right of way when two buses meet; somehow we make it to the top safely.

We need our passport to enter the park.  From there it is a walk up an uneven stone walk.  People of all ages are coming to this this site, some are fit – setting a fast pace, others stop frequently either because they are not used to the climbing or the altitude - probably both.  Breaking out into the open we see parts of Machu Picchu; it looks like the photos we have seen preparing for our trip; parts of the site come and go, obscured by the heavy, wet, dense clouds speeding by.  Occasionally we catch a view of Huana Picchu, another site on a peak another 1,000’ above overlooking Machu Picchu.  Nicida and I have passes to hike to this site.

It is believed approximately 500 people lived here full time.  This includes important people, priests and a small contingent of people maintaining the city.  The structures themselves tell part of the story of Machu Picchu; well-constructed, tightly fit stone structures are temples.  Important people lived in the buildings still made well but not as meticulously constructed.  The residence of one of the important people had a bathroom with a toilet and was two stories high.  Less important people lived in more common buildings.  The sun was center of religious ceremonies.  The sun temple has two windows lining up with the sun’s summer and winter solstice positions, also the start of the wet and dry seasons.  There are more details of construction than I can write about here – just go to see it.

Hiking to the end of Machu Picchu Nicida and I register to hike to the top of Huana Picchu just short of 1,000’ higher.  Light rain continues making the rocks slick.  There are spots along the trail where 1” thick cable is anchored in the side of the mountain; this is good – a place to hold on to and use to pull myself up the steeper part of the trail; this is bad – the cable is needed to help steady myself along the side of the mountain and help pull myself up the trail.  The 90 minute hike up is mostly covered in clouds so I only occasionally see how high up we are.  The views also provide incentive to pay attention to trail conditions.  Once at the top we pause for photos, view the river canyon several thousand feet below and view other mountain peaks surrounding our own.

View from Huyana Picchu

The hike down starts with passing through a small keyhole in large boulders with no other way to go; except the trail we came up on.  Everyone in front of me has to remove backpacks in order to get through.  I am able to get through without removing my fanny pack; before emerging on the other side and thinking all is well I promptly step into an ankle deep puddle of rain water; my hiking shoes are cut below my ankle…   Fortunately my shoe does not fill with water, so my socks are only damp.  The hike down is slow; I’m using a different set of muscles; more importantly I can see what would happen to me if I misstep and how far down I would go before coming to a stop.  50 minutes later we arrive at Machu Picchu; wet, tired and happy.  We make our way through the visitor packed site before stopping at the only restaurant here dining at a tasty, well-earned buffet lunch.

The bus ride down the mountain is even more adventurous than the ride up.  We are the last ones on the bus so we sit in the back row bouncing with every pothole and rock.  We get bounced above the seat several times.  Thankfully the ceiling is a few feet above our heads.  Seatbelts – don’t even think about them.  

During our final hour in Aquas Caliente we dash from shop to shop finding tourist items to bring back home.  We finish the day with a 3 hour train ride back to Cuzco where we will stay the night before our flight back to Lima and points further.

Kids - the same everywhere

Thank you for stopping by.

Mark