Tuesday, April 10, 2012

We get up early and it is still dark. We grab a bite to eat in the hotel, mainly just some fruit. We get outside to the bus stop and at least 100 people are already in line. It is first come first serve for the buses. so we end up on the forth bus and it departs. We get to the road up the mountain and it is a rough zig zag all the way up. I attempt to take some photos but the ride is way too rough and I actually fear for our safety as the driver seemingly drives way too fast and about halfway up, the empty buses are coming down and the road certainly doesn’t seem wide enough. So it is a white knuckle ride to the top and the cameras are parked. Take note to see the photos that show the road tomorrow!

So we get to the entrance and check in with our prepaid passes we acquired before we left for the trip. It is misty and foggy as our guide finds us and we step into a magical place!

The stone work and the magical nature of this place are a dream come true. I have wanted to visit this place since I was a young child and I firmly believed that dream would never come true! But here I am and it is real! We climb and descend, climb and descend, over and over again, marveling at the stone work that is beyond comprehension. Generations of Inca, Quechuan, and other civilizations built the structures using different techniques and methods and it is apparent.

When the Spaniards invaded Peru and destroyed the Inca people, they never found Machu Picchu. What a blessing! But the Spaniards brought with them disease and the Inkans that survived died off in a short time. So the biggest damage here besides the rotting away of wood materials is some random earthquake damage that is relatively mild. The last photo in this series shows the worst of it.

I try futilely to imagine living here. Our guide tells us that they haven’t uncovered one third of this place. They know it’s there and the terracing and city goes to the bottom of the mountain in all directions. But the Peruvian government has decided that they have reached their quota of tourists and want no more volume of people trampling the area. So they have put a moratorium on more excavation.

The fog and the rain have made for magical photos.

See the strange stone structure coming up? That is part of the “Temple of the Condor” where the people worshiped their gods. Later in the day, the rain starts to dry up and we find the Inca Trail and try to hike it to the Sun Gate. But partway up the Trail someone tells us it is 90 minutes each way. We realize we don’t have the energy for this and we get to a point and take a distant photo of the Sun Gate.

The Sun Gate is two thirds way up the ridge in the first photo. Way too far to climb on exhausted legs! So we work our way back to the entrance and onto the last bus down.

See the mountain in the back? We will climb that tomorrow!

We get back down and it is dark. I know we must have gone to dinner but for the life of me, I don’t remember it. I know we go to bed for another early day tomorrow!

Monday, April 9, 2012

At the bus terminal this morning some girls in native costumes were there to see us off. We spy another INRI crucifix as our bus leaves the city. We travel past the town of Poroy, normally where we would get the train to Machu Picchu. But due to heavy rains back a couple months ago and a landslide, the tracks are closed part of the way. So our bus takes us to Chinchero where we can board the train.

Moving among the crowds at the train station, we check our luggage and board the train. We find seats in the front car. It is more luxurious that we expected with skylight windows and comfortable seating. The train ride is about 2 hours. A couple of vendors are selling their wares on the other side of the train. I don’t know how one could buy anything. Maybe through an open window? There is a large picture window in the front looking forward and that is where I camp out for the ride. The scenery is again breathtakingly beautiful! The conductor drives the train from half of the front. I get some fun shots of a poor lady with flowers to sell but the train doesn’t stop. If it did, I would have bought them! After a fun and scenic couple hours, we arrive in Aguas Caliente, a town at the base of Machu Picchu.

We check into our hotel on the banks of the Urubamba River. A raging river that we wouldn’t want to fall into! The photo of the Mosquito Hawk doesn’t really show it, but that thing’s body was about 3 inches long!

It is still early and our guide asks if we want to go for a hike and we happily agree! So prepared for rain which looks likely, we head out on a road that follows the river. A lot of fun sights and some tunnels to walk through, we hike about 3 miles to a point where we look up and see the edge of Machu Picchu and we are excited. Have you ever seen a banana blossom? But the rain is imminent so we turn back and head for the hotel. The rain holds off until the last mile and we quickly don ponchos we have brought and make it back relatively unscathed and somewhat dry.

The rain has let up and it’s time for some night photos and a stop at “Indio Feliz” for dinner.

Now to get some sleep for we need to be up early and in line for the bus up the mountain!

Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012

Today begins bright and early even though it is holiday. Our bus first takes us toward Pisaq in the “Sacred Valley of the Incas”. An appropriate place to spend Easter Sunday! Our first stop is at a roadside stand to help support the local economy. Here, a young boy proudly shows us his little sister. We then go to Mirador Taray, an overlook of the Valley, where we get some stunning vistas and our cameras are in their element. We then go through a security checkpoint when we arrive in Pisaq.

We first come to Pisaq Archaeological Park and check out this hilltop Incan citadel with ancient temples, plazas and the Intihuatana, a stone structure thought to have been a sundial. Here we witness the elaborate terracing of the Inca.

We then go into the town market which Pisaq is famous for and we walk around the extensive market where I buy a t-shirt and take photos of the colorful products and even a weaver lady.

Now it is time for lunch and we are taken to “Arco Iris Del Puente Lodge” restaurant for a buffet lunch in the town of Urubamba. We are early for our seating reservation so we get to walk around the grounds for some scenic shots of colorful gardens and even a couple pet Vicunas. A young boy lounges in the grass. When we are called to be seated, we go in and a massive spread of food has been laid out on the buffet and we sit with our bus mates and eat to our hearts delight!

Back on the bus we chat amicably with a younger couple and the conversation turns to them asking me what I do for a living. When I tell them I’m a photographer, I am asked what I shoot. I give them a line a friend and associate taught me and my reply is, “I’ll shoot anything that can stand in front of me with a wallet!” So that was the impetus for this photo!

Shortly we arrive in Ollantaytambo. Ollantaytambo is a village in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, located on the Urubamba River and surrounded by snow-capped mountains. It’s known for its ruins, a massive Inca fortress with large stone terraces built on a hillside. Attractions include the Sun Temple and the Princess Baths fountain. We are greeted at the entrance by an Inca King or at least he appears to be! Somebody I know has decided to photo-bomb the photo!

The sun sets and we travel wearily back to Cusco where we try out another restaurant and we think we see a celebrity actor in the restaurant. Do you recognize him?

Good night and see you tomorrow!

Saturday, April 7, 2012

We have the morning to ourselves today as our excursion doesn’t start until the afternoon. So we actually get an extra hour of sleep before we partake of a complimentary fruit breakfast in the hotel. The city of Cusco is just over 11,000 feet (3400 meters) above sea level and we are getting very well acclimatized to the altitude. We stroll into the city square and you’d never know there were thousands of revelers here last night. One thing we see in all places we visit here are balconies. They are commonly painted bright colors that rarely match the attached building.

There are more than one church here and it is a very photogenic square. We decide to have an early lunch and we choose “Incanto Ristorante”. We manage to relax over lunch (I don’t remember what we had) and then it’s back outside for some more photos. Two girls dressed in native garb pose for me as we attempt to visit the inside of a church. I manage to take a couple photos before I am told to put the camera away. Oh well, I tried! But I did capture a photo of the painting of the “Last Supper” with a guinea pig depicted as being served!

We see more “INRI” crucifixes and everywhere we go, they put these up for the working people. On each “INRI”, they attach the tools that the local workers use. “INRI” stands for Jesus, in Latin it means, “Iēsus Nazarēnus, Rēx Iūdaeōrum”

Next we see several examples of different generations of stone work, some more finessed than others.

It is now noon and our bus has arrived to pick us up. We ride for about an hour and arrive at another set of ruins, this one named, “Sacsaywaman”. We chuckle at the word, especially when it is spoken out loud. (Go ahead, say it) Here we get to see and touch amazing stone work constructed thousands of years ago. The stones are carved and stacked perfectly and a piece of paper won’t even fit between them! There is no modern knowledge of how this was done. When the Spaniards invaded Peru in the 1500s, they destroyed quite a lot of Inca building. Modern engineers have attempted to repair this damage and you can see how inferior it is, almost like child’s play in comparison! In the distance, a statue similar to “Christ The Redeemer” is on a hilltop but we never get very close to it.

We then travel a short distance to the home of “Huiracocha”, the god of water. Here, Huiracocha and “Pachamama” (Mother Earth) resided and they say these waters are the purest on earth. (Pronunciations are “Ware-a-ko-cha” and “paach-A-mama”) Once again, vendors display their colorful wares for sale!

A short walk from Huiracocha, we find another set of ruins, the name of which eludes me. I tried to research it to no avail. The sun is setting and the day is coming to a close.

Back in Cusco, we find a new restaurant to try and another great meal is had!

See you tomorrow!

Good Friday, April 6, 2012

We arrive at the Temple of Wiracoccha in Raqchi. This is one of the largest archaeological sites in Peru. The Spaniards destroyed most of it and built their own Catholic Church on the site. It is not known the full reasons for this site but it is speculated it was a barracks for the Inca soldiers. The Temple was the largest roof in the Inca empire. It was 302 feet by 84 feet. (92 meters by 25.5 meters). Some ingenious designs such as stair steps as depicted in the first photo were just an example of Inca brilliance. Custom water systems were an Inca staple.

Wiracoccha was a deity to the Inca, believed to be the giver of all life and the ‘Creator God’. The Temple was built as a tribute to him. It is said that he made fire fall from the sky and burn the area when in reality it was lava from the nearby Volcano of Quimsa Chata. So the Temple was built to recognize the event.

Our bus drives on to Cajamarca where we stop and visit another small town and the Virgen Dolorosa church that is decorating for Easter. The detailed stone plaza has been intrinsically laid. Colorful vendors again line the street displaying their wares. Carved stone figurines of Dolorosa line the street outside the church.

We drive on and pass by a Sun Gate similar to the “Intipunku” of Machu Picchu. On a specific day and time, we are told, the sun rises and shines through the sun gate, illuminating a specific object. Shortly thereafter we descend into Cusco at just over 11,000 feet (3400 meters). We see the “Monumento Inca Pachacutec” as we go through town. The sun sets behind the overcast skies as we arrive at our hotel.

We check in to our clean and comfortable room and leave the hotel in search of food. We walk the 3 blocks to the main square past pretty fountains and come across throngs of worshipers celebrating “Semana Santa”, a mix of Catholicism and Inca traditions. No sooner has the procession passed and the thousands of revelers are gone and the square is empty. So a few night photos are added to my collection.

We find the “Inka Grill” and get seated for dinner. I order Roasted Guinea Pig and it is amazingly delicious. Hundreds of bones make me look like a chipmunk as I gingerly nibble at the meal. A friendly diner from France that we strike up a conversation with poses for a fun photo!

We are tired and don’t want to walk back uphill to our hotel. We have been warned in advance not to hail a taxi ourselves as there are some unscrupulous taxi drivers in the area. We have been instructed to have a restaurant or hotel call for the taxi for us. Well, we have already left the restaurant so what should we do? Then we spot a police car with an officer sitting in it. We approach him and get the message to him that we need a taxi and he gets out, puts two fingers in his mouth and whistles at a taxi. He goes to the driver and has some strong words with him. Then he signals us to get in.

The taxi driver appears terrified and drives us straight to our hotel with his knuckles glued to the wheel. We pay him and he doesn’t drive off until we have gotten safely inside the hotel. We chuckle and wonder whar the police officer told him and retire for the night.