Trip to Peru: Part 2

 

Trip to Peru:

Part 2:

Sunday, April 12th:

From sea level we were flying to a city that was situated at an elevation of nearly 11,200 feet. As the flight took off we got a bird’s eye view of the river and the forest around it. The landscape gradually changed to mountainous terrain as we approached the highlands around Cusco. We had started ourselves on diamox tablets a day earlier to minimize symptoms of altitude sickness. Hydrating vigorously and categorically avoiding alcohol also helped. Despite all precautions, Abhay and Dipen got sick for a day or two.

We were received at Cusco airport by Doris. She accompanied us in the van to our hotel Casa Andina. It was  cozy place with thoughtful traditional decor and some really special art pieces and furniture. It is located in the heart of the city barely a block or two from the Sun Temple. Doris introduced us to Coca and Muna teas in the hotel lobby. We learned from her that coca tea in the morning and muna tea in the evening are particularly useful to avoid altitude sickness.

As we sat in the lobby upon arrival Minal called the contact person with the tour company and booked a short excursion for the next morning to take us to Pisac, a town about 35-40 miles from Cusco.  Only women were interested in going. 2 men were battling stomach upsets and one was working remotely. 

We took it easy for rest of the evening, getting a few essential medicines from a nearby pharmacy for the sick members and mostly window shopping in a few shops around the hotel and within the hotel. We dined at the hotel that evening before retiring to our rooms. That night Abhay took ill with nausea and had a bout of traveler’s diarrhea. He stayed in the room for the entire 2 days that we were in Cusco, only emerging on the third day for breakfast before it was time to leave the city. 

April 13th, Monday:

Breakfast was at the hotel each morning. Priti, Minal and I were ready by 9:30 for our trip to Pisac. Priti was looking forward to this town for some shopping of artisanal goods. Our tour guide for this trip was Richard. He met us in the hotel lobby and took us to the car. The drive was over the Andes mountains northeast of Cusco, going up to nearly 12,000 feet above sea level before descending into the Sacred Valley. Pisac is considered the gateway to the Sacred Valley, and is situated at an elevation of around 9776 feet in the Vilcanota River basin. We crossed over the river and passed through the town’s narrow lanes flanked by numerous shops carrying colorful local goods like alpaca wool clothing, various ceramic, leather and textile articles, hats and souvenirs. There were also a number of indigenous botanicas ( pharmacies) selling local herbal products. We learned from Richard that this place is big on mystical tourism, people seeking to get high on psychedelics. 

We didn’t stop in the town. The car proceeded to the mountains behind the town taking us to an elevation of close to 11,000 feet. From the parking area we had to walk to the entrance of the Inca Archeological Center. This was a surprise for us. A pleasant one. The site had many Inca features of stone walls, hillside farming terraces, a residential settlement, a sun temple and old Inca cemetery that housed mummies in cave like openings on one of the hills. Nearly 400,000 graves are said to exist here. Richard played the flute as we hiked up to the top of the ruins. We passed by alpacas and llamas seen grazing or lazing around the hillside. There were a large variety of wildflowers seen along the trail. Part of the walk was on muddy ground and part of it on stone laden stairways. Richard told us about a traditional ritual of the mountain people who pray using 3 coca leaves wishing for love, work( skills and effort) and knowledge( wisdom) for all and at the end of the prayer blow away the leaves into the mountains. 

It was indeed a refreshing experience. We ladies were keen to stop for shopping in town but there was no time for that. We had another tour scheduled in Cusco at 2 pm that day. It was past 1:00 pm when we returned to the hotel. Richard took leave of us there. Atul and Dipen had bought a pizza for our lunch which we had sitting in the courtyard outside our rooms on the first floor. Abhay had just one slice in the room itself. He stayed back that day.

At 2 pm in the lobby we were greeted by Abel who would be our tour guide for the next 2-3 days. That afternoon we were scheduled for the city tour of Cusco. 

Cusco was the capital of the Inca Empire( Tawantinsuya). It held significance as a political, cultural and religious center. The architecture in the city reflects stone work from Inca days as well as Spanish colonial designs. Stone paved narrow streets with buildings and shops flanking them are extremely charming. If I found something more charming than these streets it was the sight of young children the next morning with their moms in tow hurrying to get to the school.

Our first destination that afternoon with Abel was Saqsawaman( pronounced Sak-Say-hua-maan) . We jokingly called it Sexy Woman! This site is situated in the surrounding hills overlooking the city. It houses a fortress with walls made with large boulders. The Inca architecture marked by precise angular cuts in these rocks to fit into adjacent rocks and hold together without use of mortar or plaster is observed here. From here we returned to the city and drove past its Main Square, Plaza de Armas. Abel took us to the San Pedro Market. This was like Mumbai’s Crawford Market. It had everything from fresh fruits, vegetables, cheese, breads, spices, teas, clothing, incense, leather goods, ceramics, souvenirs, alpaca products and more. We bought fresh fruit( mango, bananas, pomegranate and avocado). Abel gave us a taste of some local Peruvian fruit like Lucuma. We got a few of the fish eye chilies that we had tasted in the Amazon forest earlier. 

From the San Pedro market we headed to see the Sun Temple. This is situated inside a Dominican Churchyard. The architecture here is again a reminder of the engineering marvel of the Inca times. An earthquake in 1850 damaged a lot of the newer Dominican construction but not the original Inca structures. 

The sun temple was the last stop of the day. We returned to the hotel. That evening we decided to find a fancy restaurant in town for dinner. It was a good 15-20 minutes walk back to the city’s main square where we found a restaurant that accommodated the vegetarian members of our group, mainly Atul and Priti. Morena. I enjoyed a seafood chaufa here. Everyone shared a large chocolate dessert in the end. As we walked back from the restaurant we saw a large number of locals dancing in the main square. The city was abuzz with activity late into the night with musicians and street vendors and of course the tourists. 

Tuesday April 14th:

We had to check out of our hotel early morning and set out for the Sacred Valley. This time through a different route taking us to Ollantaytambo. Our first stop was in Chinchero. Here too there were some Inca ruins. A new international airport is in the works here and expected to open by 2027. Cusco residents are not very happy about it because this is likely to affect their tourism industry. On the flip side, international travelers will be able to directly head to Machu Picchu in shorter time from Chinchero.

Chinchero is located on a high plateau at elevation of 12.343 feet, that is higher than Cusco. Snow capped mountains like Salkantay were visible from the archaeological site. The area has lot of agricultural land as well as alpaca wool weavers. Alpaca are raised at higher altitudes but those herding communities do not do the weaving of fancy fabrics. Chinchero has skilled weaver communities. We stopped at one such weavers’ factories and got a demonstration of the dyeing process and shopped for some authentic alpaca goods like scarves, bags, table runners, sweaters etc. 

From Chinchero we proceeded to Moray to see the circular agricultural terraces. And then to the historic salt mines of Maras. At Maras, the entire mountain soil is rich in minerals. As rain water runs off and collects in the valley it is collected into the salt pools to harvest salt out of it. Pink salt from here is one of the world’s most prized salts. Often a small salt pool is gifted to newly weds and fetches them an income for their lifetime. On our way out of the valley we stopped at a small place to shop for this salt and chocolates. 

Our next destination was Ollantaytambo. Here we had a brief visit to an ancient archeological site before heading to the train station. Our van driver would stay here for one night while we boarded the train to Aguas Caliente.

This Peru Rail segment is a sheer joy experience. It runs along the Urubamba River between narrow alleys between the Andes Mountains. In the premium carriage you are entertained by a Peruvian band and a traditional dancer. Snacks and drinks are served on board. A gift bag with a souvenir shot glass and a small bottle of Pisco was a nice surprise. You could access the rear balcony and view the scenery directly. The 1.5 to 2 hours journey seemed to have gone by fast as we pulled into the town of Aguas Calientes. This is in the valley at the foothills of the mountain that holds the Machu Picchu monument. 

It was a 5 minute walk from the station to our hotel. Outside the station and right up to the street where our hotel stood were shops selling all sorts of Peruvian goodies. Between these were restaurants, ice cream shops and massage parlors. We checked into our hotel and then wandered back to the market to search for some gifts to take home for family and friends. Decided to hold off buying until next day. Dinner was at the hotel that night. 

Wednesday April 15th:

We were up by 4 am to shower and have early breakfast. By 6:30 am we were out to catch a bus. The line of tourists was quite long but big buses came one after another and loaded the people and moved out. We boarded the bus by 7 am. It’s a narrow winding road up the mountain taking from 6690 feet to 7970 feet elevation.

We had a booking for 8:30 am for circuit 3. This one is relatively easy hike that takes you up close into the interiors of the Machu Picchu construction. This site is believed to be built as a sanctuary for the ruling Inca Pachakuteq in the mid 15th century. The first sight of the monument creates an awe that is impossible to express in words. It takes time to sink in about the logistics of creating this place and its unique blending with the surrounding natural environment. The private quarters of the royals, the public gathering grounds, the places of worship and rituals, the water channels, the terraces created for agriculture. All of it stands testimony to the advanced civilization that existed at the time. They lacked written language, hence a lot of their history is difficult to understand completely. Nevertheless the surviving landmarks provide ample evidence for their glorious history. The Spaniards who destroyed the Inca empire never found Machu Picchu. The site was known to very few locals and it was these people that led to its rediscovery. In 1902 Peruvian explorer Agustin Lizarraga inscribed his name on one of the walls. American archaeologist Hiram Bingham led an expedition guided by local farmers in 1911. This brought international attention to the site. Since then the place is visited by nearly 1.5 million visitors per year. The Peruvian government has gradually introduced circuit systems to distribute the load of visitors and protect the site. Further restrictions are likely to be implemented as more crowds are drawn to the place.

It took us about two hours to complete circuit 3

We had just enough time to grab a drink from the cafeteria and use the restroom before proceeding to circuit 1 at 11:00 am. This one is slightly challenging due to some steep climbing up steps. Once at the top you get spectacular views of the site. 

The positive energy of the place was perceptible to all of us from the moment we entered the complex. At one point I just sat down on one of the stairs to gaze at the site and surrounding mountains. In that moment the mind just went still and lo and behold, I, for the second time in my life thus far, experienced the spontaneous AUM vibrations, Nada Bramha! The first time was just recently on March 27th at home. It was our wedding anniversary, so it was easy to remember the date. Anyways. It was a spiritually uplifting experience at Machu Picchu. We had been extremely lucky with the weather. Despite a rain forecast we got no rain. The clouds came in briefly obscuring the views but dispersed just as quickly clearing the view for our indulgence. It wasn’t sunny at all. Just perfect! 

Once done with the circuit we took the bus back to Aguas Calientes. Grabbed a quick lunch at the hotel and then headed to the market to complete the shopping. We women sneaked in 30 minutes for foot massage while the men waited at the hotel lobby. Then everyone picked their bags and made way to the train station. Back on the delightful train to Ollantaytambo. This time instead of the dancer and band we were treated to a fashion show of alpaca clothing. It was dark by the time we reached Ollantaytambo station and got into our van and proceeded to Cusco. We reached Cusco close to 10 pm. Again bought pizza for dinner.

Next morning’s plan was to leave by 6:30 am for Rainbow Mountain. That would be at an elevation of nearly 17,000 feet above sea level! As I packed for that day trip and subsequent hotel check out I was feeling out of breath. It made me doubt my ability to do the climb the next day. I showered and went to bed by 11:30 pm. 

Thursday April 16th:

Woke up at 4:30 am, brushed teeth and called Minal around 5:15 am to say I would stay back at the hotel because I was breathless the night before. 

Then I sat on the bed and again the mind was still. For a third time, and second consecutive day, I could experience Nada Bramha! I could sense a prodding from within to go to Rainbow Mountain as planned. All would be fine! Suddenly I had a leap of faith and confidence. 

I didn’t have much time to lose. I got up and dressed up in the warm clothes I had set aside the night before, picked my backpack and went downstairs. Grabbed tea and a toast. Minal was puzzled! I explained to her later what made me change my mind in matter of minutes. 

It was just Atul, Minal and me going for this adventure. Priti was too tired after Machu Picchu the earlier day. Dipen had a sore back. Abhay had not completely recovered from the upset stomach. Also wasn’t fit to climb the mountain. So it was the driver, Abel our guide, and three of us on the road that morning. The streets of Cusco were already packed with early morning traffic. I watched with much delight the young boys and girls dressed in school uniforms scurrying, with their moms behind them, to get to school. It took us nearly forty minutes just to get out of the city. 

We stopped briefly at the place where we would have lunch after the Rainbow Mountain visit. They took note of our lunch preferences. 

The drive from there on was like we were entering another world. A drive up the mountains, past streams and pastures, terrace fields of potatoes, small villages, their homes painted with murals depicting the flora and fauna of their surroundings, young children going to school, women dressed in traditional costumes setting out for work. Higher up, sheep, llamas and mostly alpacas grazing on the slopes. Clusters of cacti and other high altitude vegetation began to emerge. At a distance we saw glaciers and snow covered peaks. Finally we reached the check point where Abel registered the visitor details. The site is maintained and owned not by the Peruvian government but by the local Andean community. We entered the parking area, took our essentials ( hiking poles, gloves, scarves, water), used the restroom before beginning the hike. Minal chose to walk the entire trail. Atul and I opted for a horse ride halfway up. My horse was named Cooley and his owner was Moses. Simple man in worn out sandals, possibly my age of slightly younger, his face showing years of rugged life in the sun. He walked briskly as we proceeded uphill. A few times I could hear Cooley panting. Made me worry for him and I made excuses for Moses to take a short break so he could catch his breath. I had to keep holding on to the handle on the saddle with both hands at all times. It was tempting at every turn to capture the scenery with the camera but I couldn’t. Moses helped me get down when we reached the last point of the ride. He obliged when I asked him to take my picture with Cooley and I took his picture with his permission. He waved me goodbye as he proceeded to walk back to the parking area. Atul arrived shortly after. We both began our hike on foot. 

It was very windy and cold. There were flurries beginning to fall on us as we began the climb. I pulled out my poncho and started to walk again. It was quite challenging. Within a few minutes the flurries stopped and the poncho became a nuisance. I stopped again to fold it away. Then resumed the climb. Despite his torn ACL, Atul was much fitter than me and soon was far ahead. I continued slowly, a few steps at a time before stopping to catch my breath. Finally I made it to the penultimate stop. Abel greeted me there. He offered me hot Muna tea from a local vendor. I sat on a bench adjoining this vendor’s stall and began to soak in the 360 degrees view. On one side were glaciers, another side were the multi color striped mountains and intervening valleys on both sides. The climb to the summit from here was rather tricky due to wet soil. Abel discouraged me from going. I was fine to wait where I was. It gave a fabulous view. I couldn’t complain. Minal and Atul had gone to the summit and soon back to where I was. We took some pictures with the decorated alpacas and by ourselves. 

Then began the descent. No horse this time. It was a long walk. Many local Andean women passed by us , some carrying their babies on their backs, others carrying heavy loads. They scurried in a very delightful manner. Rough, tough, hardworking people. Many sheep, llamas and alpacas were seen grazing in the grassy meadows on the sides of the trail. This time I was free to take as many pictures as I wanted. We finally made it to the parking area. The horse owners were having a meeting there about some problems they faced. Most of the shop owners selling souvenirs had shut their stalls to attend the meeting. We got into our van and began to journey down the mountain. 

After a brief stop for lunch we made it back to Cusco past 4 pm. 6:30 pm we left the hotel for the airport. Our flight was from Cusco to Lima.